Outdoor Adventures of the Best Kind

It has been an odd winter for Minnesota. Last year we got more than we could have hoped for, and this year, not nearly enough. This week we've had a few flurries and lovely 30-ish temperatures, so we have been trying to get out and enjoy it as much as possible before we're dancing in the tulips.
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Yesterday after it had snowed 3 inches, I picked the kids up from school and headed to a new (to them) snow hill on the Minnehaha Parkway. It is a tucked away little place in a neighborhood that you might miss if you weren't paying attention, and not well travelled. We were the only ones sledding on the tree-lined hill, but were later joined in the woods by a group of 10-year old boys with nerf guns. Ahh... to be a kid in the Minnesota winter!
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We sledded and threw sticks for the dog until she couldn't run anymore, then took off on a hike into the snowy woods, along the creek, until we found a magical little hollow. There were two giant oak trees that were lying on their sides, begging to be walked upon. Louise and I busied ourselves playing in the nearby kid-made stick forts while the boys made up stories about knights and tomptes that play there at night. The temperature must have spiked while we were there, as suddenly the snow flakes turned to rain.
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We left in our sleds, pulling the kids through the woods, drenched and happy.

Over the weekend we visited Centennial Lakes park and met some dear friends for a kid ice skating party. It was the first time that Louise actually liked going ice skating and was able to gain some confidence.

Snow Fun in Color

As the temperatures have been rising and the snow doesn't seem to want to disappear, we've been spending a lot of time outside. Now that we've had a full five months of winter, we have made the executive decision that it is time to get creative with how to be happy outside, even when you're ready for some green. Enter: the colored water spray bottle! Ah, the smiles and laughs and interesting creatures to be made with colored water!

Exhibit A (above) part of the buried dragon.
Exhibit B (below) the painting of the buried dragon.

Exhibit C: the Easter Bunny.

And Louise even got in on the fun, but she was mostly busy digging in the cave looking like a fancy snow queen!

Our dog wasn't too pleased when we kept throwing her stick inside the tunnel to retrieve. Guess tunneling into a cave isn't a natural instinct for a lab, maybe just for wolves.

I love... Puddles

Have you been out stomping in the puddles lately? It feels like March around here and we don't mind a bit!

Louise finally fits in the skirt I made from recycled fabric many moons ago!
The fact that she didn't mind sitting in the freezing water when she fell might indicate that we are ready for some serious potty training. Ouch, so cold!

A Return to Beautiful

It snowed today. We haven't been outside to play in weeks, really. It has been cold, crunchy and yucky lately, so we've been avoiding the great outdoors and feeling sad about it. So when the skies opened up and let the white fluffy stuff fly, we were out the doors in less than a minute. I haven't ever seen the boys put on their snowpants so quickly! Unfortunately, there was a minor incident with a tunnel-digging shovel that accidentally bumped Mr. Gus in the face and drew blood.

New Friends

We've found a few new friends here in S. Minneapolis. We think they might be Frittilary caterpillars, but according to the book we have from the library, they're not very common in Minnesota. So, we're in need of a more exhaustive book from the library or help from a blog land friend in the know. Any suggestions?

We raised monarchs from found eggs last summer and the boys learned all the butterfly/larvae lingo. We have one of these guys that we found last week in a butterfly box that has made his way into his chrysalis. One is in the "J" formation as of this morning so we're eagerly awaiting the spinning of his cocoon and making his way through the metamorphosis. The boys want to stand and watch... all day. As the first day of vacation, I'm letting them set the pace themselves. Look out summer, here we come!

Dirt

We love dirt at our house. We have a special area in the yard where the dirt is used regularly for all sorts of things. Some days worms are discovered there, other days it becomes a pond and sludge pit. A few of our garage sale Rescue Hero toys have moved outside to live in the mud and have become part of archaelogical digs. Rescue Hero fossils anyone? Mostly though, they just like to get their hands and feet in it, squishing and digging and playing. I'm an equal opportunity mom too... so Louise is allowed to get as down and dirty in the mud as the boys.
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We did a kid swap recently, passing off Gus to Ron's sister for the afternoon in exchange for her oldest son Berik. With his red hair, he looks more like Louise's brother than her own brothers.

A tree house is growing at our house:: part 1

Life around our house has been more fun lately with Daddy home more often. Ron has been working incredible hours these past few months as the owner of his own business. It feels good to know that every hour he's away from us, he's putting in an hour toward our future. Still, having him around here really feels good.

Last weekend the boys and Ron broke ground, or shall I say, cut branches on a tree house. Ron had been thinking about building one with the boys for quite some time when he received a great book on tree houses for birthday this year. It was inspiring for the boys to look at, drool over and dream about. Carl even took it outside one sunny afternoon a few weeks ago to study and then sketch out his dream fort with a visiting friend.

In addition to just having him home, I like that it is his project. Well, their project. I'm the gardener and flower tender in the family while he just mows. It makes me smile when the kids crowd around him and the old apple tree that will soon become their new home and I find that I actually have a few kid-free moments to do my own digging.Getting started: a post that was dug into the ground and concrete poured on top. (Please don't report our peeling paint to the city. It's on our list for summer tasks.)

I'll report back as the project progresses and the fun continues.

A little fun outside

Sometimes when the mood strikes, you just gotta get outside. In the sandbox, at a park, on a blue deer. A blue deer named Ned. You have to know my brother to understand, or even then, maybe you might not. The kids love Ned. I think he loves them too.

Signs of Spring:: Part One

We spent some serious time outside this weekend. It reached the upper 30s here... so the snow was melting and puddles forming. Just as the seasons pass, our rain boots replace our snow boots and puddle soaked clothes become the happy status quo. Spring is coming. Soon.

Poor Molly dog... all of her frisbees are buried deep in a snow pile in our yard. Instead she brought me this pitiful sand bucket, hoping that I'd indulge her in a little bucket fetch. I did. She was in dog euphoria.

A snow fort, a very mushy snow fort with which they have a serious love/hate relationship. So fun to build, yes, but hurry up and melt so we can ride our bikes on a dry sidewalk, please!
Miss ladybug boots Louise probably doesn't remember puddles from last year. She has been standing by the door, boots ready, waiting patiently at all hours of the day. "Puddles, mama."

What signs of spring have you seen? Add some photos to your blog and I'll link them all together here.

Velodrome fun

A few weeks ago we went to the Velodrome, a bike racing track, in Blaine at the National Sports Center. The NSC Velodrome is one of only three outdoor wooden tracks in the US. It is made of 42 miles of ultra-durable African Afzalia wood. Ron really digs velodromes, knows where they all are throughout the US, and had been wanting to catch a race for a long time. We packed up the kids and some cold beverages and caught the Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic. Very fun and kid friendly.
Louise got a front row view of the track.
Gus and Berik, future racers, or at least future cold-beverage drinking fans.
This orange-red wall caught my eye. Love the contrast with the yellow staircase.

If Gus were a musician, I'd suggest this photo for his album cover.