Spring?

He waited all winter for snow... and it never came.  Two days into spring through we awoke to this...

 

Confusion in the seasons is beautiful!

Ace wanted to build a snowman all winter and the snow this spring was perfect for it!

Dad stayed home from work for a while to play in the snow too!

After lots of fun it's time for warm oatmeal and hot apple cider!

Happy Spring, everyone!

Snow Beauty

Our little Snow Beauty sitting outside enjoying some March snowfall.

To see other enteries in Beautiful B&W...

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

It began on Saturday at Mae's party and more or less has just kept on coming.   Any time now it is 'supposed to stop' and turn to freezing rain, followed by the regular kind of rain and wash away our winter wonderland, but in the meantime,  we are enjoying it!

First thing Sunday morning we stripped down to our underwear for our traditional deck dive, which once again Grammie was present to enjoy our antics.  Ace was so excited to participate - in fact the second it started snowing on Saturday he wanted to go out and deck dive!  Pop Pop would be so proud!

After that festive wake up we went out to breakfast and then came home and after naptime went out to play, this time all bundled up and had a great time!  Mae enjoyed it a little bit, but mostly was a spectator.  She had 'boots' fashioned out of ziplock bags.   Ace and his dad had a great time having snowball fights with the other kids.   Later Loving Husband and Ace built a staircase/snowman.  It was a good time had by all.

While brother napped, Mae went onto the porch to explore a little

Grammie and Loving Husband had a short snowball fight...

Note Mae's 'boots' :) They worked really well!

Monday rolled around and the related males in this family took to upping the anti on the traditional deck dive.   It began with Loving Husband deciding to roll across the snowy backyard and film it - the 53 second video ended with "Your move old man"

Later that day we were provided with an email and a link to a 2 minute and 53 second video to the tune of 'Eye of the Tiger' that opened with "Flawless Victory.  Age and Treachery, my Dear Boy, Age and Treachery."    Enjoy these screen shots, what isn't show is Pop Pop doing the backstroke in the snow across the yard, Gran wheeling a wheelbarrow across the yard full of snow and dumping it on him and a refusal to get into the hot tub.  

Of course something MUST be done to out do this... and so much thought and pondering and choreographing was set into motion.... below are a few screenshots of that madness (yes that is my husband pouring ice cold water on himself and yes that is me turning the hose on him, hehe)... although if you really want to see the whole thing - venture here.   The kids waited patiently nearby and Ace waited for his cue to go for his part in the excitement.     At the moment there has not been a response.... but I have no doubt one is coming. 

So we've stayed busy this week with the snow.  Thankfully we have a vehicle that allows us to get around the area and not be totally snowed in.  I personally am not driving it - because I don't trust the greater populous to handle the roads.     The kids enjoy going out and running around in the near FOOT of snow that we now have on the ground and in theory it is all going to start washing away in the next day or so when the rains come.  We shall see - in the meantime - we're enjoying it, knowing it won't last forever!

Snowy Days

This week has seen all sorts of weather from sunny and 45' to snowy and below freezing. We here have enjoyed watching the weather unfold from inside our toasty home - but we decided to venture out one morning to enjoy the freshly fallen fun for a bit. :) Mae got to experience snow for the first time sleep through going out in the frigid temperatures bundled up so tightly that she wished there was a fan on her! Technically this was the second snow of Mae's life - the first night she was home it snowed over 5" but by the time we awoke it was pouring so there was no going out to experience it. However, this snow stuck around a bit longer and so we were able to enjoy it.


Ace and Mae got all bundled up and I fit back into my regular snow jacket (yipee!) and we headed out. Ace was excited to tell sister that 'this is snow sister'' and showed it to her - then scampered off to go stop in the sloshiness that was melting on the patio. A few family photos and then he was off to play and Mae in her bouncy chair enjoyed the brisk air on her face for a few more minutes.


We spent thirty minutes playing around (Mae got tucked back inside for most of that) and then we all headed in to thaw.

Welcome Home, Mae!

With snow still looming over our commute home, we got on the freeway in rush hour traffic. Thankfully there was no snow and surprisingly not too much traffic either for 5pm. Mae did great in the car, Ace loved having his sister in the back seat and mom sitting in the middle... and impressive feat considering we have a simple 4-door sedan. Ace wanted to be able to touch sister, but he's not quite long enough. Mae was cozy and content in her heirloom blanket and hat made by my grandmother. The same one Ace was wrapped in when he came home, the same that I and my brother were wrapped in when we came home, and the same that my mom and uncle were wrapped in when they came home. It was nice to carry on that tradition.

We arrived home and headed inside. Ace spotted some goodies that Vanessa had left for us after feeding our kitties the day before (thanks, girlie!) some beautiful flowers and the newspaper from the day of her birth. We then proceeded to introduce Mae to our kitties. They seemed interested that there was again another little person in the room - but by no means did they bold when she squealed. The first time Ace cried when we brought him home sent the cats bolting in escape... they've since been accustomed to loud noises from smaller people. :)



We then enjoyed dinner and allowed Ace to play some for a bit before starting the bedtime routine. Little lady got to enjoy her swing for the first time (not on, just a cozy seat) while both mom and dad participated in the bed time routine. Helping to ensure that Ace still felt like a priority. He went to sleep well and aside from a few in-sleep fusses slept through the night without issue.

