Snow Day

Today started out early.  Noah woke up at 5:30 for some reason.  His coughing fit woke his brother up, too.  They were already both dressed when the phone call came from school that it was going to be a snow day.  I was surprised as it wasn't much snow, but it was still coming down.  And we haven't had any real snow this year, except for a dusting.  The kids hit it early, while it was still dark.

Hot Chocolate already at 7am

Noah went for round 2 with Hudson, going back and forth from our house, to his. Shoveling our next door neighbor's drive (or parts of it).  Then he went with Hudson to Suicide Hill.  It was early.  I was still in my pajamas.  Apparently they were the only ones there and had a blast with the hill to themselves.  Once he came home to warm up, it was time to head to the YMCA for Elliot's first swim lesson.

Elliot did great.  He's the youngest in the class and jumped right in.  He has no fear or nerves whatsoever.  He's swimming short distances under water, but still not holding himself above the water yet.  I'm thinking we can get him swimming by this summer though.

With the early wake up call and all that outdoor play, I made the kids BOTH nap today.  Noah went down pretty easily when I told him we'd go sledding at Suicide Hill when he woke up.

I went up and opened up the shades and turned off the fan (white noise) to wake up the kids after 2 hours.  Noah got up pretty quick.  Elliot was another story.  Man, was he sleeping soundly.  And it took another 30 minutes to get him up.  Look how peaceful he was sleeping.  He still looks like my little baby when he sleeps.

Not only did we head to Suicide Hill, but we met Noah's friend and classmate, George (and his older brother and dad).  Noah and George mostly stuck together and were crazy daredevils.  We all started on the more gently sloped side.  Noah and George kept moving north to the steep side.  Before it was over they were planning routes to go over ridges and have "jumps".  Crazy kids.  Elliot and I sled together mostly at first, but finally Elliot got brave enough I got brave enough to let Elliot go down alone.  He just giggled.  He also wanted to go down with Noah and George a couple of times.

We ran into another classmate, Gavin, and his dad.  So much fun for the boys to get to play together in the snow.

Elliot ready for a wild run with the two daredevils.  Noah warned him on the last one "Elliot we are going to do a jump.  Are you sure you can handle that?"  Elliot said, "yes, Noah".  Well that jump was pretty scary.  It ended in a harmless crash, that scared little E, but he was ok. I thought it was so sweet of Noah to be concerned for Elliot and warn him.

Noah and George were preparing to do a final "jump" and I was set to video it, when they kept accidentally letting go of the sled and then sliding down on their butts halfway.  Noah somehow got both boots of his feet and was in the dirt and wet snow in his socks.  I declared it time to go.  We were there for well over an hour.  The kids were wet/dirty/worn out.

What a fun day.  We spent the rest of the day in the house hanging out.  I think we'll all sleep good tonight.

Another day at the Hill

Noah and I took advantage of the recent snow dump by hitting Suicide Hill again. Elliot was sick, so unfortunately he and Mandy didn't get to join us.  Even though temperatures had warmed, it was still cold, but Noah was really primed to enjoy it today. 

This time I told Noah he was going to have to haul his own butt up the hill rather than riding on my shoulders, or being hauled up on the sled.  It really is a big hill, especially if you make it down to the very bottom as Noah did most times.  I would walk up the hill with him to make sure he wasn't taken out by an errant sledder (which is more of a hazard than crashing), but he was making it up under his own power. 

Uncle Todd and cousin Dylan joined us after awhile, and Noah was glad to see them.  He insisted on going with, or next to Dylan on each trip.  At one point they decided to go down a steeper section, and after a few runs, Noah launched off one of the many bumps on the hillside, landing on his cheek and bloodying his mouth. He shed a few tears until I started laughing and told him his sled looked like Santa's sleigh as it flew into the air.  He finally calmed down and joined me in laughing.  True to Suicide Hill's form, we weren't the only casualty - a few feet from where he landed, it looked like someone had gutted a deer in the snow, with blood everywhere.  It didn't deter too many though.  As long as we didn't get the distances Uncle Steve got, we were ok.  

Speeding downhill

Looking back uphill

Running uphill

He was having a great time

Near miss

Starting from the very top

Lots of people, young and old, catch air on this hill

Cousin Dylan arrives

Uncle Todd gives Noah a hand

Dylan heading downhill

Uncle Todd heading down.  Watch out for the little girl!

Noah and Dylan - Noah riding shotgun

Noah and Dylan - Dylan riding shotgun.  Look at the joy on that face

Post sledding homemade hot chocolate

They didn't get enough of the snow, and went back out to play after dinner

Elliot wanted to play too, despite having a bug

Irritated that his car is stuck

I think he had been trying to eat the snow

Bye bye!

Slip, slidin' away

Our second taste of snow arrived yesterday, a nice winter snowstorm that dropped about seven or eight inches.  My Pilates class (yes, Pilates - a story for another time) was called off, so after work I met Mandy out for dinner while the kids were with a sitter.  It was a quiet night at the nearby Mexican restaurant, given the heavily falling snow, so Mandy and I got a chance to catch up on all the things we'd been missed during our busy  week.

