Northport Holiday Weekend

Saturday, December 27th--a beautiful snowy day in Northport! Crazy that we had to travel all the way to New York to finally see some snow this season.

Shoveling a property this big is a major job! We were grateful for Janet's neighbor who cleared a huge chunk with his snowblower. (Greg was planning on it, but the neighbor got an early start and beat him to it.)

Snow play is snow fun.

Eli and Anders attempt a snowman.

The snow was too fluffy to make into snow creatures, so Eli decided to orchestrate the design of a town instead, clearing roads and parcels on the grid system.  Apparently Brigham Young's city planning has settled deep into my children's souls.

Here are Eila and Annie joining in.

Pickles too.

As for me, I made a graceful snow angel. Just glad you couldn't see me trying to get back up--that part was far from dainty.

Calico cuteness.

Meanwhile Talia and Brooklyn tossed a disc in the front yard. Talia completed over 20,000 throws over the break in an Ultimate Challenge to have her team fees paid. She didn't quite land the number one slot, but she came super close!

I love this girl's grit and kindness.

I love this gal so much too!  Brooklyn brought us home the most lovely name tiles from Spain. This cutie is so thoughtful and always reaching out to others.

I think my daughters learned it from their grandma and cousin.

That evening we had a super fun game evening when the LaFroscias came back over. We had so much fun with Kate and Nick and Emily and Alex...

...and Katelyn too! After playing Ticket to Ride we played another super cool game called Finspan--a sequel to Wingspan. So fun and gorgeously developed! Perfect for challenging the brains of my brilliant munchkins: I'll just need another session or two to catch on.

Yes, one of the creatures pictured here is highly intelligent. I'll leave it up to you to guess which. (Of course, when it comes to locating an object in plain sight, my vote is with Pickles.)

The next day was Sunday, so we dragged the troops off to church in Plainview.  Adam is amazing and always joins in without complaint. Plus, he has the best expressions!

The kids were unsure about staying for the second hour, but felt gratified when they left with sugary treats and a massive Advent calendar for their efforts.

In the afternoon we headed to Sunken Meadow State Park to explore the beach and gather rocks to paint.

Family photos are more fun upside down.

Great smile, Papa Kay!

Cute Alesia joined us on our chilly beach trip. Unsurprisingly, few Long Islanders visit the beach in January!

Uuuuuup!

I am SO excited that these sisters are going to play on BYU's Women's Ultimate team together this spring. Go Chi!

Annika loved searching for shells.

Found one! Or at least the carapace of a horseshoe crab.

This reminds me so much of Talia years earlier. Peas in a pod!

On our way home frm the beach, I asked to stop by 4 Captain Richard's Drive, the home where Jason and I first lived as newlyweds. For years this home belonged to my mom's Uncle Ed and Aunt Doris. They have both passed away so now the home is being sold. While the home itself is extremely dated, the property is amazing. I think it's so cool that you can have a secluded forest get-away on busy Long Island where you hardly notice your neighbors.

That basement apartment holds a lot of lovely (and a few smelly) first memories.

It's been so many years, but Jason must still love me. For Christmas he spoiled me with a new laptop--the first Mac in the family. I feel so pampered! (And a little clumsy as I learn a new system.) Thank you, amor! You are the peanut butter to my jelly.