Loving Husband headed to bed and stayed up with Mae who was still awake a little. A little after 8 she fell asleep after nursing and we headed up to bed around 9. We slept from 9-11:30 before she woke again and was wide awake - a little mixed up I'd say - she'd dose off, but then wake back up wanting more milk... which hadn't quite come in yet. We finally got back into some solid sleep around 5:30. Loving Husband took Ace who had woken at 7:40 and took him downstairs. We woke at 9am to a good ol' fashion blowout. Through the diaper the cozy (thick) pjs and onto her waterproof pad. Impressive, little girl!

Overall a good first night. Mae didn't really fuss or cry. She wasn't a fan of diaper changes in the night - but mostly because of cold hands and wipes - and she calms right down if you talk to her. Mae's first night at home and the snow fell. 5" of snow that finally fell... which was beautiful, but by the time we woke it was windy and raining and melting away all of that snow. So while Mae's first official snow has occurred, she never saw it, so I'd say it didn't really count. Heck mom didn't even get a picture of it - so it really doesn't count. ;-)

2010 in Pictures

The Wonder of Snow

On Monday the snow started coming down around 8am. Loving Husband decided then that he wasn't going to brave the freeway into work and that he'd just dial in from home. A smart move considering how ill equipped our state and drivers are with maneuvering through the snow. If he had made it in - he might not have made it home. We knew some people whose 30 minute commutes were 3 hours. Luckily we stayed inside bundled up and watched the snow come down.

Thankfully we had made the decision to get new tires last week. The previous set on there was pushing 60,000 miles and they were nearly 5 years old. We had been told a time or two that they needed to be replaced, so they would have been in no condition to have braved the snowy roads. However, our brand new tires were happy to test the roads and so before the snow got too bad, Loving Husband headed out and got some essentials from the grocery store... plus some donuts for good measure. He snapped a shot on the way back.

As the day pressed on so did the snow off and on. It came down relatively lightly but steady for a few hours in the afternoon and again in the evening. Ace was getting quite the cabin fever - so after his nap in 24' weather that felt like 15' a boy and his dad went for a walk to the mailbox. Ace was bundled up with massive layering. His father... not so much.


The boys enjoyed a short walk and then came back in to get cozy and warm. Overall a successful trip. We all enjoyed dinner and then Ace headed off to bed. I sat by the fire and watched Dancing with the Stars 'with' my mom and enjoyed watching more snow fall. It was a nice cozy Monday... even if I was feeling pretty sick and icky with a new unfun cough.

Tuesday began at 3:30am with Ace being sick. However after about 7am he was in great spirits and we enjoyed the beautiful 'artwork' that the snow and sun provided. Again Loving Husband stayed home and we had a nice low key - catch up on sleep day. Except for the interruption of the family tradition of the 'deck dive' - Ace's inaugural year. Yes, our two year old (who had spent the middle of the night being sick) joined us in the 'deck dive.' The what?! As you recall two years ago we did this. Since I'm pregnant this year I was not forced to lie down in the snow, so I merely plopped down (yes in my underwear) and got up again. Ace in his diaper sat down as well... only Loving Husband went all out and laid in the snow.

Tuesday's sunset was beautiful over the snow. Ace continued to feel better as the evening progressed and had a good appetite. The evening was nice and low key.

Overall the first 'real' snow of the season was not so bad for us. We got to enjoy the beauty, the cold, and the silliness that comes with it and our house did not lose power! :)

First Snow of 2010

in November! Quite bizarre that is for sure - Thanksgiving hasn't even occurred yet and still this past Sunday we were greeted with our first dusting of snow ... fancy that the weather man got it right for once! The snow that fell on Sunday was relatively wet and didn't stick at all. If you recall, Loving Husband even mowed the lawn during some of it's falling.

After Ace watched his dad out there for so long, he just couldn't hold off any longer - and so we suited up and headed out to play in the snow. Which really wasn't a lot. Ace really wants to make a snowman with a carrot nose (a very specific request. Alas this first snow was not enough to accomplish that task.) He instead for fun he ran around, helped dad rake some leaves, and sampled the snow. :)





We had a nice time watching him run around for a little while, before we went back inside to get warm. Although not without a little protest from my boy whom loves the outdoors - regardless of temperature. It was a fun afternoon - and just a taste of what was to come on Monday morning!

Mowing Snow

Mowing what?! Yes, you see our lawn got pretty jungle-y in September and October due to Loving Husband working so much (and I certainly wasn't going to mow it in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy!) So Loving Husband has taken every opportunity of dryness (which are few and far between these day) and 'free' time to get in another few rows of mowing the lawn. We have a pretty decent size yard so it is time consuming.... but when he said on Sunday he was going to go mow, I told him he was crazy! Why? Well watch...