Tuesday's Snow Day!

We had our third snow day this year and in all honesty the kids could have had a delay because all the wet snow melted by 3pm! Noah and I enjoyed our day and went thrifting to find him some ski pants for the Klondike derby this weekend and ate at Cane's afterwards. I also wanted to check out the beach to see if there was still snow and it was slowly disappearing. We went to spring lake beach this time and stayed a bit longer because it wasn't as cold. I mean it was hoodie cold but not freezing heavy coat cold. I captured moments of Noah on the beach running around, looking to chase pigeons, and climbing on the rocks. It is always so soothing to hear the waves crashing and to just hear the peacefulness that comes from it. I love coming here off season because there's no people. We saw maybe three people as we were leaving but we still felt as if we had the beach to ourselves. 

Snow Day At Normandy Beach.

I forgot how it felt to be cold or shall I write freaking freezing cold!! Like BRRRRRR! We hadn't had a good snow storm or any winter storm for almost two years! So this week has been a clear reminder that old man winter is definitely here! We had a snow day and a delay in school this week so Noah and I went for a drive to Normandy beach to see if there was any snow on the beach. When we arrived it was all gone and the snow turned into rain but we were lucky to have had a break in between the rain to get down and capture a few photos...in black and white. The day was dreary and was in a black and white picture taking mood. I personally loved how they came out. I sure do miss film and taking pictures with a camera but I shot these with my iPhone and I loved every minute of these freezing moments! And so did Noah! 

First Snow Fall Of 2022!!

Last Friday we had a snow day in which I was extremely grateful for! The kids don't mind school and all but in all honesty they can really use break. Especially with all the covid cases that their schools have been having. I am surprised they didn't go virtual like all the other school districts in our area. Well, if this keeps up I'm sure sooner or later we are going to go virtual and guess what...this week we were! 

Here's hoping that this will help cases go down for the sake of our children so that they can return back to school and do better academically! And so that parents can go to work too! Times are hard enough as it is and I know it is tough for those who work full time and don't have time off to take time off! 

Sending positive thoughts, this sweet little reel, and a few photos from our snow day. The first snow is always the prettiest and the cleanest. We went to the outskirts of Jersey to have "snow fun" and in all honesty...it was better than sledding. It was a beautiful simple and refreshing day in nature surrounded by fresh snow! 

Life Lately With Snow!

Brace yourselves for there will be a few winter posts coming your way. It's been such an un-motivating month for me to blog so I'll be playing "catch up" again. We had our first snowfall at the end of January and then the nor'easter hit earlier this month. The kids and I did venture out and enjoyed the snow for a bit. The snow always looks beautiful when it first falls, but then the next day everything turns into slush. Our snow days have been fun and pretty to look at and when I see the kids jump for joy knowing that they have an early dismissal or no school at all due to the snow the looks on their faces are priceless!

Snow Day In Central Park!

It's been about a week and a half since we had our snow day and I can't even begin to tell you how relieving it was for all of us to let out some stress by having a snowball fight and just simply being outside. Although we live on the other side of the river, we don't have a backyard so coming to central park on a snow day sounded like the perfect solution of what has been a long and icky year! We love it here and feel like as if New York is a already a part of us. We frequent here pretty much every weekend and can't get enough of the city. There  were so many families and tons of kids sledding and building a snowman and just having a grand time. We were all social distanced which made it safe. Sure cases of the virus are increasing here, and there and everywhere in the country but at least this city has major guidelines and the majority of New Yorkers pretty much follow regulations. It's the tourists that don't! Anyway, it was nice to get out of our little apartment and come to this wonderful park that is a substitute for the backyard we don't have! Now for a few photos...

First Little Snowfall Of The Season!

When we heard that we were expecting snow on Monday the kids got excited. Little did they know that it was only going to be a couple of inches. We literally got nothing but a small blanket but that's better than nothing. I'm sure we will get hit with a lot of snow come January but oh beautiful and fun it would be if we actually had a nice snowfall on Christmas Day! Nonetheless Noah had fun running through a grove of trees pretending like he was in a scene from the Lord of the Rings. I blame that on his sister Lexie. He has grown to love those movies, and always thinks of Lexie when he watches them. It was a fun moment capturing him in action...

