once upon a snow day

Posted on May 12, 2020 by tara

It’s May and I’m writing about a snow day… sounds like it should be against the rules, right?

This was the only snow we had this winter that was deep enough to play in, and with the recent plummeting temperatures here due to a polar vortex (again, in MAY!), I couldn’t help but reminisce on this day and the fun we had.On a day we truly needed a break from our regular schedule, we woke up to find the world transformed into a winter wonderland. This snow felt like a gift to me in so many ways.Daddy bought us a new sled this year, since the one the old homeowners had left finally cracked to the point where it was unusable. Kaya, Kaelyn, and Nella couldn’t get enough of sledding down the big hill over and over again. They took turns pulling each other up and down and giggled like crazy every time. Eve and I had a go!Kaya built the cutest little snowman. He had a carrot nose and even wore the hat that Grandma Gina made for her.She was so in love with him, and it was heartbreaking to watch him slowly melt as the sun emerged later in the day. Kaya has such a tender heart.Nella ended up wearing my kitty-cat mittens and was the happiest ever.Eve quickly tired of the snow. She was not having fun at all, really, and if I wasn’t holding her, she was screaming. Hopefully she’ll like it more next year.Kaya and Kaelyn were content to be out for hours.
Did I mention that Kaya made my hat all by herself?We came in for hot chocolate and dry clothes. I’m so grateful for these beautiful days with my babies.I had to include this one of Scout. She doesn’t like to be out in the snow, but she’s ever-watchful.

the only snow day of the season

Posted on March 12, 2019 by tara

I wanted to put a giant question mark after that title up there… because with the climate as it is, we can never really tell if we’ll nosedive right back into winter! Last year, we had snow into April, so I honestly wouldn’t be surprised by it. Mother Nature’s got nothing on us!

Almost two weeks ago, we had a small snowstorm. It was really just the perfect amount of snow- enough for the girls to enjoy playing in, but it only canceled public school for a day and melted quickly. We don’t generally follow the public school schedule, but when there’s snow outside, we obviously had to have a snow day, too!

We bundled up and headed outside! We only have two sets of snow bibs (something I’ll definitely need to remedy for next winter), so Nella ended up wearing double pairs of pants, and then socks on her hands because we also only had two pairs of mittens. I figured she wouldn’t want to stay out long, anyway, and I was right. After five minutes, she asked to come in!She did like the snow a whole lot more this year, though!I was going to take Evie out, but after realizing that she probably wouldn’t enjoy it and Nella would be coming in before too long, she ended up just hanging out in her bouncer next to the front door. I kept going in and out between both groups of girls to make sure everyone was doing okay!Kaya and Kaelyn were ready for some snowball fights!They threw one at Scout, right into the storm door (and that was banned from happening again)! Scout loved watching everyone from indoors. She isn’t really a fan of snow and prefers to avoid it if she can.They set to work on some snowmen… We ended up using broken up crackers for the eyes and nose, since we were out of carrots and wouldn’t be able to find any little rocks. Kaya’s turned out adorable! Kaelyn told me that hers fell apart before she could finish it.Nella watched from the window.
Those pigtails (her hair is finally long enough for them again!) and bunny slippers just slay me with cuteness.The big girls decided they wanted to sled!
They were having the best time. Just look at those faces!Seeing them happy makes me happy.They stayed out for a good part of the morning and just loved every second of it. We were out of hot chocolate, but happened to have thin mint cookies, so they all enjoyed a couple of those when they finally came inside.Happy snow day!

five on friday! (01/25)

Posted on January 25, 2019 by tara

Happy Friday!!! The day is almost over, but I’m glad to sneak in one of these posts before it ends! These simple little things are some of my favorites to look back on.

ONE. Evie had her first “snow” last week! I say “snow”, because it really ended up being more ice than anything else. Kaya and Kaelyn were so disappointed that it wasn’t right for playing in, but we still bundled Eve up just long enough to take a picture and head back in. She had no idea what was going on, but I still managed to get a smile!The first real snow of the season happened while Michael, Eve, and I were in Spain, so we missed that one.That’s a tired baby who really didn’t care that the outside world had turned into an icicle. (But oh, those cheeks of hers!)

