More snow...

This time the snow fell wet and heavy... with a windless day it stuck to everything and kept piling.  By the time I took Kimball out for a romp at Knights Hill Park, it was a true winter wonderland out there.  

What to do in all the new snow?  Back to the mountain, of course.  Andy tried snowboarding for the first time ever, while Aiden tried to give his dad some pointers.  By the end of the day, Andy was really getting the hang of it.  He might be hooked.  I know little man already is...

Why we don't live in igloos...

We learned a few things about igloos this weekend at the Montshire Museum's annual Igloo Build.  First off, we'd make pretty pathetic eskimos... but really, it's not our fault.  The snow that accumulates on the arctic ground is a lot different than ours, apparently...it's harder and very porous, so it's very light.  You can cut a nice 2' x 3' block of it and lift it up over your head like its styrofoam.  We don't even have construction worthy snow in this part of the world, unless you construct the snow for construction yourself.  The Montshire staff made large areas of densely packed snow by stomping upon layer after later of snow with their snowshoes and waiting days for the layers to harden.  That was the only way we could use saws to cut bricks that would hold their form- and man, were they heavy!

Montshire staff telling us how it's done

One of the big prepared snow squares where we cut bricks from

Aiden sawing out a brick

So, the construction part... it's harder than you think.  Or, maybe... it's as hard as you think.  Anyway, it's not easy.  The igloo is not constructed by separate layers of blocks, but is actually one continuous spiral of blocks up to the very top.  This is tricky to pull off.  The tops of each laid brick needs to be beveled in such a way that the next layer tilts slightly inward, so that you finally reach a domed shape.  This is also tricky.  Someone needs to stay inside the igloo when you are getting to the last few layers, just to hold the bricks in place until it is capped.  Only when it's finished do you ponder where you should put the door (this is a serious structural decision) and so the person who helped you build from the inside is trapped inside the igloo until you get the whole door thing figured out.  Who knew?

Inside the igloo

Lots of families attempting igloos

Our igloo didn't quite reach the door stage... Haley protested the igloo build since there was little she could do besides stand around and get cold, so she and Andy went inside the museum for awhile.  Aiden and I did our best, with me cutting blocks and Aiden helping to place them and chinking in the seams from the inside. When we got near the top of the dome, I decided it was Andy's turn to come out and work with Aiden (leave him the hard part!)... and well, lets just say they got cold before it got finished too.  It was a cool learning experience though, and there were some families (overachievers) who did actually finish an igloo.

Busy Weekend

This past weekend we went all-out. No grocery shopping, no house cleaning, no laundry, no chores... just play. Why? Because Monday (presidents day) is the one day of the year that Andy and I have off work but the kids both have school. I suppose we could have had a normal weekend and then taken Monday off to do something fabulous or romantic by ourselves, but instead we decided to play hard with the kids and do all the dirty work on Monday. The weekend's activities included tennis, swimming, skiing, tubing, campfires, the science museum, and korean food. Quite a bit for two days, and the kids were definitely tuckered out by the end.

We tried out Pats Peak in Henniker instead of our usual standby Mt. Sunapee- they have Saturday night skiing and tubing that runs from 3-10pm. It was a good time, though I had forgotten how icy night skiing can be once the sun's rays aren't helping to soften the snow any. Aiden and Andy skied together with the McVrankens, and Sonya and I took Haley and Finn to the bunny hill. After 3 forced runs up and down the magic carpet slope, Haley pointed to the chairlift and said, "I want that, Momma". That girl knows what she wants (she's been asking at Sunapee every time we've gone there too, but I kept making up excuses). Finally, i relented. Besides having to physically pick her up to get her on and off the chairlift, and needing to keep a death grip on her while we rode up since she's tiny enough to easily slip under the bar, it was a cinch. She loved the ride, and then skied with the harness all the way down from the summit. In the end I have to admit she was right. I liked the chairlift with her better too, since the bang-for-your-buck ratio is far better... more skiing time for only minimally more effort. Actually I'd say the magic carpet is harder to maneuver for Haley than me just picking her up and onto the lift. So, we've found a new way to ski.

Aiden with giant cookie at Pats Peak

Haley roasting smores

Aiden and Finn on the car ride home from Pats Peak

Girls at the bar

Tubing was also an adventure. The tubing lanes had to be pure ice (think luge, but on an inflatable sled) and the guys were hauling down at at least 60 mph. At the end of the run there is a huge upward ramp to slow your momentum, and we were seeing people skim off the top of that like they were Shaun White in a half-dome. Needless to say, Aiden and Andy loved it. Aiden has been begging to go back to Pats Peak ever since we left, though that may also have something to do with the candy bar and the video games right outside the bathroom (genius, according to Aiden).

