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.

Keeping Busy

Here I am, back at the computer hiding in the cold basement. I can't quite figure out what my writer's block has been related to.... the cold in the basement? Being back at work? Keeping up with the laundry? There must be a way to find balance, right?
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One thing we have been doing well lately is finding ways to keep busy inside. One cold, snowy afternoon recently we popped popcorn in our Stir-Crazy popcorn popper (does anyone make real popcorn anymore besides us?) and giggled the afternoon away. The boys played Legos, Louise colored, we all cuddled on the couch and read books together.

Permission to paint

While we were stuck indoors from the blizzard, the kids and I found many, many fun things to do. The boys mostly played with Legos, thrilled that I allowed them to spread them all over the living room and dining room instead of the cold basement playroom. Louise helped me make the dough for gingerbread cookies that we'll bake later this week and practiced cutting things up with her scissors. (Is that a 3 year old thing? She could spend hours cutting!)

I needed a little break from kid play, so I pulled out the laptop at the kitchen counter. Louise walked in and asked if she could do facepaint on herself. I think she was expecting to hear no, so when I told her "yes, as long as you take off your shirt and promise to take a bath afterwards," she was astonished. I gave her permission to paint. Permission to paint her entire body. And paint she did.

Lost in the Snow

We spent the weekend at home, trapped by the snow! It is beautiful and was wonderful to play in, though a bit tall for Molly-dog's tastes.
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It took over an hour to unearth the van to go and pick up the kids from an overnight on Saturday morning. Once Ron did pick them up, the van got stuck in the snow trying to figure out the best way to get home. Once he did near our house, there was a car stuck in the road, blocking our entrance. It took the Ron and the snowblower, several neighbors and their shovels to clear a path for Ron to drive into our driveway.
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Do I really have to go to work tomorrow? I'm thinking about taking the city bus so we don't have to dig out any more cars.

A Friend with an Orange Hat

On Wednesdays I get to take the boys on an afternoon date while my Mom takes care of Louise. It gives my Mom some alone time with Louise and my nephew Logan and allows me a few hours to myself, plus afterschool time with just the boys to do more grown-up activities.

Since the snow is quickly melting away today with the rain and a forecast that predicts 50s soon, I figured it was time to get outside and enjoy the snow in a big way. I had seen that Kerry had visited this site recently and knew the boys would love it.
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I asked them, "Are you in, or are you out?" which in our family, means an adventure is on the horizon. Of course they were in, so we donned snow pants and boots and hit the road. I parked a few blocks away-- knowing it would be more fun to meander through the woods by the Minnehaha creek and discover it themselves. All I told them was, "We're going to be meeting a friend with an orange hat."

"We found him, Mom!"

Off to dry off, warm up, and sip our hot cocoa..

I love... the winter

These past weeks have made this winter tolerable. I was getting really tired of the cold, cold and more cold. But these past few have been warm (for winter, that is) and snowy. For me at home with the kids, this is all I need. We've been playing out side every day, many times a day. These photos were taken from Louise's window this morning. We love the morning sun and frost.

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And the icicles... do your kids love them as much as mine? As we drive around in the van, we sing a little song "We are icicle seekers... and we seek icicles...."

Crisp and Cool

These are the scenes we've been enjoying from our window perches lately. I love the shadows that are cast from nearby trees and houses. They actually make the snow look blue.

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Thankfully, we're warm inside feeling very blessed with our families and friends. It has been a lovely holiday season filled with special meals, thoughtful gifts, time together and quiet times. In times like these I go back to my favorite and most simple prayer said very slowly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

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And you? What are you feeling thankful for?

Visiting the farm

I visited the farm. Wow, is it beautiful in the winter. Snow everywhere, icicles dripping off the buildings, pond frozen over.

No mosquitoes. Not one in sight.

It made me happy knowing that someday we'll be there to see this every day. Every morning. Every night. I'll wake up and look out my kitchen window at this barn and feel happy. Maybe the goats will be running around, in and out of the little barn. The chickens waiting for breakfast and their fresh eggs ready for our breakfast.

Cold, snowy, wonderful.... and ours.

For now, the city keeps me busy. Someday we'll be there.

Snow

Carl and Gus finally got their snow man. Gus asks every day, "Can we build a snow man? Is the snow too crunchy?" He gets a script in his head and sticks to it. "How's your back?" Or when Ron comes home from work, "How's yous day, Dad?" "How are Ken and Dave?" "Did Ken eat all the peanut M&Ms?" Every day. Like clock work. I love that kid.

I mostly built the snow man while they played with the Tonka diggers in the snow. They rescued the trucks from the snowed-under sand box. They were so excited when they learned that the trucks work in the snow too. Louise sat patiently in a sled while they played and I rolled big balls of snow around, looking desperately for areas in the yard that hadn't been trampled by boys or the dog. Carl made the snow man head and didn't have much patience for it, thus the size. Instead of a scarf and hat, we decided it needed an apron... a painting and art project apron.

For all the work I put into it, they kicked it down in about 14 seconds. Did they not want a snowman? Or are they just boys? The carrot lay in the yard afterwards, a sign of the snow life that briefly was. A sign of the fun afternoon on a crisp February day.