Winter

David and Xander had Monday off from work and school, so we decided to go to the beach last weekend for Valentine's Day and the long weekend. It was COLD! We had a good time watching movies and playing games, but unfortunately all the things we're used to doing at the beach (putt putt, playing in the sand, shopping at the outdoor outlets, etc) weren't an option due to the cold. Even the indoor pool was too chilly for me and Amelia Jayne. We also had to travel outside to get to the indoor pool (crazy!) which was difficult to handle, as well. And would you believe that the only bowling alley was closed for renovations!? The resort had free movie rentals, so we were able to see a couple of movies that we hadn't seen yet (Book of Life was really cute!) but even the theaters don't have any kid-friendly movies out right now. Oh well. It was definitely nice to get away, especially with what was in store for the rest of the week...

Xander and David braved the cold and went out to the beach to play some  "beach soccer." AJ and I just couldn't hang with the cold wind coming off the ocean.

Aaand…we're now on day 4 of being home from school. We got a fairly severe ice storm on Monday night (after we got home, thankfully) which resulted in us not being able to go to school all week. We live in somewhat of a rural town, so there are lots of back roads that aren't safe for busses to travel on yet. The library was closed on Tuesday, as well, and I took the day off on Wednesday. On Thursday Xander was able to go to school with AJ as a drop-in which they both thoroughly enjoyed (and which allowed me to get some work done at the library).  I'm typically off on Fridays anyway, so that allowed me to be home with the kiddos today.

Tuesday: Amelia Jayne "ice skating."

Tuesday: Xander and David playing soccer in the "snow."

We had a brief snowstorm on Wednesday. The kids enjoyed playing outside while it was snowing. Fun!

With our backyard being super-shady and on the northeast side of the house, coupled with the below freezing temps we've been continuing to have for our highs this week, that means the ice has not melted much. Xander is outside playing more ice soccer, even as I type this. :)

We've had hot chocolate galore, played Mexican train and watched more movies than I can count, which has been incredibly fun…but I'm ready for school to start back next week! And regain some "normalcy" in my life. Ha!