Is it Really Winter?

To say this winter has been mild would be putting it lightly. Especially after the last couple winters we've had with sub-zero temps and mountains of snow. I think it's snowed maybe three times this year and it usually melted before we got a chance to play in it. I kept thinking, I just want one good snow so the boys and I can make snowmen and maybe go sledding. Now, don't get me wrong. I've really enjoyed these mild temps, especially with a baby in tow, and anyone who's ever driven with me in the winter knows my nerves and blood pressure have really appreciated the lack of wintry percipitation. I literally wanted just one good day of snow, even just a partial day, and that's what we got earlier this week. It snowed Sunday night and Monday morning I took Colin to school. I knew it was going to be sunny and starting to warm up in the afternoon, but I thought that would work to my advantage to make snowmen. You know, wet snow = good packing snow, right? Well, the boys were excited about my afternoon plans to build a snowman until it was afternoon and they started arguing over who the snowman should be. At first I thought I'd put a Star Wars twist on it and say we were building the Wampa. But that made Eli sad and scared so then I said we'd build Frosty. Well, that wasn't cool enough for Colin and they started arguing. Eventually Colin talked Eli into agreeing to build Anakin, Obi Wan, and Asohka Tano. All I could think of was, I'm not sure if we'll even get one snowman built, let alone three, but I didn't argue and we headed out. Of course, as soon as we got outside, the boys abandoned me in my snowman building project to go under-cover and secretly hunt me down with their "light sabers".

I guess it was good they weren't that interested in building snowmen because despite the wetness of the snow, it really wasn't snowman-building material. I barely was able to throw these two little guys together and if anything touched them, they instantly started to crumble. 

Of course the snowmen were dubbed bad guys so Colin asked to attack them.

Colin was proud of his light saber skills.

Eli was sad - maybe all my talk of love, peace, and harmony has been rubbing off.

Here he is, placated, after I put the head back on the snowman.

The boys were both all smiles when I offered to pull them around in a sled.

And who wouldn't pass up an opportunity to throw snowballs at their mama?

I'm glad we got in our one afternoon of playing in the snow. Maybe we'll have another chance yet this year to try our hand at snowman building. It wouldn't be that shocking if we even got some snow in April. But until then, I'm taking advantage of the 60 degree days, like the one that melted all this snow less than 24 hours later.