Friends!

Well ... we came out of the two weeks of subzero, had a couple days of normal February weather, and moved right into unseasonably warm. Unfortunately, the bizarre February weather has meant the untimely end to the rink. Thankfully we were able to use it a lot in January - because February was pretty much a bust. First, it was too cold to skate and then our ice turned to slush. On the plus side, Mike has given up and we no longer discuss ice maintenance on our daily walks. [Now we discuss melt management strategies ...]

Another plus - the warmer weather has sent the children back outside and they are actually able to play with their neighborhood buddies. Hallelujah! Since two of the families are still doing distance learning (and aren't exposed to the school germs), all the kids wear masks when they play. I appreciate that the whole group is more than willing to throw a mask on to be able to play together. No complaints. No drama. About masks anyway. Who tagged who in freeze tag is a totally different story!

Two weeks ago, when it actually looked like winter in Minnesota and there was still snow on the ground, the neighbor moms and I took the group down to the sledding hill. I was super excited to see my friends too, but didn't get a lot of visiting in. Unsurprisingly, I was easily distracted by the hill and our kids love when I join them in the sled. Silly Fiona kept making us get in the sled backwards (we went forward with the front of the sled pointed backwards) and we rolled it every time ... because adult hips are not meant to stay in the front end of a sled! But holy smokes did we giggle every single time!

While we are disappointed that the rink is toast and the snow is gone (it'll be back. I predict there will be at least one more snowstorm before it is officially spring), the warm weather is far superior to the subzero weeks when it comes to V family attitudes and happiness. We are all enjoying being outside of the house  without our eyelashes getting frost on them. Hooray for sunshine, fresh air, and rink-shaped wading pools ...