Snowmageddon

The name seems to have stuck, so I'll go ahead and use it in my title. Yes, we had about 9-10 inches of snow this week! The most we've seen since 1987, apparently. I remember the snow of 1987, but being just a kid, I didn't really care how much snow we got, just that we got to play outside and enjoy it.

Because the prediction came so early, and schools and businesses were trying to be proactive and prepare for the worst after what happened in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago, we knew the kids' school and the library would be closed on Wednesday which meant the kids and I would be home. David's office has him either take a personal day or work from home on snow days, so he would be home. He never really gets much done when the kids and I are there, so I decided to pack the kids up and take them to my sister's house before the storm hit. JD was out of town, so my mom was coming to Erin's also.

I was there with my kids, Erin's family of four and my mom; Ame, Harry and Becky braved the trip in Harry's hummer and came over on Wednesday and Thursday; JD got there on Thursday afternoon. It was a houseful!

I brought a few food items from home to help feed the crew, she used some supplies she had on hand and ran by the grocery store on her way home from work, so we were able to whip up some tasty treats for the 8-12 of us that were in her house at one time or another. We made cookies, taco soup, chicken stew, cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, and lots of sandwiches. Plus, snow cream, of course. :)

Since Erin and her family live in the country, there were lots of hills for the kids to sled down, lots of land for which to walk around, make snowmen, and have snowball fights. Nathan tied the sleds to the four-wheeler and pulled the three big kids over to his parents house for hot chocolate, apple cider and homemade fried pies. The rest of us trudged through the snow to their house, only about 100 yards away. We had such a fun time!

My sister is also much better prepared for cold weather than I am. She had ski bibs and snow boots that her kids had outgrown. My kids didn't have much at all, so I was thankful that she had some things for them to wear. They have a wood stove in their basement to keep things warmer, plus a great place for us to leave our wet snow gear to dry quickly. We also enjoyed a nice warm fire in their living room each day. She had plenty of bedrooms (though Amelia Jayne enjoyed her first experience in a sleeping bag) and the kid had a ball with each other.

It was great fun being at my sister's. The only downside was that my hubby was home by himself. He was able to work all three days we were at Erin's but we sure missed him. And I think he missed us, too!

I guess the other two not-cool things were when Kaitlyn dislocated her ankle while sledding (lucky Harry is an ER doctor and Nathan is an EMT!!) and I got stuck in the snow (or, really the thick layer of ice under the snow) trying to pull out of the driveway. My mom and I were the only ones left at the house by then, but she and I got it unstuck. Girl power!!

The snow was great fun, but I won't mind if spring is right around the corner. :)

First sleeping bag experience. 

Tuckered out from all the fun in the snow.

We missed Daddy...

Videos to come...