Miri the Performer (Another rendition of the SSB)

It's terrible quality, but it was a sneaky video, so sneaky moms can't be choosy. She never even knew I was there...

Christmas, Revisited

Mommy finally figured out the problem with how to get content off her phone and onto her computer. So here's a little treat of a Christmas piece, played together by Aleaha and Sylvie.

Post-Valentine's Tea

The girls put on a special event for us the other night.

They set a lovely little table and waited on us.

There were custom-printed menus.

And "real" food! It was very nice, and Daddy and Mommy hope to go back to this little teahouse again soon.

Silly Shots

Aleaha really dislikes cheese. So the irony here is that she is covered with faux cheese-like powdery substance (from Cheetos).

Sleeping together at the PR house.

GrammaBon loaned a bonnet to Miri, as it was chilly there.

The back was just like Nellie Oleson's hair in The Little House books!

And then there was ice....

After the 18 inches of snow in our freakish storm earlier this month, we got hit with the crunchy ice topping. 

Arby in the snow, with the lights from the cell tower waaaaay in the distance behind him.

The wind blew pretty hard, so that the north side of everything was really coated thickly.

Tree branches were really weighted down.

It was thick enough that Aleaha could walk on top of it without falling through.

Icicles at a slant - gives you an idea of the wind.

Not only were the icicles long at times, but strangely shaped too. Check out the one on the right - it's Y-shaped. How does that happen?

Brrrr - just a reminder of how cold it was. 

Trees like the ones in Dr.Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Ice thickly coating everything. Had to work on the fences a few times to make sure animals stayed where they are supposed to. Not that they really wanted to leave (although Curious George Arby got onto the wrong side at one point).

Smokey wanted to go play with the girls.

So he braved it to join them in an ice-romp.

The ice had formed along the branch, then separated off into branches of its own.

We did lose a big oak limb, but fortunately it didn't land upon anything to cause damage.

Daddy ventured out after several days to begin helping along the clearing process. It was cold still, but the thaw was on its way and we needed a clear road for safe access.

The tractor is not a dozer, but it sure helped!

Fog was dense and snow was very wet and heavy.

It took about 4 hours of work...

And Daddy had us in better shape.

Entertaining Us

We were treated to a "Special Circus Act" one night recently. The girls put on a quick-change artist show. At first, all we could see was the blanket...

....then came the reveal....

Ta-da!

She gets covered up again, only to then pop out another time....

in a different outfit. 

This went on for about 6 dresses. All had been progressively layered. All ended up on the floor, and then in the laundry.

Mommy put a stop to the Quick Change Act, unless the Artists want to start doing more to help with the workload they create.

Children in Snow

Naturally the kids were excited for the fun that snow brings. We have 2 sleds, thanks to GrammaBon and Grampa and their Christmas visit, but Aleaha has realized how difficult it really is to control a saucer, so she prefers to stick with the standard sled.

Aleaha pulled Miri for quite a ways on the sled.

Ever-popular snow angels.

They quickly spied the opportunity to make a snow cave in a drift.

They have had a marvelous time. Aleaha has a high tolerance for the cold, but Miri not so much. She tends to stay out longer than she should (we watch closely), then suddenly get really cold and need lots of attention, like a hot shower or bath. (Hmm, ya think maybe all that special attention has something to do with this?)

Animals in Snow

On the first day, there wasn't as much accumulated yet.

It was a little bit of a trek, but doable.

Animals faring fine. Shorty was even spied rolling in the snow. Must have felt good to scratch his back and not be laying in mud.

Birdies, birdies everywhere at the barn. And in the barn - they fly in through the feeders and then can't get back out once we've pitched the feeders full of hay. But inside the barn is a fairly nice place to be with weather like this - they have everything they need. Lots of food, because they eat the seed that drops from the grass day. And because we keep Spiffy in there when the weather is hard, there is also his water bowl to drink from.  

Speaking of Spiffy, he was having a grand time romping in the paddock. 

For part of the time, the wind was blowing right into the stalls. Brrrr. But then it calmed a bit. The barn is fairly protected, so the animals are safe there.

Spiffy's usual habitat was not so comfortable. That's his igloo on the right. Literally. Not as cozy as sleeping in the barn with the ton of hay and good water and lots of visits and treats from Mommy.

Quigly greets Mommy every visit. 

Check out how much snow had accumulated by Friday.

The snow at the door of barn got a little deep.

The goats know how to snuggle up to stay warm. Everyone is fine. Good thing we have lots of hay and water. I wish we had a little more sweet feed in the barn, but they are getting a bit and doing great.

Accidental selfie, documenting depth of snow. Truly up to my knees!

Saturday morning, with the ice coming down, the trek was getting a little crunchier.