Snowcalypse 2011

Tuesday morning we woke up to a blanket of sleet and ice on the ground. It was a couple of inches thick in some places.



The white ground always makes things look more clean and peaceful.



Apparently some critter was snuggled by our front door to stay warm. The kids loved seeing the tracks leading away from the door.



Every year I buy snow suits and boots for the kids. We only get snow a couple of times a year but when we do I want them to be able to play in it until their hearts content, not just until their lips are purple. I usually get their snowsuits used from ebay for about $15-$25 each. It's a little pricey for something that's used only a few times a year but since I never got snow when I was growing up, I want them to be able to appreciate such a beautiful treat whenever we get it.

But today, even with their snowsuits and snow boots on, it was still cold. They ran around on the icy ground but there wasn't much snow to build a snowman or snowballs with. Just lots of ice.



We decided to get a little artsy. I put some food color and water in some spray bottles and let the kids squirt the snow with different colors.



The spray bottle handle was a little hard for Rachel to squeeze so I made her some squirt bottles with colored water. She dribbles her colored water all over the ice, and her boots!



The squirt bottles were easier to use and they made a great writing tool.





Since Tuesday, the temperature has remained in the teens and has dropped as low as zero degrees with wind chill of -10.

Unfortunately, the ground is mostly covered with ice, not soft snow that is fun to play with.

So what's a fun-loving kid to do?

Put on ice skates and go skating down the street!



And play with icicles a plenty. Nicholas loves icicles. This was a little icicle shower on a bush under the roofline. It looked really cool.



Here's a curved icicle. I've never seen one like that.







Stuart cut out a block of the ice on the ground from the side of our house to show us just how thick it was. That's a really thick layer of ice!



Last night I was walking around outside and slipped on the driveway. It seemed like slow motion and I was aware that I was going down so I had time to try to slow down my fall. Unfortunately, my head still hit the concrete with a thud and I lay there for a moment trying to refocus. I was able to get myself up and, except for a small lump on the back of my head complete with a headache and a little scratch, I was fine.

Today is Friday. DFW has essentially been shut down since Tuesday morning. Stuart's work has been closed. All school districts have been closed. There is ice all over the roads and with the freezing temps, it has just remained. The streets are dangerous so everyone is staying indoors. Fortunately I stocked up on food Monday night but we are running out of milk and a few other things. I'm glad the weekend will be warmer.

But for today, we will remain shut-ins for day number 4. At least this morning we woke up to real snow. Three inches to be exact!



Snow is so beautiful.









It's still really cold but at least we can play in the snow!



My snow babies look so cute all bundled up in their snow suits!





C'mon pool pump! Don't fail us now! Our pool pump runs non-stop during freezing temps to keep the water flowing so it can't freeze the pipes. This poor pump had been working overtime and I can't help but peek out the window every now and then to make sure there is still movement in the pool water. Thank you, pool pump, for all of your hard work!



Of course, we had to make a few snow angels!





Even some toys had to come out and play in the soft, fluffy snow! This cool dude has a snowmobile so you know he had a lot of fun out there.




Here's our roofline that made the cool icicle shower on the bush below earlier this week. Apparently we have a drainage problem here because the water just flows right over the edge or, in this case, huddles here and turns to ice. I don't know if you can see it well in this picture but the ice has actually bent the gutter out some from all of its weight.



It's fun to go squishing through the fluffy snow and see how far it comes up your leg. Fortunately we've all got boots to keep our tootsies warm and dry.



Daddy and I didn't play in the snow as much as the kids but we still love the fun it brings.



But as much as we've enjoyed the beautiful snow and ice and we have treasured the isolated time at home with our family, we also can't wait to see the sun again and break free from the icy confinement of Snowcalypse 2011.

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