TWO. I finally bought the girls some new dry erase markers, after a very long time without any (a certain 2-year-old someone was big enough to take the caps off the old markers, but still too little to put them back on, so they all dried out)! They have loved drawing on the whiteboard nonstop. I always love seeing what they make.

Kaya is still the queen of rainbows!She is also still obsessed with dinosaurs……and she is very ready for my birthday, which is still a few weeks away. I love how excited she gets for all celebrations.Kaelyn made some rainbow hearts……a dinosaur (Stegosaurus?)……a cute little turtle……and, a “statue” as named by her. The abstractness of this one reminds me of some of Picasso’s later versions of Las Meninas… seriously!

THREE. Over the past few months, the trees in our backyard have suddenly become the perfect hangout spot for cardinals. We’ve spotted up to six out there together, and amidst all this dreary brown and gray of winter, I’m glad to see those bright red birds out my window. They’re my mom’s favorites, too, so I always think of her. They are welcome to stop by anytime they please! The girls love watching them. FOUR. When everyone suddenly wants to squish together for a photo, I don’t miss the opportunity for anything! I love these girls so much, and I’m grateful for these rare, random moments when they’ll let me photograph them all together for a few minutes. I still can’t believe these girls are mine sometimes. Also, we’ve had several cuddly pajama days lately, especially with the recent frigid weather! I just love cute kids in jammies.FIVE. Because we like to keep things silly around here… huge play glasses on little kid faces crack me up! HAPPY FRIDAY!

snow more

Posted on April 12, 2018 by tara

I’m writing about snow in APRIL… because in the past few weeks, we’ve had more snow than we did the entire rest of the winter. We had three larger storms (5-8 inches), and then a smaller one just last weekend. The snow can be magical in so many ways- it usually gives me a chance to sleep in and a day off of running; we can take a break from school to spend time together playing outside, and during one of these storms, work was even cancelled for Michael!

Even with all the fun it brings, I think I’m ready to say goodbye to snow until the end of the year. This has truly seemed like one of the longest winters ever!

I started a few mini snowball fights, and now Kaya is obsessed (and actually pretty good at getting people)! It’s a little disconcerting when she comes after you with a ball this big, though!Poor Kaelyn got took one right to the face (she laughed about it afterward, and I reminded everyone that we don’t throw anything at people’s faces)!Kaya and Kaelyn are both obsessed with making snow angels! Despite multiple layers of clothing, they always end up soaking wet after this. I bought some waterproof snow bibs (for $4!) for next year, so they might just end up liking the snow even more.My mini-me! (and another giant snowball!)Kaelyn, talking to herself as we went inside at the end of our playtime, said, “That was so much fun!” And that right there makes getting everyone dressed to go out, cleaning up wet clothes afterward, and walking up and down the hill a thousand times more than worth it.Nella currently still very much dislikes the snow… but I think that might change next winter. She lasted about 30 minutes out there, which is a record for her! She ended up just sitting in the stroller and watching us sled for most of it.And because this is just too funny, here’s Kaya’s view from the sled right before she rolled into the snow (laughing hysterically the entire time)!

nella’s first sled ride

Posted on February 14, 2018 by tara

We woke up early one morning to the sounds of Nella’s cries and the snowplow scraping against the street. We haven’t had a big storm yet this winter, just enough for ice to coat the roads and public school to be canceled.

Of course, any amount of snow is enough to spark wonder in the eyes of three little girls. Nella kept excitedly looking out the window as she ate her pumpkin bread for breakfast.Of course, I made everyone get their schoolwork done before we could head out and play. There are always shenanigans on Kaelyn’s side of the table!It always takes a while to put everyone’s layers on before heading outside. Nella is not a fan of her snowsuit.
She had her first-ever ride in the sled! This little smile was probably the only one, because she realized how hard it was to stay sitting up, and quickly decided she wasn’t a huge fan of sledding after all.Kaya tried hard to make it fun, but I think she had a better time pulling Nella around than Nella did riding! Kaelyn hopped on for a bit too, to help Nella sit up.Mismatched mittens!They love playing in the snow, even if it is just the smallest amount.Nella was over it.We finished off the morning with hot chocolate, of course! It’s always the littlest things that make them (and me!) happiest.

first snow of the season

Posted on January 18, 2018 by tara

We’ve had snow days yesterday and today due to our third real snowfall of this winter season, so I figured it was finally time to blog about the first!

