Prayers

Joel is convinced that Norah and I only clean or go to the grocery store when he is in school. Life just isn't fair when he has to go to school and Norah gets to stay home and have fun.  He's ok with play dates with friends only if there isnt anyone his age to play with.  Fun forest or the zoo with Elsie is ok since Nathan is in school.  Skinny dip with Charly is ok since Charly once gave Joel her skinny dip prize - a tiny squirrel figurine that he carries everywhere.  So there are some exceptions but we've learned to just not mention our days

Until lately... Norah loves to volunteer first to pray at night. 

"Lord Jesus thank you for this super fun day.  Thank you that I got to go to Cloud 9 (an indoor trampoline park) with Charly.  Thank you that daddy got to come too. It was so so fun jumping with daddy.  Thank you for my day at Cloud 9. Amen"

Jamestown

The kids had Monday off for Martin Luther King day so we met my parents and went to Jamestown.

 The kids and Pocahontas

 Growing up Grandpa  would always tell us we were related to Pocahontas..... Pocahontas Evans... but we thought it was the original Pocahontas. 

 I was disappointed when I finally  found out we weren't related to the real one.  Not that Pocahontas Evans wasn't as great - just maybe not an Indian princess. 

 They've found a lot of new information archeologically since I've last been there.  Its really amazing all they are finding. 

The boys are standing in the site of the very first church established. That was pretty cool thinking about their church services, many of them escaping to Jamestown to have religious freedom.

Behind where I was standing to take that picture of the boys, they've uncovered a kitchen with two ovens.... and the bones of Jane.  A 13 year old girl found there who has been named Jane.  And apparently Jane confirmed the stories and suspicion that they were cannibals at one time.  One winter they started with 500 settlers and in the spring only 60 were left alive.  Jane was found with knife marks all over her bones.  So I guess it was true. 

Joel and I were standing there looking at the kitchen and this older woman leaned over and said "and this is where they found Jane.  They ate her."  I hadn't read the information sign yet. 

Well Joel was all upset.  Why did they eat her... why would they do that?  Question after question.  So I took him away to look at something else and said it was probably just a rumor - since I hadn't been taught that in school. 

Well then we went into a museum where there is a whole wall dedicated to Jane and the unthinkable things they had to do to survive. 

  We got home just in time to drop Colin off at basketball.  Brent was putting Joel to bed that night and asked how Jamestown was. 

Joel: They ate a girl

Brent: WHAT???

Joel: They ate a girl

I knew Joel wasn't going to sleep that night.

Brent got him to bed and then came to find me and ask all about this.  So then Brent and I spent at least an hour discussing what we would've done.  Would we have eaten the neighbor girl next door or let our kids starve to death.

So needless to say we all learned something new this week at Jamestown. 

 Norah loved to jump off the benches

 

If those walls could talk...

It was a fun afternoon learning about our history - even if they did eat poor Jane 

Sledding

After lunch we drove over to a local golf course.  It is really the only place with hills around here.  We laughed that a few years ago we would never have left during what they were calling a blizzard to go sledding.  We had so much fun.  And there was a lot of people there so we weren't the only crazy ones.

It was still sleeting/snowing and the winds were strong but the kids loved it.

Norah did amazing.  She could've stayed out there forever.

So much fun. 

Snow!!!

It actually snowed!!

They were predicting 12 inches but I think we ended up with half that.  It is still enough to play in and get a few days off from school.  Right now we have Monday off - we are waiting to see if they get Tuesday off or just a two hour delay.

We were so excited when we woke up.

Colin took snow from the driveway to make two snow forts in the front yard.  Our neighbors came over and several other neighborhood kids came down and they had a huge snowball fight.

Coming from a neighborhood with only the little girl next door, he was so happy to be able to have a huge snowball fight.

The neighbor's dog came over to play and pooped and peed in our yard.  Joel was disgusted by that.

Joel stock piled an arsenal of snowballs that he gave out or protected - it depends what side you were on.

Brent got pelted by all the neighbor boys.  I told them I had a camera and they weren't allowed to get me.

A boogie board works great as a shield when approaching the other team.

And then they came in for hot chocolate before we left to go sledding.