Automatic Snow Day

I'm learning after living here for seven years now that if it snows one day, and school is cancelled, the following day will result in no school as well since ALL of the roads in the county will not have been plowed...  So, we geared up again (I'm getting much quicker!) and out we went!

The snow was in a bit better shape for building, but we still were only able to achieve a snow blob--LOL!

Love how he turned out!

Jackson loved his special fort!  Formed thanks in part to the snowplow and the rest thanks to Daddy when he shoveled out an opening to the storm drain.

Enjoying our little hill

He kept throwing himself down the hill all different ways

Even Graham realized belly first was the best!

He is in LOVE with sledding now that it's a smaller-scale hill!

Napping hard after playing hard!

Another board-game filled afternoon!

Esther was a genius!  When we back to her house to sled, she took Graham down to the bottom where there is sort of a smaller hill, and she worked back and forth to get Graham set up at the top and then caught him at the bottom so he didn't head face-first into the fence.  He LOVED it!  Another fun day!  But, tomorrow is looking cold...

A REAL Snow Day!

We've already had several delayed starts and cancellations for school, but we finally got a serious amount of snow!  (Well, serious by the standards of this part of the country...)  Graham desperately wanted to go out to help Daddy "dig!"

I had bought this cute snowman kit before Christmas, and Jackson was SO excited to get it out today!  The snow was not quite right for packing, though :(

Izzy came down to play!!!

Love hanging with this crew :)

The Camerons were wonderful hosts for their first winter season and opened their backyard (with the best sledding hill) for guest sledders :)

Just for scale--that's Izzy and Jackson at the bottom!

Esther is such a big helper, and she jumped right in to take Graham sledding!  He was not such a fan...  He spent the rest of our time hanging out on the swing and watching the rest of the kids.

Look at all that pretty white snow!

This friendship makes me smile :)

Izzy sledding

Love that smile!

Back towards our house for some work on a fort and snow piles

This digger isn't allowed to dig up our flower beds, so Graham was thrilled to put it to use in the snow!

Snow angel time!

Warming up by the fire before lunch

Game time while Graham napped :)

Back outside for a little more playtime!

Kings of the Snowpile!

Sledding down our just-right-sized hill in the backyard!  Chances are no school tomorrow either...

Another Extended Valentine's Day...

Valentine's Day Eve: Graham and I attended a birthday party for Graham's friend, Hallie, who was turning three!!!  She's a Valentine's Day baby, so all of the activities were heart themed.  We both had a great time :)

Graham's cute heart hat he decorated!

Pin the Lips on Miss Valentine!

SO cute in the blindfold!

This boy LOVED the pink lemonade and cupcakes :)

Jackson made these valentines to take to school: "I'm so glad I "found" you, Valentine!"  Unfortunately, Jackson got sick in the middle of the night, and spent yet another Valentine's Day on the couch with the trash can nearby :/  Poor guy!  Graham and I ran out and picked up Qdoba for dinner for Josh and me: it's been our Valentine's Day tradition for years, and we haven't let the last two years of a sick kid stop us!  

Finally, two days late, we were able to open cards and celebrate a little with some treats and the boys :)

Mimi Visits!

Mimi flew in for a mid-Winter visit!  Graham was SOOO excited to go to the airport to pick up Mimi--he really understood what was happening!  We stopped for some lunch on the way home, laid Graham down for a nap, and I introduced Mimi to "Orange is the New Black"--she was hooked immediately!  Jackson was really excited to see Mimi at the bus stop, and even more excited to play Headbands with her!

On Thursday, Graham, Mimi and I ventured down to Fredericksburg to one of our favorite Barnes and Noble stores.  We played trains and Duplos, read lots of books, and shopped before heading home for a nap and more binge watching while we had lunch :)

On Friday, Mimi went to school to have lunch with Jackson!  He was over the moon, and Mimi LOVED seeing a little bit of his school day :)

We LOVE having my parents visit, obviously, but it's becoming harder and harder to find new outings.  Well, we hit a home run this time with a visit to the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian.  We had thought of visiting, but then I heard a stellar recommendation about their children's area, and that sealed the deal.  

Ready to go inside!  Our first stop was a really cool theater with an excellent introductory movie.  From there we headed right to the kids' area.

Trying out the kayak

This one doesn't quite have his sea legs yet!

Jackson could have spent all day in this area: build an igloo!  Their were soft blocks numbered to help build an igloo.  Jackson desperately wanted to see the finished product, but not all children were quite "helpers..."  Finally, a couple of other parents helped out and there were a couple of kids with the same goal as Jackson.  They got it built for a few seconds!

Hanging out in the teepee with Mom!

Igloo success!

More games with Mimi!  We spent our last evening together going out to dinner, relaxing and watching more "OITNB!"  We had SUCH a good time, and we were sad to say good-bye, but we are already looking forward to our visit in March!