Someone Mentioned Spring?

Thanks for checking in on us ladies!

According to K, it's nearly spring. K and Eliana must be seeing things!

Ellie (age 7) drew this during our PTA meeting the other night. She's clearly thinking of spring! I love all of the varieties, but I find her roses (like the red one in the top left) to be incredible. She's drawing them everywhere and in no time she can whip out this beautiful rose. Where did she learn this?













I however, can't get in the spirit of spring just yet. Oh, I look forward to it. I love spring. I had a glimpse of it when I picked out Carie's traditional gift of tulips for Valentine's Day! It's been so nice to have fresh tulips in our house. I've had another small glimpse of it as we start to plan for our spring plant sale.

But we are still faced with all this snow. So far we've had 56 1/2" this season and there's more on the way. It will be a while before all of our tulips start poking through the ground. But when they do, there will be much excitement.












At least the sun is out today! At a balmy 30 degrees, who needs a coat!?!?!?

This is a picture from this morning. Yes, that's our mailboxes poking out from the snow. At least the snow has melted enough that they are no longer completely covered. :)

Thankfully we DO have the reachable Christmas decorations down and packed away. The lights on the house though, they'll have to wait a bit longer.

Zoo In The Winter

Kid Activity Hiatus

The month of January (with 2 full weekends still ahead of us) has been filled with family activities. We’ve had some new experiences and some of our old favorite experiences. So far we've been ice skating a couple of times, swimming, and roller skating. It has been really nice to have this hiatus from typical kid activities and schedules to do fun family things... active things. Never fear though, the kid activities kick into high gear come mid March!

Ice skating has been our new experience this season. The kids were really excited to give this a try and it has been great fun. We go to an activity center that offers great opportunity to run, jump, climb, slide, and everything you can imagine to burn up their energy. Then in the winter they also offer ice skating. We can easily spend 4-5 hours there at a time!

Carie was reluctant to go skating and I thought she was brilliant in holding back. I wanted her to skate if she wanted to. But she was a bit nervous and worried as it seems that the Walles women can jack up their backs without effort. I offered to take the kids skating under one condition, they had to take turns. I'm very much a novice on skates myself and I couldn't imagine all 3 of them hanging on me all at once. We compromised and I started out with Abby & Ellie. They rocked! They didn't really even need my help. I gave them a few tips that I was figuring out as I attempted to stay standing on my own skates. They took those tips and they were off. Their independence shines through again!

I went around the rink a time or two to help out with my own comfort level before getting the boy out on the ice. It was all his idea to go skating and he was adamant about giving it a try. Once out on the ice he insisted that I "hold my hips momma!" Now, he's a very tall boy but I'm also on the tall side and (my back) could have benefited from being a bit shorter. But hold on to his "hips" I did and he had a blast. I think his favorite parts were wearing the skates, stomping on the ice (in his skates), sitting on the ice, and groovin' in his skates off the ice.

Our 2nd attempt at skating went even better. Carie opted to join us this time and she did fantastic. The girls stepped out on the ice and took off where they left off the prior week. It was truly amazing to see them do so well. Spencer did fantastic and I didn't even have to hold his hips! My back praised him! He often requested to go faster and then we'd hear him yell "I'm a big kid now".

I'm sure the girls' had their fair share of falling but it didn't seem to faze them. Carie didn't fall at all. I managed to fall once on each of our trips and man, those are hard falls. The first weekend I fell just as Spencer and I were about to get off the ice. We were near the exit and suddenly I was on the ground. It happened so fast I have no idea what happened. The second weekend I again was doing just fine until the end. I had decided that I'd skate until the break (10ish minutes) when they were getting the Zamboni out. Ellie and I were skating along together when she made a sudden move and cut right in front of me. Next thing I know I'm on the ice and I feel the back of my head hit the ice. My sunglasses flew off and landed about 3' behind me. Man that hurt! I helped Ellie get up and then I made my way to the exit. I was done for the day. Both Abby & Ellie though, they skated their hearts out. We had to practically peel them off the ice when it was time for the place to close. While both of the girls have really enjoyed skating it seems to really hit home for Abby. It is so fun to watch them enjoy and excel at something so new.

