Today, I opened my curtains to find the icicles out my window had grown quite dramatically.

I realize that my icicles are a sure indication of the heat escaping out the roof, due probably to poor insulation. If this were my house, I’d put in more insulation. But since it’s not, I’ll just pay the crazy heating bills marvel at the beautiful icicles.

The boys requested play time this morning. Since my neighborhood is still not plowed, my students didn’t want to risk the drive. We had a snow day, and the boys got their play-filled morning. While they were playing, I registered both boys for ice-skating lessons. They’ll start January 4th insha’Allah — Yusuf in Basic 1 and Mansoor in Tot 1. They are both so excited to play ice-hockey, and learning to skate is the first step. Once they pass Basic 2 or Tot 2, they’ll be able to join the hockey program.

What made today exceptionally special and over-the-top memorable, however, was the arrival of two new members of the family. I’m happy to introduce to you, Ginger and Nutmeg:

Photos do not come close to capturing these bunnies’ fluffy cuteness. They are eight week old dwarf-rex crosses. We are still getting to know each other, but they are great fun already. Ginger (on the left, above) is Mansoor’s little buddy, and fittingly, s/he is the more rambunctious, outgoing, nosy of the two, extremely curious and always moving. Nutmeg (on the right) is Yusuf’s, and s/he is the more shy, mellow, and watchful one, and loves to be held and petted. They’re siblings, but they’re too young for anyone to tell if they’re male or female. In a month or two, they will have a little trip to the doctor either way.

The boys are incredibly happy with their new friends, so playful and loving and gentle. I’m busy reading about litter box training and well-rounded bunny diets and such things. No doubt it will be an adventure!

View from my window this morning:

Bundled up and raring to go:

Lots and lots of snow:

Evidence of Mama’s hard work:

When the work is done, it’s time to play!

We started out the day with the boys acting out complicated scenarios with their playmobil men. First it was all about the SWAT guy (he’s new, after all), but then it was a unique combination of Romans, Gauls, and the SWAT guy. All of this was done in fleece sleepers, before breakfast.

Yummy breakfast. Boiled oatmeal. Never do oatmeal according to conventional package instructions. Boil it like pasta. It doesn’t get slimy (and therefore disgusting). Drain it. Add some butter, brown sugar, or cinnamon (or all three!) and some raw milk… even I thoroughly appreciate oatmeal done this way.

Although, yesterday’s breakfast of farm fresh eggs was great, too. The eggs were delivered by my farmer friend Monday evening, so of course they were breakfast on Tuesday. Alhamdulillah her eggs are laying again… o how I am greatful for those dark orange yolks!

Back to today.

After breakfast there was legos and more playmobil. And the finishing up of a New York Times crossword puzzle (a Tuesday!!). Then a big snack and super duper tooth brushing because we went to the dentist.

Dr. Morgenstein has got to be the best dentist in the world (for kids, anyway). He has a (pretend) greyhound bus in the waiting room. A bus! And what is inside the bus, you wonder? A driver’s seat, of course, for the up and coming drivers amongst us. But also a play kitchen! And a play work bench, with all the tools! The boys were quite sad that we were called back to the red chairs so quickly.

But the red chairs! So much fun. Why? Because they are surrounded by more toys! And friendly hygenists who offer cool sunglasses and a toothbrush in any color imaginable.

Now the boys have clean, flouride treated teeth. No cavities! Yusuf’s bottom teeth are coming in, they say. And Mansoor’s underbite appears just to be his teeth, not his jaw. They’re keeping an eye on it.

From there, the logical place to go would be home for a nap. But no! We went ice skating instead. Good idea, boys. And good choice, Mama. We had the rink to ourselves for two hours. Yusuf did great, Mansoor… well. He didn’t wipe out, but he wasn’t exactly confident. He did enjoy sititing on the ice, until he noticed his pants were getting wet. And he liked going fast with Mama holding him up. But yes Mansoor, ice is slippery.

Post ice-skating, did we go home for a late nap? Why of course not! We went to the library and filled up our Eat. Sleep. Read. library book bag. And then we went to a different ice rink (close to the house) to check out the facilities. The boys will insha’Allah start lessons there in January. And surprise!

There was a high school hockey game going on. So of course we had to stay and watch. It was a great game, suspenseful and action-packed. Both boys were entralled, pounding the bleachers with each goal.

Then a quick stop at Pizza Roma.

Airplane flying. Temporary tatoos. (The dentist gives out goodie bags, of course.)

Pajamas. Quran. Yusuf recited Bayyinah perfectly tonight, got a sticker on his Juz Amma chart.

I think the boys were asleep before I turned out the light.

An adventure-filled Wedventure, indeed.

Oh, the things Yusuf can do all by himself these days!

And yet, he (sometimes, at least) takes the time to help out the little guy.

Scenes from our Wedventure two weeks ago (click to enlarge):

Yusuf was one of the many children highlighted in the most recent issue of the The Muslim Link for fasting during Ramadan. Look for him amongst the sweet faces below; he’s a little more than halfway down. Click the picture below to open it in a new window, then click again to enlarge.

From The Muslim Link:

Here they are … your Ramadhan Super Stars! The children listed in this issue fasted all or part of the month of Ramadhan, opting to participate before they are obligated to fast. We salute these shining lights and ask Allah to keep them on the straight path throughout their lives, Ameen!

There is nothing like a late afternoon walk in the fall. The evening light makes the colors even more beautiful than they are midday. Of course, the boys are so fast on their bikes now that I spent most of our trek around the lake running to keep up (note to self: I need a bike!). I did manage to take one quick pause to snap a picture with my phone. Gorgeous, right?

Last weekend, our dear friend held a community clean-up on her 30 acre farm to prepare for the approaching winter. The boys and I were there from mid-morning Saturday until bedtime Sunday. The group of families cleaned the chicken coop, brooder, and goat pens. We weeded and cleared out sections of the garden, tilled, and spread manure. We mowed the lawns and trimmed the bushes.  I was too busy working to get too many pictures, but oh how I wish I had one of Yusuf with his chicken coop cleaning mask on — he wore it well after the work was done, like a trophy for a job well done. Here are some general farm scenes I’ve taken on our frequent trips. The farm is, after all, the place we spend the most time after our own house.

Zak and Snowball

A few of the 25 laying hens.

Yusuf's chicken feeder

Yusuf built this chicken feeder! We measured together, I used the circular saw to cut the pieces, and Yusuf put it together with the screw gun. I did the four screws that had to go through the PVC pipe, but he put in the other eight all on his own. Needless to say, he was a proud little guy, especially come Sunday morning when he got to spread the chicken feed in the trough that he built himself. The chickens had no complaints.

Wednesday is the boys’ day off school, so usually we plan something special. It is fitting that our first documented Wedventure (Wednesday + adventure, get it?) was a trip to South Germantown Park’s Adventure Playground. The outing started with Mansoor slamming his sweet finger in the car door. He screamed, his fingernail turned purple, but all in all he handled it like the little man he is. Our trip ended with Yusuf accidentally kicking Mansoor smack in the fact while clumsily attempting to climb a ladder. Between Mansoor’s tears, Yusuf managed to fall off a four foot high seal statue and land (hard) on his face. Thankfully, the ground was sawdust rather than cement. Despite the absurd number of injuries (and two emergency trips to the bathroom), we had a great time. Really!