Our Outdoor Wonderland

The weather in our new state has been gorgeous lately. Surprised? Yes, it's winter here.....but it feels so fresh and crisp. The lack of snow has made it easier to get out an have mini adventures. We had not been out to our complex playground in a bit....we wandered over and found a few of our playground buddies.  They were trying to break this big ice waterfall.

 The boys and I had been headed to play soccer, but as soon as the playground buddies invited us to go boot skating....we ditched the ball and headed for the woods.

 All summer.....this is a big swampy, mosquito filled mess. I avoid it. The boys avoid it....but not the playground buddies. They do all kinds of adventurous things in there during the summer....but the mosquitos, ewww. And....do their parents have a clue where they are? It worried me a bit.

 But....once winter arrived....the swamp became a beautiful, ice filled wonderland. I loved it.....we all loved it! Notice the boys have bright sweats on in the above picture and then change to black pants in the other pictures? Within our first few minutes of boot skating we slipped in some water.....we ran home to change into more appropriate adventure attire.

With a couple of sticks, a broken shovel, an old golf club, and a tennis ball.....the boys decided to play a little hockey.

 The complex woods are filled with tons of deer....I heard there is even a family of bears?? Not sure.

 I had to add this cardinal.....there are 3 of them that hang outside our apartment window. A Blue Jay usually joins them, too. Ahhh, winter.

The next day.....Greg headed back into the woods with the boys. Call us nerds, but we had them wear their bike helmets. The ice was so slippery. They also decided to bring their hockey sticks and a puck.

It's our new favorite place.