A lot of pictures for your enjoyment... all taken the first weekend. Ellie is in the pink hat and Abby is in the green hat.

Friday!

The little people who do not permanently reside in our house... ought to be thankful it is Friday. If they are lucky, Carie will have recovered by Monday when they get to spend the entire day with her.

For the 2nd time this week one of them has decided to convince the bus driver to do something he shouldn't do. For the 2nd time this week Carie has had to run outside (thinking something is seriously wrong) in search of them. This has never happened before and now twice in the same week! And they've happened to pick the coldest week since what... 1996? At least Carie threw some shoes on this time! Coats really are optional (for the adults) in our house. I mean, it only feels like 9 degrees outside. A heat wave compared to the past couple of days!

And then... while she had to step out to locate this missing child (her mother expected her to be on the bus as well!); the rest of the little people couldn't restrain themselves and woke up Spencer. Talk about icing on the cake!

Carie says... "I have just crossed the line of things that I can take for the week."

There is no apparent reason for this child to give the bus driver alternate instructions. Sure, there are (rare) times that one of her parents is home and they flag down the bus for her to get off. But today, for some odd reason, the bus took the route backwards. Slick roads maybe? So, they hadn't even passed her house for her to notice that her dad's truck was in the driveway. Not to mention no adult flagging the bus down!

She had just to take it upon herself to tell the bus driver that she was getting off at her house. And wouldn't ya know, no one was home! Turns out, the truck was in the driveway because he blew a tire! So he drives her back around to our house and lets her off there. Great, now all the children are inside our house unsupervised! He passes Carie who is walking back to our house and they briefly chatted. He seemed frustrated as well.

Of course, everyone is relieved that she was found okay. But this is totally unnecessary. Follow the routines. Don’t make alternate decisions just because you want to! One child is a total manipulator and the other one exaggerates most everything. It’s sad, but you can’t believe any of them most of the time! Our kids have totally picked up on this and they even question what they say. Hopefully the bus driver has learned a valuable lesson! Perhaps Carie will have a chat with him.

Oh, and yeah... no hot water this morning. That was fun!

Can It Get Crazier?

Yes it can!

I've got blog material to share; I just can't get to it. We've ventured out and experienced ice skating over a couple of weekends. It has been a fantastic experience! But of course the pictures still sit on the camera. The material still floats around in my brain. Life has to slow down a couple of notches to get to any of it.

Then if the recent weeks weren't crazy enough, this week has been especially over the top. We are hoping that things will sort themselves out by tomorrow. As if suddenly being down one vehicle (and shuffling transportation needs) wasn't enough, let's add missing the bus, Spencer coming to us saying "Momma, my ear hurts" (and resulting doctors visit), and a school planning meeting into the mix.

Today we are again without the car. This morning alone...

- The phone rings as Carie is getting Abby & Ellie up and dressed. It was a parent asking about club at school. Turns out it is the older kids today and our kids next week. No big deal, just one more thing.

- Ellie casually mentions that her ear hurts... but then moments later she says it didn't. Carie will check in with her at school this morning. There's potentially another Peds visit on our horizon.

-The grade school kids made the bus (the norm) but then the bus pulled back around (not at all the norm) and stopped at our house. Thankfully Carie noticed that it wasn't the trash truck! Beth got off and headed down the street towards her house. She always gets on and off at our house so I'm sure the bus driver thinks she lives there. Carie (in the -19+ degree temps) runs out after her... with no coat and no shoes! Of course Beth doesn't listen to Carie calling for her and continues to run all the way to her house! Turns out she forgot her lunch and somehow convinced the driver to come back around. Carie got her back on the bus and sent them on their way. There may have been a cold lunch inside her house but no one was home and Carie wasn't going in to get it. There will be a discussion about this later!

- And wouldn't you know it... Beth's lunch was in her backpack the whole time. Carie popped in to check on Beth when she was up at school. She was Abby's teacher last year and we have a great rapport with her. Unbelievable!

