Alaska Makes You Tough

Like all little boys, Ethan loves to play outside more than anything else.  Being an Alaskan little boy, he doesn't care if it's -5 degrees outside and snowing, he just wants to be out playing. 

So when our little guy asks to go swing at 3 in the afternoon, what else can we do but bundle him up and take him out.  Even in the negative temps and the growing darkness, he still had a great time swinging.  Alaska makes tough little kids!

Now that I'm not pregnant and the temps have come up a little, we are starting to get back outside as a family.  The best way to survive the Alaskan winter is to get out of the house and actually be out in Alaska.  So on this sunny Friday Aaron and I gathered all our warm gear, changed the kids, made sure they were both fed, then bundled them up, got our skiing gear ready, packed the car, ran back to get snacks and 45 minutes later were ready to head out for our impromptu ski/walk/playtime.  As we were driving to the trails we couldn't decide if getting out of the house with two kids was keeping us sane or going to drive us insane!

But of course, once we actually got out of the house, it was all worth it.  Aaron's been getting out to cross country ski all winter, but its fun now that we can go as a family.  This was my first time to ski this winter and it felt so good to be able to enjoy being out in the snow and cold again.   It makes us happy to breathe fresh air and enjoy the scenery.  We all get exercise, the kids get naps and E gets outside playtime!

Here's picture from the first time Ethan and Kelsey shared the Chariot.  Yes, in between the five blankets, two snow suits,  and all the hats, gloves, and long johns are our two babies.  Now that I'm back out skiing with Aaron, they'll be sharing this space a lot during naptime.  (Although we are not looking forward to pulling both the kids on skis!)