Snow Baby

I try not to post much on Sundays, but this little peanut was looking far too adorable sledding yesterday to keep the pictures under wraps. It was technically our second sledding adventure with Kid, as we brought him last winter.

Hubs had been gone hunting all day yesterday, while Kid and I ran errands and got some things done around the house. When he got home, he was antsy, so we made the last minute decision to go sledding. The nervous mama in me felt that our close-to-home sledding hill was too steep for Kid. The Hubs agreed (as he would be the one pulling Kid back up the hill). We decided to stop at my in-law's house for some mini-sledding.

Kid loved it! I'm so thankful that we finally have snow. While I'm not normally one for impromptu plans, I'm glad we bundled up and went sledding. I'm never quite sure what activities I can do while knocked-up, so I played photographer for our sledding adventure, using a new lens, too!

Sledding may just become one of our favorite activities this winter. What are your favorite things to do in the winter?

What to do When it Snows in April

It happened again. We got a beautiful taste of the most amazing spring weather. The sun shone. The trees looked alive and happy. The birds visited our (4) feeders and chirped all the while.

And then it snowed. It snowed on and off all day long.

Our skis are packed away. The snowboards have their summer wax. My mittens are in hiding. Even my winter coat has gone down for its months-long nap.

  Get a coffee. Okay, okay, I don’t drink coffee. Instead, I got a hot chocolate with a shot of caramel. Ooh, so delicious! And it warms you right up! My mitten-less hands were happy as can be.

 Cozy up with a good book. This is my plan for later this evening (along with #3), once Kid is asleep. I have just the book, too. I’m currently reading The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. Good book. I suggest you read it!

 Take a nice, warm bath. And the only way to do that is with a good book (see #2) and a bowl of Cheetos. Can’t go wrong with that. This is another one, though, that needs to be done when Kid is asleep. Otherwise, it just isn’t that peaceful.

 Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy the sun when it’s out.

Get outside! The laundry can wait until later!

Enjoy it, because you never know when it may snow in April. Or May.

Or even June!

Winter Blues

I know, I know, I just posted about loving winter. And I do. I love winter. I love snow. I love to snowboard. I love to snowshoe. It's all so fun.

I think winter is great. But, I also struggle at times with the winter blues. I think everyone does, to a point.

The sky is usually gray. It's dark a lot (but, yay! the days are starting to get longer!). Winter activities are necessary for a healthy outlook.

On Saturday, we went to a sledding party at my aunt's house. She dug out a "luge course" and had us do time trials down the hill. It was fabulous! And really fast. We took kid on his first sledding run there. And may have tipped over. But, he enjoyed laying in the snow!

Then, the hubs and I took a ski lesson. That's right. Learning how to cross country ski. Did you watch cross country skiing during the Olympics?! Holy cow. It was incredible.

I was a member of my high school's nordic ski team for two years. I participated in classic skiing, and never really tried skate skiing.

But skate skiing is so much faster! A friend of mine was interested in doing a lesson and wanted a partner in crime.

Sign. Me. Up.

We rented skis and had our private lesson.

And now, my muscles are sore. Muscles I didn't even know I had are in pain. But, really? Skate skiing is complicated. We learned about 4 different "gears." I also learned that I am not an automatic transmission. It takes some work for me to switch from one gear to another. And I get a little confused/my timing gets off.

It is tough.

My parents babysat Kid while we were at the lesson. And I sat in their hot tub afterward.

It. Was. Heavenly.

Now, if only skate skis weren't so ridiculously expensive. I'd buy a pair and ski every day.

Can you believe that I didn't take even one picture of our outdoor activities this weekend?

Loving Winter

Fortunately for me, I love snow. It's a good thing because Minnesota has quite a bit of it. And a fresh snow is beautiful!

My girlfriends and I recently went snowshoeing around the neighborhood. We, of course, went on the warmest day of the weekend. Temperatures got above 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Can you believe it!? It was like a heat wave.

We layered up and headed down the trail. We took a left where we normally take a right, just to explore something new.

And upon our return, we made hot chocolate, coffee, and tea (oh, the joys of the single serve coffee maker). A nice, warm beverage is always necessary after any outdoor winter event!