Is It Really Worth It??

I often wondered when I was little and went out to play in the snow with my brothers and sisters, why my mom would tell us that if we were going out, we needed to be sure that we wanted to be out for awhile.

Now I know why.

I have three reasons myself.....and while that is a far cry from the nine that my mom had, it still makes me sigh when the kids get so excited to go play in the snow. And I wonder to myself, "How long will they actually be out there? Is it worth it?"

Getting kids ready to play in the snow is a big ordeal.

First we start with putting on footie pj's.

Then we move on to pants, sweatshirts, and boots.

Then finally, coats, hats, and gloves........starting to see what I am talking about??

And if that weren't bad enough, you have this to clean up afterwards:

Wet clothes, coats, boots, mittens......and a very wet floor.

So, each time it snows and the kids start to ask when they can go out, I often wonder, is it really worth all of the time and effort?

And it usually only takes me a few seconds after we are outside to remember, "Yes! It is worth it"

Just look at these three enjoying the snow:

Even if they are out in the snow for a short amount of time. =)

***Thanks mom, for thinking it was worth it.....even if we were out for only a short time*** =)

Sledding and Snowballs

It snowed on Christmas Eve, but we didn't actually go play in it until Sunday....3 days later.
The boys were SO excited. We had been telling them for days that they could play in it, but everyday was either way too cold or way too busy with Christmas events.
Finally by Sunday it was not as cold and we were not busy.
We usually take the kids to the park by us, but the little ditch right down the street actually had more snow in it, so that's where we headed.
The boys jumped right on their sleds.

Lily went with Jeff.

She went down a few more times with both Jeff & I, and then said, "I'm done!"

Here she is walking in the snow (which she thought was funny) and her idea of a snow angel.

Riley had a lot of fun sledding!!

Zach went sledding, made snow angels, and threw snowballs. He was definitely trying to get everything into one outing. =)

Here are all of the kids throwing snowballs at Jeff....

he even stood still for Lily & Riley. Such a good sport. ;-)

We got even more snow last night, just as the old snow was finally melting.

So, the boys are off to the backyard to play in it again!!

Snow!

The snow finally came! We didn't get anywhere near what they predicted, but we got enough for the boys to play in, so while Lily was taking a nap, the boys went out and played in the snow. Here is Zach sliding down the snow/ice covered slide.

While Zach was busy building a snowman, Riley took advantage of Zach not looking, and pelted him with snowballs. (Don't feel too sorry for Zach, Riley had endured Zach throwing lots of snowballs at him before Zach lost interest.)

Here is Zach's snowman. He has a carrot nose, Starburst eyes, and pencil arms.

Since Lily didn't get to play out in the snow, here are some pictures from yesterday of her drinking her first cup of hot cocoa. (ever!)

I think she likes it!