Thinking Day

Lauryn's Brownie Troop participated in Thinking Day, which was held at the Hughesville Fire Department. It was really a fun afternoon - each troop had a country that they presented to the whole group. Lauryn's was Guatemala. There were 15 or so countries and each group did a really nice job - a presentation with backboard, sample of food, and a craft. Our craft was making a worry doll - I'm thinking I could use about 5 of those - 6 if you count Chris.

Icy day = Motorworks

Finally, Brianna and Chase have a snow day and it's because of sleet and freezing rain. Not nearly as much fun as snow! Chase helped Jacob put together a simple motor, using insulated/uninsulated wire, a magnet, paper clips, foam block, and a D cell battery. After a view false starts, we got all the insulation off the wires in all the right places, and success!

Valentine's Day Bouquet

I was surprised with a package filled with roses and chocolate on Valentine's Day. During our entire marriage, Chris has always been on the other side of the country on February 14th. This is my consolation prize, pretty, don't you think? I would have taken a picture of the chocolate, but, well, I ate it.

Baltimore Aquarium

Today we had a treat. Reid's homeschool class had a field trip to the The Baltimore Aquarium, with family invited along. The trip was a little traumatic for the Mom - given my fear of driving in any city larger than Belton, but I'm sure in time I will forget the mechanical arm at the parking garage that crashed down on top of my car, the complete insanity of the Beltway, and driving through a minor snowstorm. The Aquarium itself was nice, the snow seemed to keep most of the crowds away so we could really see the exhibits. Lauryn spent the day with Miss Emma, Reid was with his science class, and so Jacob and I had some rare one-on-one time. That's why you only see pictures of him! See if you can spot his profile in the greenish picture with the stingrays - they were his favorite part of the visit. I believe he could have watched them for hours.

Lauryn Ice Skating

Here are some shots of Lauryn's first time ice skating. Her Brownies Troop joined Girl Scouts from all over our area for a night of skating and pizza eating at Capitol Clubhouse. Notice that I am not the one helping her learn to skate. I am, instead, the photographer. This is because where I grew up, the only ice was in the tea and I never learned to skate. It sure looks like fun, though!

Enjoy the action shots.

A good way to tell when the Daddy of this family is away is to note how long it is between posts on this blog. We're still keeping busy (and how!) - I just don't have time to post about what we're doing. So here's a catchup post of mostly pictures to show a little of what we've been up to lately.


Here are some pictures of Jacob designing and making his car for the Pinewood Derby. Also, Jacob with his best friend Adam at the Derby.

Here are Brianna and Lauryn in their Valentine's Day pjs. About the only thing I can still make for both of them without one of them saying, 'EEEWWWWWWWW!'