Wintertime in Indy

Us Texans have learned alot in the past few months. It has certainly been a treat, to experience both the fall and winter, in all their glory, but I'm not gonna lie, it's been a bit challenging, enduring a "real winter" up here!  20 degree temps , icy roads, canceled playdates and activities due to sick kids and saying goodbye to any park fun for a few good months threw me a new kind curve ball that I am still trying to swing at!

But let's start with the obvious fun that is to be had with SNOW!

There was a blizzard the day that we came back from the holidays,

 pouring down on us enough snow to go sledding!

We have a hill at a near by park called "Jill's Hill" that Bekah loves to climb,

 and that day, she got to slide down it!

( I had to laugh, Zack was SO loud, whooping down the hill with the kids, poor guy, this was the closest he got to snow boarding this year!)

There were so many people there, I felt like we were at a mini ski resort!

Benjamin had to quickly forget that he was wearing his sister's old ski bibs, and once done,

he too had fun!

Note to self:

Buy a sled BEFORE the first big snow of the season, or you will be left with a paper thin sled that

daddy will say is "just fine" and then, will soon realize, is NOT . . . .  and may or may not

 go get an old

one that has been left by the trash because one of those, believe it or not, is actually better than the brand new one you just bought!

I got a shot of daddy, digging through the trash and getting the kids hitched back on!

The new, improved sled (with a broken handle)

The rope did not tear through this one, as it had on the original.

Love these two together!

What a difference a daddy makes, just like the book says!

Few days later, daddy followed through with his promise, he and Bekah made their first snowman!

Funny thing was, the snow was  so light and fluffy, Zack had the hardest time

 "packing" it into 3 balls, so instead, he made

a snow volcano!

With a few key accessories that Bekah picked out herself, he ended up being a pretty enduring

snowman, he always made me giggle when I looked out the window! And he stayed around

for a good 2 weeks!

Teehee, Bekah's poses are constantly amusing me these days!

It's been fun adding "hot chocolate" to our weekly menu,

as well as being another "incentive" for Bekah!

The girl will do anything for a cup of hot chocolate!

I really admire those mothers who do this year after year, figuring out quality activities for their kids each day, that don't involve playing outside as much. I never realized how much I depended on getting the kids outside until this winter. Going to the park has been a big part of both of my kids lives, but even having a simple swing in the back yard can make such a difference! Or a water table or a sandbox! We miss all of those,  since we are in a townhome with no backyard, I know that our Ben Boy would be taking full advantage of them, 25 degrees or not!

But instead, here is what we have been up to!

When daddy is home, Bekah sure likes to have ALL of his attention, here they are "excavating" some dinosaur bones from this kit that she got in her stocking:

We call playing with daddy "rumble tumble time!" This is a good way to get out energy, this, as well as playing hide and go seek and jumping on the beds! Yup, I said it, we jump on our beds, full supervised I promise you! Hey, desperate times, desperate measures!!

When we are sick, we certainly don't jump on beds, the couch is where we hang, reading books, watching movies and as you see here, playing with paper dolls!

Bekah really enjoyed the American Girls one that she got, it was 3D and everything.

One day, we decided to make a doll house out of a box mommy got in the mail.

Bekah and I had the best time deciding on how to put the walls up, where to cut the windows, how to make the furniture, how to decorate, I was so proud of my little artist!

 I found that it was easy to keep Bekah entertained, Benjamin was the tricky one who just simply wanted to be outside!

Our weekly activities are even more appreciated these days because it gets us out of the house, a family favorite being dance class! The class is only 30 minutes long, but we end up staying at least 45 minutes later, playing in the lobby because all the girls have younger brothers the same age, making for a great built in play date for Bekah and Benjamin!

Although we don't have a reason to go to Lowes as much as we did in Houston, when we do go, this boy sure does have fun on those tractors!

He could stay there all day if I let him, yet one more fun and free activity to do in the winter!

With all of the birthday parties I have thrown my kids involving a park or a backyard, it's been interesting going to birthday parties up here in the midwest! From October to May (!) they are basically inside venues! Here is one of them at a bouncy house place, Monkey Joes.

As mentioned in the last post, we do alot of book reading here, most certainly being a great result of our cabin fever! Bekah's imagination is soaring the days, and thanks to the recent inspiration from Honey for a Child's Heart, we are starting to read the original Winne the Pooh chapter book.

Here is Bekah, she attached a balloon to Benjamin saying he was pooh bear flying up to the beehive to get to the honey. We acted it all out even with a stuffed bumble bee, flying after Benjamin to "get him!"

It sure is fun to play with my girlie these days, what great ideas she has!

I try to adhere to my "no more than 1 hour" ( or 2 shows) belief for Bekah, but on those days where one kid is sick, or activities are canceled or mommy is too scared  to drive on the ice, we may end up watching an extra show or two, and that's okay, right? I have horrible guilt about it, but I tell myself it's only for this year, next year we will have a backyard to play in, with 60 degree weather!( And family to help out too!) Benjamin really isn't interested, but on some days, especially the ones where he is not feeling well, I see him climb up on the couch to watch a few minutes with his sissy, which is sort of cute : ).

Alot of the inside activities are just fine and dandy for Bekah, she loves playing inside, it's our Ben-jammin that I start to feel sorry for! If it's above freezing, we go for a quick ride in the wagon, or, if not, he may find himself having yet another tea party with Bekah!

Just recently though, I realized if I flattened a cardboard box ( just another use for a cardboard box!)

he could sit on it and get as messy as he pleased while creating his masterpiece!

Facetime is a great way to break up our long afternoons too! I find that if I put him in his high chair, he is less likely to drop or hurt the phone and then, I can get dinner started.

(Playdough continues to be a good way to get out energy and creativity as well)

Playing dress up and dancing to the nutcracker continue to be Bekah's number

one favorite activities to do, they never get old!

One day, when she was playing dress up, she decided to make a pattern with her dominoes too! I was so surprised, for I have never really taught it to her, knowing full well that she would get that exposure in Kindergarten. I know they teach it on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse , sort of making me feel better about her extra shows this winter : ).

Here she is in a "dindel" that Pops and Gramommy brought back from her a while back. I love when she wears it, she looks so cute and authentic in it!

It sure helps when you have great neighbors to get through the winter with, you can just walk over to one anothers houses and play! I am very grateful to Riley and Julie, two older girls ( 3rd and 5th grade) who have really come to like playing with my little ones! They come over wanting to play with them at least once a week!

Oh and you want to know one other thing that could get you through a long winter?? A spur of the moment trip to Texas to get you away from it all and to be with friends and family!

But that's for the next post!

As we approach March quite quickly and happily, I look back on our winter, grateful for the gifts god gave us in kind friends and neighbors here, the fun ideas that He gave us to make the day enjoyable, and the encouragement He gave me to endure them. Just the other day, I told Zack, I get nervous about staying home with them all day because I know I am not able to meet Benjamin's needs as well as I want to, but then, going out and bearing the cold and the icy roads make me nervous too! I pray each day that God would show me what He wants for my kids and that I would help them to both stay safe and to thrive up here in this winter wonderland : ).