The blizzard that wasn't...

Well, it was the blizzard that wasn't...we did get several inches of new snow overnight, and the winds did kick in, but it was nowhere near blizzard status around our house. Some of the outlying areas, especially north of us, got it much worse. We got a little more in the way of ice before it turned back to snow, cutting down on our total. Nonetheless, the kids were itching to get outside. It was about 10 degrees, factoring in the wind chill, and by the time they finally came in, they were frozen to the bone! Their clothes and bootlaces were frozen!

Here they go, down their newly created sled run!

Wrecking is half the fun!

Good form, Regan!

Time to call it a day...

Mickey's hands and feet are frozen!

Jon got the snowblower out and cleared our driveway, plus Grandma's and the neighbors' driveways. Abby and Kennedi begged him to blast them with snow from the blower, and they had a grand time! I think Jon might have had a little fun with that one, too!

Make your own blizzard...

Remember how I said that when they were sledding Saturday night they barely got enough momentum up to make it to the tree line? Yeah, well, a little daylight, a snow shovel and some ingenuity combined to make a wickedly slick sled run....all the way to the CREEK! Sheesh! I couldn't believe it! It is a very shallow creek, although I still didn't want them anywhere near it.

Headed straight for the creek!

You'll notice that Mindy is missing from the snow pictures. She planned on going out with the kids, but kept getting sidetracked by phone calls and email, plus she had her braces adjusted a few days ago and was in quite a bit of pain. In case you were wondering why Caroline isn't in any of these photos...well, let's just say that her southern China blood ain't too keen on the frigid weather. Here's a photo of her reaction to our first snowfall a couple of weeks ago. I thought she'd be so excited and at least want to touch it. She gave me a disdainful look and turned on her heels to head back inside!

"You're kiddin' me, right?"

Her opinion of coats, hats and snowy gusts of wind...

Braving the elements with Abby for a trek next door to Grandma's...

I have no idea how that child (or any of her caregivers) survived a year of being bundled up, as is the culture in China, despite the warm climate in which she lived. I will tell you that most days she despises wearing her coat, especially in the car seat. On occasion, she will just flat out refuse to put her coat on. Last Friday, we left work to go to Mickey's class party. I insisted she wear her coat since it was fairly cold outside and we would be running in and out of the car rather quickly. Let me just say that she exercised her First Amendment rights all the way to Mickey's school! She screamed her bloody head off and was flat out honked! Snot and tears were running like a river by the time we walked in. And then as soon as we had a heart-to-heart and I took her coat off, she was back to normal. We do plan on taking her outside to play in the snow, but I want it to be a little warmer so she might enjoy it!