- There's been at least 1/2 a dozen calls with the repair folks at 2 different shops... making it now 3 shops (in 3 days) involved in this repair. But we've just learned that the repairs will be covered by one of the shops and the shop that the car is actually at will be doing the repair. This is a good thing. Not only will we not have to tow it again, but I trust these people to do it right. Oh, and while it's there... let's take care of some routine maintenance.

- Today is pre-school day for Spencer... which means transportation to and from.

- I needed a ride to work.

- Carie volunteers up at Abby & Ellie's school on Thursday's. She is at Spencer's pre-school on Tuesday's... the day the week went to heck.

- I've again rescheduled my (much needed) haircut... 2nd time this week.

- After we survive the crazy morning I'll take Carie and Spencer out to lunch... provided they pick me up. Then I'll get Carie home for the afternoon and hopefully she can stay put for a few hours.

This week has cemented the idea that we shall not sell our car. We've tossed around this idea in the past thinking that it may be possible for us to adjust to a one vehicle family. I'm sure it would be possible if necessary. But this week would have been so much more doable with a 2nd vehicle.

But things look promising. I'd love to have it all in the past and enjoy a great family weekend. A weekend where I’ve requested that we enjoy some time indoors where I can't crack my head against the ice! My neck would most certainly appreciate that!

First Snow & Decorating

Recreating that lost post from a few weeks ago...

Our first snow came the weekend following Thanksgiving. That Sunday morning we woke to a thick blanket of snow. It was just enough to get excited about! After a long holiday weekend and the promise of finally decorating the Christmas tree, we opted to stay home that Sunday morning. The kids got all bundled up in their snow pants, boots, and winter gear and headed out to play in the snow. I'm glad they did because by the lunch hour it was all but a memory.

Later that morning we got around to finally decorating the Christmas tree. I say finally because the kids had been begging all weekend long. We had planned to decorate it earlier in the weekend but when we went to set it up it didn't go as smoothly as it should have. No big surprise really, I don't think it ever goes as smoothly as it seems it should. Our pre-lit tree had large sections of lights that didn't light up! This is the 4th time we've setup this tree and the first time the lights didn't work. So Carie set out to fix it. She did awesome and got it all working from top to bottom. It just took a little time and patience from the little people.

The actual tree decorating went a little more smoothly than it has in the past. As part of the preparation for this experience, Carie and I separated all of their special ornaments so they each had their own tray to focus on. That was much nicer than having 6 grabby hands digging in the big tub of decorations. Then after all of their very special and fragile ornaments were hung they dug into the delicate (but easily replaceable) family ornaments. They all stuck with it until every last ornament was on the tree.















Most of the outdoor lights were up prior to Thanksgiving. Everything on the roof gets put up close to Thanksgiving before the weather turns really cold for us. Thanksgiving night we turned them on for the first time, an exciting time for the kids and the kids at heart. Since putting them up a section of lights decided that working was optional. Thankfully it is the strand at the end by the chimney and not in the middle. Then more recently part of another strand at the other end went out. With temps at a -20, they'll just have to stay that way!

We did get lucky with a couple more nice days of weather and we put the finishing touches on the outdoor decorations. We ended up decorating more than we ever have on any given year. If it would have been colder, we would have likely just put out the last few items and called it good.













The weather has been wild, as usual with nice comfortable days mixed in with really cold days. A couple of weekends ago we had a nice Saturday with temps in the 40's followed by Sunday with a -44 degree temperature swing accompanied by strong winds and a bitter cold wind chill. I suspect that Saturday was our last nice day that we'll experience for a good long stretch. We literally begged the kids to go outside and play. Now they are begging to go outside and they can't.

Since that first snow fall we've had a couple more light flurries. It's been disappointing, really. The kids are so excited to see the snow falling but there hadn't been any accumulation. Mid last week we woke to snow and accumulation! Unfortunately it is too cold and too dangerous to play outside. I did finally stop and get our snow blower and shovels from storage. It was the first time we needed to clear the driveway and sidewalks.

