Icepocalypse 2013

We woke this morning to find that we are in the midst of the Icepocalypse of 2013!

It has been sleeting since last night.  It was weird hearing the little taps on the window all night.  We tried to tell the kids it wasn't like snow and not something to really play in.  But next thing you know, they were all geared up and ready to go!

The raingutter next to our front door has a leak in it so water dripped out of it all night making for some really cool icicles on the plant below.

Ice in the yard?  Must. Eat. It.

The bushes are all weighted down and drooping from the weight of the ice.

Everything glistens in the light.  It is magical to see!

Drips of water froze solid during the night.

Rachel found a giant icicle!

The bushes look pretty in their blanket of ice but it was weird to feel the leave crunch when we touched them.

Little icicles can be found everywhere!

Here's a video of Rachel hopping on the ice in our front yard. It was really neat because when you first step on it, it just feels hard then instead of sinking into it like you would with snow, the ice just kind of breaks and you fall through to the grass below.


They soon discovered that there was some water running along the edges of the street into the big drain.  That had to be investigated!

This ice was smooth on the top but melted and slushy underneath = wet feet and hands!

Here's a video of the two of them bouncing on the slushy ice trying to break it.

We ventured to the back yard and found a lot more icicles!

I love the beautiful fall colored leaves with the branches enveloped in ice!  So pretty!

Nicholas chipped away at a layer of ice on their sandbox. Wow that is thick!

More shimmering beauty...

Rachel and I studied some oak leaves.  They had a thin layer of ice on them.

We were able to peel away the leaf and had a perfect ice leaf complete with veins and all!

Beautiful iced Holly berries.  What a perfect contrast to the white all around.

I still can't get over how every single branch and leaf has a layer of ice on it.

It's just breathtaking!

Nicholas found the icicle of all icicles.  He of course called it his Icicle Sword.  What a boy!

It is still sleeting at times.  We've had lots of coffee and hot chocolate today.

After a brief break inside to warm up, Stuart bundled up the kids again and took them for a walk down to the playground and wooded area to check out some more wintery scenes.

What a beautiful day it has been.  The temperatures are supposed to drop into the teens tonight so this stuff isn't going anywhere anytime soon.  Stay warm and safe.