Snowed In!

In case you missed it, there was a huge blizzard this week.  Record-setting snowfalls were measured in many states along the East Coast, shattering previous records and making history!  We got a grand total of... (wait for it!) 4 inches... and our kids haven't been to school since last Wednesday.  Even though we've lived in the south for more than a decade, it still astonishes me every single year how an entire region can be crippled by a few inches of snow.  I was trying to explain to a friend (who lives in upstate New York and has endured REAL winters for her entire life) that things just never get plowed here... and that we have to wait for the snow to melt to resume normal life again.  (So at this rate, we may return to school in mid-April...)  Anyway, this year, we finally discovered the secret to being snowed in: You just need grandparents to come visit!  Bean and Poppy beat the weather and arrived last Thursday with the hopes of watching a basketball game of Luke's, baby-sitting so that Mark and I could go on a date, etc.  We had a full weekend planned of fun activities...  and then it started snowing.  Every single one of our plans was cancelled, BUT we had so much fun being snowed in and made many discoveries.

We found out that the 4:2 adult/child ratio is exactly right for bundling the kids up in all of their winter gear (and were so thankful that THIS was the year that the kids received their first snow pants for Christmas!):

 We learned that grandmothers are the best sledding buddies:

 and that Poppy knows how to build an amazing snow fort.

We remembered that the magic of a southern snowfall is that unplowed neighborhood roads magically transform into long, wonderful sledding hills which last for days:

...and that Daddy turns into a kid again when his parents are visiting and he doesn't have to go to work!

This snowstorm, we played board games, watched movies, and built Lego creations.  We cheered on the Demon Deacons from our "stadium seats" as we watched the basketball game on tv...

...and discovered that the Tooth Fairy pays double when you lose Tooth #8 while being snowed in! 

We also learned that NOTHING in the entire world tastes better than a Krispy Kreme when a visit to the doughnut store is the first time you venture out of the house in 4 days:

We realized how much Winnie loves to eat snowballs, that grandparents will always pull you on a sled, and that it's really not that cold when you can comfortably lounge in the sun while the kids have a snowball fight:

It may not have been a record snowfall here, but we certainly made history with our fun memories of being snowed in!

Crazy Climbers!

When we were in Williamsburg last month, Bean and Poppy found a new place to take the cousins: The Zone at the Williamsburg Indoor Sports Complex.  This fun-filled attraction included an indoor playground, laser tag (which is one of Luke's current favorite activities and very popular for 2nd grade boys' birthday parties), a laser maze, and an area called "Clip N Climb".   Our kids don't have any rock climbing experience and started the afternoon a bit tentative and cautious.  However, in an instant, they transformed into enthusiastic climbers, and stunned us all with their ability to scale all of the walls without any hesitation: 

There was a crazy fun climbing post area where you could challenge yourself to climb onto successively higher poles without any handholds.  Most people stopped right around this height:

And then there was Peanut:

I wasn't sure what to make of the situation when the staff person supervising the station shook his head in bewilderment and whispered, "Fearless!" under his breath while watching Leah:

And I really didn't know what to do when my baby leaped off of the extremely tall pole and flew through the air, giggling with glee:

Here are Maya and Luke, racing up the climbing walls:

And Miss Leah... again.  At the very tippy top.  

 Our views from the ground: 

Even the Daddies got in on the action, and Mark and Brian had just as much fun as the kids.  

(In case you wondered, Mommy did NOT participate in the climbing activities and is sometimes considered a stick in the mud.)

Our kids absolutely LOVED The Zone and have been talking about it ever since.  What a fun place!

Polka Dot Party

 

Leah had her first "friend party" this year, and we went with a polka dot theme (since the previously mentioned "Under the Sea" theme was impossible for Mommy).  Leah's birthday falls so close to Christmas/New Year's Eve that in previous years we have gotten away with celebrating with extended family over the holidays and calling that her "big" party.  However, this year, Leah specifically asked to have a party at Jump N' Fun (a popular preschool birthday party venue) with her friends, and it was a fun (and EASY!) party to plan.  Leah and I found lots of cute polka dot party supplies during our shopping last month, and I loved how everything turned out:

My only mistake may have been purchasing 20 polka dot noise makers and placing these at each child's seat at the table.  There is nothing more thrilling for 5 year-olds than to blow into these obnoxious ear-splitting toys as loudly as possible.  Luckily, we turned the cacophony into a game, and told the kids to all make noise together on the count of three, and then to hand their party blowers to their parents.  (I may have also whispered to the parents that I wouldn't be offended if the noise makers got "lost" before leaving the party/went straight into the trashcan).  

We gave out cute, colorful jump ropes as party favors and expanded upon the polka dot/jumping theme:

Jump N' Fun is a wonderful place for a birthday party, as the party guests have the entire venue to themselves.  This means that everyone in the jumping room knows each other/is an invited guest, and there are no crowds.  The kids bounced in giant inflatables, chased each other, and ran around for an hour without pausing to take a break.  Oh, to have so much energy!  

Fun with friends.

Teddy and Leah pretending to be monsters.

Next it was time for snacks and cupcakes.  One of my favorite parts of this party is that we had our own "Party Host", who set up the room, served food, and cleaned up everything.  It was wonderful.  I mentioned to Mark how lovely it would be to have my very own "Party Host" magically appear at our house.  (He rolled his eyes at me!)

We sang to the birthday girl, and she made a wish before blowing out the candle on her special cupcake:

Luke was an awesome big brother and sat beside Leah while she opened her presents.   Here is what it looks like to have a swarm of preschoolers hand you their gifts all at once:  

Leah was so excited leading up to her party, and beamed the entire time.  She was positively in her element being surrounded by her friends, and it gave us so much joy to watch her have so much fun.  Mark and I commented that this is our favorite birthday of Leah's so far.  We treasured the anticipation, the celebration, and the delight that our little girl exuded regarding her birthday and party as she turned 5.  May all her wishes come true!