around town: Denver Zoo Lights.

For an outdoors-lover in Colorado, there's always something to do. Each season yields dozens of things to do outside of the house. Though most outdoor activities are very kid-friendly, the wintertime with a toddler is a different story. Too young to make snowmen, too little to go snow-shoeing, and too heavy-headed to go sledding, Gabriel has been stuck indoors the last few months more than he cares for.
One of the greatest ways to get outdoors around Christmas time is to go to see the Denver Zoo Lights. We enjoy staring glazy-eyed at the thousands of twinkling lights with some family friends and a very warm thermous of cocoa. Among offerings of heated spirits and fire jugglers are carved ice sculptures, changing light shows, and even Santa and his sleigh. After an hour or two of taking everything in, we like to go out and have a Mexican dinner to warm our bellies. If you're in the area and have a free night and some warm mittens, I suggest you spend it there.

Waking Up On the Wrong Side of the Bed.

When I was young, my mom used to say I slept like an angry wolverine. Thrashing, talking (mostly complaining about my big brother, I guess), twisting, and kicking, I'd sleep the night away like all kids do. For little ones, so much energy is spent during the day growing, learning, experiencing, and changing, it's surprising that they move at all during the night.

Gabriel's always been an energetic sleeper, but has recently taken to sitting up in the dark and re-positioning himself entirely. I wake up half a dozen times throughout the night to find a pair of little feet resting on the pillow next to me.

This morning, I had to move the pillows so that he wouldn't accidentally roll off the edge.

Note that the head of the bed is to the left of the photograph...

Staying In.

With temperatures in the single digits and a bout of the sniffles, Gabriel and I have had to find ways to stay entertained and engergized indoors. Among other things, we've dug out our ancient box of Legos, filled and re-filled the bathtub with warm water, bubbles, and bath crayons, drank many cups of tea (he seems to like blueberry the best), and danced to far too much Talking Heads.

Oatmeal! MarbleWorks! And Tom and Jerry...

Old Friends.

Welcome back, December.

I've got a feeling it's going to be a good month...

A Timid Winter.

Over the past few weeks, we've been waiting patiently with olive-colored ribbons, cranberry wreaths, and pudgy, stuffed snowmen for the final season of the year. A heavy snowfall mid-October got our fingers itching to christen the new mini-sled, reminded us of the magic awaiting at Denver Zoo Lights, and created a whirlwind of homemade gift ideas (most of which will never see the light of day, sadly). Though I enjoy Halloween, Thanksgiving, and all things Autumnal, there's something incredibly unique and enchanting about December and all of its festive glory.
Now that Thanksgiving has been tucked in, the neighborhood is aglow with stringed lights and an undeniable spirit. It's nearly Christmas time! Despite this, Mother Nature seems a bit hesitant to meet with winter this year. I'm a little inspired by the quiet clash of seasons. For many, many things, it's an undeniable time of chage.

...and the grass is still green...

... there is Russian sage to save and smell...

... and the battle of the seasons continues ...

Dressing up.

Who shall we be today?

Love Naps.

There is something incredibly touching about lying next to somebody who's falling asleep. Beit a baby, a sibling, a lover, or a pet, I've always found it very moving to be with somebody who's comfortable and trusting enough to drift off lying side by side with another person. Of course, if you're tired enough, you can doze just about anywhere, but I'm talking about love naps, here. I appreciate the peacefulness of watching as Gabriel starts rubbing his eyes in the middle of his sleepy stories (our favorites are Snuggle Up, Sleepy Ones, and Grandfather Twilight from when I was young), as his small hands find his head and begin playing with his hair, as his eyes begin to slowly close, and he reaches out to lie a hand on me in reassurance... There isn't much that is as calming or as sweet as putting your child gently to sleep.

SpiderGirl Meets Yeti Boy.

Saturday night marked Gabriel's second, and my favorite in rememberance, All Hallows' Eve. With a hodge-podge Yeti costume, Gabriel was eager to tromp outsidse and watch as the little ghoulies and ghosties of the neighborhood swept through the streets and cackled at the moon. The weather was a beautiful and mild 40 to 50, the sky was clear except for a wide, rolling cloud formation of tight waves that floated lightly over a nearly full moon, and the snow had melted from the sidewalks and streets, though was around enough to reflect the eerie moonlight. I can't remember a more perfect Halloween night.
First, Gabriel got acquainted with pumpkin pulp Friday afternoon when he helped scoop out the insides of the two jackolanterns I carved. We learned that he's not a big fan of baked pumpkin seeds, but loves pumpkin bread and looking at the jackolanterns all lit up in the dark. We ran around all of Saturday, and got home just in time to pick up some family members, bring them back home, and get dressed up. As soon as Gabriel saw the first trick-or-treater come to the door, he was hooked. He spent the rest of his pre-outing time plastered to the glass door, waiting for more children to arrive. His cousin Amara, Spiderman!, came over so we could all trick-or-treat together. Though there was a disturbingly little amount of homes with their porch lights on, we all had fun begging for candy and howling at the moon.
Some of the photos below are from Halloween night, and others are of the festive decor we have hiding throughout the house. :)

Hope everybody had fun Haunting!

Brrrrrr!

A friend from Southern Florida told me that once, when his mother was young, it snowed. It was a mellow snow, light flakes drifted down from the sky, melting amost before they hit the ground, and the temperature remained above freezing. Still, people stopped their cars on the roads and stood in the streets, staring up at the sky; clerks, shoppers, and bakers left their stands to run outside and stick their tongues out; they let the children out of school to stand in the fields and experience their first at-home snowfall... for a moment in a 1970-something Florida town, everything stood still but the sky.

Here in Colorado, snow seems a lot less magical to most of us, especially after we've reached snow-shovel-wielding age. Sometimes, though, snow can flash a person back to childhood with one quick flurry. When a fast blizzard knocks the power out and traps everybody indoors, life changes for a few cold, quiet days. Candles are dug out of hiding and used to cast light over ancient board games and dusty photo albums. Hands ache happily after building forts outside. We have time to tell eachother our dreams and re-recognize the color of one anothers' eyes. Life slows down and we have a chance to reconnect with our families and ourselves.

Last week, we had a quick, heavy snowstorm that gave us a delightful excuse to tuck away the nagging grocery list and trudge outside. This was Gabriel's first up-close experience with a good amount of snow. He loved it!

The sun is there, somewhere.