Retreat!

The subject of this post is my attempt at double entendre. The weather's been very chilly here and we've gotten a few inches of snow, too. Admittedly, it's snowing right now! So we've been retreating to our warm house and various museums in an attempt to keep warm, but remain active. Once we're at these museums and other kid-friendly destinations, they actually feel like much-needed retreats from the outdoor conditions we're experiencing = phew! Here are some of our fun indoor activities of late...

Newport Aquarium! This was Sebastian's first visit there and he was surprisingly captivated by the marine life!

Birthday parties! Do these count? If they're inside on a cold weekend day, then I argue, "Yes, they do!" I mean...it's hard to beat indoor rock climbing, right??

Art with flair! Here's Sammy's most hilarious creation of late...and Brie's, too. Apparently, Sam is done with this cold weather, and Brie is dreaming of our summer Farmer's Market by making our whole family into beta carotene-rich veggies.  Sebastian, of course, is the smallest carrot.

 

Dance class and gymnastics! So much more fun (and preferable to Mom) than dancing and doing gymnastics on the furniture in the living room.

Long naps! These are perfect on cold, gray days, aren't they??

Cooking! We've made small pizzas and big pizzas, new fish recipes and variations of pulled pork in the slow cooker....and they've all been delicious!

Family game morning/day/night! 

Playdates!

Museums! Here we are at one of our favorites: Entertrainment Junction. Every year they feature Thomas the Tank Engine for a few weeks with a lot of Thomas toys and a scavenger hunt that covers the entire museum. Sammy and Brie had a blast hunting down every train on the list.

 

And snuggle time!

It's been fun finding ways to retreat from the cold, but don't get us wrong...we'd be OK if we didn't need another retreat this season. So if you're reading this, Winter, we give up. We're waving our white flag and yelling, "Retreat!" (Wait! Is that triple entendre...) Let's just say we're ready for spring. Very ready!