The kids were so excited to get out in it and play play play in the morning. Here was the view from our bedroom hatch first thing when we woke up.
One of the things that gets me about this time of year is that it takes SO. Very. Long. Just to get everyone properly dressed to go outside. Woolen long underwear, clothes, sweaters, one pair of socks, then another. Snow pants on, mommy I have to go potty... ok snowpants off. And pants off. And long underwear. Start over again and wrestle them into hats and scarves and gloves. Oh man little kids and gloves, even mittens. That mission impossible of sliding their little thumbs into the thumb holes and getting it all to fit just right. It takes about 30 minutes of dressing to get out the door. Naia looked like the Michelin Tire Toddler in her over sized snow suit.
The neighbor kids came out too and they all got to the business of playing.
But the mood quickly soured. First, on my watch one of the neighbor girls slipped on a patch of ice covered pavement and split her lip. Something about blood in freshly fallen snow. Gah! I cleaned her up and patched her up and by the time we were out again Naia looked and me and made it clear she was finished.
The winds were 30+ miles per hour, so bitter and biting.
As bundled and warm as she was she just couldn't take it. And secretly I was thrilled because I couldn't take it either. We left the bigger kids to their fun and scurried inside to warm up by the heaters with some cocoa.
30 minutes of dressing for about 15 minutes of outside play. Sigh.
