Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Hill?

Me. That's who.

I thought maybe Eli would be my excuse to stay off the mountain, I mean, hill. When we first arrived, he just looked cold and uninterested.

That all changed when he saw how much fun Colin was having.

Then I thought maybe I would just be the parent who stayed at the bottom of the hill with the kid who wasn't sledding with Daddy.

My heart fell into my stomach when Chris made the suggestion that the boys take a turn with Mommy. I kept envisioning the boys and I tumbling out of the sled and creating a giant snowball with us at the center as we rolled down the giant hill. Eh. At least I'm good at covering up my fear for the kids' sake.

I think the funniest part of our first family sledding experience was the 40-year-old man with the snowboard who perched himself about half way up the hill and watched all the sledders while occasionally kicking, polishing, and/or admiring his snowboard. In the 40 minutes we were at the hill, I saw him go down twice. I think he might have been more scared than I was... or maybe there was something a little weirder going on there.

So Tired of Winter

At this time of year I find it really challenging to come up with creative things to do with the kids. Especially when the temperature gets to the single digits and I don't even like being outside to walk to and from the car. This type of weather makes me want to just curl up on the couch under 3 or 4 blankets and watch movies all day long. Maybe that's OK once in awhile but there's way too much winter left to start making that a habit. Thankfully the cold weather doesn't stifle my childrens' imaginations. Just as this mama was ready to throw in the towel for the day, the kids decided to start a parade. Their enthusiasm motivated even me to get up and march with them. You gotta love the exuberance of youth!

For the Birds

At school, Colin made a bird feeder and brought it home today to hang outside. He is so proud of his feeder and made sure to hang it right outside our kitchen window so we can watch the birds enjoy their treat. It's just too bad he didn't want to pose with his handiwork. Oh well, I guess not *all* of my posts need to have pictures of my kids. :)

Embracing the Snow

Despite my aversion to the cold and snow I've taken the boys to play outside for the last two days - in a row! To be honest, I've been spending most of that time shoveling our driveway, but they're playing so it counts, right?

They actually love to help me shovel. In fact, Colin used to be really helpful when he used his shovel. That only lasted until he watched one of our neighbors use his snow-blowers and now that's all the boys want to use. Too bad I don't have one.

And then, today on Facebook, I noticed several of my friends talking about making "snow ice cream". I thought, the boys love playing in the snow and I we all love eating... so why not combine the two and try something new. Yum! I really didn't think it would turn out well, but it did! Just combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup milk until the sugar is dissolved. Then add snow until the mixture is thick and creamy like ice cream. I think we'll be making this again.

Maybe winter isn't really so bad....

Hat Head

Colin loves when his hair gets all crazy. Here he is posing like a tough guy because clearly no sweet or wimpy kid would wear their hair like this. LOL!

Mama better suck it up!

After a brief bout of balmy weather last weekend (oh how I wish Spring was here!), the snow is back again and of course all the kids want to do is play in it. I felt like mom of the year when I busted out their bikes last weekend and ran around in the drizzly rain with them. I figured we're going to be stuck indoors for the next 2-3 months so let's get it out of their systems while I can tolerate the temperature. I don't think I'm going to get off that easy. My kids love being outside and honestly they need to go out there to run off all their energy. They're so easy to please too - Colin was perfectly content just shoveling our driveway this afternoon and running around for maybe 5 minutes after that. I guess this mama is just going to have to suck it up and pile on the layers this winter because it looks like my hibernation days are over.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Wow! It feels like forever since I've spent any concerted time on a computer. Let's catch up. The last 2 days of our 25 days of Christmas as well as the entire week after Christmas was filled with lots of fun family time. On Day 23 we celebrated Christmas at Nana and Papa's house. The kids, especially Colin, had a great time playing with their cousins and were sad when it was time to leave. On Christmas Eve, we had a quick visit from my sister and continued our annual tradition of driving around looking at neighborhood Christmas lights and opening Christmas jammies. Christmas at our house had a very definite Toy Story theme this year. It was very exciting and the kids are continuing to travel to infinity...and beyond! That afternoon both of my sisters arrived to stay with us for the next week. After the weekend we celebrated Christmas with Grammy and Poppy then visited my brother. We ended the holiday with a very mellow New Year's Eve at home with my younger sister, a friend, great conversation, and yummy fondue.

 

2010 was a great year. It has been so much fun watching the boys learn and grow. It was nice to be done with all of Eli's surgeries - it made this year much less stressful than 2009. In 2011 I hope to continue to enjoy each day for what it holds for us and to remember to appreciate the simple and everyday things in our lives. Wishing everyone out there a fantastic 2011! Happy New Year!!