Snowed in!

On Thursday it started snowing. And it didn't stop all day long. Audrey was released from school an hour early, and Justin's classes were cancelled. We ran out for supplies at the grocery store and hunkered down in the house. The snow kept coming and the news kept telling us about people stranded downtown as the trains were running slow and 20+ car pile ups on the freeway. We were so thankful that we were safe at home. 

The next day, Friday, was more of the same. The morning was nice so we let the kids outside to enjoy the snow for awhile before it started snowing and blowing again:

That afternoon and evening we got another 3-4 inches.

The day before I had found this down coat while thrift shopping and sent Justin a picture wondering if it was practical to get it. I did buy it and ended up being so grateful that I did!

Making hot chocolate:

Saturday morning was even more snow and the news warning us of freezing rain that evening. 

And then it started. We looked out our widow and instead of seeing snowflakes it was heavy raindrops. When we stepped out onto the porch to witness it, it sounded like slush hitting the sidewalk and pavement. Later that night we ordered two pizzas, one for us and the other for the missionaries and as Justin drove the few blocks to their house to deliver it he had difficulty as the frozen rain would hit the windshield of the car and then immediately freeze as the windshield wipers wiped it across the glass. He made it home safely and we ate our pizzas and then let the kids try banana splits for the first time:

After we put the kids to bed the rain stopped and Justin went outside for a minute and then called me outside to see- there was ice everywhere! He pulled a layer of ice off of the snow that had piled up on the handrail of our porch and tossed it onto the snow in the front yard. Instead of sinking into the snow like it normally would it hit the surface and shattered! The power lines were heavy with ice and we could see

the reflections of street lights in the street, our yard, even off our bushes! The wind was blowing just a little bit and two large trees across the street groaned and cracked as they moved. It was all a little eerie actually.

The next morning we discovered that church had been cancelled, the mayor had asked all businesses to close and had issued an emergency alert for everyone to stay inside due to icy conditions. We did our best to keep the kids entertained for the third day in a row:

Davy slipped outside and cut his cheek and lip on the ice, poor kid. That was the end of playing outside.

Davy built a robot that looked like Wall-E in my office:

Audrey practicing her figure skating while watching the Olympics:

Audrey's school is cancelled for tomorrow, they're waiting for temperatures to rise so the ice can melt. It's been an adventure for sure! We're so thankful to have a warm house to live in and that it's a little roomier than our old apartment. We're thankful we're safe, that we have enough food, that we haven't lost power, and that I work from home so we haven't had to leave. And also, we're really thankful that we'll be able to go somewhere tomorrow!