We've had several rainy days recently (praise the Lord!) and the last rainstorm also brought some cold weather. Very cold weather! The past 2 days, the highs were around 40 degrees but it felt like 32 or lower outside with the wind chill. Brrr! Most people -- me included -- would prefer to stay inside their warm houses all day with temperatures like that. But, the 6 month old was very fussy, the 3 year old was going stir-crazy and driving me bananas, and the 5 year old wanted to see how high the creek was, so we all bundled up and went out for a long hike on the trail.
We had a really fun time! Oliver and Buttercup got to wear their warm hats and waterproof gloves, and Theodore got to wear his dinosaur bunting and fleece-lined jeans (I knew they would come in handy!).
After walking and running about a mile, we ended up in an area with lots of smaller rocks just the right size for the kids to throw in the creek. Of course Oliver rolled down the embankment (on purpose) a couple of times and was covered in mud within 5 minutes. Buttercup surprisingly didn't get too dirty, except for her jacket and face. :-) Oh, and I love their waterproof gloves. I bought them at REI earlier this year (I think it was around the time that it snowed), and although we didn't get to use them then, I can imagine that they'll get plenty of use this winter! They're thick, sturdy, and kept the kids' hands warm and dry -- even when they were "accidentally" splashing in the water. :-) 
Theodore looks disgruntled in this picture, but he wasn't -- he was just staring really hard at his big sister. :-) He had a good time sitting in the stroller and watching his big people racing ahead of us on the trail. And he was the warmest of all of us! I was worried that he would be cold, but if anything, he was probably a little too warm in all of his layers. 
Oh, and I wanted to take a picture of Buttercup and this rock so I wouldn't forget in the years to come (or next week, ha ha). These days when we're at the creek or exploring or whatever, she loves to choose a rock and carry it around like her baby. She talks to it, puts it in time out, pretends to push it in a stroller, feed it, etc. It's adorable. :-) 
This morning the kiddos and I made cinnamon-applesauce ornaments to give to their friends and classmates for gifts. I found out about these a couple of years ago, but this was our first year to try it.
In case you don't want to click on the link above, the ingredients are:
3 cups applesauce (I used unsweetened)
3 cups ground cinnamon
(I also added a dash of ground cloves and nutmeg)
Mix everything together and roll it out like sugar cookie dough. Use the cinnamon as you would use flour to prevent sticking. After the ornaments are cut out, let them dry for 3-4 days.
Oliver really liked smelling the dough. He also tasted some, but said it was way too spicy. Guess it was because of all of that cinnamon! :-) 
Of course Buttercup and Oliver liked squishing the dough the best! Even after the ornament shapes were cut out, they both played with the leftover dough for another 15 minutes or so. :-)
Each of the kids cut out their own shapes (although Buttercup needed some extra assistance with hers). We used a regular straw to make a hole at the top for ribbon. 
All of the cute ornaments are ready to dry! The first picture is Buttercup's tray, and Oliver's tray is the second. 
After the trays were filled up, I let the kids play with the leftover dough. I love this picture -- Oliver is looking at his hands like, "Now, how did they get so messy?" Ha ha ha.
We are definitely making these again! Not only are they easy, but they are CHEAP (whoo hoo) and the kids had such a great time making a mess and playing with the dough. Can't beat that!
