Maria was sitting by the front door, her arms full of gear; boots, mittens, her hat, my scarf. Next to her was Max, pulling on his boots. I knew Max was heading out to the sled and slope, but I had to ask Maria what she thought she was up to. "Maria what are you doing?" She answered with the confidence of a seasoned skier, a rugged outdoors woman, "Going snowing." She is unfazed by windchill, by slips on her bottom, by trekking and stomping. She's even back to singing "Frosty the Snowman." She's taken sola rides in the long, black toboggan, and she knows how to crunch the crusty edges of icy snow when walking down the sidewalk, just like her daddy did, when he was a boy.
It's so much fun to see her embrace winter, outdoor play and all of these new elements, without any reservations. She loves the snow and the trees, she loves the "crunch." Yesterday when we took her to Cam-Rock 3 to check out the sledding hill, she looked up at the clear, late afternoon sky and asked "Where did all the fluffies go? Where is the snowing?" Her last venture out the snow was blowing down, some individual crystals and some fluffy clusters of snow, and she had marveled at the sight. Now she was a little sad to see that it had stopped.
Alex and Max are no less enthusiastic, and they have spent a lot of time outside, dedicated to the pursuit of fun in the snow. Alex needs snow pants and gloves, so today we are heading to St. Vincent's in Madison. Hopefully enough people have given-up on Winter and we can find some decent second-hand deals. With real, water-proof gloves, I think Alex will be able to comfortably finish construction on the snow fort. Snow pants will keep him even more comfortable for the long hours he has been out and working diligently at making snowy blocks.
Max has been helping with the fort too, he is well prepared for the elements. He has boots and snow pants and his favorite jacket of all time. I hope he remembered not to leave any of these on the porch, where they freeze. He could not get his feet into his stiff, cold boots yesterday and had to wait for them to defrost before he could get back to making snow blocks.
These two were born to this stuff. they do not get cold. OKay, well, everyone gets cold when temperatures are in the teens, but long pants and light jackets are not the insulation I require for sledding and making snow balls, for walking into town. William's only issue was keeping his eyes open, while facing the glare of the sun on the bright snow, otherwise he has been fine, even without a hat. We even persuaded him to ride down the hill.
Maria, Geoff, Alex and Max took this ride together!
After taking this hill for a few days, I believe we are ready to graduate to the hill at the park.
Without any prompting, it occurred to Maria to make snow angels. She has made a heavenly host of snow angels all over the backyard.
Here is Max, taking a snow nap. Blissed out and loving the last days of his first real Winter.