Ice Castles of New Hampshire

This past weekend we went on a fun winter adventure with friends to the Ice Castles of New Hampshire. Minus the wind chill & freezing temps, it was a really fun experience. 

There were a lot of fun things to do & see, some of which we didn't get to because it was so cold. But the kids did some snow tubing, slid down an ice slide, and crawled through a fun maze of ice tunnels. Which I  found out later, Claire struggled getting through because they were so slippery and she kept falling. 

Seeing it lit up at night was, by far, the coolest thing. All the different areas were lit-up with different colors. Even the ice slide tunnels had lights. There was also a trail of lights to walk through and see different structures and displays all lit up.

The kids had an absolute blast and Hayden would have stayed for hours running around through everything. There was just so much to do and see. Definitely put it on your list of things to-do in New Hampshire, or check out their website for other states and locations. 

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Our Baby is Three

Somehow, some way, our baby is three today.

I have no idea where the time has gone. His entire first year of life is such a blur, (between COVID, PPA (postpartum anxiety), Sean's travel schedule, and planning a cross-country move) I soak in as much of him as I possibly can each day.

As most three-year-olds are, he is quite the sour patch kid right now. Super sweet, loving, and affectionate one minute, and the next, reminding me he's three by yelling and throwing a tantrum because his cereal is in the wrong bowl. 

One thing I know I'm thankful for, is the time I've had with him. If we were in Arkansas he would have already been in preschool multiple days a week for at least a year now. And as exhausting as it is sometimes, I  know how quickly they grow and time passes, and I'm so glad I've had the extra time with him at home with me. 

So happy birthday, baby boy. We love you beyond measure, booty-bear. 

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Snow Much Fun!

One of our favorite parts of living in New England is definitely winter & all the snow. Living in Arkansas for so many years and always hoping for snow days, we now definitely get our fair share of them. 

From tubing & sledding, building snowmen, and throwing snowballs, we love it all! Fortunately our backyard has a pretty great tubing hill so we don't even have to travel to have some fun. 

I'm so thankful our kids get to enjoy this side of winter. Watching them reminds me of growing up on our farm and having some pretty epic snow days. And in Arkansas, when there's a snow day, nobody is going anywhere for days. There's no snowplows or snowblowers to help out, either. 

Of course, as I'm writing this, I'm sitting outside in February soaking up a 60º sunny day while the kids play with their friends across the street. Love the snow days, but probably not as much as I love a warm spring day!


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Labor Day Getaway to Acadia

Since moving to New England we've been trying to explore and see as much as possible when we get the chance. Being in the South for so many years, we're excited to experience each season here in a new way. This past labor day weekend we took a leap and decided to try out a new experience as a family...camping. Camping is something Sean and I have always enjoyed doing together, and each grew up camping with our own families. But camping with our kids really never sounded enticing to us, until recently.

Since we had a little bit of an extended weekend we decided to blend two of our loves, camping and national parks, and hit up the closest national park to us...Acadia National Park. And boy did that weekend light a match for us! Of course, it was not all rainbows and butterflies with four kids, but it was a way better experience than we could have imagined.

I think the tide pools were the biggest hit. We ventured down to the Southwest Harbor to Wonderland Trail and spent several hours exploring the pools, playing, and eating lunch. We did a lot of small hikes, walked along the Ocean Path to see Thunder Hole and Otter Cliff, and drove up to Cadillac Mountain to check out the views.

But, of all the beautiful scenery and places to explore, the kids favorite place was the campsite. They were perfectly happy playing on the rocks, walking around, exploring, and hanging out by the fire. Actually, they were kind of upset each morning when we got up and headed into the park, they just wanted to stay "home" and hang out. 

We also really loved the campsite we chose. Honestly, we planned this trip pretty last-minute so I  was a bit concerned about not being inside the park. But it really worked out for the best. The campsites were large, private, and they even had a cook-out our first night there. Somes Sound View is where we stayed and the views of the sound were so beautiful, especially at sunset.

Needless to say, we've been bit by the camping bug and went again just a couple weeks after this trip. And we have several trips already booked for 2023. 

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Good Reads: 2nd-4th Grade

We're in the prime early stage of chapter books in our house. Sometimes finding something that will enthrall them can be tricky...especially for my 4th grade boy. I've compiled a list of some favorites, based on age and gender, as a helpful reference.

4th Grade, Boy:- Cat Ninja (can also be found on Epic! if your child has an account)- Dog Man- The Last Kids on Earth- Trapped in a Video Game-The Boxcar Children

2nd Grade, Girl:- Dragon Girls- Magic Puppy- Magic Kitten

I've found the best thing to do is see if your local library has one or two of the books before purchasing any. Or, if you're lucky, they might have them all! But, anyways, hope you're able to find this helpful for your kiddos!


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It's me, hi...

and I think we all know the rest of that line by now.
Each new year I'm determined to dust off the keyboard and get back to blogging on a more regular basis, but alas, I always get sidetracked. Maybe if I add it to my calendar or tell Alexa to remind me I'll be better about it. But with four kids, my husband, a dog, +2 cats...life just flies by.
But there are memories, events, holidays, and all the little moments in-between that I do want written down. So, this year (yes, I know it's almost March already) I will try again.
If there's anything of interest or something you'd specifically like to hear about, just shoot me an email and I will definitely do my best to cover it.


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