Lucy got some great presents. She especially liked her Webkinz Chipmunk from Grandma, her new (used) ski boots from Dad, and her jewelry box art kit from Sam and Heather. Sam and Heather also sent Gavin a prize, which he was thrilled about. Lucy has also been enjoying her Ariel DVD from Gram and Papa.
Last Saturday, we invited Lucy's friends over for an Art-y Party. The kids had a great time doing art projects and going for a nature walk through the backyard looking for paintable rocks and rubbable leaves. 
In other news . . . we had a guy come today from the Vermont Historical Society to take a look at our barns. It turns out the hay barn dates to the construction of the house -- around 1840! He dated it by the fact that the timbers were hand-hewn with an axe and the sawn boards were done with an up-and-down rather than circular blade at the saw mill. The carriage house (probably originally a horse barn) dates slightly later, and the small wooden barn out front was originally an ice house from the early 1900s. The guy was amazed that they were in such good condition, particularly the old hay barn. We're just amazed that they're all so old! We're going to try to get a preservation grant from the state and put the hay barn on the historic register.