The weather outside's delightful...

Welcome Winter...

The time has been flying by and it seems like I am always trying to catch up....so I am going to do my best to squeeze some posts in while my kiddos are napping today. {most of the time their nap is a total joke, crossing my fingers that today is the exception} so...it snowed. It was lovely. However, it was a long couple of days for Trace and Ruby. The two monkeys had some sniffly noses and all they wanted to do was go outside and play. This year, the week before the snow was gorgeous, 70's and sunny. We played outside, we ate outside, we worked outside and then BOOM the snow hit and they were basically banned from going outside for more than 5 minutes at a time. So, instead of being BORING, Garrett made them binoculars out of our recycle bin and they had a blast running through the house exploring and playing with all of their inside toys. Aren't they just adorable little people?

 Even when it is freezing, once the kids go to bed we love going out back and enjoying our yard... Garrett even took the board for a spin before the snow got too deep. 

 We {Garrett} converted an old washing machine basin into the perfect little reclaimed fireplace for our outdoor haven. Did I mention that we LOVE LOVE LOVE our new place? 

 Trace and Ruby got a sweet slide, complete with a rock climbing wall, and a telescope...if you ask them what they see, they both say PIRATES! Thankfully mother nature gave the slide a chilly little washing, so now the slide is super fast {Thank you for the awesome craigslist find Granny}

 See the pirates hiding out in the alley? 

Speaking of hiding in the alley, totally off the subject, but a great story:

As I mentioned, we spend a lot of time in the back yard at night when the kids are tucked in tightly. One night we were out taking the {ridiculously} heavy rack off of Garrett's truck. We were having a hard time getting in over the fence, because it is huge and weights a thousand pounds. So this man walks by, just as we finally got it where we wanted it. He makes some comment about how it looked like we needed help...we make small talk and he tells us way too much information about himself and then he tells us that if we hear strange noises in the alley really late at night, not to be alarmed, it is just the neighborhood kids playing cops and robbers in the alley...and that as long as we don't invite people into our yards {by leaving things out that they might want to steal} it is a pretty safe neighborhood, but they did steal an extension cord off of his front porch.

First of all, this is Prescott, still a small{ish} town, but I doubt very seriously if anyone is letting their kids play cops and robbers in the alley late at night. Second, clearly kids are not stealing extension cords when they are playing cops and robbers in the alley...so maybe it actually is real cops and robbers in the alley..

Third, we live on Mt. Vernon and the credit union is just behind our house...the lights in the drive thru stay on all night, so I am sure that playing cops and robbers {or being an actual cop or robber} is not so fun under the spot lights and cameras from the bank. 

HOWEVER, since my kids see pirates in the alley in broad daylight....maybe there are pirates hiding out, making strange noises in the dead of night? I hope I see this man again, so I can let him know what is really going on. 

Back in the real world....We did have some pretty serious fun on our snow days. Trace and Ruby got dressed for the snow {that is Garrett's favorite hat from when he was a kid and Ruby later picked out shorts to wear} We took pictures {with all of the left over camera's from our wedding} we ate lots of yummy warm homemade hot cereal and we LOVED every minute of it.