The driveway and sidewalks were all clear until Thursday night when the sleet fell upon us leaving a huge layer of ice over everything. I managed to get the snow off, but the ice wasn't going anywhere. Then again on Saturday morning we woke to more snow. Unfortunately I didn't get to the driveway before it had been driven on several times. I figure now we'll have to wait until the temps get above the freezing mark before I'll attempt to clear it. Too bad we don't have ice skates. Or maybe ice skates are optional? It was warm enough for the kids to go out on Friday and they took full advantage of it. Abby ended up with a nice bruise to the cheek bone thanks to Ellie’s boot. Something about ice on the slide and accidents happen. All is good.

Snow Day

Let the Winter Break begin!!!

Today was supposed to be the last day of school before a two week winter break. Mother Nature decided to drop some nasty weather on us and shortly after 9pm last night we got the call that school was cancelled for today. It was a good thing since we were just getting home from a friend's birthday party when we got the call. They were so excited that they stomped around in the snow a bit before coming inside for bed. It was so nice out (temp wise) that we couldn't hardly say no.

The kids are, of course, loving the snow day! It's not such a good deal for the older kids though. The last of their finals were scheduled for today. Now they'll have to finish them up after break.

The ice was so thick that I couldn't get my car door open this morning. And it seemed that the only way I was going to get the huge sheet of ice off my car was to melt it from the inside. I noticed that the neighbor across the street had gotten their car moved so I attempted my passenger door and finally got in.

After running the car for nearly an hour it was still covered with at least an inch of ice. It was a disappointing sight! I started chipping away at it and finally got to a soft layer that allowed me to peel chunks off the car... as well as my scraper.

Then as I was on my way to grab some lunch this afternoon the huge sheet of ice on the hood of my car came off in one chunk and flew over the roof of the car. It was weird to have this large chunk of ice and snow suddenly flying towards the windshield!

At least the kids are able to go outside and stomp in the snow! Hopefully that will add some excitement to their day.

Typical NE Weather Patterns

And I love it! I love that we have cold days, snowy days, sunny days, spring days, fall days, and all the days in between. I love that we have variety!

We've had extraordinary weather the past few days. It definitely felt like spring around here, one of my favorite seasons. The most exciting thing about the weather we've had is that it was a change from what we've had for months. It felt good to be outside without jackets on. It felt good to take in all that fresh air. It felt good to feel the sun. Just like we'll be excited for that first snow fall after we've enjoyed the summer sun.

I took advantage of the 61 degree weather yesterday and raked the yard, the entire yard. Well, all except the patches that still are ice covered! Yes, after 3 days of 60+ degree temps we still have mounds of ice in our front and back yard.

I wasn't sure I could get it all done, but I just kept plugging away. We have some neighboring trees that drop their leaves really late in the fall and right into our yard. After 2 solid hours of raking, the yard is in much better shape. My motivation was to get the leaves raked up before... it snows today.

If the weather report is right, we are supposed to get 1-3" tonight.

Gotta love it!

Blizzard Recovery

We have recovered pretty well from the most recent storms. After the “blizzard” hit us on Thursday we had a lighter “dusting” (3”) of snow fall on Friday afternoon/night. I returned to work without difficulty on Friday morning.

Yesterday we trekked down to Lincoln to spend some time at the Children's Museum and Grandpa & Grandma's house. It did us all good to get out of the house. I had been thinking of this as a possibility for a short while, but hadn't said anything. We wanted to wait to see what the weather was going to bring us. We debated but decided to go for it. Once the kids found out what we were doing, they were so excited. They love going to the Children's Museum.

The drive there, oh wow was it amazing. The roads were fairly clear, but the spots that weren't clear really weren't very good... as evidence by the large number of vehicles ditched in those areas. They were definitely my indication to take extra precaution when approaching those spots. One section had 8 vehicles ditched in one way or another. There were a couple of semi's, one of which was twisted in amazing ways. I think we counted two vehicles flipped on their tops. There were also a number of vehicles ditched and nearly completely covered in snow with only a door or an antenna peering through the snow. The snow drifts were incredible and beautiful to see. I wish our camera had been up front, but it wasn't and there was no way Carie was going to climb back and get it. Unfortunately though, it is this drifting that causes so many problems.

