hot chocolate stand

This summer, after hosting the lemonade stand, we talked about how fun it would be to have a hot chocolate stand in the wintertime. So since the first snow Ivar has been asking when we could have it. Earlier this week Rory saw the warm forecast and declared Sunday would be the day.

We sent out an email to our neighbors and made little invites for our church friends to come too. We got home from church and I baked the cookies while the kids worked on the sign. Rory turned his attention to tree tapping, as it seems this may be the week to tap the maple trees. And Harriet slept, bless her heart!

By the time 4:00 rolled around it was clear that our kids were going to crumble. Similar to a highly anticipated birthday party, they had used up all of their energy by being excited all day. It meant that once it was time to sell the hot chocolate we had a little boy who was sad about everything. He and his dad had to have a talk and, thankfully, he did pull it together and was able to sell his heart out when more neighbors were there. It's hard being a kid. And it's hard being a parent. :)

Elsie only spilled her hot chocolate two times on the table cloth and likely ate a dozen cookies. (I think I'm kidding, but actually I have no idea...) But all in all it was another sweet time of seeing our neighbors, introducing our friends to each other and celebrating community in the middle of winter.

grovesisms

First of all, how sweet is this girl? I can't get enough. And that quilt! I love it so much.

I kept a piece of paper with me this week and wrote down vocabulary that I believe may be unique to our family. It started when I heard my kids talking about A Mall of Themerica. And I realized this has been going on for some time and I just can't correct it. I'm even proud of them for saying it this way! A Mall of Themerica. It's just so awesome.

Then I thought about how we team up into two groups: The Peanut Butter Boys and The Jelly Girls. This was started almost a year ago and used all the time. Yesterday Rory and Ivar went to get haircuts. When Elsie wanted to know if she was going I said, "Nope, the Jelly Girls are staying home and reading books. Just the Peanut Butter Boys are going." It's very helpful and makes any division of the genders sound more fun.

I can't remember if I've written about this one yet, but when Rory was up at North House Folk School, I told the kids at lunch, "I love Grand Marais (pronounced Ma Ray) so much." And Ivar said, "I love this sandwich so much." And I said, "Maybe we should call that sandwich a Grand Marais." And wouldn't know you, it stuck. So anytime he asks for a Grand Marais, I whip up a ham and deli cheese sandwich with mayonnaise and mustard, If we're out of ham it's called a Cheesy Marais (very healthy!) We've also had Salami Marais.

And Dark Dark Mountain is the coat closet in our kitchen. I'm not sure when it got that name, but I believe it was given by Ivar during some sort of pretend play. This has also completely stuck so that if Elsie can't find her shoes I'll ask, "have you looked in dark, dark mountain yet?!!"

I'm not sure how a family bonds, but I love our lingo and think it makes us stronger. When I was little we used to call the tall pine trees on the way up to Duluth, "Giraffe Trees" because they looked like long necks with only the actual branches up near the top. For years that was used in our family and I loved that it was only the Harrington clan that knew what on earth a Giraffe Tree was...

an awesome big brother

I probably could have asked him to stop squeezing her cheeks, but I ran for the camera instead...

Today I gave the kids salami for lunch and Ivar was thrilled. I wrote down his quote immediately so I wouldn't forget one word. He said, "Thank you God that there are birthdays in the world! Because this salami is so great and I'm so glad a pig got older so he could be salami!"

Pretty sure that boy won't ever become a vegetarian. 

the everyday

Our days have been good and creative lately, full of imagination and pretend play. We have made many valentines most of which still need to be sent. We have spent a lot of time indoor camping, and one day this super-fun mom even made microwave s'mores to eat while having a picnic lunch at our indoor campsite. We've worked hard on paper box rockets and Ivar's even has a green cup, "to hold my crayons!"

My favorite picture above is the one of Rory working at the red desk in Harriet's room. When it's too cold he will work from there and often has the door closed so he can concentrate. But if that door is open he will have company.

Also, just so that I never forget, that picture of Elsie with the butterfly paper was a game she made up and had me play for much of a morning. Rory is always making up new games, so this was her sweet imitation. The game was called "Milk Bottle Dice" and was played by rolling the dice, and then moving the milk and juice bottles around on the butterflies that many times. I'm still unclear how one might win this game, but Elsie would tell me excitedly, "we're almost there!" "we're winning!" "good job, mom!" "this is a great game, right?"

And it sort of was. Completely original and great.

happy hattie joy joy

Oh this girl. I know I am going to sound like a broken record, because I just read what I wrote about Harriet at two weeks and at six weeks and every other time I have mentioned her...but this girl! She is a complete joy. She is content and sweet and gives her smiles so, so generously. There will be entire wake/sleep cycles where she will lay happily on her back under her jungle gym, fall asleep on her own and only whimper when she wakes up and wants to eat. I'm waiting for her to become demanding, but so far our little Harriet is absolutely chill. Our most common refrain around here is either Rory or I saying when she does cry out, "oh that's right...we have a third kid." 

She is now four months. I told my mom this and she said, "that's my absolute favorite baby age!" And I can see why. She gabs all day with me, lights up like a sunbeam when I walk into the room, and has discovered the best toy ever: her feet. She rolls over, but ends up a bit frustrated when she has ended up on her belly again. Sometimes she'll roll back over to her back, but most of the time she cries out for assistance.

She is quite popular in the mornings. Rory wants a good, long snuggle with her first thing. When Elsie wakes up and comes down stairs, it would seem she has a magnetic pull right towards Hattie and they spend a good part of the morning chit chatting with each other. And then Ivar comes down and does the same. Harriet is already in 9 month clothes, filling them completely with her length. And lately she has been hanging out in her high chair, all propped with with blankets, sitting up and very proud to be apart of meal times. She is absolutely our joy and we love her like crazy.