Outdoor Play

While it was certainly still winter, the temperatures during our stay in Albuquerque were quite comfortable. So, it was easy to give in to the frequent yearnings of the toddlers and spend some time outside.

Ryan, Abby, Cody

 "Going outside should put a smile on everyone's face!" says Cody.

Of course, much of our outdoor time was spent with the Cozy Coupes...

...off-roading onto new terrain,

...playing "chicken," perhaps??

...finally learning to share our new truck,

...and just ridin' in style!

Jaden and Abby devised some sort of wall game,

...though they didn't really explain the rules of play to anyone else.

Uncle Matt entertained the kiddos with cars 

and super-high tosses (Cody's absolute favorite!).

Our boys had their first experience with tree-climbing.

And of course (it IS a family with some Schleichers), we played a few sports. One morning, Uncle Jason and Ian enjoyed kicking around a soccer ball.

Later in the day, Jaden suggested a game of football. In this family, it was easy to get some playmates.

It soon became apparent why Jaden wanted to play football. He was quite the little runningback!

Uncle Matt's blocks certainly helped, of course.

No hand-offs happening here!

Finally, the tackle take-down.

 "More, more!" Jaden signed to Daddy.

This time, Cody joined in on the fun, and a few hand-offs DID occur.

Unfortunately, the Twin Team didn't make it too far.

I don't quite remember who was tackling who here... :)

Eventually, Ryan wanted a piece of the action, as well.

 "Go, Ryan, go!"

ALL of the cousins joined in on the final tackle... er... dogpile. Daddy and Uncle Matt were GREAT playmates!

A few times, we ventured out to the school playground nearby Grammy & Papa's house. As you can tell, we were all excited to arrive!

Ian braved some of the larger, more complicated play equipment,

while the rest of us stuck with the swings, slides,

and simply playing in the dirt.

We were so happy to enjoy many hours outside-- especially with no snow on the ground here. The best part about our outdoor fun, though, was time well-spent with our favorite cousins!

Abby, Cody, Ryan, Jaden, Ian