Time to build some snowmen

It's hard work being a Mommy and a Tatus sometimes.

We didn't realize making snowmen was such hard work!

Wow, that's one big snowman!

And one more.

Fun in the snow!

Wow, snowsuits are a pain to put on little wriggly kids, but it was so worth it once we got outside!! Lukasz had never been tobogganing before, and he was a little wobbly on the sled, but once Lily joined him they had great fun getting pulled all over Gran & Grampa's backyard.

Too much snow

Today we were so busy and then the kids each napped and then there were meals to prep... and by the time we had some free time it was already dark, but the snow had been falling all day and there was so much of it that I just had to take the kids out in it.

But it was kind of ridiculous. We had to carry Lukasz because it would have been impossible to get a stroller through the snow. And we ended up having to carry Lily, too, because the snow was too deep for her to walk in!!

We all made great big snow angels...Here, the snow is halfway up Lily's thighs.
This is a cherry blossom tree at the park, and it's absolutely beautiful when it blooms. I thought this shot turned out pretty neat, even though the snow was falling so thickly that the flash bounced off the snowflakes instead of the tree.
Tatus took Lukasz home not long after we got outside because it was just too much snow. But I didn't want to go in just yet, so I carried Lily to a little hill in the park that I knew we could slide down (I conveniently had a big garbage bag in my pocket :). When we got to the hill I stuck my feet and legs through the garbage bag so it was like I was wearing a huge pair of slippery plastic shorts (how glamerous!) and then I sat Lily on my lap and we went flying down the hill on my bum.

When I figured it was pretty late, we started our trek home. I gave Lily a piggyback and it was such a cozy wonderful night that I felt like I could walk forever like that, just her and I, down the quiet, snow-covered roads amid the snowflakes.♥

Cozy home in the snow

Gran brought us a couple of very cute decorations for our tree. This one reminds me of Lukasz... it's his first Christmas:And this one reminds me of Lily:

My Opa made these stars; they are made from white paper and string. Such plain materials, but so beautiful on a tree.
More lights, and a garland. Now our living room feels really Christmassy.

Elf, Santa Bear and the reindeer hanging out on our couch.

We came home from the snow in Kelowna to lots of snow here:

Lily and I made mini-snowmen on the balcony:

The snowflakes were landing in perfect condition. My camera was almost up to the challenge of taking a good photo of them.

I showed Lily how to make "smoke" by blowing air out of her mouth.

It cracked her up. :)

Blurry, but too cute.

Making an apple and cheese sandwich:

A pre-Christmas visit to Gran & Grampa's house

Ever since I was a little girl, my mom and I would bake Christmas goodies in the days before Christmas. It means a lot to me each year that we can continue this tradition - and this year we baked piles of goodies. :)

Lily, Lukasz and I headed out to Kelowna during Tatus' last week of work and boy did Lily ever have a lot of fun in all the snow!

I, too, was itching to get outside as soon as I saw how many feet of snow they had. I guess I haven't lived with it as an adult enough to think of it as a bother. When I see the snow start to come down, I think of tobogganing and snowmen and snow angels...

Although I have to admit it's a lot more tiring to toboggan with a little one than I remember it being when we went tobogganing as a kid. I remember pulling Uncle Derek in the sled up the hill again and again and again and flying down, seeing how far we could go. It seems to me I had a lot more stamina for pulling someone on a sled than I do now! Lily and I tobogganed from the top of my parents driveway down, and then down again the second part of the driveway to the woodpile. Not too long and not too steep, but tiring! And most of all, FUN. :)

And with my trusty camera I couldn't wait to snap some shots of this tree in my parents' backyard:

And after numerous months of Lily persisting in going up and down the stairs (with help) this visit she mastered climbing up the stairs by herself without holding on to anything! Way to go! :) Not having stairs in our place, she doesn't get much practice.

On to the cookies and truffles galore!

We've been baking and decorating these gingerbread cut outs for probably over 20 years. :) They are a hit every year. This year I'm going to make a batch at home and Lily is going to help me, if she wants to.
Right now, her main job is taste-tester. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!

Chomp

Hmm...

Yum!
(Yes! We passed. :)

Now for the white chocolate cranberry bark:

Cinnamon sugar cookies:

Lukasz even got a cookie! Gran picks up these organic maple cookies just for Lily and Lukasz. He wasn't quite sure what to do with it, so he sat like this for a while:

I'll never tire of the view. It's so peaceful:

On to the chocolate-dipped biscotti:

And chocolate orange glazed snowflake cookies:

The positions that Lukasz sometimes sleeps in remind me so much of the way Uncle Shane napped when he was a baby.
Four days later, a sunny drive home. Get ready for more Christmas preparations, Christmas with Babcia, Dziadek, Wujek Daniel and Ciocia Natalya and then we'll be back to Gran and Grampa's on Boxing Day!