retrospective: January and February 2013

I have abandoned the blog for too long now... a quick recap...
January was busy and full of sick days... I was sick for two weeks, and spent the other two weeks preparing for a job talk (did not get the job). Then in Feb...

In the beginning of Feb, we finally had the first decent snow. While the East coast experienced snow storms in succession, it had been a very dry winter for us. Keven and Antoine took the chance to get the kids sledding. 

 

I am sure that we had celebrated Chinese new year appropriately (a hotpot with our neighbors?), but somehow I don't have any pictures of it.

but I still managed to come up with good food for my family. well, from time to time...

and when I remembered, took some pics of MM's drawing.

 

another snow fall at the end of Feb, just enough to give Popo memory of a Chicago covered by snow before getting back to tropical Hong Kong.

Popo preparing for her departure, several friends to say goodbye to...

Then the biggest snow this winter at the beginning of March, after Popo left. Liz and I took the kids sledding.

 

super woman Liz with four kids (baby Zazie in her sling)

 

 

 

 

Tree cutting

Rainy rainy day! but, as long as it is outside, with many kids, it is always fun!

bumpy ride on a tractor.. Mike holding Liz and Zazie wrapped inside Liz's jacket.

 

 

Keven the red nose reindeer

George cutting their tree, and the kids trying to help

the Lacroixs and their tree

Rubyhofer's tree

tingcadoux's tree

 

 

 

Popo sewed three dresses for MM

 

 

 

Pumpkin Patch

Despite the fact that I still have a million things to do, I decided to finally update our blog.
A big sorry for those who have been checking regularly! I will try to make up for the silence during the past few months (and try to sort through the thousand-plus photos thus accumulated). Okay, to make things easier, let's start from this past weekend.

To prepare for the upcoming Halloween, we went to a pumpkin patch to get some pumpkins.

The weather was very nice. Ming Ming was happy running around in a new bubble skirt that Popo had just made her the day before. 

Only bright colored trees could lure Popo to take a picture.

kiddies holding a chick in the petting farm.

MM holding a rabbit

brushing a goat with Papa

Popo trying to get out a a maze

jumping house made out of hay 

corn pool

MM was buried in corn!

 

Lily running away

the Rubys in the pumpkin patch

Popo in the pumpkin patch

found the pumpkin

MM got one!

 

on the ride back!

 

the outing ended with popcorn!