Birthday Girl

First of the children's birthdays for 2019 and all the drama and emotion to go with it.  Vivian turned 6 on Monday and we had her birthday party on Sunday.  Unexpectedly, we had a snow day on Monday when it snowed 15 inches overnight.

Modeling her new outfit and backpack.

Playing in the snow with Lanie, one of the few things that could be shared this weekend.

Braided hair for dressing up for her birthday dinner.

Jack deciding to join us for family birthday dinner.  Luckily I now know better than to put food on the table until it's time to eat.

More Snow & A Battered Toe

Another snowstorm, named Linus this time.  Two more snow days and Chris doing hours of snow removal.  Vivian in the midst of the storm managed to tip a very heavy, little toy piano onto her big toe as she was trying to maneuver it to climb up onto the couch.  So now it is badly bruised, less swollen, and she's walking on it, but it doesn't look good.  Outside we probably got another eighteen inches of snow with more on the way.

Our upstairs deck, where you can't open the door.  The grill is back there in the corner.

GrandJoe and Vivian in the driveway.

Sam on top of the snow pile that is the height of our downstairs porch.

Sam and his friend playing out back.

Snowstorm Juno

We had two back-to-back snowstorms, one Saturday, then one Monday night through Wednesday morning.  Needless to say we didn't see Chris for a long time, except for intermittent stop offs to sleep or grab dry clothes.  

Stocked up on coffee, wine, binkies, as well as groceries.  

He can no longer plow our driveway due to a long ago disagreement with the neighbors across the street that has been ongoing.  Which means we (I) get to shovel.  Except that's not a feasible task with an almost two year old who does enjoy falling snow above her ankles.  

Here was our time inside and our five/six hours of shoveling.  Luckily GrandJoe came and helped shovel while Nana held a crying Vivian and Tess came the day before.  Tess even got to ride in the plow during the storm (perhaps more exciting for Sam)!

Sam on the snowdrift. 

Looking at a book.

Making bread & rolls with the kids.

Feverish little girl.  I got her checked out before the big storm on Monday though, last appointment before the office closed.  "Probably viral, come back Wednesday if she still has a fever and we'll check her for strep."  No fever now, but  cranky & clingy.

Monday before the big storm, took Sam to school and was home with Vivian.  I think I got 4 hours of sleep.  I went to Target for flashlights and coffee and Starbucks was closed.  Those were the headlines we were being bombarded with and the thermometer from 3:45 am.  I got the flashlights and a lantern and in my sleep deprived, non caffienated state, the wrong batteries.  Luckily we never lost power.

Vivian resting.  She never does this, ever.

And Vivian feels crappy.  And HATES snowblowers.  She stands at the window and yells at them.   If they don't stop she has a tantrum.  It was funny the first time- kind of.  Of course Sam taunts her, "hey Vivi, look a snowblower, want to yell at it?!" 

Writing lists about what we were going to do for two days.  The kid are illustrating them.

Vivian woke up from her nap and wandered out dazed, prepared for the wrong weather event.

Sam loving the snow.  Luckily he has a bright red hat so (unless he was upside down in the snowbank, I'd spot him).

That's my car in the back and all the snow that drifted onto our side of the driveway.  Dumb parking job on my part.  And the neighbor's shovel did not touch the driveway once.

It is pretty.  Our neighbors' yard.

Snow Day

This was from a snow day at some point this winter, that I never got around to posting.  We've had so many snow days this year that the public school system I work in will be in school until almost July.  And snow is forecast tonight/tomorrow morning, although spring has officially started.  I think, despite the media hype, this snowstorm will end up being more wind than snow.

Anyway, Vivian likes to play/tear apart the kitchen cabinets.  On this particular snow day, she pulled the grits out, and before I could stop her, the lid off, and poured them across the floor.  I actually have a photo of her dumping them somewhere.  I spend much of my time at home picking up after them and this day I figured since they were on the floor, they might as well just play with them and stay busy for a while. 

Sam's clean up effort involved his toy snow plow, which was great until the grits turned into sand that was supposed to spread on the road, and then I found it spread all over the kitchen and trailing into the dining room.

This was something like "Phhfllttt.." look what happened, mom.

Clean-up crew.

Kind of like a sensory table, on the floor.

If you can't beat them, join them.  I finally opened a beer and sat down with them.