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?

Christmas Time | 2018

What a month December was!

We spent all month getting ready for Christmas, starting with getting the tree (click here if you missed that post).
We kept our tree pretty Plain Jane this year, with shatterproof ornaments, because I didn't know how Ellis would be with it.
Overall, he was pretty good with leaving it alone, but a few times I would find a random ornament tucked away somewhere in the house, and I'm pretty sure it didn't walk off the tree by itself :)

My mom had a brilliant idea to give Ellis his own felt Christmas Tree, that he could decorate and re-decorate as much as his little heart desired.
Also, she HANDMADE this and all those little ornaments... isn't she awesome?!

We used Kelle Hampton's Holiday Bucket List this year to get in the Holiday spirit & we checked quite a few things off the list, including:

Making a red & green paper chain garland count down to Christmas, as well as homemade paper snowflakes that we hung in the kitchen window.

Ellis was a huge help, clearly.


We took a ride one evening to go look at Christmas lights.   Ellis would shout, "Ohhh, pwwwretty!" and "more, more, more!" It was so stinkin' cute.

We tried to visit Santa a couple times; neither time was well received by Ellis.  About as close as Ellis was willing to get to Santa, was Santa's mailbox.  Maybe next year he will actually sit on Santa's lap?

We decorated Christmas cookies.

We watched Christmas movies in the "big bed" (our bed).

We all wore matching Christmas jammies as a family, and Ellis had coordinating jammies with his cousins as well. <3

And then, Christmas morning... 

Ellis slept in until 6:00AM!  This is a major improvement from his usual 4:45 AM wake ups.  It was a Christmas miracle!

This first thing Ellis did was inspect Santa's cookie plate... Santa ate them all up and only left two sprinkles behind, which Ellis promptly ate.

He got busy unwrapping gifts right away...

That kitchen & this snow globe were the fan favorites (his crossed eyes, haha!!)

The day after Christmas, it was a balmy 40 degrees, so we even got outside to play.

^picking up left over corn to feed the deer

And then, to rejuvenate ourselves after the hustle & bustle of Christmas, we wrapped up the week with a mini-staycation.  We only traveled about 50 miles from home, but it might as well have been Disney World...

I mean, jumping on the bed & swimming in the pool.  Best gifts we could have ever given him.
I hope he's always this easy to please :)

***********

I'm so grateful for all the memories that we've made during this season, and all the wonderfully festive celebrations that we got to participate in this year.

I think we had 6 Christmas celebrations in 5 consecutive days... and all you parents out there know that the holidays with a young kid(s), is not for the faint of heart.  Still though, it's so fun to experience the joy of Christmas through the eyes of a child.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season & tucked away some new memories.

May 2019 bring you bountiful blessings, health, and happiness!

Family Photos 2018

If you caught Kasey & Ben's blogpost, you already know this, but when Kasey posted about their Limited Edition Cozy Cabin sessions on Facebook, I tagged Zac and told him I wanted it for our anniversary.

Truly, there is no better gift for me than a photo memory; I've talked about that before here.
So I was elated when Zac surprised me & booked it all on his own!

Take a peek at some (ok, like 30) of my favorites:

All photos by Kasey & Ben Photography

Couldn't you just EAT HIM UP!

Thank you Kasey & Ben!  We will cherish these forever.

And MERRY CHRISTMAS to all our family & friends.  We wish you the blessings of peace, the beauty of hope, the spirit of love, and the comfort of faith this holiday season.