Sacrament Meeting Drawings

It's been a remarkably warm winter here in Bar Harbor, we've enjoyed it some, but really we just want a heap of snow to play in. The kids have been alternatively whining about the lack of snow and wishing they could live in Arizona. ?? 

Sacrament meeting art by Finn.

^^I'll give everyone three guesses to figure out what movie Finn is obsessed with right now.^^

I finally finished Madie's Christmas mittens. I had finished on before Christmas, but wasn't able to get the second done. So I started on it afterward, stayed up late one night to get it as close to done as possible, and just as I was laying down at 2:30 am, I realized, I hadn't left a hole for the thumb. UGGGHHHH. Literally everything I stayed up for that night had to be pulled out. That's what I get for working tired, I guess. After I finished knitting them, Madie asked to have them fleece lined, but by then I was working on a shower gift for a friend's baby. Finally last night I finished the gift and the linings for Madie's mittens. And as happy as Madie is, she's not as happy as I am to be done.

Finn, Nellie, Elvis, and I enjoyed a stroll through the woods on a warm, 48 degree day a few weeks back.

Finn calls this his "woodman's jacket."

I love living in a small town. And winter is really the best time here, when the tourists clear out. No driving in circles for a parking spot, no crush of people in the aisles, and no long lines for anything. The kids love the fish counter the best. And the man working on this particular day is the absolute nicest. I was waiting at the deli for the worker to finish slicing some meats and cheeses, and P went over to watch the lobsters float lethargically in their tank. The man saw her and took one out for her to touch and look at--they often do when asked, but she never even had to. Finn ran over to check it out too. He kept them occupied for a good five minutes while I finished by deli order.

Christmas

It was a great Christmas, New Years, and season in our home. Here are a few highlights. 

There is nothing quite like sitting in front of the wood stove after a bath, with your feet kicked up on Elvis' side in the nude. I'll just leave that one right there...

We all went to the annual JAX Holiday Party. The kids were looking forward to this for weeks!

On a Sunday afternoon, Finn and I walked to Lakewood to check out the ice. We saw hundreds of fish through the ice, tracked dog and deer prints, and spotted some nests high up in some trees. We assume they were eagle nests. Finn loved walking on the ice and throwing rocks to hear the cool noise it made (cue the 1970's spaceship sound effects). 

At one point, we had enough snow to make a small snow cave. We haven't had that much snow since, unfortunately. The kids got to play in it for one evening at least. 

Christmas morning was a blast. We loved watching the kids open their presents. We headed to Grammy Haskins later that day for some fun in Dover. 

Madie holding up a stuffy. 

Petya was a big fan of Uncle Seth, as he coddled her and let her eat whatever was in front of her. Such as this huge cut of ham. 

The lunch crew, enjoying a post-Christmas lunch. 

A few days after Christmas, we went for a walk in downtown, and had brunch at Chocolatte. The kids have been taking up playing chess lately, and were pretty excited when they saw the chess board sitting there. 

This day was particularly warm, and we enjoyed some sunshine on the deck with our workbooks. 

No comment necessary. 

Since New Years Day was on Sunday, we couldn't do our traditional polar bear plunge on New Years Day, in honor of the Sabbath. Instead, our group met on Monday and plunged then. Finn almost plunged with me, but backed out at the last minute. It's a quick process, and he had commented that he wanted to dig in the sand...not sure he was clear on what we were doing at Sand Beach.

After Sand Beach, we took the Dauk Family to Monument Cove in Acadia to show them around. It was an absolutely perfect day. Sun, warmth, and fun scrambling on rocks.