We’ve had so much snow this year! I previously shared some photos from our early- to mid-December snowfall. Then we got more January 7th to the 9th, all was clear and schools opened up again on Tuesday the 10th but shortly after 5:30 that day, it started really coming down! It was quite a blizzard. It started as I was driving the boys home and the roads had a layer of snow on them by the time I pulled in my driveway. It kept up all night, and in the morning we had about a foot of snow on the ground and it was still falling! Then the temperature didn’t get above freezing for almost a week so the snow stayed put – and schools were closed – until the following Wednesday, the 18th! I had to work a couple of days, and my commute by bus was fine, but we really struggled with childcare. A. worked from home most of the snow days and found a teenager to help with the kids the days I worked, and I was able to stay home and use vacation time one day, plus my normal days off.

Here are some photos I took while trying to feed Sam some kind of purée while we were snowed in the weekend of the 7th:

And playing on the floor:

The stalled construction:

Walking Andrew in the evening:

On Monday after that weekend, I think story time was still on hiatus but I took the boys to the library by bus, anyway.

Sam at home:

On the bus:

As we were stepping off the bus at the library, Ari looked up at a man standing there waiting to get on and shouted, “We’re going to the library! I LOVE the library!” The man was laughing and it was pretty cute. (When we first get in the door of the library, I always have to stop Ari from running around screaming, “Woooooh! We’re at the library!!!” Actually I usually fail to stop him at first, and that’s exactly what he does until I catch him.)

On the way home, Ari found a great puddle:

We tried out a new stroller set-up to walk Andrew and read library books that afternoon:

The next day, school was open and I was off work! Major housecleaning and to-do list time. Actually, I think I did some cooking. That evening, starting during our drive home from school, we had our big snowstorm!

A. shoveled our sidewalk when he got home, and came in covered in snow:

The scene outside was surreal for us:

The next morning:

Ari somehow figured out how to access the camera on my locked iPhone. I’ve watched him push the top right button, swipe up from the bottom, and select the camera. If he gets the passcode screen, he quickly hits “cancel”. I don’t know how he figured it out! Here is a picture he took of me feeding Sam and trying to stop him:

In the afternoon, we finally got ourselves fed, napped, and bundled up and out the door to walk to our friends’ house and play in the snow! (Ari refused to wear his hat.)

We saw skiers and sledders:

Ari made his first snow angel:

First, my friend watched Sam while Ari and I took one of her sleds out and I let him go a short ways down the hill outside of her house by himself. He hopped to his feet at the bottom, said, “That was great!” then hauled the sled back up and asked to go inside and read books.

Finally, we all got outside and I set poor Sam down in the snow:

Then we strapped him into my friend’s toddler sled!

Aren’t they all cute in their colorful sleds?

We pulled them down the street and found a less steep hill to push them down.

On the way home, Sam fell fast asleep, and slept through a diaper change and being put down in his crib!

I saw this guy on my way to the bus to work the next morning:

Sunrise from the hospital:

And later in the day, and sunset:

The next morning, the snowman was still there!

And A. took this of our backyard:

On Saturday, I was off work and eager to get the boys outside! We walked past my snow buddy:

And an igloo:

Tired boys:

Then we braved the roads to go to Ari’s friend’s birthday party at a pizza and party place!

The day after that – sledding! We went to Clinton Park, where there is an amazing hill, just the right size for Ari (and bigger people, too), with a long flat stretch at the end to safely come to a stop. There were lots of people out sledding and even snowboarding.

I think the last time I went sledding was the day that A. and I got engaged about ten years ago (wow, time flies!), so I was a little nervous! But it was really fun!

After several runs with A. and me, Ari said he wanted to go by himself! I was so proud. He went down two or three times on his own. He stayed on the sled, even on one run when I forgot to hand him the rope so it went under the sled and spun him around and he went down backwards. Every time, he picked up the rope in his bulky little mittens and hauled the sled back up the hill! Once, a bigger kid snowboarding almost wiped him out when he was standing at the bottom but he redirected and just knocked the sled out of his hands as he whizzed by right in front of him. The kid was shouting, “I would have done it if it weren’t for you!” (I think he’d been trying to make a jump or something) but was otherwise nice and went and retrieved the sled for him. Ari was very calm about the whole thing!

Sam was asleep and hidden in his seat:

You can see his unattended seat in the background of this photo. Second babies… We kept an eye on him, though!

As we were finishing up, I heard sounds coming from the seat so I lifted the cover and found this happy guy:

What a great day!

Next, we headed to the playground at the same park. Ari watched a little girl on these slides for a while, then told me he didn’t want to go on the slide because he didn’t want to make a new friend, or something like that. He said he only wanted the friends he already had. Finally I talked him into sharing the slide with her, then they both went down, giggled at each other at the bottom, and then scampered back around to climb up again. Ari paused to tell me, “Mommy, we’re friends now!” They played together on the merry-go-round and see saws, too. Later, the main story that he told about the day was that he made a new friend at the park.

I’m not sure Sam knew what to make of the cold air!

Back home, warm and snug! These puzzle pieces are nice, all natural chew toys right now.

During this time, I was reading this book and psyching myself up for better new habits in the new year (my top priority is going to bed earlier!). I loved this quote because it explains why I’m always trying to set up routines and habits.

The next day I was on my own with the boys and made some more soup (sadly, TV was my friend and babysitter that day).

Sam on the floor:

Ari doing his new thing – “I’m BIG and STRONG!”

Pretty Andrew in the snow:

Sam scooting under the couch:

More cute Sam:

Finally the snow melted and the kids went back to school! They got a make-up day so I had three days in a row of being off work with them in school, to get the house cleaned up and catch up on laundry and other things. The presidential inauguration was the third of those days. I’ll start my next post there! But today I want to say one thing: My heart goes out to all the people affected by today’s executive orders suspending immigration from certain countries, and his other immigration-related actions. There are mothers who fled persecution, leaving small children behind, to try to start a new life here and bring their families to join them, and are now anticipating that they won’t be able to get their children out of danger and won’t see them for several more years, at least. I feel sorry for myself sometimes, not being able to see my children on the days I work and not getting pumping breaks, but my heart just aches for all of the families split up by conflicts and terrorism around the world and now kept apart by Americans’ fear and prejudice. I am so, so, so fortunate to have this life I document here!