By: Kailey Mentink

It has snowed!

On Tuesday afternoon it snowed. We were all very excited, especially the boys. That afternoon they had just received ski-scooters from Grandma. A ski-scooter is something like a scooter and a snowboard. After school, the boys hastily took the ski-scooters down the hill, despite the fact that  there wasn’t even enough snow to cover the ground. Usually, they made it half-way down the hill before the scooter flipped, sending the unfortunate boy sprawling onto the ground. Alena and I have also done some sledding. I have broken the most sleds so far this year. On Saturday,  Caleb and I were eagerly getting ready to go sledding when Annika came up and asked excitedly, “Can I go sledding too? I’ll go get my coat!” She was ready to go and we ran to the sledding hill. Annika and Caleb hit several bumps and a log that sent Annika flying out of the sled. Though we all expected her to cry she didn’t, instead, she started laughing and insisted on riding with Caleb again. Presently, Annika’s gloves kept falling off and we had to go inside to warm up. Annika is very intent on going again. Annika took off her coat as she bubbled to Asher how fun it was. Now Asher says he is going to go too.

Our red van is getting really old and the transmission and engine sound like they are dying. It was time to get a newer one. We have had our red one for a couple years and it’s around 20 years old. Dad and Mom had started to look for another one a couple months ago on. Eventually, they found one that looked suitable for us and scheduled a date to look at it. On Thursday evening, Dad, Mom, Aiden, and Asher took the two hour drive to Elkhorn, Nebraska. At home, Alena and I fried some hamburgers for supper and baked sweet potato fries. Soon, Mom called, she told Alena that they had bought the van! Now we have a 10 year old, more dependable white van, with low miles. Until it dies, the other van will serve for haying and other purposes around the farm.

On Friday, Mom and Dad began sanding the floor of Annika and Asher’s bedroom. Aiden was excited to help, but soon decided he had enough. The sanding went very well, it was finished by noon on Saturday. Mom also sanded the stairs and the hand rail. In the afternoon, Mom put the first coat of polyurethane on the floor while we stayed at Grandma Brenda’s house. Soon Dad will be laying the floor in Mom and his bedroom. For now Mom and Dad are sleeping in what will be our new school room. Annika sleeps on the couch or in Alena and my room. Usually, she starts in our room on her little mattress. After the light goes off, usually she says, “I want to sleep downstairs,” and then goes downstairs to sleep on the couch. She is extremely excited to get into her and Asher’s bedroom. They will move in soon. It will be, as she says on various occasions, “Not too soon, not too late, but soon,”

We are having a good start to the new year and hope you are too!