Family Retreat.

Last weekend we took a "family retreat" - which means that the five of us went to the cabin with no other families and brought lots of books (and snow gear). We thought this would be a nice way to celebrate Valentine's with the kids (and frankly just get away from some of the distractions of daily life).

It was such a lovely weekend. The kids were great. We slept a lot. I finished a book. Obviously, some family hottubbing. We played cards, put together puzzles and hiked in the woods (James did most of the hiking, but I did get outside twice).









When we got home, we discovered a box of new costumes from Aunt Pat Chancer (the only hand me downs from gigantic Jason my kids would ever be able to wear) and cards for each of the kids from grandma Barbara. Seamus told me this was the best weekend ever! And it kinda was. I'll add the costume pictures at a later date (they deserve their own post entirely - let's just say there is a lot of fur involved...).


I am so grateful for James and the kids, sometime we need a little break from the daily routine to remind ourselves how blessed we are. I've been caught up in the waiting game for the University of Minnesota and I didn't realize how much it was affecting me.

The kids have such rich imaginations - I love that they hardly need any toys, just eachother and a stick (well, mostly we can't stand the sticks, but they certainly entertain the boys).

James shoveled a "rink" for the boys - the snow and ice wasn't ideal for skating but that didn't bother anyone at all (Seamus says he prefers boot hockey anyway).