It feels like it’s been a million years since we’ve played outside. The boys would be out there every day, but I’m a pansy when it’s bitter cold. So I bait them with hot chocolate and movies on the really cold ones so we can stay in our jammies as long as possible with big wooly socks on our feet.

However.

It’s been gorgeous here for the past two days. The boys have bubbling over with that itch to be outside. Puddles of melting snow have been thoroughly splashed through and our shoes have been properly covered with mud, thank you very much. And a bonus, the smallest one and I went to the reservoir not far from our house to throw some rocks in the water today.

20110114_thomasresandpickupholden_20.jpg

Another bonus: the water was actually completely frozen over, so the rocks just bounced and bounced and the geese honked at us a lot. And loudly. And the Terror yelled things like, “A-HA!” with every rock bounce and honked right back at those Canadians.

You know I mean the geese, right? (I bet I have a new Canadian friend reading now who has a couple of twins just itching to get out and throw some stuff at something…Get ready my friend.)

20110114_thomasresandpickupholden_5.jpg

We didn’t stay too long here, though, because soon it was time to swoop over to the school and pick up the Goldfish. With it being such a beauty of a day out there, we decided to park and walk a while and give him a little surprise.

I forgot how long it takes to walk with a newly jumping toddler.

20110114_thomasresandpickupholden_29.jpg

20110114_thomasresandpickupholden_31.jpg

He’s sticking his landings pretty well, I must say.

20110114_thomasresandpickupholden_33.jpg

20110114_thomasresandpickupholden_34.jpg

And he’s getting more than a couple of inches of air these days. Wowza.

The Goldfish’s teacher has a cool rule to give her a hug before you go so that she’s knows you’ve been scooped by the right scooper. I love that she hugs him. I love that she hugs all of them.

There should really be much more hugging nowadays.

Mary Pantier Photography (4 of 1).jpg

And not that crappy “side hug” either. Hugs like these here. True surrounding-a-little-person-because-you-mean-it kind of hugs.

Mary Pantier Photography (5 of 1) copy 3.jpg

I think I’d like a send-off like that every day. Watch out people, I’m a hugger.

Since the Terror has an insane thing for buses, we traveled slowly back to the car so he could breathe them in and walk their path.

20110114_thomasresandpickupholden_50.jpg

This, of course, sent the older brother into fits and tirades that he.is.in.the.street.Moooooommmmmm.

(He wasn’t. This is just right in front of the school in the parking area. Sort of.)

Should I interject here that it was a little funny but difficult but still funny that I was running with a huge ass camera and heavy lens behind a running toddler who really might have been heading for the street while the 5YO jetted down the sidewalk like a banshee even further ahead of us?

Probably freaked more than a few folks out. But it was pretty cleared out by this point. Even the crossing guard was off duty.

20110114_thomasresandpickupholden_57.jpg

I love the hip swivel in that little guy up there that makes his legs fling out to the sides so he can “run.” It actually looks more like a spastic launching march. He gets some serious air.

But whatcha gonna do? His big brother was baiting him with snowballs.

20110114_thomasresandpickupholden_61.jpg

20110114_thomasresandpickupholden_63.jpg

Lucky I got there before they figured out there was a cold sign pole close enough to stick their tongues to. Whew.

It was good to be outside with some real light for a change. I have no idea how to use my stupid fancy flash. Maybe that will be on my February Resolutions list or something…

Comments

comments