Snow Days, Snow Days!

Ahhh, snow days. Wonderfully exciting, busy, messy, exhausting snow days. 

We had two of them this week. That's right! When you are six and four years old, what could be better than just one snow day the week after Christmas break? Two snow days. In a row! Even though Ella only missed one day of school she was super excited to have Ava home for two (she misses her playmate while she is in school all day). 

It was cold, blizzardy, very windy and very snowy. There was zero visibility and negative digits on the thermometer readings. We were authentically housebound for the entire first day and the majority of the second. I did manage to sneak out for a quick treadmill run at the gym on the evening of day 2. I went mostly to regain my sanity after being completely snowbound...I get as stir crazy as my kids when I'm stuck in the house for too long (:

We made granola, and colored pictures. The girls dressed up in dress up clothes and danced around the living room. We bundled up both days. The first day we went for a very short drive around the block, which functioned as a fun excursion and proof that the girls really couldn't play outside (they had asked many times that morning to go sledding! I took on the annoying mom role and kept asking Ava whether she still wanted to go sledding when she got home. "Really, I'll get your sled out. Are you sure?" She rolled her eyes at me. In the funniest, cutest way possible, of course), and by late afternoon the second day the sun finally peeked out and the temperature rose to a whopping 12, so I let the girls go outside to play. 

I will confess, I had one or two moments in which I questioned my ability to keep the three girls constructively occupied and fend off as much whining and fighting as possible.  I may have ended up on the basement stairs, in a self inflicted time out, for about five minutes at the end of day one while the girls hollered my name from above. 

"Mom, Mom. Mom!!  Can we have more snacks? Where is the glitter? I ran out of toilet paper. Aubrey is eating a magazine. Aubrey just pulled all of your laundry onto the floor. Can we watch a movie. Will you play a game with us? Can we do jumping jacks off the couch? Did you get our snow pants and gloves and boots and socks and hats out yet? Did you get the hot chocolate ready for when we come in? When can we have something to eat...again. Aubrey wants to be nursed AND her diaper needs to be changed. Mom? MOOOMMM? WHERE ARE YOU?"

Phew. 

A momma's got to take a deep breath at some point, right?! I finally answered and we got back to business as usual. 

I managed to snap a handful of photos of our housebound doings...

All bundled up for our "snow drive". I got in trouble (in the nicest way) after I posted our outing on Facebook. Apparently there was a driving ban in our town. Lesson learned...turn news on at least once during the day during a blizzard in Buffalo. 

The "craft" table. 

First go at homemade granola bars. The girls had fun making them, but I discovered, after they were already made, that Ella doesn't like craisins or coconut and Ava would prefer to eat a cookie! Oh well (:

The snow outside our back window. 

Day two...when it had finally "warmed" up. 

When in Buffalo, do as Buffalonians do. Well, the kids anyway. Eat snow! 

Aubrey wanted to join the girls!

She opted to pull all of the laundry out of the basket instead (:

And became very confident in her pulling up abilities. 

And sneaking underneath kitchen chairs. 

And discovering she knows how to open cabinets. Yes, yes...Let the games...and baby proofing, begin! 

Our favorite new mugs sent as Christmas gifts from one of our favorite families (Thanks Mrs. Sara Deweerd!)

The obligatory, and very yummy, post snow, hot cocoa. 

Views from my bedroom window.

We had fun while it lasted, but now we are actually praying that we don't have anymore snow days because we have reached the three included in the school calendar...one more means a make-up day at the end of the year!