Weather Whiplash

Last week there was snow.
Today it is raining and 54.
Tomorrow the high is 74. Sweet.
Wait...Thursday there could be snow?!

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!

While I wrap my head around the fact that people in these parts are going to be purchasing sunscreen AND French toast supplies, take a look at some of the fun we had last week. What is she talking about?? Yes, people in this area hear the word "snow" at just a whisper and they all go running to buy milk, bread, and eggs... I have lived here for almost 8 years and I STILL have no idea why. It is the strangest thing ever.

source

Yeah, it is pretty. But, I am happy that it was  gone by the end of the day. Very happy.

7 Quick Takes: Current Happenings

1. The Tiny One - Take 2

12 Weeks, 2 Days

So, this wee one of ours MUST be a girl. Only because this one is already causing drama. But, I could be wrong still. I won't know until either next appointment or the one after (I haven't decided yet).

I go into my what was supposed to be regular 10 minute prenatal check-up. And, suddenly it turns into an hour. Little Bit didn't want anyone hearing his or her heartbeat. Nice. Mommy appreciates that... Let me back up a tad. I'm slightly worried (every pregnancy) that something bad will happen. This one more than the others. I know... Lame. And, I will be 14 weeks tomorrow - still not one bit of movement felt (though...we have been extremely busy so I could have missed it).

Anyway, Dr. F. has a shadowing doctor right now and she had an issue with finding the heartbeat. But, it was fine... Dr. F. will find it. Only, he came in and 20 minutes later he STILL couldn't find it. UGH!

They both left and got the ultrasound tech to take me next. Seriously?! But, it was interesting how I felt all of a sudden... I knew that it was going to be fine. And, whatever the outcome...it would still be fine. With everything that has happened lately, I was honestly ok. I just said a quick prayer and waited until my U/S.

Thankfully, Little Bit is perfectly healthy and (even though I can't feel anything yet) was rolling around like crazy in there! So, all is well and we should know very soon which "A" name will be announced! YAY!!

2. Baby Bump Photo Yet??

Sorry! I don't have much of a bump just yet. But, someone did say that I was starting to look pregnant! So maybe next week you can have a pic. Maybe.

3. Train 'Em Young!

 
Austin's new favorite thing to do is push the laundry basket around the house. As long as he has Baby Fox helping and gets to keep the basket when he is done, he loves helping Mommy!

4. A New Cousin is Coming Soon!!

 
Those two boys... They crack me up! So we walk into Belk the other day to just get out and put and end to cabin fever. And, of course, they say, "Oooooohhhh....not a mommy store!!!! Where is the Lego store!?" As soon as I explain that Silly Mommy just wants to find something extra to put into Aunt Kate and Uncle Justin's box (I swear...I will send it out tomorrow, guys!!), they were ALL OVER THAT. They each were grabbing this outfit and that outfit. Asking what number we should get. In the photo, Alex (front) is trying to figure out where the pants are to those onesies. Andrew is trying to figure out why that girly outfit is blue when it should be pink in his head. All the questions and comments about items for Baby Keira were so funny!

Note: Just so Kate and Just know...those are NOT the items I chose. There is no pink only because I'm assuming that you have way too much of it from the baby shower (saw that happen at another shower I went to). Also, I realized that girl clothes are overwhelming. So, if this is a boy again... I will be TOTALLY fine with that!! Haha!

5. Snow Actually Happened. 

After an ENTIRE day of waiting and waiting for the mysterious snow storm to come, the snow finally decided to fall. At bedtime. Stupid snow. Anyway, the boys were SO happy when they woke the next morning and gobbled up their breakfast as fast as anything, Austin included, to get their gear on and go out in the slushy mess. Can you tell I'm not a big fan of that white stuff?

6. Snow Explorers

Really. That's what Andrew decided their name should be where there is snow. Austin walks in the snow like a champ, by the way. Alex and Andrew's first times in the snow...they looked like little cats with tape on their paws. This guy? He was born for walks in the snow... Hope he knows down the road that the South is the only place one should live though. I can't do the North. I just wont survive. Like, for real. Still not sure how I survived our Minnesota trip! ;)

7. The Great Thaw

Around these parts, if the boys have been playing outside and it is under...maybe 50 degrees? They request hot chocolate to be ready where they are almost done playing outside. Lately they have been requesting hot chocolate in a "real mug" and are just so excited when I deliver. I may have to let them pick out their own special mugs once we can move to the new house!

Good times once again!

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A Second Snow {Feb 12-13}

Why, hello, snow... Yep. It snowed again (a couple weeks ago) and thankfully everyone was home safe and sound this time. Phew!

So, Wednesday morning (the 12th) was a very rainy, icy cold day. In fact, after it had been raining all day, the temp finally decided to drop a bit more. And this our boys' picnic table looked like this:

Icicles!

But, it stopped and all of us figured we would still have school the next day. No more rain. The icicles even started to drip drop away. Everyone got baths, clothes picked out, stories read, and kisses goodnight. As I walked my way back into the kitchen, my 5 quart mixing bowl that I put out just in case for snow cream should we actually get the mysterious snow, looked like this:

How long was I reading the rest of that Tree House book for???

