February

So, it's been crickets chirping on here for the last six weeks or so, but that's not because there hasn't been anything happening in life!  Life has been pleasantly busy for being the heart of winter, and I suppose blogging just fell to the wayside.  Here's a few pictures of what we've been up to, aside from me finishing up a BEAUTIFUL throw quilt, which will follow in a separate post.

My kids are such goofs.

We had a GORGEOUS hoar frost that lasted two days a few weeks ago.  I had to stop and take photos driving home from work!

Social media filters have been very entertaining for the kids.

On Valentine's Day the weather was beautiful and we had a class skating party followed with homemade slow cooker hot chocolate and Olympics!

A highlight of February was heading to Winnipeg on the long weekend to spend a night at a hotel and visit the Ice Castles.  They were spectacular!  Ari loved it so much that I had to bribe him with hot chocolate to get him to leave!  The kids also LOVED the hotel pool and playing in the hotel room.

My school went to the Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg for a field trip.  We had a beautiful day with lots of winter fun and a bit of learning about Metis culture too.

A sunny and snowy day for a sled ride.

The snow started to melt last week and the kids were SO excited to get out their rubber boots and play in the puddles! Ari also found last year's bubbles and was thrilling his sister with them.

And today we woke up to a snow storm and had a snow day, so it's back to winter boots and snow pants for the time being.  While it's been a good winter, I am more than ready for spring to arrive!

Our Christmas

Christmas 2017 has come and gone in a flash.  We had a perfect family Christmas together.  The kids are at such fun ages, and I know the years to come will be just as fun.  Here are a few pictures of our Christmas Eve unwrapping night at home.  I love their matching Hanna Andersson pj's!

Maris didn't need ANY help unwrapping gifts this year.  She was all over it.  I tried to follow the "4 gift rule" (something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read), but they ended up each getting 5 presents.  Still, knowing that there were gifts to come from each set of grandparents, it cuts down on the amount of new things!

Ari's BIG, number 1 exciting gift was his excavator!  He had wanted one so bad.  We even wrote Santa to ask for it!  His reaction opening this one was priceless.

Maris' big gift was her shopping cart with play food.  They also got a cash register from grandparents, so they are all set to play store.

Still happy Christmas morning, when we opened up stockings.  I love these two little people so much!  They make Christmas so much more fun!

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours, wishing you joy, hope and peace as you celebrate Christmas this season.

With love,

The Loewen | 2017

The Best of Fall -- October

I can't believe fall, and October, have flown by.  October began so beautifully, and ended with an early start to winter!  While we were all taken by surprise with the early snow, I feel like now that halloween has passed I can get into the full swing of the Christmas spirit!  Here are a few highlights from our last month...

 Ari was in his first bike race!  He raced on his runner bike and did AWESOME!

 Maris is getting so grown up.  She started walking at the end of September, so October was full of exploring the world on her own two feet.

 We had some beautiful weather at the beginning of the month -- gorgeous fall days.

 I visited the Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg on a day off.  Gorgeous building!

 My sister took me to the Back Alley Arctic art walk in her neighbourhood.  Really cool!

I had a birthday this month and got to go out for a few amazing meals!  This was at Segovia Tapas Bar in Winnipeg.

 Snow!!  Time to find parkas and boots and all that fun stuff.

We ended the month with a fun night of trick or treating around our neighbourhood.  Ari had planned his costume since August (vampire) and had also wanted mom and dad to dress as a vampire and witch, so we happily obliged!

A Week at the Cabin

We just got home from one week away at Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park.  We've been vacationing at this spot for the last couple of summers and love it!  I grew up going camping in this park with my family and it's so fun to be sharing it with my own now.  We rented a cabin in the townsite of Wasagaming for the week (the same cabin we rented last summer) and it was our "new home" for the week, as Ari put it.  Here's a peek at how we spent our days...

 I took the kids out to visit the wishing well -- it's a bit of a tradition.

In the nearby town of Onanole is a great used bookstore/coffee shop called Poor Michael's Emporium.  The kids were a bit crazy and didn't let me shop, but they're still cute.

I enjoyed some morning walks along the lake on my own while the kids were with their dad.  Wonderful, peaceful recharge time!

 The kids loved the playground in town.  We were here at least once every day.

One afternoon we drove out to the bison enclosure in the park.  Of course, both kids fell asleep on the way and missed seeing all of these!

An annual tradition, walking on the Ominik Marsh boardwalk.  I think I have a picture of Peter and Ari from each year.  Ari just keeps getting bigger!

A family bike ride along the lake.  Ari is getting super fast on his balance bike!

Ari and the "elephant" (moose) close to our cabin.

Checking out the lake.

We got a couple of beach afternoons in....the kids loved playing in the sand and water!

Stopping for ice cream, again.  Love my little family!