There is nothing better than a snow day! I think Lance was out of school for almost a week mid-February when we had about 10 inches of snow fall. Poor George was working nights in the Surgical ICU (which meant he walked 1.5 miles home the morning after the snow fell and then 1.5 miles back to the hospital that night in the deep snow before the roads were plowed enough to drive his car) so he missed most of the fun, but the boys and I tried to play as much as we could.
Lance was snowed-in at his dad's house doing things like playing StarCraft, sledding with the big neighborhood kids and snow-shoeing with his dad. While he was off clearly having no fun at all, Jude and Cole and I played around our apartment.
Lucky for us, our friends the Simmons played outside with us. It was fantastic having so many extra hands to help with the boys.
Lucky for us, our friends the Simmons played outside with us. It was fantastic having so many extra hands to help with the boys.
Sarah and Ellie:
Jude was determined to have fun and if you were watching, you'd think he was having the best time of his life.
Cole wasn't as thrilled. He wanted to play in the snow but he hated his gloves and hat. He did think the sled was awesome, though!
Me, Lily, Cole and Jude taking a run down the hill behind our apartment building.
This hill was pretty long! Sarah and Calvin were troopers and hiked the boys and the sled back up to the top several times for me.
Ellie and Calvin:
Poor Cole. He wanted to play so badly but the snow was too deep for him to walk in and he kept falling over and getting snow in his suit.
It reminded me of the little brother in "A Christmas Story" when he's so bundled with jackets and scarves he can't put his arms down and can't get up when he falls over.
Our friends the Christensens also came out to play. They brought out a laundry basket that worked surprisingly well!
Our friends the Christensens also came out to play. They brought out a laundry basket that worked surprisingly well!
Ellie was unimpressed.
Jude, however, thought it was awesome!
Trying to build a snowman with Cole. He kept asking to build one, but the snow wasn't sticking, so this was the best we got. He was happy with it anyway. :)
Jude decided the snowman's time had expired and helped Cole knock him over.
I couldn't tell if Jude's hair was wet from the snow or wet from sweating. He was having a grand time.
We called it quits after about an hour. That was enough snow for one day!
The next day (Valentine's Day) we bundled up again while George was sleeping and ventured outside to build a real snowman.
The next day (Valentine's Day) we bundled up again while George was sleeping and ventured outside to build a real snowman.
This is how far we got on this one--he actually had a face and arms for about 30 seconds before Jude and Cole started smacking the poor snowman with his own ripped-off arms.
The next day (February 15th), Lance finally made it home! It was really warm so we decided to make the most of the snow that was left and sled down the hill next to our apartment.
Funny story: Jude and Cole both brought out swords to use in the snow. They were having a ball cutting the half-igloo our friends made and the remainder of our snowman when from around the corner came our new upstairs neighbors. They don't speak of lick of english and I don't speak a lick of Chinese, so our interactions are mostly mimed. Her grandson saw the swords and wanted to play with one, so this grandma just takes the sword out of Jude's hands and gives it to her child. I was floored. I mean, who just takes away another kid's toy simply because your own child wants it? Jude was pretty upset and gets sniffly, so she gives it back at which her grandson starts to cry. So what does she do? She takes Cole's sword! Out of his hands! It's not like it was just laying on the ground and no one was playing with it. Now this is Cole's favorite possession. He literally sleeps with this sword, so you can imagine his reaction. If you're in any doubt as to how he handled it, just take a look at this picture:
I run inside and round up all our other swords and bring them out, but for some reason the little boy is fixated on Cole's sword. Finally after Cole cries for about five minutes, they give it back. Now their child is inconsolable, crying and can't be happy with any other toy or sword, so they soon give up and go inside. I felt bad that Jude and Cole couldn't share, but at the same time I was a little indignant that they thought it would be fine and dandy to just snatch the swords from the boys' hands and expect everything to go okay. Strange, right? This family really is very nice and always make efforts to talk to us and befriend us, so I'll just blame it on our language barrier and leave it at that.
Anyway, most of us had a great time sledding!
Anyway, most of us had a great time sledding!
George was finally done with nights and came out to have fun with us. It was so nice to have Daddy there!
Love it!
With the warm temperatures that came, the snow lasted about another few days and was gone. While it was fun to sled and play in the snow, I'm so ready for spring! I'm done trying to entertain the kids inside and I'm ready to turn off the TV/ computer and start spending hours outside. Come on, warm weather!
With the warm temperatures that came, the snow lasted about another few days and was gone. While it was fun to sled and play in the snow, I'm so ready for spring! I'm done trying to entertain the kids inside and I'm ready to turn off the TV/ computer and start spending hours outside. Come on, warm weather!
