More Snow Days

We've had an unusual amount of snow this winter. We haven't gotten a lot, but often times there has been a sheet of ice underneath the snow. Our city does not have snow plows so we have to wait for the sun to clear the roads for us. 

The kids love staying home from school and in their pajamas all day. They love playing in the snow, but even more than that, they love the hot chocolate when they come inside. 

Makena showed Kyle how to catch snowflakes on his tongue. 

They didn't last long outside. It was cold!

We woke up one morning and snow covered the ground. I think we got about 3"- 4" overnight. It was beautiful. By early afternoon it started melting and by nightfall it was all gone. Karis managed to make a little snowman before it all melted. The girls enjoyed snowball fighting with Daddy. I enjoyed watching it all from the comfort and warmth of our house!

Snow Days!

We had rain and freezing temperatures Sunday night. The school district closed school on Monday and Tuesday. The kids were excited to stay home, especially since Daddy was home too. They announced the closing Sunday night so Derek and I were able to sleep in a little. 

The kids loved spending the day together. The girls got to watch a movie with hot cocoa, Kyle took an afternoon nap (which hasn't been happening every day lately), and I made some cookies. 

Derek had a great idea to let the kids go sledding down our icy driveway. We found some plastic trays, bundled up the kids and sent them down the driveway. Needless to say, the girls LOVED it!

 

Kyle, on the other hand, didn't like it. He was scared going down and didn't even like it when he went down with Daddy. He went down twice and then was done. Later he said that next time we go "sliding" he would like it. 

Another highlight of the day was that the girls got to spend some one-on-one time with Daddy. Makena had a lunch date with Daddy. They took their lunches upstairs (a no-food zone) and ate by the fireplace and then watched a TV show. Karis wanted a date too, so she had dinner with Daddy upstairs. So cute! They were so excited to be able to hang out with Daddy upstairs.

On Tuesday, we invited our next door neighbors to play at our house. They have a 2-year old and a 4-year old girl. We are getting to know them as they moved into the neighborhood a few months ago.

 I thought for sure after two days at home, the kids would be ready to go back to school Wednesday morning. All three of them, uncharacteristically, did not want to go to school. We had a great two days together!

Recent Pics

Soon after Karis got better, Kyle caught the stomach flu. He is just getting better after battling it for about seven days. Derek got a sinus infection but is now better after a round of antibiotics. I now have a cold.  Good 'ole Makena is the only one who has stayed healthy through it all (tho today she sounds a little congested). 

I think the biggest adjustment for the kids so far is not being able to go outside to play. We've had to find other alternatives like Chik-fil-A, the mall's play area and our church's  indoor play structure. The other day we went to McDonald's. The kids loved the play structure that they had all to themselves on a rainy day.

The kids wanted to go back the next day. After running a couple errands, we had a picnic lunch in the car before going back to McDonald's (I couldn't feed my kids mystery nuggets two days in a row).  The girls thought a picnic in the van was the best thing ever!

We finally got a warm day last Friday so we headed to a park. It was huge and had lots of different stuff. The kids loved it all.  

  

  

On Tuesday, we were surprised to wake up to snow!  It snowed about an inch and then it melted away by the afternoon. The weather here is so crazy -- it's always changing!

After we dropped Karis off at preschool on that snowy day, the other two kiddos and I went to a grocery store. As we were walking to the van, Makena was calling out every place she saw snow. 

"Mommy, there's snow on the street." 

"Mommy, there's snow on the car." 

An older gentleman came out of the car and Makena said, "Mommy, there's snow on his head! There's snow on his head!" 

By this time, I was busy unloading the car and wasn't really paying attention to Makena. She kept repeating "There's snow on his head!"

I finally realized what she was saying and looked over to see a man with a short salt-and-pepper afro. He was just two parking spots away and definitely heard what Makena was saying. I was so embarrassed but as he walked away I was laughing so hard I could barely lift Makena out of the shopping cart. Sorry Sir, we're not from around here!  

Staycation Day 3 & 4

Day 3 was rainy so we just took the kids to Chik-fil-a for lunch. It was the usual chicken and waffle fries for lunch, a balloon and some play time in the indoor play area. We spent the rest of the day playing at home.

On Day 4, we went to Mt. Baldy to show the kids snow and to go sledding. We left around 11:30 am and got up the mountain in less than an hour and a half. It's one of the great things about living in southern california -- both the ocean and mountains are a hop, skip and a jump away.

It was bumper to bumper up the mountain and cars were parked everywhere. It was packed! Thankfully we found a small spot that had a place to park, so we pulled over and spent about an hour there.

We sled down a very tiny hill but it was perfect for the girls. They both loved it. When the sled came to a stop, Karis immediately said, "More" every time. Makena and I went down a few times and she was smiling and enjoying it too.

Yes, I am one of those mothers that bundles up their kids so much they can barely move.