Winter Becomes Us

Travel Wisconsin is a website that advertises interesting places and leisure activities that our state has to offer. Right now they have a Winter campaign going on, called Winter Becomes You. In various places around the city there are billboards advertising fun Winter sports. Here is an example of one of the billboards that I see everyday...

I'm not sure if many previous attempts have been made advertise Wisconsin's Winter weather as being an appealing experience, but I do know that they could not have chosen a more aptly titled campaign to describe the kind of Winter we're having this season.

I feel like we have had plenty of opportunity to become one with the cold this year. Every time I step out into a parking lot the cold seems to wrap it's arms around me and it doesn't let go, even after I have returned to my car and turned the heat on full blast. For the most part, the girls have enjoyed it and Rebekah is determined to go ice skating 100 times this year, so we'll see.

All of the photos below were taken in January, but as I sit here typing there is a great flurry of white flying by my window.





No, Emma! Don't eat it!!

Ugh, she ate it. I can't blame her, it's as close as she'll get to a Hawaiian shaved ice around here. But watch out for the yellow snow, Emma!



Nearly knee deep snow for the tiny one.

Snow fort fun.

Ice skating on a day when we were the only ones crazy enough to be out there.

No matter how cold it is, we can't leave Red Arrow without the girls wanting to play on the red arrow.

We went back with some friends the next day when it was only slightly warmer and the place was packed.

Trying ice fishing for the first time.

And a little bit of hockey too, another first.

Don't let that bright sunshine fool you, it was very cold on this afternoon. We were at an urban ecology center event and I overheard a man saying, "The colder it is, the happier I am." Well, he ought to have been good and happy that day because my fingers felt like they were about to freeze off as I took these pictures.






Rosy cheeks tells me it's time for some hot cocoa!

I may complain a little bit about the cold, but I can't imagine living somewhere where we wouldn't have at least a couple of good snows each Winter. It's fun to play in {if only for a short while} and there is nothing more peaceful than looking out to a quiet, white, fresh blanket of snow covering everything outside and knowing we can stay inside to bake cookies and watch movies. I guess it would be the places to go and things that need to be done in the snow that are the most challenging part.

I took some pictures of our snowy backyard that aren't actually that great of photos, but Alyssa was having fun putting sepia and soft focus filters on them. She said she wanted to make her own "snow post." I'll definitely share it if she gets the chance to finish it. Here's to hoping that Spring is hiding just around the corner...