Winter Wrap-up...Maybe?

About a week and a half ago, I suggested we take the snow tires off the car. It was certainly done snowing for this year, wasn't it? But my practical, realistic, and Maine-grown husband assured me we weren't out of the woods yet, and told many tales of April and May snowstorms of his youth. I rolled my eyes and agreed to leave the snow tires on another few weeks, and well, he proved me wrong as The Winter That Won't Quit dumped another near foot of snow on us on Friday. The good thing about April snowstorms is that the snow leaves just about as quickly as it comes, so we're almost back to where we were before Friday's storm...with only 10 or so inches of snow in parts of our yard(!). But enough griping about winter. It was actually quite pretty on Friday - those big, wet snowflakes that blanket everything in white. And it was fun to have one last (please?) cozy snow day - we made cookies and cleaned closets and snuggled and read stories. The nostalgic part of me thought about how much bigger and older my boys will be the next time a snow day comes around. Despite all the snow, the winter of 2011 was a fun one. Before we leave it in the rear view mirror, I found a few good shots that never made their way into a blog post. Many of these are from my iPhone, so pardon the picture quality.

First time snowshoeing and it was love at first stomp

Filling up at the Portland Children's Museum

Bedtime stories with Papi at the Duck House

Morning stories with Noni - reading All About Me, which was really all about Uncle Pauly, and apparently hilarious

Our new favorite rainy/snowy-day activity - this is about the only one that will keep my boys still for more than 5 minutes

Ethan, in particular, could play-do for hours. He's in his own little world, cutting out "cookies", building airports, or making little snowmen. In the picture above, he is making the exact same "serious face" that his daddy makes when he concentrates. Our little Ben.

Adam, on the other hand, is ready for spring. This boy has some serious ants in his pants, and these four walls are feeling a teensy bit too small for this monkey.