Snow Fun

Aiden had been praying nightly for new snow for a week... and we got plenty!  The three of them have been burrowing in our snow mountain of a front yard, but finally moved to the back yard to create "Praise God" the snow angel.

And today, with the wonderfully mild weather, they got to be useful while getting thoroughly soaked and having fun... We were trying to find the drains to drain the road of the few inch deep sea in front of our house, but they were buried too deep under snow and ice piles for us to find, let alone uncover.

And it struck me that we have been here before:

February 2009!

Since I was out there in it with them both times, I guess that first fake Spring thaw is irresistible for water playing people.

Finally Christened Canadian

Third winter in Ottawa (this time around)

At least twice that for Mom

And yet this February

First time skating on the canal

A rather impromptu plan

To take advantage of the weather

To not miss yet again

To be fully Canadian in Ottawa

We joined the throng

Winterlude kickoff breakfast

Pancakes drowning in maple syrup

Steamy cups of hot chocolate

Eaten amid the organized chaos

Trying without success

To not besticky 

Hats and mitts and coats

Curious boy wandering off

After the "tall man"

Waving cheer 

Upon his stilts

Really, Canada?

Saturday morning crowds

For a winter picnic breakfast?

Obviously a popular idea

Across the road

A park full of wonders

Carved in ice

Gleaming, sparkling celebration

Drum and dance bands

Ice map of Canada

Kid creation station

Proud of 150 years

After a wander through the wonders

Through the igloo

Exiting with Inuktitut names

We headed for the canal

A busy place

A thrill of the momentous

A long hassling with skates

Finally everyone in and on their feet

With Aiden on a chair

Off we went with the crowd

Grace tracking the distance

We made it 3 km!

And then stopped

(As Mom's skate broke)

For a quintessentially Canadian skating lunch

Poutine and Beavertails

Only in Canada...

Crowds on ice just for fun

Comfortable on skates

Old and young

And then the weary way back

Not quite so fun

But still with thrill

We could have made it all the way

It was very quiet in the car on the way home

Everyone sleepily satisfied

An Ottawa dream come true

Finally christened fully Canadian