We made it to the beach! 

Feels so darn amazing! The sunshine is so great for the soul, we are all smiling from ear to ear. I am especially happy to have the drive down behind us. We drove straight through the night this year, first time ever. It went better than expected, but it was still so long. We are tired today. I have already napped on the beach while we waited to get access to our condo. Gary is a rockstar & can function on far less sleep than me. Thankful for his long stretch of driving, we all know I HATE the drive. For now we'll soak up all the sunshine & beach we can before it's time to head home. xoxoxo

 Weather is warming up a bit, giving us a little taste of spring. It feels so good!

Yesterday we all ventured out for the second time to help Travis campaign for his potential election onto the school board. Last weekend we did the same... canvased neighborhoods passing out flyers to encourage people to get out & vote. The kids had so much fun. Last weekend they were all on rollerblades & this weekend they decided to just go on foot. All was well until we got a call saying Margaux had been bit by a dog. Such a bummer, she had a sizable bit on her upper thigh & it was really painful. Luckily both Margaux & the dog are up to date on their vaccinations so we need to just keep it clean & monitor for the next 10 days. The owner was very cooperative, thankfully. Learned that they do not stitch dog bites because of all the bacteria in their mouths, so lots of antibacterial soap it is! Per the doctors request we'll also keep it completely covered for a few days as well in an effort to keep it clean. Not the best of timing with us leaving for vacation in a few days, but we are just thankful she is okay. It could have been so much worse. 

A little antibiotic ointment & pain reliever, then she was in better spirits... requesting to go play tennis. So Gary & I headed to the courts with her for a bit to hit some balls and help lift her spirits a bit. Also kept her mind off it.

Loving the warmer weather & looking forward to many more tennis court trips. Marin is playing middle school tennis this spring, so we'll be on the courts much more often in the next few weeks! 

 March Madness bracket time! This year we extended the invite for our bracket challenge beyond the Broaghens & included the Johnsons. The girls were so excited to help Sloane & Fitz fill out their bracket. They are all excited to see how they'll do once the games start knowing that they have no knowledge of what is even going on. Makes us all laugh.

Acre did not get to do a bracket. Maybe next year... Margaux kept him entertained. 

Yesterday was St. Patricks Day. Maeve's class looked so cute in this picture her teacher posted. All wearing green & looking festive.

We're counting down our days until spring break, looking forward to the sunshine on our faces & the sound of beach waves. Cannot wait!! xoxo

 Sap is all collected, Grandpa is home & now it is time to boil it into syrup. 

The girls were eager to get to the garage to see it boiling & of course give it a taste. Ironically, they still prefer the store bought syrup on their pancakes. We can't believe it. 

Like it on the pancakes or not, I am thankful they got to be a part of the process with grandpa. The rest of us will just enjoy the syrup for ourselves. xoxo

 Another awesome winter weekend. We decided to take the day & drive up north to do some sap collection with my dad... hoping that with the warm temps & sunshine it will be running so we can make maple syrup. Last spring with covid just hitting we missed our opportunity. Today, the weather was perfect... or so we thought. When we got there the trees were barely dripping so we decided to head to the lake for some ice fishing, hoping that when we got back it would be flowing a little faster. 

Love this crew.... just missing my mom. 

The girls had fun riding around on the 4-wheeler & running to the tip-ups when the flag popped up. Only caught 2 little fish, but the kids didn't care. They had enough fun just playing on the ice together.

Margaux with the littles...

Maeve got to bring a friend. She was excited to show Eva the syrup making process...

Marin also enjoyed the fresh air. It was much needed for everyone & my dad was so happy to have us all up there for the day. Next time we need to plan better & spend the night.

Even the parents enjoyed the togetherness. Gary & Mike enjoyed themselves a little more than Katie/myself. The two of us drove home! haha

Love this picture of my dad in his happy place. 

We all had such a fun day. When we got back to the red cabin the syrup was still not really moving as much as we had hoped. The kids did not care at all, they busted out the game of Clue & played two rounds while eating everything in sight. Apparently always starving. I'm sure tomorrow will be the better day for sap, just our luck. But we can't complain, it was an enjoyable day. xoxo