Snow days!

We have had very cold weather this winter, but on Tuesday we got our first snow of the year! It was a doozy too, almost a whole inch! Everything in the city shut down, and while I laughed about it because we lived in Cleveland for 4 years and they wouldn't shut anything down when it snowed over 12 inches in a single hour, the South really isn't equipped to deal with any winter weather. We also don't have any pot holes in our roads from salt and snow plows - so it's a good tradeoff in my eyes. Since we go back to Ohio at least once a winter, the kids are used to snow... but this snow was extra fun because it was at our house! It wasn't packing snow though so we couldn't do much with it. After several attempts to build a snowman, James gave up and got his scooter out and went snow scooting!

 

 

And since we are in the South, the snow was all melted by the next afternoon. I left Madeleine at home with John (his office was closed due to the "blizzard") and took James for a haircut. He won't let the top of his hair be cut - only the sides and the back. His hair is starting to look a little too much like an 1980s bowl cut for my taste, but he thinks its awesome. I dont think he will be able to get away with one more cut without the top being at least trimmed. Or maybe it will be warm enough that we can just do the summer buzz cut. I really cannot wait until summer!



 

And since snow is really really scary, the city really wants to make sure there isn't any traces of snow anywhere left before they open the schools back up. So even though I haven't seen any snow in over 24 hours - school was cancelled for the third day in a row. Which makes it even better is that when school is cancelled, so is the children's museum and the library - ugh. Staying inside so many days in a row makes everyone a tad crazy. This morning I talked with another school mom and we decided to pack up a lunch and head to school so all the kids can play there - even though it was closed! Since James' school is a co-op, us parents technically "work there" and so we can use the school whenever it isn't in session. Which is pretty awesome. We have gone there many times on weekends to use the playground but have never gone inside. They didn't know what to play with first!



 

And yes, Madeleine's hair is in a ponytail - with the air being so dry, her curls are a complete frizzy disaster. There isn't much I can do to it but pull it back into the smallest ponytail ever.



 

January has been a crazy month since James has barely been in school (cancelled for weather - NC really does not know how to handle anything below 32 degrees) and we have been scrambling to keep him from climbing the walls. With this cold weather we have to find indoor activities which are few and far between here, so we have done a lot of playdates and museums!

 

For New Year's Eve, we had a few friends over with their kids. We were all invited to an adults NYE party, which didn't start till 9, and we all talked about how we wanted to be in bed by 9... so we decided to have our own NYE celebration. We started the countdown at 8, gave the kids some sparklers, noise makers and sparling grape juice and then everyone was gone by 9. It was so much fun and so perfect for us. We even played a few rounds of duck duck goose just to keep it interesting ;) 

 

This was one of the days were we just had to get outside, no matter how cold it was. So I bundled up the kids and met some friends. Its amazing how it seems that they don't even register the cold!

 

 

Indoor playdate! Notice Madeleine's face - I don't know what this is, but she's all about the funny faces now.



And they are all pretty funny...

 

Until we are walking around Target and shes making them at everyone we pass.



I caught her here before she could make one!



 

We went with some friends to a place called Monkey Joes. It is basically a big room with lots of bounce houses and blow up slides. Its a perfect place to go on a cold day when school has been cancelled for the third time!

 

 

For Christmas, my Dad got them a big piano - like the one from the movie "Big". They love it! Its hard to get a picture when they wont stay still on it, but its a great time for them. Kind of annoying for John and I (they are just basically banging on a loud piano for half an hour) but they both think its the coolest thing.



 

Whenever I need twenty minutes of peace, the kindle and leappad are amazing. I know its terrible to put your kids in front of electronic devices but after a month of being home... sometimes I just have the need to get dinner on the table without someone yelling and crying!



 

They love the kids museum. I think it is so amazing how well they play together now. I pretty much just follow them around and they ignore me. Makes a boring trip for me, but a great time for them.



 

Finally school started again - so I bundled James up and off he went. He was so excited to get back and see his friends he was bouncing in the car all the way there.

 

 

She loves being on the big kid  swing, but hates to be pushed on it - she's got a strong sense of self preservation!



 

Its a good thing our banister is sturdy!



 

This was after a long morning of shopping at Costco. She loves it there because of all the food samples, but without fail she always falls asleep on the drive home - that store is just overwhelming!

 

 

Since his school is play-based, they don't really sit down and work with him on reading and writing unless the child initiates it. We just started working with James on learning some sight words and practicing his writing. The other night when John went in to check on him, he was cuddled up with his board and this is what he wrote - kinda melted our hearts. I just love how much he can absorb and how much he wants to learn. It is fantastic.