Ice Skating!

The kids were outside this afternoon and they decided they wanted to play hockey on the creek. A few minutes later we had our shovels and skates out and were getting to work. We were cut short by the dark, but I can tell we are going to enjoy having the ice skating in our back yard!

Safety notice: How thick was the ice? I am not sure. It looked really thick but I didn’t have time to drill. Tomorrow I am going to drill a few spots to see the ice depth. No one fell in, and it is supposed to stay below freezing for the foreseeable future.

Free Skate!
Free Skate!

Good Snow!

Today we had our first big snow of the year. We had a couple of good snowfalls back in November, but December was warm and dry. It looked like we were about to enter a cold period with no white stuff on the ground, but mother nature took care of us!

It snowed all afternoon and we got out after dinner to clear the driveway and sidewalks. This year we also haul some of the snow from the driveway to the back deck, so we can build a little hill for our kids and the school kids to play on. It is a little work, but well worth it.

The Snow Crew
The Snow Crew

In other news, remember Andrew’s snowman from Christmas Eve? It is still going strong, which is pretty much a Christmas miracle.

White Christmas?

It isn’t looking like it is going to be a White Christmas, but the kids at least got to play with a little bit of snow this morning!

Lucia, Andrew's snowman, Mari's snowman. Elliot also made a snowman, but he had some stability issues so Elliot decided to play soccer with him.
Lucia, Andrew’s snowman, Mari’s snowman. Elliot also made a snowman, but he had some stability issues so Elliot decided to play soccer with him.

Weekend Wrap-Up

The weather was beautiful this weekend and we were able to take full advantage of it. On Friday night the kids and I went on an ‘Owl Prowl’ with Polk County Conservation. We learned a little bit about the owls in our area and then went for a night hike to see if we could make contact with any owls. Our guide was unsuccessful, but it was a beautiful night to be outside. After the event the kids and I hit Over the Top, our favorite ice cream shop in Des Moines. Where was Susan for all of this? She was in Ames with her mother for a craft fair and dinner at The CafĂ©.

Saturday was spent mostly at home, with Andy visiting in the morning, naptime (for Lucia) and then we went exploring in the woods on the other side of the creek. The plants are thick so in the summer it was difficult, but now things are thinning out a bit so it is more reasonable. There are some awesome areas for the kids to play and I am hoping to put in a short single-track trail through the woods.

After dinner on Saturday we carved our pumpkins. The kids love it and couldn’t wait. There was some frustration, but in the end it was all smiles.

Sunday was a busy day, with most of the day spent away from home. We left at around 11 and headed to Stone Park, just outside of downtown, for a Cyclocross relay race. My team was Nate, John, Scott, and I. It was fun and the weather was awesome. Susan and the kids were there to cheer us on. After the bike race we headed to Hope’s birthday party at a farm outside of Ankeny. There were a ton of activities, including a very cool corn maze.

Fun times.

Carving
Carving
All Lit Up
All Lit Up
All Lit Up
All Lit Up

Wills Apple Orchard

This past weekend we visited Wills Apple Orchard, a small farm owned by a homeschool family that puts on a fun fall festival. It is a cool place in a beautiful setting.

Farm Crawl

Today we hit the Farm Crawl with the Reagens. We visited several farms about an hour outside of Des Moines.

Checking out some chickens
Checking out some chickens
IMG_1324
The final farm

 

Nature Guild

This afternoon we were back at Jester Park for our Nature Guild hikes. I think we are entering our 4th year and there is now a traditional cookout after the first and last meetings of the year (and sometimes in between). It was great to get out and enjoy the cool weather.

Fun Around the Campfire