snow much fun 2019.

Just when I thought the potential for snowfall in the PNW was behind us for the season it hit us hard. Seemingly out of no where we ended up getting almost 8 inches of snow overnight! And while that's nothing compared to many other areas of the country it's a lot for us. We aren't prepared to deal with snow and ice, we have LOTS of hills in our county and only 1 snow plow for the entire city. So, schools shut down (2nd day in a row now!) and we play. It's actually really magical. Spending a day stripping snow pants, mittens and hats on and off, sipping hot chocolate, cozying up on the couch with a warm blanket and then doing it all over again. These are big memory making days in their childhood!

Even at the faintest snowfall the kids couldn't wait to play outside. 

 Yesterday morning I woke up early to a beautiful scene of fluffy snow covering our entire neighborhood.

 We let the neighbors enjoy their quiet morning before bundling up the kids (so.much.work.) and heading outside to play.

 After round 1 the kids came inside to have a quick snack of homemade hot cocoa and a treat of homemade cinnamon sugar donuts! Because....why not?!?

 Lucy wasn't feeling so hot so she took a quick nap with Matt while the boys bundled up for rounds 2, 3 and 4.

 And today? Another snow day! I think we'll be ready for a normal routine again tomorrow but for these few days, I'll enjoy extra family time, sweet hot chocolate and lots of giggles as we play outside.

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winter blues.

This morning I woke up grumpy. Grumpy about being cold and sick and tired of being cold and sick. I was focusing on all the annoying stuff in my life right now and wanted to vent as I wrote. But then I noticed some of these pics and realized while, 2019 has not been kind to our family so far, it also hasn't been the worst. There have been smiles and sunshine and family days that have, luckily, balanced out all the crud we've been dealing with. Thank goodness for those smiles.

Since Simon's lip accident (still have some PTSD from that awful week!) he's been full of smiles. He's growing up so fast and watching his little personality shine though is so fun.

 Usually Friday nights consist of me cuddling up on the couch with Lucy and Simon while Matt and Carter are at basketball practice. But a few weeks ago we headed out for the school's annual Bingo Night and it was so fun! Lots of friends, lots of prizes and 2 big bingos for our family! Carter even got to join us after his practice making it the perfect way to start a weekend.

 Basketball season is in full swing and the kids are loving it. Great teams, teammates, coaches and lots of challenging games. It always makes for a busy Saturday but we all don't seem to mind. Lucy and I also signed up to run her first 5k together in March! We are trying to get out as much as we can for training runs and she has blown me away. Even after playing an hour long basketball game we came home and she ran almost 2 miles, finishing with a full on sprint. Love her determination when she puts her mind to something.

 On MLK Jr. Day we decided to have a family day at the zoo. Luckily it was sunny and beautiful and all the animals were out for viewing!

 In the midst of cold and flu season I've been trying my best to eat all the veggies. Colorful salads, bitter greens on burgers and smoothies for the kids have been helping. Making healthy, delicious meals for my family is one of my favorite things.

 Our recent pulled pork taco dinner was so popular Lucy requested it for breakfast the next morning! And the morning after that! What's so wrong with a taco at 8am?!? Ha!

 Trying to soak up a little vitamin D on these sunny afternoons!

 More basketball, more training runs, more busy weekends.

 And then....ugh. It hit us. Hard. We got sick. Every single one of us. Well, Matt was able to hold out for almost a week before he finally caught the bug but really, we've all been miserable. The flu is nothing to joke about. Fevers, body aches, poor appetites, coughs, runny noses. You name it, we've had it. We rarely get sick and if we do do it never lasts too long. So, dealing with this for a week is making me...well....grumpy! I'm ready for healthy, energetic kids, less laundry and taking a break from buying more Costco Kleenex and Clorox wipes!

 While winter is definitely not my favorite season, I'm hopeful going into a new month will make me a little less grumpy and a little more excited about all that is to come!

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