Snow Day(s)

It begins - February 1, 2011

Snowmageddon, Snowpoclayse and Blizzard 2011 are a few of names they have come up with for the storm that went through our area yesterday, last night and into this morning. We had a potential for up to 22 inches of snow before the storm was all said and done with. Needless to say, school was closed yesterday and today. Yesterday morning, I was wondering if they shouldn't have had school since it didn't start snowing until around noon. Very quickly, though, I realized why. Once it started, the snow was coming down anywhere from 1-3 inches an hour. Steve, thankfully, left work around 12:30 and made it home safely. He said conditions were pretty yucky with a few white out conditions.

The kids played out in the snow most of the afternoon. The snow and the wind were blowing like crazy, but they loved it. After dinner and being begged much by the kids, Steve went out and played with the kids for a bit. That is until they heard the snow thunder, or Snunder as Steve likes to call it. Then it didn't take them long at all to come running inside. The lightning and thunder was crazy. You would have to see it to believe it.

We all went to bed listening to the wind and the snow howl against the house, all the while praying for no power outages.

Out our back door the morning of February 2, 2011

A snowdrift bigger than Leah

As the kids woke up this morning, they rushed the the patio door and pulled back the curtain to see how big the drift out the door had gotten. The drift had gotten to at least 3 feet high. They quickly ate their breakfast and they were out the door once again to play in the snow. After a bit, Steve headed out to begin shoveling the driveway. He spent the next 2 1/2-3 hours out there. Thankfully, one of our neighbors let Steve use his snow blower, but it was still slow-going. The plowback at the end of the driveway was as wide as our van is long and it was just over Steve's knees in depth.

Not just snow, but wind too.

Zoe keeping nice and warm eating her birthday breakfast, while the others play outside behind her.

Nathanael had his go too, he didn't last out very long.

The snow is a tad too deep for a little guy.

As I sit and type, the snowplows have gone through the neighborhood a couple more times and Steve is back out there clearing the plow back. I've been wanting to get out there so badly today and help, but I was diagnosed with Strep Throat again on Sunday and I still don't feel well. So my job, during these snow days, is to keep everyone fed, to hang up all the wet outdoor clothing, to watch from the window and to care for the little ones. This isn't too bad though, I am staying nice and warm.

Cason working hard shoveling the plowback.

Cason's tunnel

Steve snow blowing

Our town has come in with a total of 14.4 inches. This is a pretty significant amount for this area. I don't ever remember getting this much here. Records were broken. This is definitely one winter and storm we won't forget. The kids are in Snow Heaven. Now we just have to wait and see if there will be school tomorrow. I am pretty sure there will be, if not I better come up with a plan to keep the seven busy so they don't get too bored.

The mailbox before

and after

Tristan standing above the mailbox

Still working hard

I began writing this blog earlier in the day today. We just found out a couple of hours ago that school is once again canceled for tomorrow. We are supposed to have some very cold weather too. I don't know how much the kids will be outside. I need to get myself all geared up with some plans so we all don't go nuts. I think we will maybe make cookies, play games, read some books and probably watch some tv. Hey, we've got to make the most of our snow days!

Winter in the UK

I took these pictures of our backyard today. As you can see, we still have snow. It's been three days. It is amazing that we still have it. It was warmer this afternoon and it started to melt. Tonight, it is once again snowing. What a fun winter. We love seeing the snow.

This is the snow fort that the boys made. They worked really hard and they are very proud of it.

More Snow Pictures

Tristan is the snowball man! He loves to throw them at everyone, but he isn't so happy to take 'em when they come his way.

The huge snowball the boys made with dad at the park.

The girls were happy enough to just swing at the park.

Seriously, do you see how much snow we have? :)

When I was in the attic this morning looking for snow pants, I found a snowsuit just the right size for Nate. I bundled him up and this is how he rode all morning. Snug as a bug!

Anna's poor little legs got quite tired from walking in all the snow. She much preferred daddy carrying her.

Look What We Woke Up To

SNOW AGAIN!!!! We would consider this a real snow day! We woke up to about 4-5 inches of snow on the ground and it was still snowing. Thousands of schools across the center of England are closed today, as they should be since they don't have proper snow removal vehicles. Today, totally feels like we are in Da UP! We are loving it. Steve decided not to chance it getting into work. I think we both knew he would be just sitting on the roads and not going anywhere for hours. Around 8:30, a e-mail came through from his boss for everyone to stay home today. As for a day off of home school, we had that on Monday. We urged the kids to get their work done quickly so they could go out. By 9:30, we were all geared up and heading out. When we moved here, I brought four pair of snow pants with us and a couple pair of boots. I am so glad I brought them, even if this is the only time we need them. It helped four of the kids to stay dry and warm for a morning out.

Playing in the Snow (part 2)

On Monday night after dinner, we decided to take the kids out for a walk. Steve and I were remembering back to when we were young and when we would play out in the snow after dark. We wanted our kids to experience it too. We headed out to the park. The kids loved running around, making snow angels and making a big snowman with the help of mom and dad. We all had a blast. I was sore the next day from running around.


Nathanael enjoyed it too. He stayed nice and cozy in his little sleeping bag.

Snow Day

We got our wish. We had a few snow flurries yesterday, but not enough to accumulate. This morning when we woke up we had a tiny bit on the ground. The weather was saying that we would get more in the afternoon. I talked to my friend Rachel on the phone. They live about 5 miles north of us. She said that all the schools in her town were closed today because of the snow. Their ground was actually covered. We didn't have that much. I wasn't feeling much like doing school today anyways, so I decided to call a "snow day" too.
After lunch, it started to snow again. I told the kids that while they were napping they should pray and ask God to make it continue snowing all afternoon so they could play in the snow later. When I went upstairs to put the girls and Nate down for a nap, I overheard the kids praying in the boys room. I went in and peeked at them. There, on the top bunk, were Anna, Leah, Tristan and Cason. They were taking turns praying out loud for God to make it keep snowing. It was the cutest thing. They looked up and saw me and asked if I wanted to pray. I prayed too and then put them down for naps. God answered their child-like prayers. It snowed all afternoon and evening.

After their rest time, they ran right out and played most of the afternoon. They even made a tiny snowman. Above you can see the kids with their tiny snowman. It is funny how excited we all get over just a dusting of snow. But, hey when it is only the fourth snowfall we have seen since living in England. It was a great snow day. Tomorrow I will post more about how we finished out our snow day.

We'll Just Make Our Own

We've all been a little bummed lately about the lack of snow we get here in the UK. Last Thursday, I decided that if we don't get our own snow, we will just make our own. That is exactly what we did. The kids were bored so I showed them how to cut out snowflakes. They absolutely loved it. Leah and Anna even joined in. By the time we were done we had a pile of snowflakes. We taped them all over our family room so it would feel like winter. I know a lot of you are thinking you would gladly send some of the snow you've gotten this winter.

Leah with her snowflake mask

Tristan with his snowflake mask

Our family room (Winter Wonderland)