March 2022 Roundup

March is always the craziest month! The weather does huge shifts, making you feel trapped between summer and winter. Soccer resumes. We have Spring Break, which this year meant OKC and Dallas. And of course we've got all the kids birthdays scattered throughout the month. Plus add in the usual chaos and it makes you feel like you're on a roller coaster just waiting for April to arrive. 

We went from single digits in February to sunny park days in just a week's time

It was even nice enough to have picnic lunches and wear shorts!

Charlie playing with bubbles at the Discovery Center

Neither of these Griffin antics are surprising - unauthorized use of q-tips and tucked into his crib sheet instead of taking a nap

After returning from Spring Break we got hit with a good snow storm

And I'll emphasize the "storm" part. This wasn't gentle snow fall. It was blasted onto every surface (trees, fences, walls) from the north and really made for a pretty sight.

Once the storm let up the kids had a fun time out in the yard the next day

It brought about 8 inches. Davey had fun collecting snowsicles from around the yard.

Griffin refused to wear gloves, hence the crying when his little hands froze

Always happy, this one

I built a snow woman instead of a snowman, complete with apron, utensil arms, lips and shades haha. Now if only she would make these kids some lunch...

Then once again, the snow left as quickly as it came. At soccer practice just a few days later it was nice and sunny!

February Storm

In February we had another round of weather. Temps dropped to single digits for a couple days, we got hit with almost a foot of snow, and school was cancelled. The kids didn't even want to go out to play because the wind chill was brutal. But we found things to stay busy with inside (aka some puzzles with LOTS of tv), and in true Texas fashion it rebounded back to almost 70 the following week!

Good accumulation for Texas!

A friend and I traded some puzzles just ahead of the cold snap which turned out to be perfect timing! Gave us some fun new ones to do while being stuck inside. 

Charlie got last piece honors

Peach/coconut snow cone is a delicious outcome of the storm

By Friday it warmed up enough to venture out again. We met up with friends at the Discovery Center and found the pond at Medi Park had frozen over! The kids had fun going out on the ice and chucking big rocks to make it crack, but it was solid.

Snow Day, then Right Back to Sun

At the end of January we had our first good snow of the year.  The storm brought a few inches and came on a Wednesday, which meant the kids scored a day off school. And then just to show you how random panhandle weather can be, only a few days later it was back to 68°! Snow was gone, and we had a nice play day at the park without even needing jackets!

Once the sun returned, and the day warmed up a bit, the kids went out to play

Enjoying some snow cones from the bucket of snow I scooped and saved in the freezer

Having fun at the park - you'd never know it was only 20° just a few days ago

Mom & Little Boys Visit Washington - Part One

Washington was calling to me extra hard this year since it was a Texas Christmas and two new nephews had been born since our summer trip. And if we waited all the way until the next July to visit, they would be big. So the logical move was to get there sooner! The boys and I flew to Seattle from Dallas after the holidays wrapped up, while Dave drove the two bigger kids back home to Amarillo.

Flying out of Dallas always means a pre-flight stop at Dunkin for a donut! Also my greatest hack for flying with kids is to bring your own garbage bag. So much easier than trying to collect trash in a little cup or shove it in the seat pocket.

Washington welcoming me home with a lovely sunrise

Cute pics of the boys from when we went down to the water to throw rocks

We spent a night at the cabin and there was lots of snow! This was Griffin's first real snow experience since last year he was still a baby and too young to go out and play.

Griffin helping Paco shovel

Charlie helped me build a snowman and then went inside to eat a snow cone

I got to have a ski day with my dad at Central, thanks to Grandmari watching the boys

Charlie, yet again, sleeping somewhere other than bed

My first ever Escape Puzzle! The story behind this one was you stumbled into a witch's kitchen while foraging in the forest. By looking for clues and solving riddles hidden in the puzzle, you would find which ingredient in the room would save your life. Unique and fun!

The boys got to model a new pattern for Aunt Amy' business. The was the Grow With Me Pullover. Both boys are actually wearing the same size, so it really does fit over the span of a few years!

It's hard to play outside in January, but when it wasn't raining, the boys had fun on the sport court