Unfortunately, we had to cancel our December hike due to extreme windchill temperatures on Saturday but today Z, A, and I headed out to the Sterner Mill Trail at Nockamixon State Park to hunt for Jack Frost and King Winter. As a Winter Solstice gift this year the children received 'Ollie's Ski Trip' by Elsa Beskow and 'The Story of the Snow Children' by Sibylle Von Olfers. Z was so enthralled by 'Ollie's Ski Trip' that he decided we had to go for a hike to search for these two mystical beings.
We had a wonderful hike. It warmed up just enough for us to enjoy ourselves in a winter wonderland. All the animals must still be bedded down after the storm but we did hear quite a few birds and spotted snow fleas everywhere. I thought maybe the dogs who had hiked the trail before us had left these little guys behind but there were far too many. But when I told daddy about the little critters he said, 'Oh yeah, snow fleas.' Who knew?! 
Z was enchanted by the sound that the trees made blowing in the wind. Sometimes it was eery and he would run to catch up with me but other times he stood in awe looking up at the treetops as they blew around in the wind. He was very inquisitive and wondered why the trees make that noise in the winter but not at other times. A on the other hand was fascinated by the birds. All I heard over my shoulder was, 'I see burd, I see burd.'I was hoping to return to Nockamixon next week to check out the sledding hill but the weather forecast for later this week doesn't look very promising. We'll see what Christmas Day has in store for us snow, rain, or ice. Get outdoors and enjoy the winter! 
Oh and in case you were wondering, we didn't find Jack Frost or King Winter but Z and A are ready to visit another forest to look for both of them sometime soon!
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