We've Been Hit

We're hanging on through yet another winter storm this weekend.  Extreme cold, tons of lake effect snow and very windy conditions make for a very drifted landscape that even Daddy has given up on trying to clear away for the time being.  Looks like we'll be staying home today!  

The past week has been one of "lock down" mode around our house as the flu hit last Saturday night with Alex and passed through the whole family.  Alex spent all of Sunday sleeping and much of Monday trying to get back on his feet.  Monday afternoon the girls got hit with fevers, vomiting, etc. and it was all I could do to keep up with the laundry.  Unfortunately, Tuesday it was my turn for the achy exhaustion that came with the flu.  We spent the week living on survival mode, barely leaving the house except for Alex to do some work.  Thankfully, we're mostly on the other side now, with only cold symptoms hanging on, seeming to stick with Alora the worst - and just in time for a planned weekend Birthday party :(

Prior to our week of sickness, which threw everything off, we did enjoy a week of quiet and "calm".  No shortage of creativity and imagination to be found, for sure...

 Our little artists were busy at work.  Ezri drew a picture of Daddy driving a car in the bathtub...

 And Alora added her signature to a wall...

We were able to get a little farther on the bathroom last Saturday morning, before the illness hit, and got some fresh paint on the walls as well as got the tub surround constructed.  With the storm raging outside today, we're hoping to get the tub secured in place and possibly start laying some flooring :)

A few more days and we'll be celebrating the first of three Birthdays to come in the early part of this year as Alora turns 2 on Tuesday!  Stay tuned for the celebration.

Surviving the Storm

We made it through the snow storm and frigid temperatures that came our way last Sunday.  Three more days of school closure after Christmas break were welcome for this Mommy as it meant I did not have to stand outside in the sub-zero temperatures to cross kids. 

We saw several days of endless snow, blowing and drifting, and very cold temperatures.  The results were a bit overwhelming.  

 The girls were excited to see how deep the snow was outside when we opened up the front door to take in the scenery.

 More icicles than we knew what to do with...

 And everything was buried!  The fence in the front yard was nearly covered

 The cold brought us some pretty frosted windows on the back porch, which was fun to look at with Ezri.

 While the snow continued to fall outside, the girls entertained themselves with a "rocket ship" and "space helmets" for several days.

 We took advantage of the snow and made snow ice cream as well.  Both girls got to help make it and enjoy eating it after dinner one night.

 We finally got a chance to get outside at the end of the week, as temperatures got warm enough (before everything started to melt and we saw mid 40's).  For over an hour, the girls explored the drifts and snow piles.

 While conditions were not right for making a snowman, which Ezri really wanted to do, we did get to do some sledding on the snow piles Mr. Barney (our neighbor) had plowed and make some snow angels.

 And plenty of opportunity to explore the snow.

I think we were all glad to get outside into the fresh air for such a stretch of time to burn some energy and play!

Happy New Year

We enjoyed a night of fun and laughs this past week as we celebrated the New Year on Tuesday night with our friends Andy, Scott and Dawn, Jay and Becci.  It was a  lot of fun to be able to laugh and enjoy one another's company for a while.  The girls slept through it all, thankfully :)

The remainder of the week brought lots of work for Alex to do.  The girls and I were able to have un-interrupted days together as I have not needed to work as crossing guard during the Christmas break for schools.  One of the afternoons, we indulged in a tea party complete with grape Koolaid "tea" and animal cookies for a snack.  The girls really enjoyed this and have continually asked to do it again since then.  This Mommy enjoyed it just as much as they did, I think, just to watch and listen to them :)

 In the past weeks, we have been making some more progress on our upstairs bathroom as well.  My Dad and Mom helped with the mudding, and once that was done, it was time for a little cleaning and paint.

 Ceilings completed with texture and paint and walls primed, we are now into the floor to complete the plumbing to the tub.  Alex has built a platform for the whirlpool tub and we have purchased necessary pieces to move forward with this - now we just need to find time, always the delaying factor.  Still, it is exciting to see the room taking more shape.

In the middle of a winter storm that is bringing near 0 degree temps with wind chills in the -20's and -30's, we are content to stay bundled up in the house today, thankful for another snow day which keeps me out of the cold.  Winter sure has not spared anything from us this year!