Mid-January Snow Days

The weather for this coming week was looking really dicey.  

We got a little snow in the days leading up to Abigail’s birthday, but thankfully there was a break in the snow so Abigail and her friends could drive down to Auburn to go roller-skating for her birthday party. On the evening of her birthday the snow started to come down and stick to the ground.  

Snow Day #1 (Monday, Jan 13)

We woke up to around 8 inches of snow and got a few more throughout the day.

Carly needed some service hours so she and a friend shoveled some driveways in the neighborhood.  Then an opportunity came up to babysit for a new family in the neighborhood so she was able to make a little cash as well.

Justin had been VERY busy at work the previous week and had even had to go into work on Abigail’s birthday to meet his deadline. Thankfully he was able to wrap it up before the snow arrived.  Since he’d worked nearly 100 hours the week before he didn’t do much work today.  Since Abigail is able to walk to work she was able to still cover her shift (and fill in for others that couldn’t make it).  Justin and I walked down to MOD pizza for lunch which was some good exercise.

Justin started shoveling in shorts, but soon realized that wasn’t very weather appropriate

The kids had lots of fun playing in the fresh snow today!

Snow Day #2 (Tuesday, Jan 14)

We added a couple more inches overnight to the foot of snow we got yesterday.  Justin again stayed home from work today, but actually worked.  I made some delicious homemade pretzels and cheese sauce for a yummy snow day snack.  And the kids were back outside playing in the white stuff.  

Abigail headed off to work again on foot early this morning but had plenty of time this afternoon to enjoy the snow with friends.

Of course youth was cancelled tonight. Justin and I walked down to the YMCA fields to see how the sledding hills looked. They had been well used over the past few days and were essentially sheets of ice.  We didn’t get any new snow tonight, but it got really cold. Cold=ice.

Late Start (Wednesday, Jan 15)

The roads still weren’t looking good this morning, but the school district decided to go ahead with a 2 hour late start and run their buses on snow routes, but still cancel any after school sports and other activities.  I don’t drive my littles to school unless I’m heading out already and besides that I figured they were safer on the sidewalks then for us to try to drive down the slick hill with a bunch of other drivers.

Justin went to work, but Abigail’s morning classes at Bellevue College were all cancelled.  This afternoon got super windy and it looked and felt like a blizzard outside.  Apparently there were quite a few parents that pulled their kids out of school early or didn’t have them go to school at all today and there was a HUGE uproar from parents against the school district superintendent for even having school at all.  Sure the conditions turned nasty, but that’s mother nature for you.  When Katie and Drew were late coming home I decided to go out in search of my two missing walkers.  I met them just as they were turning the corner onto our street.  Here’s a little video clip – the first part is my recording the crazy wind that day and then the last part is Drew telling me about almost being “blown away” as they were walking home from school.

Snow Day #3 (Thursday, Jan 16)

Today would have been a perfect day for a 2 hour delay, but honestly I think all the kickback the district got from having school yesterday caused the district to cancel the entire day today.  Bummer, cause that’s one more day we’ll have to tack onto the end of the school year.

The snow was hard and icy by now so they kids weren’t really into playing outside.  So we had some screen time today instead.

Snow Day #4 (Friday, Jan 17)

We only got about a quarter of an inch of snow overnight, but it was enough to cause alarm and since we already have an early out on Fridays a two hour delay wouldn’t leave enough hours in the rest of the school day to count as a school day so Snow Day #4 it would be.  The weather was actually quite nice today.  The kids played outside a little with neighbors and then came in for some Just Dance on the Wii.

Crazy week made even more crazy that we’d only been back in school one week since the Christmas break and then the kids had the two following Mondays off too.  It took us awhile to get back into the rhythm of having a regular schedule. 

Look Who’s an “Adult”

After much deliberation Abigail decided to go roller-skating for her birthday party.  Some friends decided not to go skating and instead met back at our house for games/treats afterward.  While they were skating down in Auburn, Carly helped me put up a fun collage wall of pictures from Abigail’s eighteen years.

Abigail wanted lots of snacks at the house - I did not disappoint.  We had lots of snacks leftover for the family to enjoy for days to come.

(a piping hot enchilada dip for that blue hot pad)

Aside from munching on snacks they played some games (spoons) and hug out until midnight when Abigail blew out the candles on her cake on her actual birthday.  (Sunday birthdays can be a bit of a bummer).

Bummed I didn’t get a picture of her friends while they were all here

Abigail’s actual birthday was pretty chill.  I doodled a little birthday greeting for her during sacrament meeting.

Carly gave Abigail some sandals that she’s been wanting which she put to immediate use wearing them to her mission prep class that afternoon.  

Kalli came over a few minutes early so they could get some pictures taken with Abigail’s fun birthday balloons.  

Abigail wanted all the breakfast things for her birthday dinner – crepes, waffles, hashbrowns, etc… Yum!

