The Girls get Their First Pets

We had been talking about it for a long time. The girls wanted a puppy or a bunny. Their father wanted a ferret. Mama decided it would be too much work, and suggested that we start with fish. With two birthdays fast approaching, the older two girls jumped on board and requested fish for their birthdays. And over the last two months, we have made multiple visits to the local pet store looking for just the right aquarium.

Finally on Tuesday, there was a "snow day", and with everyone at home, we made a decisive visit to the pet store. We found the perfect aquarium for our space, and even squeezed it into our vehicle. We built it the same day, and everyone helped fill it with water:

The girls were very patient. They understood that we had to "ready" the water for the fish, and waited three days to meet their new pets: 6 Black Phantom Tetras. And this morning, the moment that they had been waiting for: feeding the fish:

The Kindergarteners go Skating

On Friday, the parents were invited to join their Kindergarteners at the skating rink. We helped tie a lot of laces and even joined in on the fun: there was almost a 1:3 ratio of parents to kids on the ice! Much to my surprise, my five-year old didn't want to skate with me. She preferred to company of her kindergarten teacher, and I even had to pry her away several times...

Arriving via school bus, so exciting!

With her good friend

Readily posing with Mme Marie

First Week Back to School

After nearly two weeks of being cooped up indoors due to extreme cold weather, the kids returned to school. The temperature warmed up just in time! The girls were excited to return to school. Our #2 was treated to a breakfast of crêpes prepared by her kindergarten teacher. The school had also organized for the gym to be transformed into a "jungle gym". The children, 2 classrooms at a time, entered the gym for three 30 minute sessions over 5 days. They climbed ropes, swung from Tarzan ropes, and sped across zip-lines. Mama got to volunteer on the Tuesday and witnessed both of her older monkeys at work:

Sliding Down Rockhill

Finally on Thursday we got a little relief from the extreme cold weather. With temperatures hovering around -10C (as opposed to -20 or colder), we headed to the local hill for a little sledding. We lasted about an hour, and the girls were very good at carrying up their own sled: