Active Winter

This winter's weather seems to be more brutal than in years past. We have had consistent snow, several days with temps well below 10 degrees, and lots of wind. But, as the true Rochestarians that we are, we have not let a little winter stop us from filling our calendar, and enjoying activities both inside and out.

Disney On Ice

We kicked off January by joining the Hewitsons, and attending a true parental right of passage, Disney On Ice. Gavin and Isabelle were beyond excited as we headed downtown to the Blue Cross Arena, bantering back and forth in the back of the van trying to predict which of their favorite characters they would get to see. Donna and I were more reserved, both trying to figure out what we had gotten ourselves into, and if we would survive the next two hours of time. Naturally, Isabelle's favorite was the presentation of the Disney Princesses. All of whom, were in attendance with their escorts.

Gavin, coming off his recent New Years Eve performance of When You Wish Upon A Star, leaped out of his seat, all smiles, as Jimminy Cricket started signing.

And, in an attempt to torture all of the parents in the audience, they did an amazing job recreating the It's A Small World experience on the ice. Yep, song still sticks in your head each time you hear it.....


Frozen Pond

This year we decided to join the rest of the neighborhood, and enjoy the pond year round. We bought the kids their first set of ice skates, and of course, picked one of the coldest and windiest days to try them out. Wanting Gavin and Izzy to have a good first time experience, I spent part of the morning playing Zamboni out on the pond. Clearing away snow drifts, and lugging five gallon coolers of water across the street to spread out with my squeegee for a nice smooth ice surface. Needless to say, with this effort, I was not noticing the frigid temps as the sweat built up.Isabelle, as expected, took right to it, and could not get enough of being on the skates, or the ice. Gavin liked the skates, but as he is born of Donna's blood, quickly felt the chill set in, and lost interest.
Even though we did not spend a lot of time on the ice, we had some great family time, and enjoyed being out in the sun, on the pond in the middle of winter.

The Gymnast

Isabelle has continued her gymnastics career through the winter at the Little Gym. The big changes for this session were she attended class alone (well, was supposed to anyway), and she got to wear a leotard. One guess which one she was more excited about.
Isabelle's final show was attended by Donna, Mema, and Grandpa. Yep, I was on a plane. Work schedule doesn't always work out. Anyway, Isabelle did a great job performing the moves she has learned this session. He favorite continues to be the bars, where she has moved from simply swinging, to now flipping over them. She loved having Mema and Grandpa there to watch her, and she did a great job with her routines, huge smiles each time.
Just Playing

The best part about being a kid in a Rochester winter, are all the great opportunities to just play. All it takes is a little sunshine, and the winter day suddenly feels like the middle of summer, with endless possibilities. Snow Angels, sleds, snowmen, snow forts, all start to fill the yards around the neighborhood. Gavin, Isabelle, and I spent the day outside and did just that. What ever they wanted. They had a great time laughing and smiling, and I got another terrific workout. I don't remember growing up, that digging a snow fort was such a huge cardio event. Phew.....
Another terrific Rochester winter. Enjoyed by all.