Snow Days

Winter arrived early this year. This week we've had a crazy amount of snow. It all started Sunday night, and since we didn't get any snow last year the kids were so excited that they hurried out because they weren't sure how long it would last.

Here are a few reasons we love snow days in Seattle:

Jumping on the Trampoline

"it's like being in an igloo"-Lydia

Our cul-de-sac becomes a sled hill and everyone on our street comes over to play!

Sledding with friends!

Sipping hot chocolate and cooling it off with snow.

Watching Jacob hike up and down the hill. He's a die hard sledder- he thinks he went down the hill 2000 times.
Landon and Mason took the responsibility of walking to the neighborhood grocery store for me. With a short shopping list, $20 and a cell phone they felt so grown up, and it helped me out.
Snow ball fights of coarse!

School being cancelled and hanging out with friends, laughing the whole time.

Playing so long Lydia's boot shoelaces freeze together, but it's so worth it!

Fall Soccer

Lydia had a great time playing soccer this fall. We thought she mostly wanted to spend time with friends, but we she seems to have a lot of fun with the sport as well.

Jostling for position

The downside of fall soccer (or maybe its just soccer in the Northwest) is that the fields get pretty sloshy by the end of the season. Lydia played goalie the final game and got to stand in a pile of mud.

And of course, her biggest fan.

Lower Lake Lena

In August Landon and Mason went on their first real camping trip. As 11 year old scouts they were invited to join the older scout troop on a backpacking trip to Lower Lake Lena (pdf), just inside the Olympic National Park.

Trailhead

The entire trail looked pretty much like this. Roughly 3.5 miles each way, but the first half is all uphill and feels more like 7 by itself.

We crossed a couple bridges, this one very tame. I wish I had a picture of the bridge/log we crossed while looking for a campsite. Bro. Curtis and I are still just grateful we all made it.

Finally made it to the top. Beautiful hike and picturesque lake!

The most notable part of the trip was that the few campgrounds were all taken. We hiked well into the evening hours looking for a place to setup tents and build a fire to cook our meals. We ended up settling for a rocky, stumpy and mossy hillside that was just clear enough to lay a few sleeping bags down. I'll leave it at that so Landon and Mason can add in all the folklore they feel necessary while telling you the story themselves.