Snowiest January on Record

The forcast said another 6-12 inches - but NO - we got ANOTHER 16 inches from storm Denis!!!Still wish I could remember the "C" storm's name . . .Our driveway was perfectly clear before we took this yard stick out to measure.

The kids are loving it! Making forts that are acutally deep enough to duck behind,

They have made a series of roads in our yard leading from fort to fort.

This is the snow bank at Angel Trace, we have been trying to remember if the stop sign was always as high as the road sign posts or if they raised it . . . not sure.


More fort building (using the sleds they got from Santa as shovels) . . .

Starting to make those roads - they just walked back and forth for a while, then shoveled out snow to make them.

Trying to stay away from Dad and the snow blower . . .

All around the mulberry bush (or rose of sharon) remember the post last summer with the robin eggs? Same tree.

Looking down our road.

Driveway starting to get cleared out.

Looking out the window at the back yard. This is our cherry tree - closest to the camera, above our rock wall that you can't see for the snow - it's almost leveled out it's so deep. The apple tree with the kids' homemade swing in it is next - you can't see the swing but you can see the ropes hanging down if you look closely, and the real mulberry tree close to the road which you also can't see - but you can see the bank of plowed snow across the street. It's amazing how deep this is - everything is buried!

The rose of sharon and our mailbox before the kids got out there. That's it for January - it was history making. I hope the kids remember it.

Guess what? The forcast calls for more significant snow this Tuesday and Wednesday - Here comes February! Bring it on!!!

Just amazing!

Oops! I almost forgot Becca's car - I told you it would be covered - well, it's almost gone. After we finish shoveling it will be.

Alaina's Sewing Up a Storm!

In all our stormy-mess Alaina has been keeping herself busy. She's made three pillows (done before the new year actually), three pillow cases, and two blankets for the dolls in our house. She's working on a dress and another blanket too. She's amazing! Making the pillows

The paper under the pillows was a genius idea from our friend Wendy Tibbitts - it was a practice sheet for Laina - we did a couple of pages of straight lines for her to follow on the machine without thread and one squiggly line page - it got her used to the machine pretty quickly.

She wanted to put a heart on this blanket - so she pinned a heart shape and followed the pins as she sewed it on.

Pillow inside it's case.

Pillows and one blanket inside the doll beds. I need to get some foam so she can make them mattresses, they are sleeping right on the wood for now.

funny how it seems mean to make them sleep on hard beds . . .

I never did like dolls - they're just too real looking and that makes them a little too demanding doesn't it?

Snow, Snow, Everywhere and Not a Stop in Sight

This was after our first post Christmas storm - AdrianneNext came Benedict with about 24 inches

Then we had a few inches, plus 1/2 in of ice, then 6-8 inches more in a series of storms ending with the 'C' storm (I don't remember which 'C' name it was . . .)

And another four inches today - AND they are saying we'll get 6-12 inches more tomorrow night!!!! Rebecca's car will be totally buried after that! The kids have missed 4 days of school this month with cancellations, one early release, two delayed openings - and they don't build in snow days here so they add one day onto the end of the year for each cancelation and one for each set of 4 delays/early releases to the end of the year! It's only January! We sometimes get snow until April! We're going to be in school until July!

At least she'll be able to play with the car by then . . .

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

We got so much snow today!! I loved it - the kids loved it - Gregg loved it - until he spent all day long getting rid of it. Then he said "let it stop!"

I think I remember some photos of the snow here this deep when Gregg was a kid

but we haven't seen this much since we've lived here together - it's pretty amazing.

Yard stick that Garrett used to measure it when we opened the door.



Gregg opening the garage door to get out the snow blower - it's up past his knees.



Our mailbox was almost covered -
remember this - later in the post there is a summer photo of the mailbox.

This is our arch buried almost halfway up -

below is the arch behind Kathryn in the summer time. . .

The kids had lots of fun, but had to work hard to clear some out too.

We shovelled out that corner so it wouldn't all melt against the house,

Then they climbed on it and dug short snow tunnels in it . . .

Rebecca found her car and tried to get in it

Our mailbox in the summer above and today

So much fun!

The drift in front of our door before our hero - Gregg - got out and started working on the driveway. Like I mentioned before - He was out in this for hours today.

Rebecca standing next to the drift in the door, there's a step up into the house - of course - so it was really almost as tall as she was. She sunk into the snow up to her chest a few times while she was playing in it.

Another just outside our door before Gregg fixed it.

The cars from the house side. What a day! The kids were home of course - but they will be home tomorrow too even though it's all done snowing now -

still have to clean up the mess on the roads, our road still has some good drifts in it.

Swim lessons in the middle of winter

Gregg and I broke down and joined our local YMCA. The main reason was to challenge each other to get back in shape :) but the little girls got swim lessons out of it too - Becca at the wall

Alaina kicking across the pool

Trying to hide from the camera by ducking under - I got her as she popped up.

Becca scooping the water - they had fun!

December Wrap Up

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!! We are so blessed and had such a nice Christmas this year. I'm sad that it's over, the music that fills our home and the cars with the Spirit has to go away, the nativity sets that remind me of how much Heavenly Father loves us have to go away, and I'm faced again with the Challenge of keeping Christ in my everyday life without all the Merry, Joyful reminders of this wonderful season.

Still, my heart is grateful and I'll have fun choosing something from our decorations to keep up all year. It's ususally something small that only I notice - but it helps me remember and Honor Christmas all year!!! My favorite - our Willow Tree nativity - I love how Mary is cradling Jesus and I love the shepherds. The original set comes with one shepherd and sheep - I love that they came with haste to see the things the angels told them to find.

Some other nativities we like to display.

Our matching stockings! Yea!! Finally all 6 are done!

Clay things that the kids made with Grandma and Grandpa McDaniel's gift . . . Thought you'd like to see these Mom!

The rest are very out of order photos - but here are the Merry Christmas happenings we enjoyed this year:

Christmas Eve dinner with Grammy and Grandpa and neighbor, Debbie - Cornish game hens :)

Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters :)

Alaina and Rebecca on the last day of school before the break - Christmas Eve Eve

Playing in our snow two days after Christmas. It was a blizzard, but we only got about six inches. The blizzard part was the wind which was wicked and made lots of deep drifts and dry patches of ground too . . . The kids loved it after the wind stopped and they got to go play in it.

Snow fortress and the grass at the back of the garage.

The wind blew up our back yard most of the two days before, so lots of snow ended up in our front yard and driveway - fun for Gregg.

Emory and Alaina at their piano recital - about two weeks before Christmas - she had fun and Chiara, her teacher, made it beautiful! Flowers and fancy programs and fun food and even a Family Home Evening lesson . . .

Waiting to come downstairs on Christmas morning - they are so good!

They played the piano and sang Christmas songs to wake us up :)

Alaina checks everything out -

Kathryn didn't ask for much - but this was one of the things she wanted. She also got a phone this year - I can't believe she's so 12!

This is Alaina's big gift - a sewing machine. She's been sewing up a storm with it.

Garrett's iPod :)

Rebecca's new doll -

she named her Lucy and still holds her and puts her jammies on every night and clothes on every morning.

Lucy's bed - Alaina's Samantha and Nellie got bunkbeds too and the girls (Kat and Kit included)got two chests to put all the dolls clothes and accessories in.

Rebecca finally has a stocking that matches the rest of the family's stockings. I finished it about a week before Christmas - she loves it!

Merry Christmas!!!