You Don't See That Every Day

One of the things I love about my husband is his interest in the weather. He enjoys tracking the weather and keeping me updated on what's coming. It's a pretty important factor in a farmer's life too.  snow dusting a few weeks ago   So last week he started sharing the news of the coming snow. 6 inches, no 12, no, now they're predicting 17 inches of snow in our corner of the world. Definitely not something you see every day around here. I don't think we've had that much snow on the valley floor since the 1960s.  And I admit, I'm kind of excited about it. Yes, it will put a dent in plans for a four day weekend, but life is all about being able to change, adapt and overcome.  And spring is right around the corner!  

Spring is coming! I know its only January but I can see the daylight growing earlier and longer each day, offering hope of time outside not shivering. Our holiday break is over and we are back to the routine. Which is a good thing! The first day back to school was a lot easier for us than the second. We were up and going on time, with the only fussiness when it came time to do math. One child has a little problem with wanting to DO math. She's very good at it, and when she is in the right attitude, she can fly through it. The second day ... well, at 9am and I was just starting to eat breakfast, instead of starting school. And now that we are in week 2, well, I'm dreaming again about break time But about our break .. We packed it in this time. It felt like it to me even if the kids might not agree. The week before Christmas we took off from homeschool, although the older kids still had class at away-school. Choir concerts, singing at the Capitol, dentist and ortho appo...

How do you deal with disappointment? When you're six, crying is usually tolerated. Last weekend we got another round of snow, lots of it; so much that everything was canceled. We had family from out of state arrive on Friday night. We were looking forward to basketball games and swim meets, sharing our lives with our visitors. Then cancellations started trickling in. And all of our plans were wiped out. Little K had been so excited to have her very first basketball game and to have her cousins there to watch. When you've been dragged to numerous games and meets for older siblings, having someone special there to come to your game .... Well it's enough to send a 6 year old into a near frenzy. Alas, it was not to be. So we readjusted, relaxed and spent plenty of time inside playing while the snow blew outside. This last weekend we had a number of plans too. Our lives are busy, so nearly every day has plenty in it. But once again, disappointment visited our house. The f...

The first snow day of the season was back in December and there was much rejoicing in our household and up and down the neighborhood. Kids bundled up and went outside to play for hours. Cold fingers and empty tummies drove them back inside, and then after a quick lunch and warm-up they were back out there. We parents snapped a bazillion photos of the kids in their snowsuits flying down the hill in their cute winterized outfits, on sleds, throwing snowballs, eating (clean) snow. We relished the peaceful quiet that snow brings - slowing down our days, with no where to go, and no hurry-up, we relaxed and enjoyed the day. And then the second snow storm hit a few weeks later. My kids played outside for about an hour. No one wanted to go for a walk with me in the snow. Thankfully my visiting sister-in-law was up for it. She's from snow country - Wyoming/Colorado -  so snow wasn't any reason to stay stuck inside. Our days came to a standstill however; meets and games were cancelle...

The week started out like any other, the two older kids off to school, one with the sniffles. The other 3 at home, doing school and such. And then Tuesday's weather got the kids all excited. We had some snowflakes! None that stuck, but the 3 at home had a heyday playing out in the snow, dreaming of what could be. And because it was such a fun thing happening outside, we decided to have a fun picnic inside, under the table. Two days later here is what the deck looked like in the morning. Schools were cancelled due to the impending snow storm, and when the flakes finally started to fall Thursday morning, all 5 kids went out and played in the snow. And it kept coming.  The next morning we looked out to this:  --a lot more snow, which meant a lot more sledding possibilities. Unfortunately, the sled didn't go down the hill as well as they wanted, but they all still had a great time in the plethora of snow. Not something we see everyday around here.

I've finally dug out from under the mountain of laundry and found time to tell our tale The mountain, minus one load 4 states in 1 day of a two day road trip. 2100 miles. 5 children, 2 adults, and only 1 minor meltdown. Burger King and Denny's - more than once. Lots of snow, lots of love and cousins. It was a beautiful Christmas vacation. sledding! And yet, there is so much more to say. We saw God's hand on us in many ways. We originally rented a van to haul all of us and our gear to Wyoming. When we went to pick up the van, the rental agency said they didn't have one... but had a Ford Expedition instead. I thought at first, it would be too small. And yes, it was a little tight. But that just meant we had to pack lighter and that meant less to lose along the way. It also meant 4 wheel drive. Which we needed the first night, and the second night of traveling. We hit snow in Spokane and again in Billings. Driving in blowing snow, when the temps ou...

Winter made it to our part of the world yesterday. It came in and blanketed our area with snow and ice. This translates to FUN for my children. School wasn't cancelled but it was pretty light towards the end of the day with intermissions of snow ball fights between classes. The other 3 girls at home went out as soon as they could and played until I forced them inside to warm up a little. They were all back at there again this morning, along with a family friend, to play at the nearby school yard. We are now warm and cozy in our house playing card games, baking yummy snacks, listening to Christmas music. Later today I will put the kids to work cleaning up so we can decorate a little. Yep, I have hardly any Christmas decorations out. We did put up some outdoor lights, and a special table-piece. I don't think we are getting a tree this year. Gasp. Yes, there is a good reason for it, I just can't go into it here on this blog.   So we will enjoy this spec...

 Really? It's March? I couldn't tell it was the beginning of spring break! The snow startled us on Wed morning. But the boy still had school. The girls went out and played in the morning (until the broken shoulder episode) One came in to warm up. By Wed night the snow had been falling all day, and was starting to stick when we got home from church. The Boy went out to play before bedtime. Anything to wear him out! This morning we woke up to even more snow, and cancelled school. The dogs had great fun chasing the snowballs we threw for them, that somehow disappeared as the dog sniffed for it! Some of the kids went out to play in the snow while it was here. The sun came out mid-morning and started melting the snow. We watched a movie today - a nice change for a daytime - called The Mighty Macs. It was an interesting story about a Catholic college girls basketball team. And then the doorbell rang; and these arrived at our ho...