10!

This weekend Bluet turned 10 (ten!). We had a small celebration with cake etc in the evening with another family, and Bluet spent most of the rest of the day using her new roller blades.

 

Lacrosse

 

Fairfield Beach

 

We recently discovered there’s a nice beach just 30 mins from our house, so yesterday as the girls are off school for ‘spring break’ I took them there to enjoy the beach, and later to hang out with their friends. It’s still a little cold for swimming but they did at least have swimming costumes under their dresses and even got a little very mild sunburn

 

Ilona’s school work

Ilona brings us home some of her school work that makes us laugh. Here are 3 of her finest examples, and a picture she drew of her favourite tv character from her head  

Spring

Time for our annual 'spring has sprung' post as the sun melts the last of the snow (a tiny patch of which had been with us since before Xmas, this was the coldest/snowiest winter since we moved here). The kids on the first sunny day immediately ran outside and started playing various sports and games, and climbed their favourite trees for the first time this year. We also had a BBQ, in traditional British 'its the first day of the year that isn't below freezing, let's BBQ' tradition. 

The hotel we stayed at in Niagara Falls had a swimming pool which the kids enjoyed, even if the water was kind of cold

It was Valentines day while we were away - here are the girls with the Valentines swag they got from school last week.

A little cold

 

Niagara Falls

If we go to any state other than NY, NJ or Rhode Island our kids have to take 2 weeks off of school or have a negative COVID test. However, we can drive 6 1/2 miles North to Niagara Falls with no consequences, so that's what we did this weekend. Bluet has been wanting to go for ages, and the girls had a long weekend off school, so it was the perfect opportunity. And although it was very cold, there was little complaining - we even got the kids to walk the mile from our hotel to the falls (well, Wilder rode on my shoulders). It was pretty spectacular as you can see, especially when we got down below the falls in the 'Cave of the Wind), where all the rocks were covered in alien-looking ice. And there was a rainbow in the mist. Pretty weird looking and spectacular. Unfortunately we did not get to go to Canada (that would count as leaving NY/NJ/CT/RI, and we're pretty sure the border is closed), but we could see it just the other side of the Niagara River.

Down in the Cave of the Wind (it's not really a cave anymore)

Canada in the distance

Tesla statue

Canada again

everyone in front of Canada