We thought we wouldn’t get any real snow this year, but we finally got a small snow storm. It was a very icy, but the girls said that meant the sledding was faster and more fun. Here is Molly headed down.
Leah wanted me to take a video of her, and she kindly showed off a bit.
The girls still love penguin sliding in the tracks created by their sleds. The icy snow meant they could slide even faster.
The girls made a cute little snowman by the front door.
Ready to celebrate Dr. Seuss! Jen made the girls Dr. Seuss themed shirts for Dr. Seuss spirit week. The decals are just vinyl stickers so she could put something more permanent on the shirts later - unicorns.
It was no Mardi Gras parade, but we had a nice time exploring many newly reopened shops while hunting for masks and collecting beads during Mardi Gras on Main St. the Saturday before Mardi Gras. Sadly, the promise of beignets was a bust. :( Chocolate treats had to substitute.
You may have noticed Jen’s snazzy shirt. Jen may be a Marylander now, but she still hangs on to some of her Louisiana roots! She made a new shirt for Mardi Gras before baking four king cakes and making jambalaya.
For a fun outing, we joined Grams and headed to Brookside Nature Center for their Maple Sugaring days. They taught us about the process of making maple syrup. Here they are cooking down the sap to make syrup.
At the end of the activity, we all got pancakes with maple syrup (of course).
Maryland doesn’t create much maple syrup. While Vermont creates up to 2 million gallons a year, Maryland comes in with a total of 0 gallons. But that doesn’t stop Brookside Gardens from creating a little bit from their 5 sugar maple trees. We even got to taste a little of what they’d produced by dipping a popsicle stick in this little jar of it.
We picked up a couple of maple treats, including this cotton candy made from maple syrup.
After the maple fun, we headed to Aunt EA and Uncle Scott’s house to hang out. Leah was happy to read Charlie a book.
Aunt Caroline and Uncle Charles brought the girls Legos from their visit to the flagship Lego store in Denmark. Leah got Rey’s speeder from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She was excited to build it, but made sure to grab her Rey quarterstaff from her Halloween costume and sling it across her back for the build.
Our church onceagain took part in the day of service on MLK day. There were lots of service activities, but the girls were most excited to sew pillowcases for kids in the hospital. So, we headed there first so the girls could use their skills.
We also made braided jump ropes. They took unwanted T-shirts and cut them up into strips, which we braided together and attached handles to.
We did some other things as well, but I apparently only got pictures of the crafty projects.