Scout Court of Honor

Lukas and Noah received quite a few patches at Monday evening's Court of Honor. Lukas were awarded two palms and Noah one. A very proud Dad captured the celebration.

Puzzle

Noah pulled out a puzzle for some snowed in diversion. It did not take him long, with a bit of assistance from his mama, to finish it. Bob recognized several of the cereals that he had had as a kid - an unexpected trip down memory lane.

Kakigori a la Noah

In Hong Kong is where we first encountered kakigori, Japanese snow ice cream. Noah set out to recreate this tasty treat, taking full advantage of the abundance of fresh, clean, white snow.  It brought back fond memories of our time in South East Asia, and we all agreed it was a good use of snow.

Snowed In - Time on His Hands

Lukas took full advantage of being housebound due to all the snow. He pulled out the sewing machine and made a prototype backpack. YouTube and the instruction booklet for the sewing machine became his friends. The worn out school backpack still had good zippers for repurposing. Now he is ready to make a lightweight backpack and is scurrying the internet for the proper fabric and the best pricing.

We Survived the Big Snow Storm

The snow finally stopped falling, and we began to dig out. The storm was called the Snowpocalypse, and new records were set. We woke up to bright blue sky and sunshine - making us feel as if we were living in a photoshopped postcard from an Alpine village.
The warmth from the sun melted the powdered snow, yielding perfect snowball conditions, and our backyard was perfect for snow caves.

Happy Birthday, Bob!

Bob's birthday fell on a Saturday this year. One unexpected gift was the massive snowfall which forced NAU to close giving Bob a long weekend! On Saturday, Lukas and Noah participated in an OA event, so Bob and I headed out for lunch at a quaint sandwich shop. On Sunday we celebrated as a family with traditional steak dinner and birthday carrot cake. Since we did not have any small candles, Noah improvised and even added carrot shavings as decorations.

Keeping the drink cool with icicles

Ok, blow out your candles!

Blow!

You did it!

Snow Storm

On Wednesday morning, we began to hear the buzz; another winter storm was on its way. The severity of the storm became apparent when even NAU canceled classes. We woke up to a winter wonderland on Thursday morning,  and the snow did not stop falling all day. We stayed inside, keeping warm by the wood burning stove, hunkering down with our readings and school work, and breaking up the studies with puzzle making, crafting, and movies. The snow did not stop falling until midday Friday, and by then Flagstaff had a new record 40.1 inches of snow, adding in the 18+  at the beginning of the week, and we received almost 60 inches of snow. That is a lot of snow to shovel. We are thankful for structural engineers who accounted for large snowfalls when designing our roof. Hopefully, some of it will melt today, Saturday, when the sun is shining again, and the sky is blue.  We thoroughly enjoyed our slower pace, and Bob feels like he received a birthday gift from NAU with his four day weekend.

no, we did not take in our patio furniture....

Bob, up to his thigh in snow, brushing off the tree to protect the already damaged top

That's the Jetta under all the snow

Progression of snowfall on our banister. The snow formed a curve of the handrail

Powder Skiing

It has been an exciting week and one we will not soon forget. The meteorologists accurately predicted a winter storm which dumped 18+ inches on us just in time for heading to seminar day on Monday. For the safety of all, our classes were canceled, and we hunkered down to get as much school done as possible so that we could go skiing and enjoying the more than two feet of powder that fell on the mountain.
Tuesday morning greeted us with clear blue sky and sunshine. The promise of skiing made morning school and chores a quick event and off we went.
It was rather cold on the mountain, and we packed the kind of snacks that I remember from my childhood days that my dad always carried in a pouch when we were skiing - milk chocolate and oranges.  We had the mountain almost to ourselves, and all three of us tackled the black diamond slopes several times! The significant snowfall meant all the slopes were open and we enjoyed trying out new paths that we had not explored before.

The trees were covered in snow making for a majestic landscape. The snow also makes it quiet and so peaceful - riding the lift is relaxing and almost put Noah to sleep.

How did my Dad peel oranges when it was cold outside?

Almost Suess like trees with all the snow

Grand Canyon never disappoints

Sledding

Sunday afternoon Bob, Lukas, and Noah headed out to do some sledding. They came back cold, worn out, and happy - what a fun time.

Sewing

Lukas enjoyed his packing cubes while we traveled around Southeast Asia. He has been researching bags to use while backpacking. Apparently, he found the bags not to his liking because he set out to make his own. Maybe another side business?

Building

One thing that the boys missed while living in China was the ability to tinker and create. Lukas has once again picked up his foam core airplane building hobby. Now, if only the snow would disappear so that he can test fly his creations.

What a Sunset

This is the view out of our dining room window. Storms bring the most gorgeous and vivid sunsets over the mountains. Who needs a filter when the real deal is this pretty?

Too Tall

Noah and Lukas were underwhelmed by our hotel in Phoenix... When you have to bend to get up the stairs, it is an automatic low rating by the boys. 

TeenPact

Last week, Lukas and Noah attended the TeenPact Arizona State Class. They had a chance to meet and hear several state politicians and learn more about how government works.

Can you spot Lukas and Noah?