First Snow Fest of the Year

It finally snowed and we could not be more excited!

Sunday night it finally started snowing.

The boys had been waiting for a few long days

(maybe weeks, even months)

to wake up and find everything hidden under a white blanket.

The anticipation reached new heights a few weeks ago

when our friends handed us down

a pair of kids cross-country skis.

We picked them up one Sunday afternoon after church

and the boys chanted "ski, ski, ski"

all the way home.

They have entertained each other with the same chant

at least once a day since.

Of course they needed to do some living room skiing

as soon as we got home.

Noah is absolutely thrilled to have big boy skis, boots, and poles!

Thank you so much, Jennifer and family.

Max was rather upset to be stuck with the plastic skis

but has since gotten over it.

Monday we did, indeed, wake up to a few inches of snow on the ground!

I was (unsuccessfully) trying to hide that fact from the boys

since we needed to get to Noah's preschool program at 9.

So we packed up all our snow gear in a big bag

and I promised we would play outside as soon as school was over.

Luckily it only lasted about 30 minutes total and

we headed straight for the playground outside.

After about an hour,

I was getting cold and needed a change of scenery.

So we headed over to the ice rink.

We discovered a few weeks ago

that there are always big piles of snow/ice to play on

and today was even more fun

with nice, soft snow on top.

Another hour later,

Max was getting cold and wet.

Both of us had about enough and were ready to head home

but Noah was still going strong.

We finally convinced him to come along

but he was not about to come inside

until he had made some rounds on his bike

in front of the house.

After lunch and a little break,

we headed over to the picnic area

and (finally)got ready for some skiing!

And off they go!

Who needs poles anyway?

Max did much better than expected.

He honestly believes that he can do anything Noah does.

And he will try his hardest to keep up.

I definitely did not get cold this time.

Helping two wobbly kids get up and down

our little mountain kept me plenty warm.

Even with the sun fading behind the mountain.

After plenty of skiing fun,

we decided to get the sleds out.

Sledding is definitely easier than skiing!

Although,

our favorite run had a big rock and

the picnic table in its path.

So, it was still a challenge.

They just kept going, and going.

We got out our bigger sleds.

We brought out snacks.

We headed over to a longer run.

So much fun!

I am so glad we moved to a place

where we can enjoy all the seasons.

Well, actually, I prefer mild seasons

and would not mind if the snow stayed up in the (close) mountains.

But seeing the boys enjoying themselves so much

is priceless!

(Unfortunately,

a few minutes before coming into the house,

they found a big mud puddle

and everything ended up in big muddy mess.

I was so mad.

A dozen wet things in our little apartment

is one thing.

But everything covered in mud?

Argh!)

We are a bit jealous of the big snow

storm in Utah!