Winter Activities

During the holidays, the girls spent time completing puzzles, building with Legos, conducting science experiments and trying to beat Dan at chess. This winter has been fairly mild. Temperatures have stayed above zero and we have been able to be out most days. The girls were surprised when we went out for walks around White Bear Lake. The ice was very unstable for most of the winter. One morning when we were out, we saw the ice had slid and piled up on the sand. The girls enjoyed inspecting underneath the ice and climbing on it.

Throughout February both Emma and Analise participated in basketball. They both grew in their skills and understanding of how the game is played. Analise also made the Stillwater gymnastics team and starts with them this April. Emma tried out a group meeting this past month and plans to join the American Heritage Girl group this coming year.

During spring break, we visited Vertical Endeavors again so that Analise got her first chance at rock climbing. We also investigated the Bakken Museum of Electricity, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Elf tree at Lake Harriet, and Minnehaha Falls. Both girls had friend events during the week off. Emma went to Hannah H's birthday on Pi day. They made books and ate French Silk pie and Chicken Pot pie. Analise and mom went to Create and Paint in Stillwater while Emma celebrated Hannah. Analise got to invite Ella to Rising Stars open gym for her belated birthday celebration. The two of them had fun flipping, climbing and running around the gym together. On our last day, we went to Tamarack Nature Center to visit their fort building area. We saw deer and multiple turkeys congregating together under the trees as we adventured around the park. We thought because there was limited snow, there would be little flooding on the paths, but we were wrong. We had to find some alternative routes when the paths became waterlogged. Due to the warm winter, Analise convinced Dan and I that it was okay to take out the trampoline. We experimented with some electricity while jumping.

For the second week of break, Dan took the girls to Iowa to see some farms, parks and city events. Their week started withan adventure to Jurassic World in downtown Minneapolis.