Outdoors

More winter fun!

As usual winter didn't really come until January and this year once it arrived it's stayed, adding smaller and larger amounts of snow every few days. While I hate the cold, I love the look of a snowy winter from the inside of my house. I don't mind it all too much outside when I'm bundled up and dressed for the weather (which I must say doesn't happen often enough now that the kids are old enough to sled and stuff on their own), but when it comes to the regular daily running around or being outdoors without all those cosy clothes, then I can't say I'm all too fond of this time of year. But on the other hand ... if it's going to be cold then we might as well have snow to go with it. And we really wouldn't appreciate spring, summer and fall without the cold winters.

Since the snow has arrived the kids have been faithfully playing outdoors each afternoon. There is lots for them to do out there, whether they play down by their creek fort, or their other fort, slide on the ice patches or the creek, and with the snow there's been lots of sledding, some snowman making and digging of forts in the snowpiles. I love seeing them so active outside and being creative.

Earlier on before the snow came we could see the ice patches and the kids could play on this patch which ws in view of the house. It was nice to be able to see what they were doing. Matthew especially loved the ice. Unfortunately this piece had pieces of grass and such that would stick up so it wasn't good enough to skate on. Our girls do not like skating so when it comes to having to go all the way down to the creek (and clear it off) to skate there isn't much desire.














Matthew on the other hand would love to skate but without the girls doing it he's out of luck. He has to be content with sliding on his boots.















There is a creek at the back of the property and along the creek are some bushes and shrubs. The girls have finally got the hang of "country" living and have gotten out more to explore and build forts and enjoy the nature they have surrounding them. Rob went out a couple times and helped them with their fort, making a sort of teepee fort. They also found some netting that they lined along the edge of the creek in the one area that is easier to fall into so that Matthew would be a bit safer. When the ice is frozen I'm fine with them being back there, but I am a bit more leary having Matthew back there when the creek is thawed, especially at this time of year when it swells up with thawing time ... they may have to stick to their other fort for a while until spring is over.
















After a few snowfalls the pile our handy-dandy snowplower made when clearing the driveway became large enough that the kids didn't have to go tramping to the back of the property to go sledding. Of course it wasn't quite that big, but big enough for Matthew to have fun, while the girls would dig tunnels in the pile.














The girls would each dig on an opposite so they could meet in the middle (if there aim was right). They had just about got all the way through and another snowfall would come ... meaning the handy-dandy snowplow would come by again ... and fill in the tunnel.




















Marietta loves to take the camera out and capture some of the beautiful scenes that come with this weather. Below are some of the pictures she took.