Weekend in New Jersey.....Cookies and Art and Ice Skating, Oh My!

This past weekend (December 10-12, 2011), Jeremiah, Annalise and I traveled to New Jersey to visit with our friends the Woodman family.

This purpose of the visit was to attend the annual Cookie Decorating Party, which was Sunday afternoon.  I enjoyed being able to help clean up and get ready for the party, and the children enjoyed a visit with dear friends.

Annalise and Gabriella, both 7, enjoyed playing with stuffed animals, fashion shows, copious artistic creations, sleepovers, stories, Powerpuff Girls and Horseland, walks around the block, and a trip to the store.

Jeremiah, 10, and Harry, 5 and a half, enjoyed Kirby's Epic Yarns, Swordfighter, and other Wii games, Pokemon Black (The Movie), Nerf gun Battles, board games, Phineas and Ferb, and the treadmill.

The Cookie Decorating Party was full of new wonderful people to meet, children of all ages, sweet cookies and savory accompaniments, cider and hot cocoa and homebrewed beer, play and laughter and conversation and carols, and the tickling of the keys of the baby grand in the living room.....

The time passed in a whirl of activity.....









When we realized that Jim could ride his motorcycle to his regular Monday workout, we had the opportunity to accept Sylvia's invitation to join in for her homeschool group's ice skating day at a local rink.  The kids decided that they would love to go, and so we did.....

Jeremiah had been skating once before, when he was 3, and had immediately taken to it.  He enjoyed reacquainting himself, but was tired from several late nights, early mornings, and busy days, so skated for about 20 minutes.

Annalise had never been on ice skates before.  Balance, however, is definitely something she has an affinity for. After I helped her securely into her rented skates and she put on pads and a helmet for safety, she asked me to guide her down the ramp to the ice...and then, along with Gabriella and new friend Paige, she was off. Within minutes, with two friends to give her tips and help her up when she fell, she was off in the center of the rink.  She found a rhythm, learned a bit about how to fall, a bit about how to get up, that others are usually eager to help a beginner, to do a figure eights and a slow spin and how to catch her balance and to stop - and that she loves to skate.

She stayed on the ice until it was time for the Zamboni, and then we watched through the window, learning what, exactly, is done to refresh the ice.








I'm adding a video here, of Lise skating, spinning, falling and recovering....I just figured out how to do this here, and I am excited to share a more kinetic and articulate version of this kinetic and articulate girl, in a way still shots never could....







 After skating, we began our four hour journey home, with warm, full hearts and stories to tell, and memories to cherish.....