a wintry mix

The average temperatures in Kansas in January are in the 20-40 degree range. 2014 ranks as one of the coldest Januaries ever. I have no (cold, hard) facts to base this on other than my own memory, but I'm pretty sure it is true. This past month was cold!

 Jan 5

The first Sunday in January church was cancelled due to subzero temperatures and a late-night snowfall. Late morning we all ventured out to "enjoy" the snow, if that's even possible when it's that cold.

We got about 4-5 inches of snow.

The snow was powdery and easy to shovel.  TJ and I made good time clearing off the driveway and sidewalks. Will was disappointed we couldn't build a snowman or have a very effective snowball fight.

This lady never stepped foot in the snow. She insisted on coming out, and I spent about 5 minutes getting her ready, but she whined and cried as soon as we got outside. Two minutes later I was back inside taking the snow clothes off and bundling her up with multiple blankets. I don't blame her for her icy reaction. But is there anything that takes as much work and yields as little satisfaction as getting a toddler ready to play in the snow?

Will lasted a bit longer. He did the best job he could with the kiddie dirt shovel. He's a hard worker when he wants to be.

January 26th

Not every day in January was freezing. Three weeks later it was unseasonably warm. I think it was almost 50 degrees. After church and naps the kids and I ventured over to the park to soak up as much Vitamin D as possible.

Climbing

Swinging

Hiding behind a tree pretending to be Swiper (from Dora)

Hiding under the slide pretending to be Swiper. The kids are really into that right now.

After I got tired of playing Swiper (basically hide-and-seek) we went on a "nest hunt" around the neighborhood. Because all the leaves are finally off the trees the bird and squirrel nests are quite easy to spot.

It was a gorgeous, abnormally warm January day. Why is that I enjoy unseasonable warmth so much more than the extreme chills?