Snow Day!

After three days of below freezing temperatures with wind chills below zero today's snow has been like a breath of fresh air.  As you know we went to Florida for a quick family vacation last weekend and ended up spending the entire trip with everyone sick.  Upon returning to North Texas we were greeted with an ice storm and sub freezing temperatures that have kept us iced in since.  All of the schools in the area have been closed as well as most businesses and we have all been stricken with a severe case of cabin fever.  That was, until this morning.

We had been warned all week long that we were in for a chance of snow between last night and this morning but the meteorologists were convinced that we'd only get about 1"-2" in the Dallas area.  Just enough to cause a little inconvenience.  Boy were they wrong!  At 6:30am we woke up to a bright white blanket of snow across everything.  There was so much snow that it was hard to tell the difference between driveways, sidewalks, front lawns and the roads.  So of course, I immediately grabbed my camera to get those first beautiful shots of the snow before it was disturbed by my kids and other neighborhood folk. As it turned out we already had 5" on the ground!

It wasn't long after I'd stepped out for some quick pictures when the kids were fully dressed and ready to get outside.  They just love the snow so much when we get it and after being couped up for about a week who could blame them for wanting to have some fun. Even Kitty decided to play.  However, with our temps still being in the 20's and our windchill in the single digits it didn't take long for them to get cold and want to go in for some warm breakfast.

With breakfast in their bellies, some dry clothes on and Michael gone for work I decided to head back out into the snow to start clearing the drive and to build the kids a cute little snow slide equipped with stairs and a crawl through tunnel.  For you see, Cayden has been begging us to take him sledding and I thought that this would be a fun way for him to do it.  As I worked and Kitty continued to play, Alyssa eventually came out to take some pictures and inevitably we took a few trial runs on the slide and then were sidetracked into a little bit of play before the little ones headed back indoors to defrost again.

Not long after they'd gone in to defrost I was finally finished with the snow slide and called them back out for some more fun.  The slide was a big hit! Cayden gave me a great smile with a thumbs up and even Dalton couldn't wait to give it a try.

Unfortunately, once Dalton decided to ponce upon it like the "Grape Ape", the slide collapsed into the tunnel and I brought the kids back indoors to warm up.  Dalton however, determined to rectify his mistake, chose to remain outside and finish shoveling the drive and rebuild the slide with the tunnel. 

As he continued to shovel the snow a few of the neighborhood kids began to emerge from the warmth of their homes and engaged in a snowball fight.  It wasn't long before Dalton was in on it and having some fun too!

As the kids and I sat inside and watched the barrage of snowballs that were flying through the air Alyssa and Cayden quickly decided that they were ready to head back outside and join in on the fun.  Now of course being the safety conscious mother that I am, I did not allow them to engage with the older kids.  Instead, I encouraged them to attack each other and occasionally their older brother.  Once the excitement of the snowball fights wore off we decided to create our own makeshift (redneck) sled and pulled the little ones around the yard. 

You know you're a redneck if you put your kids in a cooler and pull them around using a dog leash. LOL

Now the day is not over, the snow is still falling and Michael has come home early from work.  I'm pretty sure that after we get nice and warm and toasty once again we'll be back out to create some more fun and craziness before night falls.  I just hope that my camera is finished charging. Now where is that box of hot cocoa?!