After dinner we drove around for a half hour or so, just enjoying the beauty of the snow coming down and trying to avoid the drivers who, apparently, were from Florida and had never driven on snow before.  It would be work in just a little while, but for now it was quiet and scenic, like driving through a snow globe that had been shaken up. 

 We got the boys put to bed at a decent hour, and while Mandy got started on making a cake for Elliot's birthday today, I spent a couple hours shoveling off the driveway and sidewalk.  I was a little surprised at how much snow had already accumulated, and how quickly my work was being covered up.  I finished late, and didn't get wound down until after 11:00.  By 4:30 AM, the snow had quit falling, and in lieu of a morning workout, I re-shoveled last night's work.  Mandy left for the YMCA at 5:30, but while they had managed to clear their parking lot, the city hadn't managed to clear the side street that led to it and she got stuck in the snow.  She managed to dig out and come home.

It looked like a good day to go sledding - the weather was in the low 20s, but clear and sunny.  Noah's been sledding once this year, but not to Suicide Hill, and not with dear old dad, so after a half day of work, I came home and we got ready to go.

Noah was a little nervous at first, and we shared the same sled on that first trip down the hill.  It was the only time we did so.  After that, he insisted on going alone, and wanted me to go down right behind him.  Somehow, he managed to make it down much faster and much farther than I ever did.  Suicide Hill is a big hill, and after the first walk back up the hill, we both felt overdressed, even in the 20-degree weather.   Noah tried to cop out and ride my sled as I pulled it back up the hill, but I made him walk.  I did carry him up on my shoulders a couple of times that day, but that is hard work. 

After a while, we broke for a snack back in the van, then resumed our fun on the hill.  Most schools were closed today, and we weren't the only ones with this idea.  The hill was crowded, but not so crowded as to be out of control as it has at times in the past.  At those times, walking back up the hill can be more dangerous than sledding down, as you dodge missiles coming at you from all different directions.

There are several sections of Suicide Hill, some more adventurous than others.  In one particular section, there is a natural bump of the ground that drops sharply before flattening out for a few feet, then dropping sharply again.  Covered in snow, it makes a deadly efficient ramp; if you hit it just right, you pick up speed from the already-steep hill, flatten out, then launch into the air.  I usually try to avoid that bump, and it's the site of many a winter train-wreck (including a few of our own).   This is easier said than done, as the slope of the hill at the particular spot where we like to start at the top tends to drain right into this section if you don't actively steer away from it.

Somehow, Noah managed to hit this ramp perfectly, four times in a row, and each time he launched farther and farther into the air.  It kind of scared me the first couple of times, but he absolutely loved it.  When I finally caught up to him down the hill, he was so excited and said "Daddy, did you see me on that big jump?!?!"   The last time, he probably flew five or six feet in the air, but landed perfectly and managed to hang on for the remaining 40 yards or so of the ride.  He didn't want to quit, but with Elliot's birthday party tonight I didn't want him to get over-tired (too late?) and I was running out of steam from all the walks back up the hill.

We went for a bite to eat, then home.  Driving back, I got a nice little compliment from otherwise quiet back seat - "Daddy, I had fun sledding with you today."

I think Noah is jealous of how that little girl next to him is getting up the hill.  This year, I made him walk back up the hill (most of the time)

 Making it those last few, steep feet

 Poor guy - it's hard to grab the sled with those mittens

 Uncle Steve, you may remember that pole just over Noah's left shoulder...

 He liked taking bites of the snow

 Having a great time

 Noah made it all the way to this picnic table, and decided it was a good place to rest

Snow Day!

We got our first significant snow of the season and all the schools shut down. The boys are only in week two of school and already got their first snow day. Charlie headed over for the day to join us in some sledding. I picked up Claire on the way there to help out, since she was out of school too. She was so helpful. We were able to stay out 2 hours giving Elliot breaks in the car a couple of times.

I took Elliot down and couldn't tell what he thought of it. He didn't giggle or scream or really say anything. He just got up and started playing in the snow when we were done. So I had Claire take him down and took a picture to capture his expression....

Charlie & Noah loved it and expended crazy amounts of energy going over and over and over

Love this one of the three boys (taken on my cell phone unfortunately)

It was coming down hard the whole time, so lots of good snowflake eatin' to be had

Short lunch break

The boys headed back out for more after a quick bite to eat. Then later in the afternoon they just played in the backyard.

Poor Elliot carrying his mitten to me. I have three pairs that DO FIT HIM, but toddler mittens just don't stay on well. Soooo frustrating!

Charlie wouldn't wear his hat for some reason. And he purposefully stuck his head in the snow to get it in his hair and also eating it from the ground like a dog :D

"SNOW DAY!!!"

My little blueberry with one VERY red and cold hand. I took him in to warm it up.

I think Charlie taught him to stick his head in the snow. Not sure what happened to the hat.