I’m gonna be honest. Coming back to this winter weather after being in Costa Rica sucked. It was a rough 6 weeks. It’s amazing how much the weather affects overall mood and disposition, regardless if you are a kid or an adult. All four of us got sick, exactly one week apart from the next person, which meant that I had to scramble every other day trying to figure out what music classes I was going to miss teaching, and then figure out when to make them up. Jeremy missed a lot of work to help make it possible for me to keep my work schedule as normal as possible. Jeremy and I found ourselves more irritable about everything and forgetting why we are living here.
We did our best to combat the winter gloom with exciting indoor things like sensory tables, forts, eating out, learning new games and watching movies. School was canceled a few times, which were miracle days for me and the kids because we could take a breathe from all our responsibilities. We were blessed with a few warm fronts that made the snow melt before the next storm, making small differences that have a huge impact! So it wasn’t all terrible. But looking back, the month of January and early February was a really difficult time for our family. We were so glad to kiss the winter winds goodbye when the time finally came (which was at the end of April).
Jeremy still rode his bike to work in the winter. This is his gear. He took the car a couple times when I stayed home from work or when he went out of town for business trips.
There were some warmer days when the boys could get outside and play. They loved it when these rare opportunities came.
Dallin was talking to the snowman a bunch, it was so adorable.
Lots of basement play.
And tablet time.
In the winter, it gets dark long before Daddy gets home.
We brought the snow inside one day, super fun. We painted the snow with food coloring.
A Dallin Scavenger Hunt. The papers on the left were the clues, and the paper on the right was the prize. He did this multiple times for me and Jeremy during the winter.
The boys loved their new room that we gave them for Christmas, but after one of his sessions with the therapist, we were told that Tanner’s stress at night might be because he is scared of his bunk bed, even though Tanner didn’t realize he was afraid. (Unbeknown to us, bunk beds are bad news for many children, especially kids with GAD. Bunk beds are a breeding ground for anxiety at bedtime, which might explain why I was never super thrilled to get them a bunk bed in the first place, mama instincts). So we took down the bunk, and Tanner’s issues at bedtime subsided immediately.
Painting day.
Water beads. I put them next to the window so they would get some more Vit D.
Helping change the breaks. Dallin LOVES to help.
This christmas present was well worth the money.
Strawberry scoundral. He took one bite out of every single berry in the bin.
Making pirate stuff, I think.
I wore a scarf 24/7 throughout the winter to help keep my lymph nodes working without getting too stressed from the cold. I also notice a big difference in my singing voice if I sleep the night with a scarf on. So this is what I looked like everyday!
Snow day! We made a pirate ship in the family room!!
All three of us agree this was one of the best days this winter.
With the help of my counselors and teachers, we made some neat changes to the primary room that has allowed us to do so much more with the children!
Another snow storm!
Icicles- a sign that is a warm winter day.
Jeremy went on a business trip. Actually, a bunch of them, esp during Dec and Jan. Between our rome trip, costa rica, hawaii, his business trips, and the legal trip to CA for a friend, he was not home much during the fall and winter season. Also, did I ever mention he is the 2nd counselor in our bishopric at church? He was ordained in August 2017. Believe it or not, he is less busy at church now than when he was serving as a youth leader.
Dallin is eating his breakfast before I drop him off at school. Most days this year, he ate on-the-go and was such a great sport about it.
Tanner and I learned how to play chess. This “no stress chess” game teaches you how to play in a very easy way.
Can’t tell what this is, but the kid sure is cute!
Grilled cheese sandwhich making. Probably another snow day.
Putting marbles on the train tracks was fun.
Alainea spent the weekends with us throughout Jan and the rest of the school year while her mom worked nights every weekend.
Goofy kid.
Babysitting some friends at their home. This was a great experience for me, I got there feeling stressed from work and left overjoyed.
Tanner’s learning journal! We started this thanks to the advice of Tanner’s therapist and his kindergarten teacher. Nearly every day at school, Tanner wrote something he learned that day. It helped him realize that he is learning a lot at school and that contrary to his prior beliefs, it is not a waste of time to be there. His amount of complaining about school dropped dramatically when we implemented this exercise.
What cute kids! Carpool on the way to Woodson school! We did this until mid winter. Then we tried out the bus which came straight to our driveway, and that worked out better with the winter mornings.
Vetting. I worked hard to get rid of stuff every week during the winter. One reason is so that it will be easier to downsize to a smaller home when the time is right.
Jeremy figured out how to make Chicago pizza in our cast iron skillet!!! It is so delicious. He later (in March) made it again for Riley, Kristen and her little guy. We set up the dining room like a restaurant. Alainea was hostess, Tanner was entertainer with our Chef Basgehtti puppet, and Dallin was order taker with his fancy apron and ordering pad. We even had a real looking menu from a gift the boys got! It was a very fun evening.
Can we put the snow man in the sled?
I don’t think he wants a ride…
Yeah, nevermind.
Weee! Our slope in the backyard is just enough to keep these guys happy on their sled!
