We were all a bit nervous about what this winter would look like, given it was forecast to be an el nino year. We were very lucky in December and received two really lovely snowstorms to give us a jumpstart at building up a snowpack. By Christmas; however, all the snow in town had melted, and at our house we had 4-6″ still on the ground. It was getting pretty sad!!
Hannah’s first day of school in January was wildly muddy. {Reminder: Reima makes the absolute best kiddo outerwear! She was dry underneath this all of this mud!}
Thankfully January came and brought an incredible amount of snow and cold temperatures and gave us a really dense snowpack.
We’ve been skiing quite a bit this winter, both alpine and Nordic.
Both kids joined our local Nordic team this year and are loving it. Hannah continues to blow everyone’s expectations – her group is filled with kids who are or were her classmates and are used to being outside moving around all day everyday, so their stamina is incredible.
Alex and I are both coaching the nordic team this year. It’s my first time ever as a coach and I’m loving it. It’s incredible to be able to be a part of the community and the program.
We’ve had several really fun alpine days, both up at the big resort near us and at our local ski hill. We all just love skiing so much!
Alex’s parents have been staying with us since just before Christmas. They’ve gotten incredibly involved and are helping support the ski trails and the ski team in a number of ways. It’s been really special watching them enjoy their winter in the mountains. They’ve been Nordic skiing, alpine skiing and snow shoeing and are making friends here. It’s been wonderful having them!
My dad came for a week-long visit mid-January. His trip coincided with the coldest weather most Washingtonians have ever experienced {which was nothing for him, coming from Minnesota!}. But, that meant it was too cold for us to get out and do a whole lot. Still, we made it out for a couple of ski days and had a really lovely time being cozy at home.
It took several weeks for our backyard skating rink to freeze this year. There was a whole lot of drama involved getting it ready to ice skate, but alas, we persevered and the dads put in a lot of time with a shovel, hose and buckets, and got it ready! During the cold snap we were finally able to ice skate and we hosted the sweetest ice skating party with a few of our close family friends.
Hannah has been having the absolute best time at school this month. She’s spending the day out in the snow {yes, all day!} sledding, finding animal tracks, building all the things in the snow, noticing the differences in the natural world in winter, playing with her friends and learning to be a leader for the little ones. She’s also fueled by a tremendous amount of hot cocoa.
We have a big warmup in the forecast for the next week, so we’re all a bit bummed out that rain is on the way. But! So is my favorite month! I love February. Happy mid-winter!
