Sometimes You Just Gotta Get Outside

It's been a tough couple days. OK, it's been a tough week. OK, OK - it's really sucked since we've had eight billion feet of snow on the ground. Ability to play outside has been significantly diminished. Ability to take small child out for walks? Also not good, as a vast majority of the sidewalks in this neighborhood are not shoveled (slacker neighbors) and the shoulder of the road is covered with three feet of frozen solid snow.

Factor in the child who is going on day four of a fever, two nights in a row of middle of the night wakings with a super high fever, thus making it impossible for us to even to go a friend's house to play and... We're having some serious cabin fever.

But sometimes, or all the time, you just have to get outside no matter what. Just for a change of scenery. A new set of stairs to climb. A different environment in which to chase the dog.

We wander outside the day after the third big storm of the winter to check on Dad and his shoveling.

Dad and his shoveling? Tired Dad out.

What's that white stuff on my foot?

He really isn't as happy as he seems here. We just pose him well.

Dex can walk on top of the snow - it's pretty heavy stuff. Mom? Yeah. Not so much.

A little displeased. With all the walking. In the heavy white stuff. That is cold.

A few days later, we went out on the deck to do this. And this is pretty much all Dex did. Down the stairs. Sit on the landing for a long time. Up the stairs. Down the stairs. Sit on the landing. Repeat.

It IS kind of entertaining watching him try to get around with fleece lined pants and a snow suit and mittens and a jacket. Oh, yeah - and slippery SmartWool socks on his feet.

A couple days ago, we ventured outside again, this time to wander around on the sidewalk. And check out those big piles of white stuff again.

OOOH! CoCo! Sweet! I'll follow her back here in the grass.

Except that the grass has turned to a sloshy trail of mud. We used some serious Oxy-Clean that day

Rear view. Not any cleaner.

Dex leaves cute muddy mitten, knee, and shoe prints down the sidewalk, chasing CoCo again.

The kids go up the stairs. Neither is graceful. Neither is clean.

Post-mud-walk playing. The dog got dumped in a snow bank before I let her inside.