We met Grandma and cousin Haleigh at the Children's Museum and had a great time. Carie painted fun designs on all of the girls’ faces while I played volleyball and football with Spencer. He definitely had his own agenda on what he wanted to do, so I hung with him and let him lead the way. After a while we all met up again and the kids played in the tunnels, water areas, on the stage, with the hot air balloon, etc... As expected, Spencer was so wet when we were done he required a new set of clothes before heading out into the cold air. Then we stopped and had lunch at a Chinese restaurant, then headed to Grandpa & Grandma's for naps.

One Spencer was down for a nap, Carie and I headed out for a bit of adult time. We ended up at the mall for some window shopping. While the mall was crowded, probably due to the state basketball tournament, it was nice just being out and doing our own thing. It was nice having the flexibility of going in and out of whatever stores we wanted to. It was nice to make bathroom stops when we needed to. It was nice to stop and have a yummy snack and some adult conversation. It was fun buying some fun things, together, for the kids Easter baskets.

Upon returning back to my parent’s house we discover that 1) Spencer did not nap and 2) Ellie was napping and clearly wasn't feeling well. Though, for not napping, Spencer was hanging in there pretty well. Outside of being wiped out, we aren't really sure what is up with Ellie. She's running a bit of a temp and has a cough triggered by some drainage. Otherwise she's in great spirits. Though just now, as she's resting in the big chair, she asked to go swimming in her pink swimsuit. Umm... yeah, it is still a bit chilly to swim outside.

So we finish putting dinner together, get everything pulled together, kids jammied, and hit the road to home. I was hoping that all three would pass out on the drive, but no. We pulled into the garage with only one sleeping (Abby) and two still awake (Ellie & Spencer). Thankfully the two who were still awake practically fell asleep as soon as they climbed in bed.

The drive home was so much better than the drive there. What a difference a day makes.

The Blizzard Of 2007

Clearly last weekends storms were not the last hurrah! Some higher power must have taken note to me sticking my tongue out at the most recent pathetical attempt to snow us in.

We are officially snowed in, which does not happen often. It was supposed to start snowing around 3am and winds are blowing 45-50 miles/hour with visibility a 1/4 mile. We, as in our neighborhood, are on the very edge of the band of heavy weather. The same edge we were supposed to be on last weekend. Definitely in like a lion! Hopefully out like a lamb.

Sure we get snow often, but life always goes on as normal. Not today. We expected it to go on as normal when we got going this morning. I made the first pass on our driveway and I'm glad I did. It was still snowing and blowing, but the snow easily covered the top of the snow blower. I then got ready for work and headed out. The plows hadn't yet made it through our neighborhood, but I had planned a route that would give me the best odds of getting out without getting stuck. I made it!

But then, then I come upon this fire truck that is stuck... on the wrong side of the road. Yes, in my lane and actually covering most of the 2 lane road. Of course with the visibility I didn't see it until I was right upon it, even though it is humongous and yellow. And of course I was going down a hill, a slick hill, a hill with undesirable ditches on either side. I popped the van in neutral and my brakes were working some OT. I wasn't sure that I was going to regain control in time, but thankfully I did.

I then decide to call Carie to ask her to check my work e-mail for me. Something I probably should have done before even venturing out. Turns out, boss was working from home and another higher up had posted a notice that everyone was to go home at noon. By now I'm a bit further up the road and see more ditched vehicles. Forget it, I'm turning around and going home. But now I've got to figure out a return route as there are vehicles, which appear to be going nowhere, everywhere. I then come upon another pile of cars on the other side of the road. Clearly they should have been going west, but it was hard to tell. It looked like Spencer dumped out a bucket of cars, only they were all right side up. I stop to fill up the gas can (for the snow blower), topped off the van, and got us adults some yummy caffeine, then headed home. Carie and I came up with the most optimal return route given that I didn't want to go up the road with the fire truck. Again, more stuck vehicles. I couldn't believe the big trucks, semis, delivery trucks, etc... just sitting in the middle of the road.

I'm happy to be home and we aren't going anywhere for a good long time. Not at least until the plows have had a chance to get ahead, which probably won't happen until this wind stops. I doubt we will have swim lessons tonight. Oh, and the satellite is out. I love DVR!

It is definitely an inside day today. It is so bad outside that there would be no fun in playing in the snow. Though, I suspect that the snow will be around long enough to play in once the blizzard conditions end.

