Recent Adventures

We're still here. It seems like things are pretty low key around here lately, which is nice. I said that I am ready for spring, but still want the chance to play in the snow. I guess I'm getting tired of the constant "hat-gloves-jacket" routine for every trip in the car. It's just not worth the effort for the 5 minute drive to daycare... On the other hand, it is sooooo worth the effort when you actually get to keep those warm, snuggly clothes on and spend time playing in the snow.

Two weekends ago, we had a family sledding adventure. Last year, the forest service opened up this new sledding hill about 20 minutes outside of town. It's awesome. The hill is huge, so you're not running into anyone and there's a large enclosed shelter complete with wood stove and four picnic benches, so you can warm up and have a snack when the cold cranky whining starts. We were shocked at how quite it was...on a beautiful, sunny Saturday. We only really shared the hill with some families doing a photoshoot for playoutdoors.com. How cool.

Owen really did love sledding. I think he was sizing up some nearby kids in this photo and squinting in the sun, but we got lots of "more, more" replies each time we hit the bottom of the hill.

I'm not sure how we got nearly into March before going sledding this year, but we're making up for it. Last Friday, our Mom's group field trip was a snow day back at the same park. There was a TON of new snow - Owen couldn't even walk because he was sinking up to his thighs, but we had fun sledding with Michelle and Piper while a couple other moms hit the XC trail with kids in tow. Fun, fun, fun.


THEN, last Sunday, we all went sledding with two families from our playgroup. The three moms and kids spent the morning in the lodge while the dads went snowboarding. We did a quick kiddo hand-off at noon and sent the guys home with kids in tow in time for lunch and naps. That left the three of us moms to spend the afternoon on the slopes. 12 inches of powder overnight and surprisingly good visibility made for fantastic conditions, and Shannon and Julie wiped me out skiing some tough terrain (including trees!) when my feet haven't been in ski boots for 2 months. Scott and I were both sore, exhausted, and thrilled to have had such a great day with friends who aren't afraid to tackle the logistics and potential chaos of snow adventures with toddlers.

One of the silly little things that make me happy about snow play is that Owen gets to wear his snow bibs, and I think they are so darn cute. We got a size that should fit him through next winter and he was pretty unhappy about wearing them at first, but now he LOVES getting on his pants and boots, so he can get out in the snow. Imagine the fun next year when he'll get to try out the skis!