Snow snow snow...what kid isn't a fan?
This winter, my hooligans have had plenty of opportunities to get their gloves and boots on to wade through all the fluff outside.
Our first snowfall hit the day before Thanksgiving (a little later in the year than usual it seemed).
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| As always, the first good one excites everyone, and my oldest two were no exception. |
It might have been cold outside, but inside we were toasty. Thanksgiving morning we woke up and baked a pumpkin spice cake together, and then the kids sat by the fire until it was time to go to Granny's.
No outdoor football games in the yard and a slushy mess on Granny's kitchen floor from everyone's boots, but I don't think she minded too much. At least we were able to get there despite the weather and spend the day together...
While that first snowfall hit right in time to put us in the Christmas spirit as the holiday season approached, we didn't get another good one until we were a week into January.
The temps were so low though, it was too cold to even let the kids play in it. One day in particular, Caleb really wanted to get out there and play on the deck, but it was so frigid with the wind chill that I could hardly stand to peek out there to talk to him or snap a pic. I hated to be the mean mommy who kept him indoors and make him miss out on the snow, but on the other hand, I felt guilty letting him out even for a little while with the temps so low. Finally, I relented and allowed him to go out for maybe 5-10 minutes while Reid and I watched out the window.
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| This boy is tougher than his Mommy when it comes to the cold. |
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| Poor Reid just wanted to get out there too...he was definitely too little to go out on that cold day. |
Towards the end of the month, we got a dusting that looked something like this:
We couldn't make snowballs or build a snowman with that small amount of powder, but I found another fun snow day activity we could do indoors instead. Thanks to Pinterest, the kids were entertained the entire day with just a large bag of cotton balls. I gave them a few bowls and ice cream scoopers, and they played literally for hours.
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| At first, I told each of them to use their scoops to move the balls from the metal bowl to their red bowls. |
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| Then it was time to move it back. |
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| I thought the scooping would help with fine motor skills, and we also practiced picking the balls up with pincer grips - aka baby sharks. |
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| Next, they tried using their toes. |
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| They had cotton everywhere! |
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| When Reid woke up from his nap, he was eager to try it too. |
While we sometimes got just a few flurries, other times we really ended up a blizzard. Valentines, in particular, was nuts outside! Hadley and I had gone out to dinner at a local pizza place while the boys were at a birthday party, and while we dined, unexpectantly a snowstorm blew in making it treacherous to navigate the roads through town. Part way to our house, I had to pull over because our Corolla just couldn't handle those hills on the highway home. Sitting at Caleb's school trying to decide what to do and fearing we were stuck, I remembered our friends the Jacksons who lived in down and decided to try to make it to their house. After staying a couple hours, my girl and I tried to make it home again, hoping the roads had been cleared. However, the wind and powdery snow made such a mess that I couldn't get traction or even see where I was going and we were forced once again to go back to our friends' house to spend the night. One of the craziest weather experiences I've had.
Shortly after Valentines, we got another covering of white stuff and this time even our youngest family member got a chance to go out in it. It was pretty chilly out there and Mommy opted to stay inside, but the little ones were content and didn't seem to be bothered much.
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| A fun first! |
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| Learning how to walk in that stuff is tricky. |
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| Uh-oh. Help him up, Dad. |
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| Teach Reid how to make a snowball. |
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| No one ever has to teach them about eating snow though for some reason. |
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| Hey guys, what are you making? |
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| Mommy was safe inside despite the snowballs being hurled her way. |
The cold plus the bulky suit was a lot for a little boy to deal with for very long, so Daddy brought Reid back inside a bit sooner than the other two. I think physically it was definitely about time for him to retreat indoors with me, but right by the window he stood, longingly watching his siblings play.
And play they did! Daddy pulled Hadley up and down the driveway on the sled and Caleb had fun knocking all the snow off the car.
The kids were eager to get out again, but for one reason or another we never made it before the snow melted.
Caleb did get one last romp in it at the beginning of March though when we got another sizable accumulation. While the babies slept, he got to go out while Daddy shoveled. Then, back inside he came, asking for me to turn the fire on and get him a snack while he warmed up.
There were other minor snows here and there causing all kinds of cancellations this year, but nothing for the record books.
Believe it or not, it even snowed a little the first day of spring!
As April approaches though, I'm hoping we've seen the last of it. While that groundhog's shadow seemed to be right this time and we got a few more weeks of winter, spring has finally arrived and we're already taking advantage of the warmer days when we can. :)
