sNOw School

It doesn't snow here often, which is as I prefer it.  A couple snow days a year are plenty.  We've had a few close calls in the last few months; snow was predicted many, many times, but never panned out.  Last night made up for all those missed opportunities.  This morning we woke up to the biggest snow accumulation we've seen in our time in Washington thus far.  

Aubree's co-op was cancelled, as was nearly every else.  With 8+ inches of snow, the Seattle area basically shut down.  As you might imagine, my kids were up bright and early, giddy with the excitement of a winter wonderland (and appalled that the weight of the wet snow caused the cute Japanese Maple tree in our front yard to split in half).

Every time we pull out all the snow gear, I remember what an enormous endeavor it is to get everyone suited up.  It took ages!  How do people who live in places where they have to do this all the time manage?  Eventually, everyone was suited and booted and ready to head out.

This was Nellie's first real time playing in the snow.  Before we went out, she was fascinated with the change in the scenery.  She repeated, "Snow? Snow?"  Once we got out, however, she was initially quite upset with how unsteady the snow made her walking. 

 She stuck pretty close to Aubree for awhile before deciding the cold white stuff wasn't too bad.  Still, the snow was so deep that it was challenging for her to maneuver, so I ended up carrying her most of the time.  That's no easy feat when she's wearing bulky, slippery clothes!  After about 30 minutes (possibly less), I decided we'd all have more fun if she went inside and hung out with Mark (who was working from home).  Granted, that made it much more difficult for Mark to actually work, but he was great about having her hang with him.

 

The rest of the kids hightailed it down to our neighbor's house where most of the neighborhood kids and parents had gathered.  Bryce and his buddy Asher got straight to work building a fort.  They had lots of help.

When they ran out of a nearby snow supply, they figured out clever ways of transporting more building materials.

 

Once they got the walls high enough, they decided to add water to turn the snow to ice and make it more sturdy.

They spent hours working on the fortresses on and off all morning.  

Taking time for refreshment along the way...

It was so fun to be out with all our neighbors.  It was a joyful morning!

We went back inside for lunch and school work.  That's right.  I'm a slave driver.  Bryce and Thane were SUPER motivated to get their work done so we could head back out to play.  When Nellie woke up from her nap, she insisted on putting on her boots and hat.  Adorable x50!

The afternoon was colder and wetter, but just as fun.

This group of kids organized into teams and had snowball wars. 

I think this is a day we will all remember with nostalgia.  In fact, when Bryce came in after his afternoon in the snow, he said, "Thank you for the fun day, Mom!  This was the 21st best day of my life!"

I guess it's nice to know he's keeping track. ;)