Snow Cute

Today brought yet another foot of snow and yet another snow day for Mairead and Dave. Mairead has gone to school a total of seven days this MONTH! We are happy to have Daddy home with us, though, and thankful that he shovels us out of this white stuff every time.

For the first time this winter, we were able to really get out and enjoy the snow. Usually it is either snowing too hard or is too cold for the kids to go out. And, we really need nice paths to walk in since the snow is definitely over the boys' heads at this point and too deep for Mairead (or a grown up!) to walk in.

They loved it. Mairead was so excited to make a snow angel. She usually practices on the bed in the nursery. There is a fluffy white comforter on that bed and she will lie on top of it, close her eyes, and say, "Look! I making snow angel!" Very cute-- but even more fun in real snow!



Who is this child? Seriously. I can't believe how old she looks here. She is three and a half now and time is going so fast. I need her to slow down just a little bit!


The boys had a lot of fun exploring. Because the snow is so high, the paths made by the snowblowers are like a little maze for them to run through. They can hardly see over the edges! There was a lot of slipping and falling, but they were really great about it and got right back up again. Fyi, Jack has a red and gray hat and Ben a blue one.

Nana taught Mairead how to make a snowball and have a snowball fight. Funny, I don't have any childhood memories of her encouraging us to throw snow at our siblings...

After we were nice warm inside, Brian came over and there was more excitement. Due to all the snow buildup on the roof we have some major ice issues, so Brian broke it up and shoveled the roof.

Are you appreciating this? Brian was ON the ROOF. Right outside the windows. And he had a shovel. His niece and nephews thought it was pretty awesome.

After Brian left, Jack was crying and saying, "Brian? Brian?" He didn't want him to go!

Other excitement today included the snowblower breaking right when Dave was at the toughest part of the driveway, and a major water main break that has left us without water now for the last 17 hours. They expect us to have water sometime late tonight, so we really hope that happens. It is not easy to get through the day with three kids and no running water. I can't even tell you how grossed out I am about not properly washing dishes, hands, etc. I have been bringing in snow, boiling it, and using that to wash hands, brush teeth, etc, and we have a ton of bottled water for drinking. And I am using sanitizing hand wipes on everyone every two seconds. I am also melting snow (since we literally have tons of it) to keep refilling the toilets so we can at least use those. Baths and showers, though, are not happening. So disgusting. And, I use water for lots of distractions. Lately, the kids have been having a bath pretty much every day just to keep them busy. I throw all three in the tub with some foam soap, some toys, etc, and they play in there until the water gets cold and they are forced out. Not today! Messy activities are out, too, since I can't wash them completely, and we definitely did NOT have spaghetti for dinner. I really hope it comes back soon!

The kids have been really great about being trapped in the house so much. I do try to break up the day with different activities, but it's not always easy. They find ways to keep busy, though. Often, it involves running laps on the first floor. Today they were running around and Ben yelled, "Jack! Are you, Jack?" Jack responded, "I coming!" and when they found each other, Ben said, "There you are, Jack!" I mean, how incredibly cute is that?

They even spent some time working on a coloring book together. One would color a bit and say, "There!" and then lean back while the other colored for a minute. It was really nice to see them sharing and playing together.

Mediation is definitely a go for Monday morning. When I think about it, I pretty much feel like I am going to throw up because I am so anxious about it. I am trying not to get my hopes up since the school department has been so resistant to offering any kind of meaningful support, but I just can't help but hope and pray that this is finally it and they will actually concede. Not sure how I am going to sleep between now and then, but at least it is coming up quickly and I don't have too long to stress about it.

Hope you all managed to dig out safely-- stay warm!