Bomb Cyclone and Snow Days 2018

We knew the "Bomb Cyclone" was coming, so school was canceled for Thursday in advance. I didn't tell the kids though and told them they had to wear their pajamas inside-out and do a snow dance. And it worked! Too well, actually, because they had Thursday and Friday off. Very long weekend!

Inside-out pajamas

Hahahaha

Lots of snow to shovel on Thursday.

Building snowmen?

Snow Storm Grayson brought us about 12.5 inches

Friday night


Ready to go out!


Cuties!


Sunday snow angels

St. Patrick's Day 2017

Last week was Kevin's Spring Break from school. Unfortunately for the first time, James had real school that week. James's vacations are in February and April and don't line up with Kevin's March and May breaks. It was way too cold to go to the St. Patrick's Day parade in our town on March 12, and Winter Storm Stella- which was a huge blizzard by where Ash lives- was a bust here- hailing and raining and making it gross to play outside.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The silver linings in our Spring Break were Becky, Chris, and baby Simon visiting, and on a different day Heather visiting. With a week "off" from work, Kevin was also able to help with stuff at home, and unusually we are all caught up on everything there is to do at home! (Has that ever happened ever?)

Also, St. Patrick's Day. We wore green, some leprechauns trashed James's classroom and left "gold coins" that he tried to put in his piggy bank, Kevin made corned beef sandwiches (Yum!), we drank the Guinness, and we took pictures! Yay pictures!

Kevin making corned beef


Corned beef sandwiches!


Attempted timer-picture


Love.


Our cuties!

Blizzard Niko - Snow Day! 2017

Thursday was a Snow Day thanks to the blizzard Niko! Both Kevin and James had off from school, and Miranda's Mommy n' Me was cancelled. Everyone was home!

 

Posing with his snowball

Kept her mittens on for the first time

Getting soaked because it's still snowing

Building a base for a snow man- but never got it going

Plotting together

Snow Storm Helena 2017

It snowed a lot on Saturday and we used the day to deal with digging ourselves out a little and letting the kids play in the yard.

Getting them suited up is a process.

James building a small hill to sled on.

Knee-deep!

I invested in some snow boots! Love the furry inside.

Sunday, Kevin tried to take the kids sledding as Miranda just got her own sled for Christmas, but Miranda screamed so much that he had to bring her back homw and then take James back out. But James loves sledding.

Walking up the hill at Heritage Park

And down he goes!

Snow Storm Jonas 2016

Snow Storm Jonas arrived early on Saturday, and then it snowed all day long. In total it snowed between 22-24 inches in our area which is the most snow I've seen in years. Kevin and James went out to do a little preliminary shoveling during the storm on Saturday.

Where did our deck go?

James shoveled out the car while Kevin did the driveway.

A little post-shoveling playtime

Sunday we didn't have any more snow so we all went out. Kevin and James touched up the driveway and car, and Miranda and I took pictures. Miranda was a little worried about the snow. She's just a bit above 30 inches (32?) and the snow was pretty high for her. So after an initial investigation, and as she's apt to do anyway, she made us carry her around. 

James and Miranda checking out the back yard

Me and Miranda

Cubans in the snow

The front yard was a little deeper than the backyard. And even in the front yard the depth weren't consistent.

Miranda and James in the deep end

Family picture in the shallow end- thanks Carol!

Snow Storm Juno 2015

Nothing much has happened here in a little while other than a stomach bug, followed by a big brouhaha over a snow storm that was supposed to bring us 3 feet of snow, but actually brought us a little over a foot. We even took both kids out to go grocery shopping the day before which is especially ill-advised in a snow-storm-grocery-crowd. To be fair, it snowed more by Kevin's job, and Grandma Kathy and Great-Grandma Ruth got totally snowed in for days in Cape Cod!

The boys get ready to shovel.

Post-Juno on our block

James eating snow during the snow storm

I ran out to take pictures of them shoveling but it was so cold out that they quit early. So here's a picture from the previous light snow the weekend before.

He's great at this!

Not really, James actually kind of shovels snow onto the walk... haha.

Bonus picture of Miranda judging us for shopping last minute.

Winter Snow 2013-14

So this is only the second year that winter storms have had names. Usually names are reserved for hurricanes.

First snow of the winter, Tuesday, 11/12/13 Atlas

Snow Storm Dion got to us on Tuesday, December 10th, and was just a light snow. Kevin was done teaching classes at the main campus for the semester anyway, so we were all home. To work out a little of James's winter cabin fever, Kevin took James out to see the snow and walk to the library just a few blocks from our place.

Tuesday, 12/10

Snow Storm Electra gave us 3-4 inches on December 14th, but it didn't stop us from venturing out in the snow (via train) to go to Sarah and Lukas's joint birthday in Queens. Then "Snow Storm Falco" only gave us another inch around December 18-19th.

Snow Storm Electra with Lukas, Sarah, and friends, 12/14/14

Sunday, December 22, instead of snow, we got some unseasonable warm weather here. We left our coats at home and went to the park with Andrew who was here visiting. Monday, December 23rd, snow storm Gemini started hitting the Northeast as we were driving up to the Cape but we got mostly rain. My uncle and aunt were hit pretty hard in Maine and lost power for several days. We had a couple more flurries on Christmas in Cape Cod. White Christmas!

Snow Storm Hercules hit on Thursday, January 2nd, and James went sledding for the first time on that Friday! But he didn't like it. But he loved it when he tried again the following Sunday. Sadly, I had to move my doctor's appointment to see Itty Bitty until the following week.

Sledding for the second time, 1/5/14

These snow storms were followed by a bunch of days that were very very cold in New York. January 7th ,had a high of 10 degrees in New York.

My theory is that Snow Storm Janus was named for Janice's upcoming birthday. The storm gave Kevin snow day from the Manhattan campus on Wednesday, January 22. He didn't even have to make up the class on a Saturday.

We had some more flurries on the following Saturday when we went to NMH, 1/25

Snow Storms Maximus and Nika came back-to-back. Maximus on Monday February 3rd, gave us 8" and Nika on Tuesday-Wednesday, gave us 4". Stony Brook had snow days but Kevin doesn't work on Monday and Wednesday anyway, so whatever.

James and his first snowman, 2/3/14

Shoveling during "Maximus"

Pax: Thursday, February 13th. Kevin got a snow day! We got a tiny bit more snow on the 15th (Quintus).

King of the mountain, 2/15/14

Bad conditions for driving, 3/2/14

We really haven't had much snow in a long time, so when I asked Kevin on Sunday night if he thought it was really over, he said yes with a fair bit of confidence. Then we had flurries today. But that's it! No more snow! I declare it so!

Winter Storm Pax- Snow Day 2014

Snow day! Kevin got his second snow of the season, but the first of the spring semester. I was really rooting for it. I don't like him driving in the snow and he walks to the farther away train station. Plus, I just wanted his company at home. One time I explained to someone that doesn't know us that well that I work from home and that Kevin works from home 2-3 days a week, and James doesn't go to daycare, meaning we are all home together 4-5 days a week. She looked at me aghast and asked, "Don't you get sick of each other?!" Nope, I root for snow days.

The boys coming back from a walk

James trying to shovel out the car in the driveway (fail)

Tuckered out from all the shoveling, he fell asleep on me.