One mid-December Saturday morning, we woke to find our yard covered in snow! I was so excited to see everything turned white when I peeked out the window in the dark hours of the morning, and couldn’t wait to tell the girls when they woke up!

Two inches or twenty, these little girls would have had the same reaction when they saw what nature had made for us. Squeals of joy, quickly followed by, “Let’s go play in the snow!” were heard first thing that day. Kaya really wanted to catch some snowflakes on her tongue!
Kaelyn was fine with just catching them on her mittens!Nella honestly wasn’t too sure about the snow. She tried eating it……and clearly was not a fan.Then her snowsuit got the best of her, and we had a true “Christmas Story” moment…And she doesn’t like to keep her thumbs inside the suit, either, so there’s that.The older girls are all about taking this ancient sled down the hill. It always ends up with a ton of snow in the bottom of it, leaving everyone wet and cold, but they still love it. Honestly, I’m surprised that it’s even lasted for almost two whole winters! Nella spent a little time with Daddy before they both went inside. He had actually hurt his toe pretty badly the night before the storm, and wasn’t really feeling up for romping around in the snow, so it was just the older girls and me.Nella was really happy to get inside. I think she might have more fun in the snow next year!Michael sneakily snapped this one from the window. I pulled the girls up and down the hill until they were too cold (Kaelyn) or wanted to do something else (Kaya). And yes, that’s my DSLR in my jacket. Got to keep it warm and dry, haha!Little Kaelyn always gets cold first, so she headed inside with Daddy and Nella, while Kaya and I stayed out to play a while longer. I loved some one-on-one time with my big girl!Kaya really wanted to try the little slide in the snow. Her legs are almost too long now!Before we went in, I had to get a picture of these winter berries. There’s just something so beautiful and clean about snow.We headed inside, and as was the tradition when I was a little girl, we had to have some hot chocolate. I actually tried making some from scratch for the first time ever, and it was so rich and delicious. I really think the girls would love anything that’s covered in marshmallows, though!How perfect is this?This is a happy hot-chocolate face!I don’t know what it is about snow, especially the first one of each winter, but there’s some unmistakeable magic about it. Feeling the flakes touch my face, exploring an old world that seems new, and hearing my children’s incessant laughs makes my heart feel full. This was one of those simple days that I think I’ll always remember and cherish.

five on friday (03/10)

Posted on March 10, 2017 by tara

ONE. Michael is my knight in shining armor. Actually, I’m certain he was made for his role as such a tender-hearted, patient husband and father of daughters. I started the week off being sick (again, which is typically unusual for me), and he came home early from work just to take care of us. All four of us adore him, and I’m so grateful for this guy who gives us his all one hundred percent of the time.

TWO. The “March comes in like a lion” expression has certainly been true around here lately, with our area experiencing everything from extreme gusts of wind, to snow, to rainstorms, to 60-degree days. Kaya was beyond excited about the random snow we had, and although none of it stuck around, she loved catching the flakes and twirling outside in it.

THREE. Two of Kaya and Kaelyn’s favorite things: jammies and baby dolls! These little girls play “babies” together nearly all day everyday. Kaya’s baby, Alice, was apparently born and celebrated her 3rd birthday party all in the same week. Kaelyn’s baby, Doll, learned to walk today. These are very busy babies!FOUR. I’ve made some major strides (haha, running humor) in my pace in these past few weeks. Doing speed work has really been paying off, and although it might not look like much to some, I’m so happy to see improvement. I’ve never been a very fast runner, but getting back to where I was pre-Nella is encouraging.

FIVE. When I’m nursing the baby, the girls love to make a “tunnel” under my legs between the ottoman and the chair. Kaelyn thought it’d be fun to hide and then surprise me… I think this little .GIF is pretty hilarious (and oh so representative of her personality)!

Happy Friday!