We turned our big chair around so the girls could have a special comfy place to veg out. They sure did get comfy!

Last Hurrah!?!?!?

Without looking at the upcoming weather forecast, my guess is that the bountiful snow that poured from the sky overnight will be our last of the winter. Okay, so I just looked at the 7-day forecast and there is a chance for more snow mid-late this week. We've got to be nearing the end of the winter weather. We shall see, I guess.

Nearly all of our old snow had melted. If we had had a couple more days of the incredible weather it would have been all gone. The kids certainly had fun riding their bikes this week. It felt like we had stolen a glimpse of spring. Though, I have decided that I personally like the white look over the brown and blah look.

Then the weather began to turn on Friday. Cooler temps and increased wind turned into thunderstorms overnight into Saturday. Drizzle and a hint of rain lingered through much of the day on Saturday with the sleet starting late afternoon and snow following. According to the official reports, we had 3-6" of snow by Sunday morning. I think we ended up on the lighter side of that reported amounts, which was far less than we were expecting. All this talk of 12", and at one point it was hyped up to 14", seemed like a bunch of men comparing the size of their big catch. To their credit, we were on the border of the storm and I suppose it could have gone either way. I was kind of looking forward to 12".

What we got was the heavy kind of snow. The plows had come through and threw a decent amount of the chunky icy stuff onto our sidewalks and driveway. Thankfully our neighbor used his 4-wheeler to move it all. We were most definitely doing the happy dance when we heard him start up his 4-wheeler. I had been thinking about going out all morning, but thinking is about as far as I had gotten. Not to mention, Ellie & Carie were a bit under the weather. Neighbor guy was just telling us Friday evening that he's been pretty jazzed when he's come home to find his driveway cleared. We seem to have a nice exchange going on where I'll move his snow if I get to it first and he'll move our snow if he's out first. What usually happens is I move the lighter stuff with our snow blower and he moves the heavier stuff with his 4-wheeler. We could get used to this!

The Great Thaw

Temps are finally rising and I'm not sure I'm thrilled with it. Of course I want warmer temps. Sure, I want my kids to be able to go outside and play - safely. Sure, I love spring and therefore would love for winter to be behind us.

But this thawing phase is so blah. We've had white ground for a long time, probably since our first snow fall on December 31st. We've had some thawing between then and now. But the thawing hasn't lasted long enough to melt much of anything and an abundance of fresh white stuff always followed. Now, now everything is turning so brown and blah looking. I know it is just a process and one we must go through to get from here to spring. But I don't have to like it! :)

Since the temps have been so nice, the kids have gone outside to play the past couple of days. They need it! We need it!

Oddly though, the girls have put up minor protests to going outside. Suddenly they want to wear dresses and tights during the day, which we feel is not ideally conducive to playing in the melting snow and mud. Compromising and encouraging them to wear their dresses and such before and/or after the outside play hasn't inspired them to jump for joy about going outside. Though we make it through the process and once outside they have a grand time.

I was trying to encourage Ellie to go outside by reminding her that it would be fun to play in the snow before it all melts. She declared that she was done playing in the snow and she was ready for spring! I hear ya sweetie, I hear ya. Soon it will be spring!

Snow Snow Snow

I believe we made some new records by not having our first swow fall until December 31st, but boy was our first one pretty impressive. The days leading up to the drop in temps and flying snow were filled with plentiful rain, which obviously then turned to ice. We travelled (silly us) about 50 miles that day for our final Christmas Celebration for 2006.

Our snow storm wasn't quite as impressive as the weather other parts of our state experienced prior to us, thankfully! Here are some impressive shots of that storm.

First snow of the season pictures, boy was it very cold!














Since that first snowfall, our winter weather has returned to normal. Nearly every weekend we are moving some amount of snow. Our most recent snow fall has been by far the best, giving us roughly 6" of the best fluffy white stuff to play in along with awesome temps. The weather was so nice that we saw someone shoveling their driveway in shorts! While I think that was a tad bit excessive, we were happy to have the temps in the positive double digit range!

Photos of a fun day in the snow! I think I had as much fun as the girls did!