Snow and Sledding

Yesterday was gray and cold. I talked the kids out of sledding, so they played outside for a long time.

Today was sunny and warm (if you call 34 degrees warm). I took the kids to the overpass to sled. We started out on the north side which was very rough and icy. We then moved to the south side which was more snowy and eventually slushy. What a fun afternoon with what seemed like half the kids in Happy! I was again reminded why I'm glad we live where we do. We get to "sled" on overpasses with kids ranging in age from 3 to 18. Everyone takes care of each other. They all shared the various sledding devices and had a great time.

This is one of T.S.'s trips down the north side. When he finished his run, he got up and announced, "That was wicked."

He caught some serious air on the ramp the kids made on the south side. The high school kids were very impressed.

Here is Sadie on the south side. Apparently, psyching yourself up to go down is serious business.

Afternoon Update

The sleet lasted until around noon. It has switched over to snow--fairly light. We had to go out of the front door and dig out the back door to get out this afternoon. Sleet (and a little snow) had piled up and we couldn't open the door. Sleet is way harder to shovel than snow.

We just got word that we won't have school tomorrow. We're hoping we can do some sledding--either at the overpass or down the dam in the pasture. Maybe we'll even pull the car hood behind the four wheeler.

Snow Day (More like Sleet Day)

It is sleeting today. Supposedly it is supposed to turn to snow soon. We don't have school today and probably won't tomorrow. Here are pictures of the day so far (these were taken a little before 9:00 this morning). I'll try to take more when it is time to feed this afternoon.

We had trouble opening gates this morning because of ice buildup. Sleet stung our faces. I'm not looking forward to helping feed this afternoon. I'm glad we just have the pigs, chickens, lambs and a dog to feed and aren't having to take care of cattle, too.

The kids have already painted and played some games. Puzzles are next on the list. I'd like to cook some chili, but we're not sure how much longer we'll have electricity. I'm pretty sure if I start cooking it'll go out half-way through. When we were kids, Grandma and Granddad would send us a puzzle from the hardware on snow days and mom would usually cook chili.

We're prepared for the electricity to go off. We have a fire going, lots of bottled water to drink, and water drawn up for flushing if necessary. We can't see out of the north or east windows because of the coating of ice. It's kind of odd to not be able to see out.

I'm planning on posting more pictures on my "Thoughts" page--weather permitting.

The Great Marshmallow War of '09

We gave the kids marshmallow guns for Christmas--they shoot mini-marshmallows. T.S. was also the recipient of a Nerf gun. Robby gets to shoot it when they have their battles. The last few mornings of '09 were epic battles. T.S. has perfected the art of falling/being injured when the Nerf bullets hit him. Our house is littered with the aftermath--smushed marshmallows.

Christmas Break, Part 3

On Thursday we woke up to a little bit of snow and a whole lot of wind. We were on the edge of the "blizzard." The girls were determined to play in it, but soon found out the wind and cold were just too much. They did collect a bowl of snow to eat.

We spent the day in town playing games and eating more. After church that evening, the boys treated us to chicken-fried deer steak and the fixings.

The kids hung their stockings and Sadie wrote Santa a note before heading to bed.

The Last Week...

The last week has been a busy one.

Sadie danced with her dance/cheer class at the basketball game.

She showed her lambs at a jackpot in Claude (T.S. came to love the back of the Explorer.).

Oscar placed first and reserve breed fine wool cross. Edward was second. Sadie did an outstanding job showing. Oh, and it was cold and a little windy.

Both kids rang bells at church--this seems to be a pretty serious affair.

We FINALLY decorated the tree.

Robby and Sadie practiced the fiddle. (Ignore all boxes, etc. in the background--I said we decorated, not that we have the house back in order. The elf is supposed to arrive any day to put away laundry, return the storage containers from decorating to the storeroom, and hopefully do some cleaning.)

I should probably mention the weather. Last week was cold, to say the least. Yesterday, the high was 24. We woke to thin ice this morning. That was followed by snow, dark skies, a little sunshine and the horribly high winds. We're hoping things will even out as the week goes on.

Playing in the Snow

We woke up to a little more snow this morning. There wasn't enough for Robby to really pull the car hood behind the four-wheeler. He did pull them out to some larger drifts, though. This afternoon, all that is left are the drifts--and they are really dirty.

You can see more pictures of our drifts here.

My How They've Grown

Remember the kittens we bottle fed?

You can search our blog for "kittens" and get the full saga.

I thought I should update you. I took these pictures yesterday. Please note, it is very hard to take their picture, they come running and want to put their face directly in the lens.
Tiger--the only girl

Talley--the proud Tom

Uncle Sally--He was the runt.