We were delighted to discover a familiy of 8 deer cruising through the yard.
It was fun to watch them becuase, while they are usually just passing through, this time they stayed and frolicked a while. They were actually playing with each other, eating, doing their "buisiness" (if you know what I mean). Well, dinner was getting cold when they finally moved on, but the thrill of wildlife in the backyard never get old.
He sat at the head of the table and blessed the food at dinner time.
After dinner, David always blesses me by washing the dishes. So Josiah enthusiastically jumped in and attempted to do the job in Dad's place. I pitched in a little more than usual but it was a joy to work along side my son. Siri tried to help to... She kept picking at the left over plate of chicken. Then she said that she was still eating because that is what Dad does while he is cleaning up.
Josiah also pitched in taking out the trash and being generally supportive. He even dressed up as a Knight and said that he would protect me. I told him that the greatest thing that his Dad does as the Man of the House is to pray for his family so Josiah tried to fill those shoes as well. I am usually not thrilled about David being gone but my son's desire to step up and be a man like his Father made this trip all worth it.
When I took them out at noon it was still painfully cold and after dinner, Jake (our beagle we brought from Hawaii) flat out refused to go outside. We actually checked his feet for frost bite which can be common on the dog's paws. We have come to appreciate the meteorologist here. They work hard and are very educational. I guess when we have weather that you can die in, it is good to understand what you are dealing with. Personally, I think it is unnatural for humans to live in these conditions. If God had intended it He would have given us FUR! I guess I better stop complaining though, as I am still hoping some of our friends might someday decide to visit us for a winter Holiday. But right about now, a Hawaiian Holiday sounds pretty wonderful.
While holding the bowl and waiting.....
Well, I am happy to report that it was beautiful and delicious. My husband exclaimed that it was the best Chicken Soup I had ever made. We had it with some sour dough bread from Diamond City Bakery and it turned out to be the perfect soup for a cold Minnesota winter. So thanks to all of you who have supplied me with bags of rice which gently nudged me towards this wonderful culinary experience.
This morning we all went outside to go sledding. It was so fun to watch them have so much fun. They went zooming down out hills cracking up and then climb up to do it again and again.
Elijah loved it and it was so neat to see Gisele with her beloved grandson. My kids love to play with him so it was a nice visit for all.
Our dog, Jake got out and ran away so in between all the laughs we were out calling for him. He eventually came home, much to Josiah's relief and we all came in to warm up and have lunch. They are heading back to Honolulu tomorrow so we were so blessed to have them here and are hoping for a longer stay next time,
This is how we spent our New Year, with some new paint. We decided to paint our living room with "Cinnamon Spice" and "Pumpkin Butter".
David and I started on New Years Eve and the kids joined in the next day.
Siri, was especially excited to help out... I think it must be all the HGTV she watches with mommy. She even got out the video camera to film and narrate the process.
Jonah mostly enjoyed playing with the drop cloths.
..... And here is the finished product. We were quite pleased with the way it turned out.
It now feels like we are sitting in Starbucks drinking a Pumpkin Latte.
