Warm winters

 Playing outside is the kind of daily vitamin we all need!   I'm so thankful the boys have so many friends to enjoy.  When the boys are so glad to just play outside with friends, well, they do just that.  It's simple exercise and simple freedom...for all of us. 

But, as the weather gets colder and the days shorter at the end of October we see our neighborhood friends less and less.   This year I anticipated the limits of wintry weather so much that I saved up a lot of things to do like going to the museums and indoor play places.

Boise Art Museum has Family Art Day at the end of each month.  We did fun food art with watercolor pencils.

Trevor loves these tangrams in the Kids' Center at the art museum.

Circus practice at home.

There's Dart Warz for homeschoolers on the first Friday of the month.  I love the music they play there.  I turned to the mom and said so, but she just nodded and said, "Well, it's loud."  : )  It is.  But it's supposed to be.

It's so much ffffunnn!!!  Adults can work up a sweat just as much as kids can.  

We spent some time at the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) fair at Boise State.  It was so impressive how many hands on exhibits they had for free.  Totally worthwhile.

The boys made and took home a solar powered vibrating bug.  Here they are testing them.

But this winter seems to have decided to leave early.  We had 60 degrees in the middle of February.  That means those days at Bogus Basin shrink and the driveway chalk art begins.  

Open play at Danik.  This gymnastics place opens up for a couple of hours each Friday.  Five dollars for two hours of running around is a winter bargain

My friend Amber is pulling me up some running trails with sheer encouragement.  I'm feelin' my winter slothiness dragging me!  But, after a week of more regular running, it's getting easier.

We took a hike Monday and Trevor ran almost the whole way!  Inviting some raised eyebrows by adults passing..."Are you alone?"

Zeesa joined us.  Because she's awesome like that.

He wasn't tired-- just feeling left out of the piggy back rides.

See how big he's getting?  And I think we could actually be running partners soon if not now. 

The boys are pushing themselves in the skate park.  Joel started off on a higher rail saying, "Trevor! Trevor!  This is freaking me out!"  But going anyway.  They are really fun to watch.

Trevor lost a tooth in a wreck.  It was a baby tooth, so we avoided a dental visit.

The newest skate park in Eagle can get pretty busy on a nice weekend.  The crowd has some really caring kids.   I'd say most are quite polite and will help the boys out if they fall and make sure they're okay.