2013: The year winter said “I DO EXIST!”

 February was halfway over.  The weather was warming and we still had received a very minimal amount of snow this winter 2013.  I personally began to think we might see an early spring.  Finally, one Friday night/early Saturday morning we got a little snow… not enough to amount to much, but enough that we thought we might as well run out to the store and grab a sled from the clearance shelf so we could at least say we pulled you kiddos around on it.  Daddy also scored a new shovel for $4… even though the snow had already melted from our driveway, we thought, maybe in future years we could put it to good use.

We made the most of the snow that day, although Cale, you ended up napping.  And Charly?  You were scared of the sled.  You would not let me pull you anywhere on that thing!  You just yelled “WO-WO-WO-WOOOOOOOOO!!!”  Finally you settled enough to at least pull it around in the snow.  Baby steps.

And then…  I heard a murmur that turned into a crazy flourish of stock piling and hoarding from all Kansas Citians.  Weather called for upwards of 20 inches of snow in less than 24 hours!  I called the pending storm’s bluff and instead, hunkered down at home.  No milk and fresh produce pile for this household.  I figured if I didn’t overly prepare…. It might actually happen.  (Because kiddos?  I thoroughly enjoy the snow.  I like to watch it fall from the sky, see it cover the landscape, play in it, drive in it and simply look at it.  Some people think I’m crazy… but I was praying for that snowstorm to show Kansas City winter DOES still exist in the midwest!).

Boy oh boy, goody goody gum drops!  Did that snow fall!  And it just kept on coming.  I danced quite a few snow jigs with you two. 

Took a few hundred photos.

Charlotte- During Cale’s naps and after Daddy got home, you and I rushed outside to play in the snow together.  We had so much fun out there!  I even got you to enjoy riding around on the sled in our yard!  But your favorite thing to do was simply WALK in the snow.  Every now and then you would get stuck and I would come pull you out…. And then we would fall down into the fluffy white snow laughing together.  It was so much fun!  We shall see if your enjoyment of snow continues in later years.  I sure hope so! 

 I didn’t want to leave you out, Cale.  So one day (when it was unfortunately COLD), I bundled you up and laid you in the snow.  Your mittens fell off and your curiosity got the best of you as you stuck your bare hands into the snow.  You were not a fan.  Pretty sure you might hold some resentment towards the snow after that…sorry buddy.  I sure hope I didn’t ruin snow play for you!

We got slammed again just a few days after that first storm.  And I mean SLAMMED!  Our yard was littered with tree branches.  And Daddy had to spend a couple of hours shoveling the driveway in order to get onto the roads to drive to work (that’s right, much to my dismay; Daddy didn’t get a snow day.).  The snow continued to fall most of that day and I joined in on the shoveling action.  I set Cale in the jumperoo by the window and you two watched me and waved to me as I shoveled away.  The piles were like MOUNTAINS to you, Charlotte.  You were so cute climbing them!  Such a crack up!

Snow of that magnitude obviously takes some time to melt.  So for most of March, that snow basically lingered around, melting a bit here and there on the warm days.  And finally, that snow was gone (though most of the branches remain down in our yard…oopsies….!).  Just in time for one final (we think that was the final snowstorm of the season anyway…. Time will tell!!) blast of snow on Palm Sunday!  I believe we received about a foot of snow during that Palm Sunday storm.  We, of course, made the most of it.  Even Cale joined Charlotte and me outside to build a little snowman and snow house!  I made sure to bundle you better, my little man.  And I brought a blanket out to set you on.  I think that helped J

So there you have it.  2013.  The year winter shouted out loud: I DO EXIST!!!  And all in the short period of about three weeks!  I wonder when we will see that much snow again?