Snow pic!

This is the parking lot of my favorite grocery store. It puts it in perspective when you see my big 15 passenger van next to where they had to pile the snow.

The snow is over.

I get a mixed feeling when the snow ends. It many ways it is great to get out of the house and back into the swing of things. However, at the same time it is so nice to watch that sweet blanket of newness fall, snuggle with my kids, read, watch a movie, eat lots of snacks and live in pjs.

Today was sunny and beautiful. Peter was on call for work but with the snow accumulation at the airport most flights were cancelled. He is back to work tomorrow.
This is how we spent today:





The kids had such fun sledding down the hill near my parents house. What precious memories they have been making this week. 2010, the year of the record snow storm!


Abi spent most of her time on the green sled. She has grown so much she looks like an adult coming down the hill. Also, no, that is my 9 year old.





It was amazing to see Daniel fly across the street. Every time he went down the hill on his red sled, he came flying, face first and taking each jump as if it were nothing!


I was hoping it would show up better, but the second mark that Peter pointed out (where Daniel said his face mark was) was actually a huge snowplow tire mark. :)

The marks that showed up after his red cheeks warmed up again.

The little brave snowboy.

This 6 year old boy brings in our fire wood. Today, in the big storm, he thought it was a good idea to just run out in his thin t-shirt to grab a few pieces. He went back and forth about 5 times. He was very brave. He was very strong. He was very cold. But that is the way he wanted to do it and being that he is the one with the most energy I decided it may not be such a bad idea to let the cold wear him out a bit. Good job John!

You mean we can build snowmen taller than Daddy?!

To borrow a saying from my dear friend: I feel like a mole.
We have emerged from the house-cave into the sun and have enjoyed every moment of our day. Here are a few highlights...

Ashley, Isaiah and Abigail head out for an adventure.

We were able to walk to my parents where we visited with my Mom. She read to the boys for a while and they almost fell asleep. Please pray for her as she continues her battle with Lymes.

Dad walked us home and snow plowed our neighbors driveway. So nice.

This boy is usually moving too fast for my camera. He was doing a little dance in this shot but I caught his sweet face. He has a love-hate relationship with the snow. He looks happy enough here, but when his hands get cold he is a miserable boy. In this shot he was 10 minutes from my having to strip him out of his snow suit and wrap him in a warm blanket while I puffed hot air (no laughing here, okay?!) on his hands.

Everyone was pretty happy in this shot while they sat on their igloo. John is having a bit of trouble due to his boot coming off and his deciding it was a good idea to walk in his socks across the yard. I am giggling while I write that. By the way, Isaiah is 2 minutes from the whole blanket, hot air puffing thing in this picture.

What better thing for dinner than "Candy Bar in a Bowl?!" It's also known as oatmeal. Tonight we covered it with butter, sucanat and honey. Mmm, mmm, good.

No, they don't all use pacifiers, but they tried them out tonight. One of these is a real paci user (I am not telling which one) and the rest are test driving. This has to be one of the cutest shots of my boys. So sweet. They sat cuddled this way for Bible time this evening and then fell fast asleep after their big day.

Ashley is standing beside me as I write this. She will be twelve in two days. Where has the time gone? Am I old enough to have a pre-teen?! There is so much left to teach her... Happy almost Birthday Ashley. xo By the way, it's about time you started hearing a bit from her on this blog. That is part of my plan for the next year. Stay tuned!

Snow snow snow snow snow!

The snow has stopped falling and we have record amounts on the ground. I had to shovel my way in waist deep snow to get to our heat pump to make sure it was clear of snow drifts. Peter left on a trip before the snow began to fall. He was originally schedule to come home tomorrow night but his flight has been canceled. We hope to see him on Monday before the next storm comes. There is a chance for 6-8 inches of snow on Tuesday or Wednesday. Below are some photos from last night and this morning. Since then we have about 10 more inches on the ground. I shoveled the driveway last night but this morning doesn't prove it. The snow drifts are up to my door handle on my big van. The kids and I have spent the afternoon watching The Music Man. They love it and it just happens to be one of the movies on my list for school for next week. I can check that off the list. The picture below is of the girls standing in front of the shed. They didn't shovel it out, the drift just landed that way. Isn't that cool?!
Well, we have 20 minutes left of our movie. I think I will get everyone back together to finish it. Oh, here they come anyway! They are getting restless however if I let them go outside I may lose them in a drift. Just kidding, they will be headed that way in about 30 minutes now that the snow isn't blowing at 35 mph!