Oh Snowy Day!

 

We woke up to this beautiful view out our back door.

 

So pretty!

Most of the kids were feeling well enough to play (or so they said), so I let everyone except Jordan go out in the snow.  He just wasn't well enough to get cold and wet today.

 

After church, it was time to play. They were so excited they could hardly wait!

Miraculously, we had enough snow pants and boots for everyone.  They didn't necessarily match but they worked.  Zoey's boots were a bit too big for her but it didn't hold her back.  At all.  I did make a Target run so that she can wear something that fits better tomorrow.  Bless her heart for not complaining!

I know....if I was a better prepared mommy, I would have rummaged around in the basement to inventory their boots prior to today.

Gah.

When there aren't enough saucers and sleds for everyone, a summer surf board is better than nothing.

Wheee!

Jillian's mittens...she needs some waterproof ones.

Zoey:  Mom...can I take my leg off?
Me:  No.
Zoey:  But it already got stuck between two rocks and fell off.  And now there is a lot of snow stuck to the ankle part. {She had put it back on at this point.}
Me:  Oh, poor Zoey!  But you have to keep it on because you can't hop all over the yard in deep snow.

 

Sledding should always be followed by mugs of hot chocolate.

 

I had quite a line up of mugs to fill.

And yeah.... I put that first one there on purpose when I framed the shot.

 

Christmas cookies and hot chocolate.  YUM!  

Poor Jordan was still coughing a lot but maybe tomorrow he can play in the snow.

 

Rosy cheeks, static-y hair, and a mug of hot chocolate.

 

"So, Jordan.  Tell me what you did when we were outside.  I really want to know."

 

The aftermath of wet snowpants, coats, boots, hats and mittens.

Ahhh....childhood moments of sledding, building forts and being willing to have your feet frozen off just for the fun of playing in the snow.

Good times.

Belated Chinese New Year photos...

I did eventually get the little girls to pose in their CNY silks. They were happy to oblige.






Jeff has been in sunny, warm Mexico this week. All the kids have had the week off for winter break. I'm not bitter...I'm just sharin' my testimony.

We got about six inches of heavy wet snow yesterday so our sledding hill was back in business. I planned to just take photos, but Jillian begged, pleaded, and pretty much wouldn't take no for an answer about me joining them on the slope. I did get some pictures taken before I was required to join them, however.



The new trick is sliding down the hill without a sled...kind of a body sledding thing

Katie...girl...you have to lie down on the hill to slide down, not just flop down at the top and expect to go anywhere



Jakie is so little...he is the essence of cuteness as he tries to walk around in the snow

SaraGrace, the child most likely to embarrass us, was absolutely cracking me up. She grabbed my hand as we climbed the hill and said, "Let's rock and roll!" I don't know where she heard that, but leave it to her to come up with a saucy remark. Once at the top, she looked down and announced, "Get out of my way, Bub." No clue to whom that statement was directed.

It didn't take long for me to realize that I am woefully out of shape and I huffed and puffed after going up and down the hill a few times. Dang! It was so much fun, but after awhile I could not ignore the pounding in my ears and had to take a break.

The snow here in New England is different than the Midwest. It's generally not as cold here, so the snow is wet and sticks to the trees and bushes. It's so beautiful. The sun was shining on the trees today, making the snowy branches sparkle like diamonds. I tried to get some photos--which didn't do the scenery justice, but I'll post them anyway so you can get an idea. If you double click on them they will be larger.