Pretending Spring

Sometimes you just gotta pretend it's warmer than it really is, ya know? For about a month, Ryder's been saying he wants to go to the park! That and the beach :) He often asks, "Mom, is it summer yet?" Poor little guy- winter's gotta feel so long to him!

So, when we had several days of beautiful sunshine recently, we tried to take advantage of it, even though it was still cold outside. We even went on a bike ride- ha! Now this same road is snow covered and icy again, but for just a couple days we could pretend it was Spring already :) And that the boys' bikes aren't absolutely too small for them at this point!

This moment above is one I won't soon forget :) Ryder was waiting in the school pick-up line for Cooper with me and opened the sun roof. He popped out and said "This is my exit hatch!" I just thought that was so cute and such a boy thing to say. Pretty sure any sun roof will be the "exit hatch" for the rest of my life. :)

Winter Fun, Inside and Out

Time to share my beautiful boys with you again :) We've been doing some fun things lately in the snow specifically! I've also been trying to get more pictures of them... I used to practically follow them around behind the lens, but with all my blogging goings on, I feel like I've photographed more staged stuff these days. And I want to make sure it's all in balance... that they are my real focus, more than whatever is sitting in front of my makeshift photo backdrops :)

Blessedly, we've had snow off and on intermingled with the cold- makes winter much more bearable for sure! Ryder's been asking when we can go to the beach or the park a lot lately- he is a summer kid for sure!

Recently we were at the grocery store and he asked if we could "stop on the way home and get ice cream at that cart with the chairs around and the straws." (Something along that line.) It didn't compute... I crouched down in the busy aisle and got him to repeat himself, tried to ask questions that would give me more clues about what he meant. And finally deduced that he wanted to get snow cones! See what I mean- you don't have an August birthday and not live for the summer I guess! :) He melts me...

Silly :)

15 Winter Boredom Busters for Kids

This month #myfavoritebloggers and I are each sharing a WINTER idea-

lots of talent right here in one stop:

Peppermint Sugar Cookie Snowman,   Zippered Snowflake Pouch,   Crocheted Winter Gnome,   Crocheted Snowflake Pattern,  Winter Princess Pearl Necklace,   Safety Pin Ice Skates,   Winter Party Favors,   Gold-Brushed Pine Cone Ornaments,   Winter Gift in a Jar,   Candy Swirl Winter Centerpiece,   Egg Nog Cookies,   Easy Beaded Snowflakes,   DIY Christmas Trees.

My mind went to indoor boredom buster activities when it came to winter- it can get frustrating not being able to just go outside and ride bikes or jump on the tramp for my little guys I know! I scrolled down memory lane... or the archives here at this little blog... and gathered several ideas for having simple fun at home this winter!

Simple Fleece Face Guards: Gifts Under $20

Today I'm happily in the company of #myfavoritebloggers again! This time we've set out to each share a gift under $20. The one I chose had been on my list for a long time.... and is WELL under that $20 price point. Maybe more like under $5 even...

 

Snow Doesn't Always Have to Be White

It seems like everyone's wishin' for Spring about now... and we are no exception!

Alas, there is still plenty of snow here at our Idaho home...

snow that has been around for awhile now, though.

Which means it's no longer capable of snowmen building or really even snow fort building.

But it's just about perfect for... spraying!

Frozen Bubbles: Making them Work!

Last year on New Years Eve it was just below 32-degrees.

I'd seen on Pinterest how you can blow bubbles if it's below freezing and they'll freeze,

then break when they hit the ground. Cool, right?!

I thought the boys and my nieces at our house that night would think that was pretty cool, so we gave it a try... and it was a complete bust! I felt rather dumb for even trying to be cool! :P

Break Time

Our family is back in the saddle! Maybe even more so than ever before :) The saddle as in archery, that is. This year Keaton got a compound bow for Christmas and Stephen surprised me with one too! Cooper,  Taron and Stephen already had one and little Ry is still happy with the good ole' kids string bow. Over the break, we went to Downwind Archery and got  the feel for shooting again.

