A winter hike in the woods.

You know those rare, perfect winter days... the ones where there is freshly fallen snow, virtually no wind, and the temp is hanging out in the mid-thirties?

They don't happen often, so when they do, you MUST take advantage & get outside!

So get outside we did... to our favorite place -- the woods.

This smile didn't leave Ellis's face the entire time.  This kid loves to be outside.

And the best surprise... there was hot cocoa waiting for him in the truck when we finished our hike... 

And that right there ^ is PURE JOY.

I think winter wood walks will forever be my favorite.


See my last winter woods walk post by clicking here... our family looks a bit different now!

A lesson on saying Yes

It was last Thursday.  It had snowed the day before, and we got about 4 inches of fresh powdery snow... the first accumulating snow of the season (which was much too early, if you ask me).

All day Ellis was asking to go play outside.  I kept pushing him off and pushing him off because frankly, I didn't really want to go outside.  The high was only like 28 degrees, and dressing up a two year old to play in the snow is a bit like going to Costco on a Saturday.  "Not worth it,"  I said to myself.

I managed to "redirect" his requests to go outside all morning long, but the moment he woke up from his nap he said, "Mommy!  Let's go play outside!"  

He had taken a late nap that day, and woke up just when I'd be prepping supper...

I thought hmm... how can I get out of this?  I texted Zac & asked him if he had any plans after supper. I knew Zac wouldn't mind being outside with him.  I told Ellis that Daddy would play outside with him after supper, and it would so fun because it would be dark out!  

But then I got to thinking.... it's gonna be even colder once that sun sets... probably not the best time for a two year old to be outside...

Zac texted back: "No plans. But I'm starving! What's up!?"

I replied: "Ellis really wants to play outside.  So either I go out with him now & we eat supper late.  Or he goes outside after supper.  But will it be too cold then?"

Zac: "Go now and play while it's nice."

Me: "I mean, I could just tell him no..."

Zac: "Go play!"

So at 4:30 pm instead of making supper, I spent 17 minutes bundling up me and my baby and outside we went.

And we had so much fun!  We shoveled the driveway and the back deck, we made snow angels, we watched the tractors go by, and we jumped in the leaves covered in snow.  And I thought to myself... why did I say "no" to this all day?

I often forget the power of fresh air.  It instantly lifts our spirits, even if it is a hassle to bundle up during winter time.

More than that though, I forgot the power of setting aside the dang To Do List and saying YES to playing with my child, who really only wants two things... my time & my attention.


And the best part of playing outside in the wintertime?  Warming up with a cup of hot cocoa!

Cheers to a lesson on saying YES!

A snowy Sunday.

As a child, I have such fond memories of playing outside in the snow.

I remember the excitement leading up to that first snow storm -- the hope that school would be canceled and the anticipation of getting outside to play in it...

Building that first snowman of the season -- and driving my mom crazy I'm sure, running in and out of the house with wet boots asking for an extra hat, scarf, and carrot for the nose.  Breaking branches off the birch tree in the front yard for the arms, and finding small pebbles for the eyes and mouth.

Going sledding on Kinnard's hill.  Sometimes Dad would pull us up the hill with the snowmobile, so we didn't have to climb it every time.

Making snow forts -- ohhh, the forts!  My favorite.  I'd spend hours crafting the perfect fort, complete with secret passages and tunnels.

Riding the orange Blizzard snowmobile around and around the yard for so long, that my thumb would cramp up from holding the throttle down.  The smell of "motor" and gas... I can literally smell it right now.

And then once my fingers and toes couldn't stand the cold any longer, I'd return to the house for hot chocolate.  My mom usually bought the big family-sized tub of mix because it was cheaper, but if we were real lucky, we got the individual packets with those little tiny marshmallows.

-----

A couple Sunday's ago, we gave Ellis his first memories of playing outside in the snow.

It was lightly snowing that afternoon, and the wind was calm -- a rare occurrence at our house.

We climbed snow drifts.
We dug tunnels.
We made a fort, fit for one toddler-sized Ellis.
We went sledding.
We tasted icicles.
And we explored the neighboring fence line, finding rabbit tracks... (and finding that the rabbits are destroying our apple trees, grrrr!)

I know Ellis enjoyed his time outside that afternoon, but I'm 100% positive that Zac and I enjoyed it even more.  Even though it's a royal pain to get your kid dressed up to play in the snow, the memories we made that afternoon were worth it.

My Grandma made Ellis that scarf; isn't it darling?!

 

Oh!  To be kid again <3

What was your favorite activity to do in the snow as a child?

Family Date Night | Green Bay's Titletown

In the shadow of Lambeau Field, sits Titletown, which provides year round fun for all.  With a full-size football field, playground, lots of outdoor games, and in the winter time, ice skating & tubing -- play, stay, eat & relax is their motto, and so we did just that!

This was our first visit, and we'll definitely be back!

We sat under the heat lamps, and watched the ice skaters twirl around the rink, but Ellis's favorite part was actually watching the Zamboni -- he called it the tractor on ice.

Then we burned off some energy on the football field.

"Hey Rogers, I'm open!!"

We had arrived just in time to see the Winter Jubilee Light Show, which played every half hour, so we actually got to see it twice!

And then of course, we warmed up with some hot cocoa (and hugs! <3)

With Christmas music playing throughout the park, the trees lit up with lights, and freshly fallen snow on the tubing hill, it was a perfect little evening to kick off the season of Christmas.
 

Looking forward to a December filled with love, friends, and family!

Maple Syruping.

The Everard Boys concluded another year of maple syrup making.

Per usual, I'm glad that I didn't have to lift a finger and yet still get to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

I take that back.  I went with Zac once this year to check the taps / gather sap.  Proof; it's documented below.

In all honestly, I mostly just pulled Ellis in the sled & took a few pictures.  But hey!  Family time, right? :) 

Maple syrup gathering looked a little different this year than it did last year...

The boys tapped different trees.

There was much more snow on the ground.

It was very cold.

Oh, and I had a baby!

(That photo on the left... Ellis was born 4 short hours after it was taken)

You know what's great about Maple Syrup Season?  It's smack dab in the drab of winter.

That in-between "blah" season when you're so ready for winter to be done & for spring to arrive.

The day the boys boil sap brings that feeling that spring is jusssst around the corner for me.  I usually start some spring cleaning and get the house decorated for Easter, while the boys freeze their bums off all day boiling the sap. 

Side note: what's funnier than a baby in snow pants and boots that are two sizes too big, trying to walk in the snow?  Pretty.much.nothing.

I mean really though, if only we could all be as cool as Ellis...

Peace out Sugar Maples, see ya next year.

Now who's hungry for pancakes!?

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Cave Point, Door County -- in the Winter Time

For our date night a few weeks ago, Zac & I made a quick pit stop at Cave Point.  The last time we visited, it looked much different (click here to view the post), as it was summer time.

This time, we arrived just before the sun set, on our way up to a candlelight hike through Newport State Park (highly recommended)!

It was a cool evening; high of 18 degrees, but there was very little wind so it didn't feel bitter cold.

Zac talked me into wandering out on the frozen ice (he promised it was safe!), and I was glad he did.  Here's what we saw:

 

 

 

Cave Point is beautiful year round, but winter might be my most favorite time to visit!