Sunday was a something-for-everyone day... swimming at splash park (for haley, but Aiden loved it), the Leb Pet Center (for Andy, but Aiden fell in love with a baby rat), lunch at Yama (for all of us- we each have our absolute faves there), and science museum (for Aiden, but guess who didn't want to leave because she was having way too much fun). The kids will undoubtedly want to know why every weekend can't be this awesome, but once a year is better than never!

Montshire Museum Fun

This is what Kimball did all weekend...

Why Andy is Screwed...

A few weeks ago, Haley turned to Andy at the dinner table and said, in the sweetest little honeyed voice, "Daddy, give me your money." Whoa. She is 2. We all busted out laughing, but afterwards Andy looked shaken. "Am I screwed?" he asked. Most definitely. Haley already has the head tilt and the eyelash batting down, and reserves her sweetest kisses for her Daddy. When we had a snow day last week, Aiden came to work with me, and Haley stayed home with Andy. By the end of the morning she was painting sparkly pink nail polish on his toes. Definitely screwed.

Nemo found New London

The big news this week was all about Nemo, the monster blizzard, hitting the northeast coast. Schools were closed Friday simply in anticipation of the storm, which really did not begin until Friday evening. In the end we were left with about 2 feet of snow, which seems like a lot of snow until you look at some of the totals from MA or CT in the 30-36" range! I'm glad we were spared that, to be honest. Two feet is plenty enough snow.

The weather didn't stop blowing until Sunday morning, so that was the first we could really get out to enjoy the new powder. We made the most of our Sunday with sledding at Twin Lake Villa (also known as suicide hill for the huge boulders dotting the long steep hillside- there's got to be over a foot of snow to even try to sled here). Haley had her first real runs down the sled hill and she was all smiles. Aiden was coated with an ice rime by the end of the morning from all the powder blowing up into his face off the sled. But he loved it too.

After dashing home, eating lunch, and having a power nap, we sped off to Mt. Sunapee for some afternoon skiing. Since the forecast is calling for rain and slush tomorrow, this may be the best snow fun day we get all winter... so we made sure to enjoy it. Or at least Andy and i enjoyed it. The kids appeared to be having a blast sledding and skiing, but when Andy asked them at the dinner table what their favorite part of the day was, Haley's answer was "taking a nap!" Aidens: "playing Legend of Zelda on the Wii while Haley napped." Sigh. Sometimes you can't win as a parent.

Something for Aiden

I created a photo book for Aiden about all the adventures he shared with his Hapa.  I'm hoping this will guarantee that Aiden never forgets his grandpa.  I know that battle will be tougher with Haley, but I'm working on a book for her too.  To see the book, click below.  You'll need to click on "full screen" to really read it though.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photo Book Tip: Create an adventurous travel photo album at Shutterfly.com.

Winter Pond

One of my favorite things to do in the dead of winter is go out to the middle of a lake or big pond. Sometimes you can ski (if there's a little snow) or snowshoe (if there's a lot of snow) or skate (if there's no snow and the ice is very smooth), but sometimes you just walk out there. Because you can, and it's so bizarre to be in the middle of a lake, where you could never walk at any other time of year. Last weekend I got my fix on nearby Kezar Lake. The ice was too bumpy in most places for skating, and there wasn't enough snow for skis or snowshoes, but Andy and I and the kids and Kimball walked out to explore the island in the middle of the lake. Haley loved peering down through the glassy ice and looking at all the little bubbles and streaks she could see down there, even though she wasn't too keen on walking over the slippery ice. "Didi (daddy), picka me up?" she said every time we put her down. Aiden loved running and sliding on his knees, and Kimball just enjoyed being leash-free on Sutton's largest winter dog park (not many rules for dogs on frozen ponds).

Haley looking at the ice bubbles

Old ice fishing hole

The ice was at least 16" thick, and there were even a few yahoos in pick ups doing crazy speeding donuts on the other side of the lake, so no danger of falling through for us. We explored some old ice fishing holes (complete with frozen bait treats for kimball around some) and also the large hole in the ice where Musterfield Farm collected large ice blocks for their ice house last weekend. We heard from friends who went to the ice harvest that Musterfield had to get rid of some leftover ice in their ice house from last summer before they could fill it up again- amazing how those large blocks last through the entire summer and beyond packed together so tightly in the icehouse!

ice house blocks that were not used

Hi!

I'm done now

Exploring the island