Trebuchet

This is called a trebuchet. My kids call it a launcher, or a shooter, it's kind of like a catapault. My brother-in-law built it to launch tennis balls into the lake. It has been sitting on the sea wall at my parents house since I got here and I never thought to ask what it was. Today, Lydia, Brian, and the kids came over and hauled it out, filled the bucket with water and played "fetch" with the kids. They LOVE it. Well, Lilly, Titus, and Isabele do, Owen likes to pull the pin that launches it. The big kids jump off the end of the pier, swim out retrive the balls, swim back, climb up the ladder and run the balls back to Brian. Talk about a great way to wear them all out!

 

Here's a link http://youtu.be/rr9A2GY8rCQ to a video to see how it works.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A little of this and that

It's been over two years since I posted anything of significance, seeing those pictures of Owen make me feel unbelievably sad. How did I not write about what was going on? Life got crazy. Here's the last year and a half recapped.

 

September 2012-December 2012- Mike deployed, sometime, I'll write about that not now.

January 2013- News that Mike was going to be deployed again for 4-6 months. (in military terms that means 6-8) Through lots of conversations we decided that it would be best for the kids and I to move in with my parents while Mike was gone. We rented out the house, moved all of our stuff to a storage unit and headed to Indiana.

April 2013-January 2014- We lived with my parents

 

That brings us to now-

 

We've lived in the lovely State of Florida for almost a month now. This has been the easiest adjustment for me so far, for many reasons I think. Living with my parents was good for us for many many reasons, I was/am beyond grateful that they let us stay with them. However, I was ready to have my own space and to have my family back under one roof! I'm so grateful to have escaped the terrible winter that Indiana has been having this year, we are all loving the sunshine and spring temperatures.

 

Lillian

She's now 4.5. A spitfire of little girl with an equal love for wrestling with daddy and pretty princess dresses alike. She has a servants spirit, always asking to help. She also is very independent, rarely wanting help with anything. She loves to get herself dressed and has an obsession with tights. As long as what she has on is weather appropriate I don't say much to her. I can't wait to see her little sense of fashion come out as she grows.

 

Owen

He is now 2 (34 months) to be exact. He is my sweet little man, my little cuddler. However, he has the boy genes through and through. He's already given up on the plastic play tools and only wants the real stuff. Hammering nails and playing with the real drill are ALL that boy can talk about. Of course the digger trucks come out from time to time in the back yard sand hole he and Lil have dug together.

 

 

 

I'm looking forward to getting back into this. Hoping to do a better job of keeping track of life for the kids.

 

 

 

Hannah

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Wow,

I haven't posted in over a year. That's pretty sad. Maybe, just maybe I'll get myself re committed, maybe to a once a week post. We'll see.

Look Mom, I can sit!

Owen started rolling over right around four months. He is quite proficient at rolling to whatever object he wants. 

Just in the past couple days he's started sitting for several minutes at a time without toppling over. I'm so happy he's reached this stage. At the same time it means he's one step closer to crawling, that I'm not looking forward too. 

Such a big boy! 

I'm pretty sure Lilly, likes this new trick of Owen's. I think she likes him more and more as he becomes more like a playmate!

That fluffy white stuff.

Winter arrived with a force in Alaska this year. I think we got 6-8 inches in a matter of two to three days. It's here to stay for sure, it won't get warm up here for months now. I don't really mind the winter so much. What I can't stand is the wind, and by wind I mean 50-60 mph gusts that make me feel like the house is going to collapse and the windows are going to blow in.
Last Thursday the drive needed shoveled and the two Owen's were sleeping. I bundled up Nathan and Lilly and out we went. Last year Lilly hated the snow, she just stood in one spot and cried. This time was a totally different story. She was thrilled to be outside, she loves her gloves and her "ca cake" hat, I figured she throw and fit and take them off. It's so nice to know that as long as it's not windy I can take sent the two of them outside this winter.

 I'm pretty sure Nathan is explaining to Lilly how to eat snow.

Diving in! 

Good stuff!

Lilly was quite impressed with herself after made herself a seat.

Laying in the snow, I may have to get her some bib snow pants. She likes to lay in the snow and a cold belly is not much fun.

Thanks to my friend Beth for taking photos of the kids while I shoveled!