Linking up here, here, and here today!

first snow (2017)

Posted on February 6, 2017 by tara

We had our first (and only, thus far) real snowstorm of the year early in January. My girls get excited about the tiniest flurries and always immediately ask to go outside and play. When they saw actual snow accumulated in the yard, over the street, and atop our car, they were absolutely ecstatic. Kaelyn started shouting “No no no! Ton!” (her way of saying “Snow, snow, snow! A ton!”) as soon as she looked out the window in the morning. Of course, Nella had to see her first snow! We bundled her up, brought her out for a picture, and took her right back inside. The real feel temperature was below 10 degrees, so her first encounter with the snow was definitely a quick one! The previous homeowners left this old sled in the garage, so we put it to use! I’m not sure how much longer it’ll last, but it provided plenty of entertainment for our girls this time. Kaelyn is big enough to sled down the hill for real this year! Last year, she was wary of anything to do with sledding or the snow. I love these happy little faces. I had a good 3-mile run over the snow. It seemed like our whole world had been covered with a fresh powder, making it look completely new. I love how snow has the ability to transform everything!

winter storm jonas

Posted on January 29, 2016 by tara

Snow has a sort of magic about it. It has the power to stop all our busyness and schedules. Nature’s white, tranquil blanket envelopes us all, creating a shining, peaceful world. The best part of being snowed in was definitely all the extra family time we were able to have. The university actually announced on Thursday afternoon that it would be closed on Friday, which is an incredibly rare event. This meant that Michael ended up having two long weekends in a row! Knowing that the school was shutting down preemptively, I felt a little nervous about how big this storm would actually be.

Kaya could not have been more excited to play in the snow. She has been waiting for winter weather so eagerly for months now, and in her mind, snow absolutely had to come after Christmastime. Our neighbor gave us their old sled! We were so excited for some good sledding… and then we cracked the plastic seat after only three runs down the hill. I’m thinking the plastic must’ve been a bit weak if we broke it so easily, but it was fun while it lasted.These next three photos happened in succession. I love how Kaya almost completely disappears in the snow at the end!
Happy happy little girl. 🙂 We thought maybe she could still use the sled on her own, even after we cracked it, since she doesn’t weigh all that much. Turns out, she isn’t heavy enough to even get it to move down the hill on her own! Kaelyn missed all the fun on the first day of snow because she was napping, so on the second day (Saturday), I finally bundled her up and brought her out for her first snow experience (we didn’t take her out in any last year).

I don’t know if she was upset because her snowsuit was uncomfortable or just because she wasn’t sure of what was going on… but our little marshmallow was quite unhappy at first.Michael ended up pulling the kids along in the broken sled, since it no longer worked going down the hill. Kaelyn didn’t cheer up when we first tried to give her a ride…
After a while, she started to like being out there, and even pouted when it wasn’t her turn to “sled”! This is our parking lot!I loved seeing both my babies riding in the sled together. Sometimes, I still can’t believe that they’re mine. They’ve grown so fast, and these kinds of activities just get more and more fun as they get older.

All our church meetings were canceled on Sunday, and in total, I think we ended up with about 15 inches.

The snow has mostly melted now, and our first snowstorm of the season seems to have come and gone so quickly.

five on friday (1/08)

Posted on January 8, 2016 by tara

I think I just keep pretending we’re still on vacation… so I know I still haven’t posted any photos from our Christmas day yet (maybe because I took too many and still haven’t gone through them all… ha), but we had a good week, and I couldn’t let it go undocumented.

These small, seemingly-mundane posts usually turn out to be some of my favorites when I go back and read them later.

ONE. Winter has finally arrived on our little hillside- we had our first snow! It didn’t really accumulate, but it came down in big, fluffy flakes, so I’m counting it. The girls were quite excited… especially Kaelyn, since she is too young to remember the many blizzards we had last year!

TWO. What better food to eat during the cold weather than warm, gooey pancakes? Kaya and Kaelyn have had pancakes for breakfast every single day this week. My mom gave me a griddle for Christmas, so I put it to good use by making a double batch of these and freezing them.

THREE. We also tried a couple of new recipes this week, including these buffalo chicken wings and these cheesy potatoes. Both were keepers!FOUR. We did get back on track with our homeschool preschool this week, after taking a couple weeks off for the holidays. Kaya has been SO excited and asks me to “do school” almost as soon as she wakes up every morning. We did the letter “D” and so of course, we had to make a “dog” craft.

FIVE. We had some fun times with Karl (and Kaitlyn) this week! Mario Kart Wii and Apples to Apples Pictures will never get old. I also love that Karl loves my guinea pigs as much as I do!Happy weekend! Keep warm (like Freyja)! 🙂 _MG_0708

Michael and Tara

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