Um, yeah. That is a few inches of snow people. That pic was taken at 7:36 pm. A half-hour after I said goodnight to the boys. Holy. Moly.

And just as I was headed outside to grab my mixing bowl, I got the phone call, text message, and email informing us parents that we will yet again be plagued with cabin fever having a snow day.

I must say...when you are safe and sound all together, a snow-covered neighborhood looks quite beautiful.

Absolutely gorgeous, in fact. Sweet dreams snow. See you in the morning.

All is calm. And, all is very bright at 5:30 am when there is snow on the ground!

Of course these guys could not wait and scarfed down their breakfast to play in the snow for as long as possible. SNOW!!

They enjoyed many snowball fights - though the snow was much to powdery to make a decent snowball.

 Plotting something (left) and getting their daddy (right).

Watching the big boys

Once I got Austin ready, he and I trekked into the snow. This is not technically his first snow, but it is the first time he has been outside in it all bundled up.He thought is was very bright!

The view over the fence

 

That hill actually looks rather nice when it is all snow-covered. 

 

In my boots boots LOL

Jason went in with Austin, while I stayed out to play with the boys for a bit more. Eventually, I went back inside. But, the guys? They stayed out there for about another hour before deciding that it was too cold. They had such a great time!

The aftermath of fun in the snow!

Thankfully, the snow did not last long and was gone by the end of the day. The snow and I have a love/hate relationship... It's fine and dandy until my family is spread out all over the city, I literally get stuck at home, or it just lasts much too long. Now, Mr. Weatherman, I hope we are done with this. It is time to bring on Spring!

One Snowflake at a Time {part 2}

If you missed Part 1 of our snowpocalypse, click HERE to start from the beginning. 


The next morning, it was rather odd (and secretly nice in a way) to not hear the crashing of toys followed by the sounds of squeals, yelling, laughing, and finally feet running down the hall to make sure we knew that the clock said 7 am. Austin was the only one who woke me up, and in all honesty...I was already somewhat awake. I didn't sleep all that much. It was much too quiet in the house. I could only hear the sounds of Max's snore coming from the closet and the white noise of the baby monitor. So strange.

It's amazing how much you miss the sounds that tend to annoy you...

I missed hearing Jason snore every now and then (though I can totally see him rolling his eyes at that statement...). I miss that sound that starts low from the boys' room as they begin to wake and it gradually, and rather quickly, grows louder as the sun shines stronger. It was weird.

Yes, Jason has been out of town on business trips. Yes, the boys have spent one night away from us when we were on a mini vacation a few years ago. But, this was SO different. Sure they were safe... But, I honestly had no idea when they were all coming home. I had no idea how they were all going to even get back. I knew it would be, hopefully this afternoon... But we still weren't sure. I hate not knowing. It is a terrible feeling...

Austin and snuggled a bit more before we both had enough and it was time to start our day. I cleaned the boys' room, made their beds, did laundry, and even started dinner in the crock pot in hopes that we would all be eating together tonight. I managed to grad a few pictures for the boys, too.

Out the front window / backyard just waiting to be played in

My sweet little helper

Throughout the morning, I was on the phone again with Jason and friends helping us figure out how to get home. A few hours later, it looked like my 3 guys were going to come home thanks to some wonderful friends! Jason got his car back and borrowed a set of car seats. Once everyone had a warm lunch, the adventure of heading home began.

When I had an idea of where everyone was on the road, I took Austin over to Crystal's and drove to the bottom of our hill on the inside of the neighborhood. We had hear from a neighbor that there were 123 cars (and counting) parked on the other side to meet them. As I hiked to the top, (not kidding...hiked. Hiked.), I saw the many neighbors and crews were out there getting the snow off the road with shovels. People were definitely going be with their loved ones soon!

Heading down the other die to meet up with my sweeties

My boys!!! My husband!!! They are here!!

Let's just pause here a moment and look at that picture again...

My family! I am SO happy that they are back home - safe and sound!

So. Very. Happy. 

Headed back down the "inside" of the mega-hill to my van

Have I mentioned that I can't wait to move? Never again will I live in a place that has a wannabe mountain of death that traps you like this... UGH!

The walk up and down the hill was filled with "I love yous" and "I missed yous" followed by how much fun was had during their adventure. I loved hearing their stories of hot chocolates, pizza, and popcorn mixed in with the occasional "How did you get stuck, mommy?" and "We were wondering where you were. But our teachers told us what happened to our city." 

Once all five of use were home, little bodies warmed up in the bath, and tummies warmed up with spaghetti and meatballs.... What do you think happened next?

"What out, Alex! I'm gonna get you!"

"No, I'm getting you, Andrew!"

Yep, the boys headed BACK out to play in the snow for the rest of the afternoon! And, I played with them too while Jason got some much needed rest and relaxation with Austin. We had an awesome snowball fight and made snow angels...

