Snow Days!

It's COLD, Mommy!!

She LOVES it though. 

 

"Stir Crazy" personified. These long winters drive us crazy. COME ON SPRING! We want to play outside!

Sometimes we contemplate shipping ourselves to somewhere with a warmer climate. 

A Peek At Our Winter, Part 1

Some snapshots from our winter so far!

My little diva/fashionista...

Who is now almost completely potty trained...

will hate me for these pics one day...

but they are too cute to not post!

More to come, and a winter blog revamp for fun! Happy holidays!

Brrrrr

We woke up to find snow on the ground this morning! Folklore suggests that a White Thanksgiving means a Green Christmas and vice versa. Does a White-Day-After-Thanksgiving also mean a Green Christmas? Either way, Audrey is ready for the snow in her pink snow boots. (Yes, the pic is extremely blurry. The combination of Audrey being in constant motion this morning me not being able to hold the phone still to save my life made for a hopelessly blurry pic. I took 5 more and this was the best one.)


The snow has already melted, but it is still very chilly outside. I look forward to a warmer day tomorrow and Sunday; mid 50's and mostly sunny! Yay for more days to take long walks outdoors!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Eric, Audrey and I had a WONDERFUL time with Kyle and Jen staying with us for most of this week! We love you guys!

Spring is in the air!

Finally. The last snow of winter is melting, the sun is shining brilliantly, little green shoots are coming up through the soil, and the smell of spring is in the air. Dawn transforms the night sky into a radiant sunrise, greeted by cheerful birds and a cool breeze. There is something that awakens in one's heart as spring is ushered in. The long, gloomy winter months are gone!

Spring can also bring things like rain, which magically transforms our backyard into what we not-so-affectionately call "The Lake":

But, Spring does make the snow melt. YAY! (cell phone quality picture ~ sorry)

In other news, Gabby & Sasha are the cutest puppies ever, and sneaky little pillow stealers.

Cell phone quality pictures again... gah!

I will post again soon as our birthing adventure draws near. 9 more days! Enjoy the beautiful day, Mid-Westerners!

The Blizzard of '08

For the first time since moving here in 2005, we were literally snowed in this weekend in what reporters called The Blizzard of '08. Dramatic, isn't it? :D From Friday afternoon to last night (Saturday), we got at least 1.5 feet. There were level 1 to level 3 snow emergencies throughout almost the whole state of Ohio ~ level 1 being to drive very cautiously, level 2 to not drive at all unless absolutely necessary, and level 3 allowing only emergency and road clearing crews to be on the roadways. Yesterday, our county was between a level 2 and 3 snow emergency. It was almost satisfying in a way. For two years I have been of the opinion that if it's going to snow, it should REALLY snow, so that we get to stay home from work or at least enjoy making snowmen and sledding out of doors. Finally my wish came true, and we got some REAL snow! We enjoyed a completely relaxing day of staying indoors, watching Heroes, playing computer games, and taking naps.

Here are some pictures I took this morning. The snow is really beautiful as it sparkles in the sunshine. Click for big versions.


The house after Eric skillfully used the snow blower to clear the driveway. The snow blower was a gift from one of our dear neighbors from across the street. Jo recently injured her shoulder and has been unable to use the blower to clear her own driveway, so she generously gave it to us. She is one smart lady though... give the snow blower to the strong, young guy across the street, who will gladly clear her driveway anytime it needs to be done! :D

The front walk and porch before I decided to shovel...


And after! The nurse practitioner at my OB's office told me that I should help Eric shovel the snow for exercise, so if I go into preterm labor I am totally blaming her.


I look rather pleased with myself after shoveling the 3 ft. snow drift off the front porch! Not bad for my first attempt at snow shoveling, ever.


Eric cleared the driveways of 3 of our neighbors, dear elderly ladies who would have had quite a rough time doing it themselves.


Eric coming after me with the snow blower. :)


The backyard

Sasha and Molly playing in the backyard


Gabby trudging through the snow toward me


Our neighbors dogs... the Huskies are beautiful and seem to be relatively good dogs, but I think the German Shepherd is possessed. He's horribly mean, aggressive, and barks nonstop while outside.


While we were watching Molly today, she found a bird in the backyard. It was alive and didn't seem to have any injuries, but we couldn't tell what was wrong with it. Eric put it in a safe spot up in a tree, where hopefully it would recover enough from it's shock to fly away. Or, at least die in a somewhat peaceful manner rather than being crushed by a well meaning Labrador.

Snowy Randomness

I was randomly thinking about snow today. I'm not sure why, because it's raining and will probably rain all night. However, I realized that I'm not as excited about snow as I was when first moving to the midwest. I really enjoy watching it snow. Taking pictures of it is also fun, and playing in it once in awhile is great too. I am fascinated with how it transforms the world into a clean, bright, and beautiful place. My overall reaction can for the most part be summed up in this comic called "The Middletons" that I saw in the paper today. :D

Puppy Love

Eric had fun playing with the dogs this weekend during our second snow of the year. I was only able to get a few shots.




The dogs love to have snowballs or handfuls of loose snow thrown at them, they try to dodge it or catch it. It's extremely entertaining to watch. Here is an action shot of Gabby trying to catch a snowball and a leaf in mid air, including my extra-professional-stealth-edits (click for large) ~


After we came inside, Gabby still wanted to play (surprise!!!), so I grabbed her favorite ball and teased her while I took pictures. Yes, I love my dogs. :) Her collar says, "Always Nice, Never Naughty", but we call her, "Always Nice, Always Naughty".

Sasha tries to get involved, but she mostly succeeds in just looking cute.

One more, simply because they are so incredibly cute.

First Winter Snow

The first snowfall of winter came the night before last. We woke up to a blanket of white sparkling snow, and the soft powder continued to fall until late in the afternoon. There is something beautiful about fresh snowfall that hushes the noise of the world and brings a serene calm. Night-time is suddenly brighter and more peaceful. It is as if nature stops it's frantic preparation for winter and settles into the surrounding quiet. One can almost hear the quiet. The landscape is swept clean, dark corners are brightened, and dirt is covered with a shiny new skin.

Sasha and Gabby love snow almost as much as they love water at the river or lake. They scamper around happily, pouncing on the white powder and burying their noses in it. The brisk air and cold, wet snow between their toes fills them with a dizzying energy that causes them to chase each other until they can hardly take another step. Here they are this morning ~ I was able to keep them still long enough to snap a picture! You can see how Sasha earned her nickname: Sasha Snowbeard.

Gabby sniffs the air.

Our snowy house this morning, not long after the sun came up.

Outside my office building yesterday morning.