Snow Construction Crew

We still have snow on the ground from last Saturday. Doesn't usually last this long around here. I know it will be very short lived now. It is raining here tonight, that doesn't mix well with snow. I still have a big bowl of snow in the freezer though. That will be a fun surprise for the boys in a few days when the snow is long gone from the ground around us.

The boys certainly had a great time with the snow last weekend. I could post for days with all the pics I took! Check out my construction crew...

He did not have time to partake in such antics as ridng in a kayak behind the 3-wheeler today....

By Golly, there was work to be done! Look at all this snow that needs to be moved. Gotta be able to get mom's van out!

Hmm.... What is Braden doing now? I might need to go check that out.

Yeah, I will just stay here and keep dad company. Gotta take advantage while the gettins good. You guys have fun though.

Watcha doin? Need a little help?

Two machines are better than one.

Yep, this is fun.

Escape from Reality: Foggy Dawn

WOW!!!! What a beautiful sight. The past two mornings we were greeted with an awesome winter scene. Hoarfrost. Feathery frost crystals formed on everything! Once again on Sunday, I took advantage of a weekend morning with Ross home to watch the boys and bundled up to head outside and enjoy the peacefulness of the morning. Camera in hand and Willow at my heals we set off. You can see above the sight that awaited right outside the door.


Ambling around our little patch of trees showed that beauty can be seen everywhere. This "weed" took on a new appearance covered in frost. It looked like a beautiful crystal covered jewel. Pine trees wore coats of white fur. The starkness of a typical winter morning had disappeared for a few hours.



The morning was quiet... Pristine... Tranquil... Although I don't make it out for too many sunrises, It certainly is refreshing every now and then. This was a day that would have been wonderful to have a life remote with a pause button. =)

Ready to Go Kayaking?!?!

It snowed and snowed and snowed last night! We woke up to around 5-6 inches of snow. That is a lot for this area. It is awesome! I miss getting snow like this each winter. I love to get outside and enjoy it. In fact once I woke up and started functioning a little bit, I went out by myself to take in the undisturbed beauty of fresh fallen snow. Ah! We have six acres, with about half of that planted in trees that are right at 6 years old now. It is such a cool place to just go explore.

I took my time. Remember, I stay home with my guys. I don't get much time by myself. Any time I get I try to take full advantage of. However I knew that my boys were patiently waiting for me to come back to help them bundle up for their turn, so I came back sooner than later.

We got Riley and Braden geared up and ready to go. TanMan got to stay inside with grandpa so that the rest of us could play! I'm not so sure that he thought this was such a good idea. He sure watched out the widow to check out everything going on out where we were. Next year there is absolutely NO WAY we will be able to get away with this!!!

Out we went. Jumped in some snow drifts. One in front of the house was up to Riley's waist!!! Threw some snow (couldn't really make good snowballs.) Tromped down the driveway to see how much it drifted. Pulled boys on the sled for a while. This was Braden's preferred method of travel. His little legs just didn't go in the 5 inches of snow. Watched Willow romp all over! She had a blast and is one pooped pup tonight.


Got the three wheeler out to pull the sled around for the boys. Decided it might be more fun to go kayaking instead! Yeah, I know there is 5+ inches of snow all over southeast Missouri and the water is colder than cold, but where there is a will there is a way! Kayak + three-wheeler = GREAT FUN!



After snapping a bunch of pics for posterity, I joined the ride up and down the drive. I mean after all, if you are going to be crazy enough to kayak in the snow, might as well let the whole world watch too. Next time you think it is too cold out to do some of your favorite outdoor activities, try thinking outside the box a little. You might get a few laughs and have a ton of fun!

Grab the Tent!

Today marks the one year anniversary of our third day without power during the Ice Storm 2009 in southeast Missouri. Yes I remember that well... 9 months pregnant, 2 young boys, very cold temps, and no power in an all electric heated/appliances house. We were only without power for 9 days! Did I mention that I was just a couple of weeks away from greeting TanMan into the world? Yeah... Never to be forgotten. Obviously we weathered through just fine, thanks to our family survival skills (otherwise known as having as many camping gadgets as possible.)

It was an incredible sight. A once in a lifetime experience. (At least I hope.)
Mother Nature has also decided to bless us with a deja vu moment again this year. "Winter Storm of 2010." Predicted up to 7 inches of snow. Whew! Batten down the hatches. (After being this far south for 14 years, I still have a tough time getting used to how a little snow can have a big impact.) School's out! Not a snowflake to be seen this morning at 6:00 when the call came from the school, but still a snow day "due to the approaching storm." By noon there was starting to be some accumulation, and still more is anticipated through the night. We will see what morning finally brings. The boys will be sooooo excited to get outside to play for a while. I will be so excited to get them out of my hair, I mean out of the house for a while. You know, excited for them to get to play in the snow...

O.k. What about the tent?


What better thing to do on a snowless snowday morning than set up camp!?!?! Watch and wait, the snow will come. In the meantime... We grabbed the teepee and a tunnel. The entertainment began. Boys were occupied for a good while. TanMan was not sure what to think about his brothers disappearing into the tunnel at first. Made him fuss and cry til they came back out. He did hang out in the teepee for a while and finally got brave enough to go through the tunnel over and over and over.


The teepee and tunnel are put away now. All good things must come to an end. Especially when tunnels stand in the air and knock brothers over causing tears. OOPS! Tomorrow will bring new laughs and new tears.

Color in the Sky

I love rainbows! They brighten up the grayest of days. They add a pop of color to a winter scene. Today a brilliant rainbow crossed our backyard for a few minutes as the sun peeked out during a steady rain. What a nice way to end a rainy, gray weekend.

Back In Time: Snow Days

The temps have been awesome here the past few days! These mid and upper 50's are sure a welcome improvement from the single digits earlier this month. I am getting antsy. Antsy to get outside more. Antsy to get boys out to run off more energy. Antsy to go camping or whatever the day might bring.

Since we have to wait a bit longer to do those things very often, I thought I would go back in time and share some adventures from the past year or so. Let's go back to our Christmas trip to Illinois a few weeks ago...


It isn't all that often that my guys get a chance to play in the snow. We got to go sledding on the hill that thier great-grandpa, grandpa, and myself all sledded on when we were younger. How cool to see a fourth generation enjoying that same hill.


Big or small they all like to have a turn.


Trudging up the hill for another ride down the slope. Brotherly love is expressed in so many ways. I love to see teamwork shine through.


What a great group of boys! What fun memories.