The Snowstorm of 2015 {Outside Fun}

I am calling this the Snowstorm of 2015 because I am hoping this designation will mean that there won't be anymore of this snowed-in-with-no-school-for-a-week weather for the rest of 2015. Maybe I should call it the Snowstorm of the decade just to be sure.

It was almost this exact time last year that Roanoke was slammed with 18 inches of snow...how kind of nature to repeat it this year.  I'm not usually one to watch much about the weather (I know.  That's bad when I have kids.), but I couldn't miss that forecasts were calling for another snowstorm.  We have had such a mild winter to this point, so as much as I hated to think of it, we've been due.  I left early on Monday morning to eek out some work in Martinsville before heading back to Roanoke at lunch to be closer to home when the snow started falling.  Sam left for work by 6 (as usual), and was supposed to be going to West Virginia for the week for meetings.  I have never been so glad to hear about rescheduled meetings!  All I could imagine was us being stuck in over a foot of snow, with no power or heat, me trying to shovel our long, steep driveway in the dark.  Scared to death.  Ugh.  Makes me glad all over again just typing that.

Harper on Monday afternoon-- first inch of snow!

All Monday evening it snowed.  And snowed.  And snowed.  Big, pretty, wet, sticky snow.  No school tomorrow kind of snow.  I hadn't taken a 'snow day' for work since we moved to Virginia almost five years ago.  But, this called for it.  Offices were closed, roads were nasty, and I had a foot of snow to help shovel off my driveway in hopes of getting out tomorrow.  

The snow shoveling ended up being a family affair.  These two little cuties insisted on going out to help with the excavation.  Well, at least for the first 7 minutes.  

 

Our house buried in snow

It wasn't long before these two were snuggled up on the couch with hot chocolate, waiting for some warm breakfast.  

Homemade IHOP Rooty Tooty breakfast

We learned the hard way last year that we do not have a very good hill for sledding.  I know right now as Sam is reading this, he is saying "Thank Goodness she did not have a blog last year!"  Good news, honey, I'll do a recap for posterity's sake.  ;)  Harper managed to talk Sam into letting her go by herself down "the big hill," which ended with her running into a big bush and getting leveled by one of the low branches.  She loved showing off the shiner she had for the months to follow.  Sheesh.  So, Sam suggested we go over to Sue & Dave's so that we could take the girls sledding.  Down a good hill.  With a safe landing.  

Our Road

Sam and I spent the rest of the morning packing down the snow to carve a sledding path for the girls to ride down.  Y'know, putting that big mom-of-two body to good use.  ;)  Harper and Sydney had fun making snow angels while they patiently waited.  Willa loved the snow, unless you actually asked her to touch it.  Then, all bets were off.  

It didn't take long for my two girls to grow tired of the cold, and want to go inside for some Mimi snuggles.  They hadn't seen her in a few weeks, so that sounded like a lot more fun to them than trudging through the snow.  But, Syd was so excited for some new playmates.  She stayed outside with us the whole time, and even kept playing with Samantha and her friend when Sam and I left to go get a few pizzas for a late lunch.  Sam and I enjoyed making memories with all the girls, and getting to be kids for a bit ourselves.