It’s both surprising and completely natural that we have an “adult” child.  I hope to raise confident, independent, responsible children and Abigail is all those things and so much more.  She’ll tell you she’s pretty much been on her own since toddlerhood.  She remembers getting herself up and off to school as a kindergartener while I was in bed surviving the recent (albeit joyous) arrival of another new sibling.  I admire her sense of adventure and love of life, I envy her super chill attitude and I am grateful for her low drama personality.  So many big things in store for her this year.  She’s got this.  And if she doesn’t?  She will. I’m excited to watch her continue to take on life as an “adult”.   Happy Birthday to the girl who made me a Mama!

December Miscellaneous

Dec 2:  The Light the World prompt today was “Think of someone who is an example of Christlike service. Highlight their example on social media.”  I immediately thought about the various women in my life.  And posted the following...

“I’m blessed to be surrounded by women who continuously strengthen and life others.  I seriously have the most amazing friends.  Where distance separates some of us, modern technology connects us (and a girls trip here and there is always a good idea). I am a better woman, wife, and mother because of the examples of these ladies and so many more.”

Dec 3:  Jason had his first jazz choir concert tonight.  I had a Christmas party so Justin attended on his own.  One of the moms in attendance sent me a picture.

Dec 5:  I treated Abigail and Carly to pre-Costa Rica pedicures today.

Carly took me by surprise today by wearing a Utes t-shirt that my sister Brenda apparently gave to her to taunt us with.  Too bad it’s actually a cute tee.

You can also see the packing piles in the background of the kids clothes for Costa Rica.

Dec 6: Tonight was the annual PJ Christmas Party with my girlfriends in Auburn.  It was loads of fun as usual.  

I took my role of managing the buzzer against Katy very seriously

The apron I’m wearing was the gift I got in the gift exchange

I was the WORST at sneakily getting these red stickers on people without them noticing. Each sticker on this poster is me getting caught trying.

It was already 1:45am when I started heading home. I had eaten so much sugar that I was pretty wired and didn’t get to sleep until around 4am. It was far too soon when my alarm went off at 5am to get ready to head to the airport Costa Rica-bound.

Dec 18:  Abigail had her wisdom teeth removed this morning.  It was a quick appointment.  We were in and out of there in about an hour.  She was hoping to come out of anesthesia loopy and get a funny video, but no surprise that my even keeled daughter came out of surgery without any behaviors or emotions that are out of the norm.  I took a couple videos of her afterward but they consist of eye-rolling and indifference – perfectly normal.  She was disappointed.  Her friends were disappointed.  Nicole and Jaden came over and watched a movie with her, but apparently she got a little stir crazy and was feeling well enough to go out with her friends for the night.  I advised her to stay up on her pain meds so she would continue to fill fine and off she went.  When her surgeon called that evening to see how the patient was doing he was pretty shocked that she was feeling well enough to go out, but what can you do. She’s a tough girl and truly was fine.  

We had a couple more earthquakes tonight and tomorrow morning – eek!

Dec 30:  Tonight Justin and I took the “littles” to the Gibbs Christmas party.  We were the only Snoqualmie family able to attend so they invited a few families from their current ward.  I thought it would be pretty awkward, but it turned out to be a fun night.  Jason came home with a Twinkie maker from the gift exchange and was excited to put it use the next day.

I put together my “Top Nine” from 2019.  Seriously this past year will be tough to beat!

·      Three weekends away with girlfriends (Priest Lake, New York, Austin)

·      Solo trip to Utah for my niece Kaitlyn’s wedding

·      20th anniversary trip to Bali

·      Couples trip to Seabrook with friends

·      Liberating hysterectomy

·      Hipwell reunion in Bear Lake

·      Cruise to Alaska

·      Labor Day weekend on beautiful Orcas Island

·      Tagging along on a work trip to DC

·      Costa Rica adventures!  

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Clearly I LOVE traveling but truly what brings me the most happiness is time with my family and friends.  Witnessing my children succeed, learn and grow into amazing, albeit flawed individuals. I love my people!

DEFY – Flying Circus

We bought groupons for DEFY (and I was able to get the groupon price cut in half for an additional discount) and decided to go on December 26 – the day after Christmas.  Apparently everyone thinks the day after Christmas will be crazy and hectic but thankfully that was not the case.  Most of the kids have been in the past with friends, but this was the first time for Justin, Carly and myself.  You have to wear special grip socks while playing, we brought a few with us and they didn’t make buy the few that we were lacking – yay!

In addition to jumping, dodging, shooting, climbing and swinging around we hit up two different chick-fil-a’s to redeems free items and to get into their systems.  We also made some returns at Target and Nordstrom Rack which again were MUCH less busy than I ever wouldn’t expected for the day after Christmas.  

Jason didn’t think we would have any fun without friends, but I feel confident that we proved him wrong. Great day with the family! 

Thanks Abigail for putting together a fun video! 

(Next time I’ll take videos horizontally so you don’t have to work with weird vertical clips)