Angels... Yes, my family definitely had their guardian angels close by keeping them safe. Maybe it is silly...but, I've never had this sort of thing happen as an adult. Where you don't know when your family will get home to you...or how... I've never experience total chaos in a city like this before. Sure we had that tornado and that was frightening, too. But this was far different. Jason was walking over Red Mountain...in the snow and ice...in the dark. He told me that there were some cars still "driving" and that was scary to hear. Anyone could have  hit him. Thankfully, he got to the school safely.

We thank everyone who help us out (and those that helped others out, too) in getting their families together again.

I really hope this snow is over...or, at least, I hope it will be NOTHING like this again for quite some time.

Now, for a glass of wine...

Stay warm, friends.

One Snowflake at a Time {part 1}

This has been an interesting turn of events for Alabama. This morning, bright and early at 5:30, I'm enjoying coffee and quiet while I continue praying for peace (I was told to pray for that instead of patience) each day. I turn on the news before deciding to get the boys ready for school. While I notice that just a few surrounding counties (mainly south) decided to delay school, there was no report of anything headed our way or schools delayed. So, off we went to start our morning.

Breakfast, clothes on, bags double checked (mine, theirs and the babies), papers all checked and ready to be returned to school, mail stamped, etc. The works.

We said our goodbyes to Daddy and headed out. The boys were cracking me up with their backseat driving (post on that shortly) and all of Birmingham was up and out ready for they day's work, errands, and whatnot.

I almost headed over to Babies R Us...but since they don't open until 10 (lame, by the way...) Austin and I headed home.

After getting him down for a nap, me some more coffee, and a few posts written and scheduled I let Max out and saw it...

Snow was falling.

And, I don't mean the kind that you wonder "Well, is that really snow? Or just sleet?"

No. It was snow. Big. Enormous flakes falling.

And sticking.

At 10:28 am, just moments later, I got the text, email, and phone call from school to come get your children due to the weather. Oh, happy day. I live 20 minutes from the school and they were letting out the little preschoolers in 5 minutes (not much notice...but, then again. NO one in the area had any idea this was going to happen) I grab Austin, a bottle to warm up in the car on the way, my bag, and a few items "just in case."

Just before jumping in the van around 10:45am

 Well, if you have been to or have seen my neighborhood before...

3 years ago

 Yeah. We live in either Whoville or Harry Potter's Village (which one, you think?). I made it 2 feet up the monster hill of death and destruction. So did my neighbor behind me. And, the FedEx truck...I don't think he even tried. I slid sideways down the hill. But, made it back home safely with Austin. Fun.

I begin the frantic calls to Jason, school, teachers, other parents, my mom, everyone. I was on the phone ALL. DAY. Calling friends, my husband, the school, my family... Freaking out one snowflake at a time.

still snowing around 1:30 pm

I'm watching the news while on the phone with people. They are talking about kids who are stuck at the schools and the possibility of massive school sleepovers. I love the boys school and trust the teacher and staff greatly. But, just that thought was so strange. My boys are 4 and 2.5 years old. They are so little still. Sure, Andrew acts like this big kid. And Alex does everything for and with Andrew with that brotherly sparkle in his eyes. But, this snow and ice is horrible and was drastically changing our city rather quickly. Very scary.

Jason left work around 3pm and started working his way over to the school...another scary though. The snow stopped by the temperature is dropping. Fast. Everything is iced now. Cars and trucks are crashing all over the place...

Death Trap aka Hwy 280

Insanity...

Anyway, around 7pm I saw pictures and messages from Andrew's teacher and the kids there (about 40 or so plus staff and some family member that tried to get home but had to turn back) were doing great. Having hot chocolate and making this into a party. I heard from Alex's teacher, too. His class played in the snows on the playground a few times and are all having a blast. Phew! No worries there. This school is amazing. We just love it!

Around 8:30 pm, maybe earlier - all these times are running together now, Jason was safely at school with the boys.

Though...without his car. He left it at a restaurant and WALKED over the MOUNTAIN..ok, fine. Hill. But it is called Red "Mountain" so, ya know. It's a mountain. He thankfully had his protective gear he uses when he goes to steel mills and such around town. He put that stuff on and trekked on over. About 2 miles. In the freezing cold. To get to our boys. I love that man... He was planning to stay at the school, too. I called a few other friends - one offered her home to us as she was stuck at a hotel downtown (but he had no car or car seats or anything and it was another mile or so of walking with two tiny tots) and another sent her husband out to "rescue" them. Thankfully, they all had a warm home and beds to sleep in for the night. I love our friends so much!! Thank you, everyone!!

Once they were safely at their friend's home, I got to talk to the boys finally and say good night. They are so funny. Andrew told me all about the puzzles and hot chocolate. He also told me to hurry up and get to their friend's home to play in the snow before it melts. LOL, oh, honey...this snow is stuck her for a few days with these temperatures... Alex told me that was having a "cool day" playing "all day forever at school." Oh my... My sweet babies...

loving the fire

Please keep our family and friends in your prayers. Please pray for those stranded in this weather and the emergency services working hard. Please pray for the children and their families still stuck at school away from their homes. Please pray for our city to get through this mess.