Winter 2014

So, in an attempt to really love winter, I am trying to tell myself how much I will miss it if we should ever live in a place that doesn't get snow like this. Strangely enough, it really does make the frozen nostrils a little more bearable. And, let's face it; kids bundled up in snow suits, peaceful snowfalls, bright snow covering everything you see, and delicious hot chocolate on days that are too cold to venture out; what's not to love? Oh right...it's cold. I think I could do quite well throughout winter if we got the same amount of snow, winter didn't last until the end of April (sometimes longer) and it never dipped below -10 celcius. Then winter wouldn't put my optimism to the test. Know of anywhere that fits the bill?

the kids have LOVED watching how they clear the snow here. They suck up all the snow into a truck and drag it away to a giant snow hill (which the kids were over the moon about getting to see when we were out one day). Taking the snow away is the only way that the roads remain driveable and with the ability to park. The road in this picture has about a foot of snow which isn't bad as it had been cleared of it's "mini mountains" (as the kids call it) twice already. 

In the meantime, I do find myself actually enjoying winter. Montreal gets some beautiful blue skies that contrast the crisp, bright snow and just put a smile on my face. And I adore seeing the kids get excited about the bits of beauty around them. Yes, there have been a few of those days where the kids have gotten stern-momma-warnings about taking off their gloves because I worry about those little fingers being exposed to the -27 (or worse) air outside, but, all-in-all, I think we have done quite well at trying to enjoy winter. We really need to add some more winter sports to our repertoire; snow shoeing and cross country skiing look like fun options to me! I learned both in school, it can't be that hard to pick it up again - can it? And since the winter olympics kicked off, I showed the kids a few highlights of the events and they are very keen on giving skating a try. They've been practicing their jumps, certain that they will step on the ice born naturals. 

I digress though, because this winter hasn't been about snow shoeing and cross country skiing. It's been about running in the snow, sledding, snow forts, snow slides, getting pulled in the sled down the snow covered sidewalks and a nice dose of hibernating. 

And boy, do I love seeing the joy in the faces of those little ones as they get to roll around in the snow completely oblivious to the cold wind blowing on their faces. And I can't help but love the snowsuit waddle - it is pure sweetness. And then there is the winter quiet that falls on the city in a snow storm. I know snow storms can be pretty awful if you have to venture out in them, but if you are lucky enough to stay in or just play in the snow in your yard, there is a beautiful, peaceful rest to the falling snow that really seems to magically fill my heart with appreciation for the beauty of winter and the time it blesses our family with. The snow also blesses our street with a stillness that is rare otherwise.

Milayla is still a hard sell to get pulled around in the sled and would much rather traipse through the snow herself, though Atticus is quite content to get pulled along. Granted, we can't journey very far in the snow by foot as Milayla tires our pretty quickly of walking in the snow yet she can play for hours in a snow fort. Go figure.

And for those days that we are inside, the kids have loved working on the workbooks that they got for Christmas, Milayla has had many puzzle marathons and will sit and work on puzzles for well over an hour (there are only a few puzzles that we have that are out of her current abilities right now, but at the rate she's going, I don't think it will be long) and Atticus has been making mosaic patterns and challenging his stacking/balancing skills with his equilibrio blocks (a seriously wonderful toy/game). And then the kids like getting to host playdates as well.

And those recorders of theirs get a lot of use. I really need to record Atticus and Milayla when they are playing a 'duet'. They've added some dance moves and they are just so happy when they get to make music together. And then there are the books. I really need to take a moment to write a bit more about these kiddos and their books. Atticus is trying to read every single word that he possibly can and has finally reached a point of being very keenly determined to sound out everything. And Milayla has decided she wants to learn her letter sounds and will just sit down and start reading the sounds from the pages of a book. I can't believe how much she has picked up from listening to Atticus learn to read; it's been my kick in the pants to get into gear and start working with her a bit more on those sounds while the interest is there.

Oh, and in those few moments before I head to bed at night I have been verrrry slowly making bits of progress in my stack of books to read. I've started studying some speed reading tips on some spare moments here and there in an attempt to help things along.

Speaking of heading to bed, I need to do better at getting there earlier. We have a busy weekend to celebrate Valentine's Day which is also known as 'We Love to Be a Family Day' around here. The kids have been counting down the last couple weeks in anticipation for what could be in store. I'm pretty sure I am nearly as excited as they are. And we woke up to a nice, new blanket of snow this morning (about a foot and a half), so the excitement has mounted even more.

As for everything else that is going on around here; January and February have proven to be busy and eventful months - complete with an ambulance ride and a 2 week bout of the flu while we sat on the wait list to get vaccinated against the flu. Probably not wise to leave this post off there, but we have fresh piles of snow calling our name so just know that we are all good and healthy now and looking forward to some awesome family time this weekend. And, on a happy note, while there were some big cutbacks at the company that Jason works at, Jason still has a job (and a job that he loves, at that!) and, for that, we are truly grateful.

more updates to come soon!