I know most women wouldn't be too happy about getting hunting gear from their husband, but this is one hobby Stephen brought into our marriage that I really do love! Remember we spent our anniversary a couple years ago at a 3D shoot? I think the last time we all shot together for real was a few years ago and I was carrying Cooper (maybe Ryder??) in a baby backpack and hiking/ shooting at the same time. Since then I've taken a bit of a break to let our little guys get big enough to enjoy this with us for real- I am so excited! I think we are all in our element here :)

The boys did a lot of just chillin' over the break too. One fun thing they did was battle with their Hexbug Warriors they each got in their stockings- they are these fun, beefed up little Hexbugs that actually have lives and armor and stuff- kinda neat :)

We also enjoyed the snow and did several rounds of sledding at the hills right by our church building! Didn't get any pics- was too busy watching them have fun I guess. I have awesome memories of sledding trips as a kid and this is sure a cool spot to make some for the boys! I love that it's seriously right down the road :) We also pulled the boys behind the truck in the big, slick church parking lot- saved us having to fight the crazy crowd on New Years Day!

The little boys and I also went with Stephen flying on the hills around here- it was SO, SO, SO cold! I really wanted to get familiar with my other Christmas present- a tiny bright red hand gun! Stephen and I will be taking a day-long concealed weapons class later this month and I can hardly wait! Now is the time and I am so ready to have the security of knowing I could be helpful in a bad situation if I had to be. Anyhow... we did shoot a little bit, but wow, it was so cold I didn't get in nearly as much of it as I would've liked- check out this frosty sagebrush we were in. I'm lovin' that it's actually white around here!

Another cool thing we've done over the break is stock our freezer! My parents very generously gave us the neatest Christmas gift- a gift card to purchase a significant supply of meat! We got to pick the items we most needed and wanted at Costco and then cut it up ourselves- what a great feeling! My parents are amazing and we are so grateful. Wrapping our meat in freezer paper and labeling it with a Sharpie sure brought back memories of  butchering my Dad and Grandpa's harvests from hunting trips  as a kid...

Sun, Snow and Smiles :)

It snowed again!
You'd actually never guess it as of today- there's hardly a single trace left, thanks to the wind and rain. But Sunday afternoon was bright and sunny, the snow from the night before just begging to be tracked through! I LOVE these pics of the boys ready to go out and play!

First things first, you have to make sure that you get your gloves good and wet so your hands will be freezing for the rest of the play time outside. Then, you really must go remind the summer yard toys that you haven't completely forgotten them. :)

Cooper so badly wanted to roll a ball across the yard and have it get big enough for a snowman, like he's seen in several of the library books I've read him. It worked kinda sorta, but packing it firmer with your hands was more effective by far! While he kept trying anyway, Ry actually helped me pile snow...

Ta da! Our third, somewhat miniturized, snowman of the season! Still rockin' the sweet sunglasses :) And another parting shot for the fun of it- a taste of who they really are:

"Pure Sugar" as Stephen's Grandma Sally would surely say :)

Snow Fun in a Hurry

So, it did actually snow last week- woo hoo!

The boys have been wanting to build a snowman forever, so out we went :)

Clearly a bit too late, however, eh?!

The snow did not want to stick together much at all,

so our pitiful mound of snow that the boys worked so hard to pile up

got the snowman gear slapped on it!

I personally really dig the sunglasses :)

The very next day it snowed again, fairly enthusiastically actually,

so we tried again and made one that was as tall as Coop,

which of course I got no pictures of!

Hot chocolate afterwards :)

And then that afternoon we tried cookie painting- a fun idea I saw HERE

and thought they would get a kick of out...

they did for about five minutes, maybe two cookies worth,

and then they were off again- so it goes!
Faster alternative than frosting, though :)

It is January, Right?

The puddles that were in our driveway last week make me have to wonder!

We did get some snow after this,

but looks like rain will turn it into mud and puddles again tomorrow...

looks like they aren't complaining anyway, eh? :)

Finally... Snow!

For about two months now, we've been wanting to try snow painting and there has been no snow in southern Idaho! But we got just enough for just long enough to get it done last weekend!

You fill spray bottles with water and food coloring, then have at it spraying the snow! I originially saw this idea at The Idea Room. Coop LOVED this- and I love the pic below! Don't you love it when you capture sheer joy in a photo?!

Ry thought the snow itself was a novelty and packed the spray bottles around a bit. He really enjoyed the sled though! We actually did this twice in two days- once when it was really snowing hard and the next morning when it was clear and beautiful. I pulled the boys on the sled down the road and it's a good thing we got out when we did- in typical fashion, the roads were back to pavement by afternoon!

And cocoa after it all- like icing on the cake! ;) Already the rain has disappeared the snow and our yard is a mud bath- but we'll be taking the bottles home to the mountains in a few weeks for sure!