Just a Typical Snow Day...

The rest of our county is closed for a snow day (the 8th consecutive day, to be exact), but as a homeschooling family, we just PLOW on through since we are stuck inside due to freezing temps and ice-covered driveways.

This week, we moved to the kitchen table because our classroom has been so cold as the exterior room in our house. Plus, the flexibility and change are so nice.

Daniel (Age 5, Kindergarten) is busy learning to read. He is amazing me with how quickly he is catching on. Some days he gets frustrated easily, but other days, like today, he was determined to read. He sounded out his 9 sentences with such joy, and I was incredibly happy for him! He's working on sight words and focusing on phonics.

Samuel (Age 4, Pre-K) is reviewing/learning phonetic sounds of the alphabet, pre-primer sight words, and sounding out the beginning and ending sounds of cvc words. He loves to work and work!

Elias (Age 2) is busy cutting, gluing, making messes, and being made to clean them up. Such was today.

February Snow Fall

As a January baby, I have always expected snow at the beginning of every year, just so as to ruin my birthday parties.  However, not this year.  I celebrated my 30th birthday on January 22nd, and it was fantastic without a hint of snow!  

BUT, with three little boys, I can't help but want some snow.  Like a few inches for them to run and play in for about 10 minutes, and then I'll be over it.  When February rolled around this year, the boys were so excited to find snow in their backyard.  It wasn't much, but it was enough to get them so ecstatic I couldn't calm them down!  The temperature was in the twenties, so I didn't let them go outside...  

but that didn't stop a certain, determined Daniel.

Footprints in the sand snow.

Elias' first boo-boo happened that day as well.

A can of corn fell onto his finger

as he was using it as leverage to stand up.

Even though it was too cold to go outside,

I knew I could take their minds off of the snow

by making our very own ICE CREAM!

They were so excited to mix the ingredients

in their ziploc bags and find that REAL

ice cream came out.

Daniel showing his off.

Elias' banged up knees from crawling!

Isn't he the cutest?!

Daniel even found a "snowman" in his ice cream.

Do you see it?

Watching the snow fall in February!

28 is Great!

I turned 28 five days ago, and can I tell you that, although I am quickly approaching thirty, I had one of the best birthdays I have ever had!  I was spoiled rotten all weekend long and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I got some very thoughtful gifts ranging from clothes and my favorite ice cream cake to BareMinerals makeup, a Willow Tree figurine, gift certificates galore, and money!  Who said getting older wasn't great?!

It always had snowed on my birthdays in years past...  In fact, we just expect it.  Even if there isn't snow in the forecast, I know it's coming.  I've had parties cancelled and rescheduled for as along as I can remember.  So, when they called for snow days before my birthday, it too was almost as if it was God's gift to me.  :)

Here are some pictures from my birthday weekend:

Daniel enjoying Mommy's birthday snow...

Daniel decides to give Mommy a break on her birthday

and feeds Samuel for her.

Okay, nevermind how we look! 

Mom and me at dinner

(Who forgets to wear makeup on her birthday?!)

Eating his strawberry biscuit at Cracker Barrel on Mom's birthday.

Marble Slab Ice Cream cake!

Finally, a picture of the birthday girl!

Daniel helps Mommy open her present.

 

Samuel loves on Mommy before bed.

But, before going to bed, Samuel surprises her

by crawling on his hands and knees

for the very first time...

on her birthday!

Plowing through the Snow...

What's better than a snow day?

Having a tractor to drive around on that snow day, of course!

Will you please notice that Daniel will NOT use his hands to steer the wheel?!

Look, Mom, no hands...

but lots of snow!

Playing with Daddy in the snow

and still no hands on the wheel.

Daniel realized his slide was full of snow!

He was so excited. 

Running away from Mommy's snowballs

Reinacting a picture from the past

Here are Daniel (20 months) and Daddy in the snow in December 2010,

And here are Daniel (9 months) and Daddy in the snow in January 2010.

So sweet, right?!

Christmas Night with the Warrens

Christmas evening, we drove through the snow to get to my dad's family's Christmas.  My dad is one of seven siblings, so the Warren Family gatherings tend to be loud and crowded!  However, the weather seemed to keep most of the Warrens away, except for these two cuties...

Daniel loved his cousin Gunner.

(Gunner is 3 1/2 months older than Daniel.)

Daniel hugged all over Gunner,

and it took a while for Gunner to warm up to him.

Then, Gunner realized that Daniel was a lot of fun.

Gunner would run around the house waiting for Daniel to catch him.

They would laugh and laugh when he would!

Samuel got a lot of Grandpa's attention.

He always does!

When we got home after a mere hour and a half drive from what usually only takes thirty minutes, Daniel was ready to play!  He really wanted to get on his tractor, but with the weather the way it was, we just brought it in the house.  Except, there's a small problem with that:  Daniel doesn't know how to steer the tractor yet.  We'd just have to run and chase him down when he'd come to a wall or couch or door and turn him around, you know, because he doesn't know that taking his foot off of the pedal will stop it from moving...

However, it was getting late, and Daniel really needed to get into bed.  So, as Brian was running the bath water, I don't believe he realized that his little one got away!  Here is what I found...

 Here is the reason it took us so long to get home from my dad's.  Notice the road...  It was completely covered with snow and ice.  The interstate looked the exact same way.  I couldn't believe we actually got a white Christmas!

In front of our house

The snow continued to fall throughout the night

Our sidewalk and front door