A Snowball Fight In Upstate New York!

There are years when I look forward to snow and this year just hasn't been one of them. This winter has been "blah" on snowstorms, and the ones we've had lately have been a dusting, and ones that melt, and turn into slush by 5pm. School gets canceled for no reason, but luckily the snowstorm we just had recently caused a delay, and that's better than school being canceled. I was however in the mood to see snow that actually sticks so this past weekend we drove to upstate new york to see how much snow mother nature left for new yorkers. 

Nor'easter!

When everyone woke up yesterday the first question we all asked each other was, "where is this snowstorm everyone is talking about", and "is this why they cancelled school for?" We were expecting to wake up with a ton of snow on the ground, and there literally was only half an inch dusting of snow on the grass, and within two hours it was all gone.

A "Bomb Cyclone" In Jersey.

Well, the first snow of the year was pretty intense and bitter, bitter cold with sub 0 temps compared to Jonas in 2016 & Stella last year. this bomb cyclone literally mind "blowing" but we came out of it unscathed. The plows did a good job on clearing up the streets, and main highway because at the last minute I had to make a Walmart run to buy some food that I can actually cook for the kids. As much as I dislike freezing temps, and sometimes driving in it,  there is something about freshly dropped snow that is so beautiful.

Our Snow Day Went Like This...

The day started out at 6am this morning when I woke up to take Jon to work. There was sleet, and light rain...no snow. The forecast yesterday called for so many inches of snow, and it is now after 6pm, and it's all slushy now, and pretty much melting. The weather yesterday was a wonderful 60 degrees, and today it dropped all the way down to about 25! Brrr.

Snow Day On A Saturday!

Everyone woke up earlier than usual this past saturday. We had music lessons, and planned on visiting a friend in south jersey afterwards. But all that changed as soon as it starred to snow. Lessons got canceled, we didn't get to visit our friend, and Jon got called off of work. You can imagine the kids faces when he called to let us know that he wasn't driving, and by the sound of his voice...he was relieved. It's not a perk for being a UPS city driver driving in the snow!

Our Snow Day.

There are a few things I may take for granted when it comes to family such as not calling, or visiting enough (it's expensive when you fly three kids plus two adults!), but when it comes to my little family one thing I have always done as a mom especially in the winter is take advantage of the snow (when it snows!) Ever since the girls were little I've always ventured out into the snowy weather whether it was for a walk, a drive up the canyons, or sledding. This year has been the coldest we have ever felt since moving here in 2008. The coldest, and luckily we weren't majorly affected by it with loss of work, or power outages. One thing for sure, and even though the kids wouldn't have minded having a two hour delay for school the other day, they took it back after a day of sledding! 

We started off the morning with some snow shoveling. Ever since we got Noah this shovel he always wants to put it to use. He was so excited when he saw the snow on the ground that morning. He immediately got dressed, and put himself to work. 

We ventured out to a high school across town where they have a pretty good hill, and we all took turns on the sled. On his own motive Noah decided to stop, drop, and do a snow angel. He's so sweet, and had a much funner time on this day than the last time we went sledding. 

Probably because we finally found him some decent gloves! 

 

This video proves all too well that we had soooooooo much fun! 

Yep...this day off from school was totally worth spending it with my kids! 

Thanks For The Snow Day, Juno!

So the day after the so called epic blizzard we woke up expecting to find at least 30 inches of snow on the ground, but instead only had about six! This so called "epic blizzard" wasn't as historic or crippling as we thought it would be. It seemed like like the whole state of New Jersey was in a panic with streets shutting down at 11pm, and if you were caught driving after 11pm on the roads you got a citation. We were pretty prepared with all the necessities, but had a calm assurance that we'd be okay, and we were. Schools were canceled, and even though this blizzard was a hoax we had a pretty good snow day with the family. Heck...even UPS was closed. Jon had a nice break from work, but at the same time when he awoke to take a look outside he said, "so this is the storm of the century huh guys, we totally could have driven today." Roads were not bad at all, and as soon as we were leaving the house Jon's cell phone rings, and it's UPS calling him to go into work for late pick ups. Luckily he had a couple of hours to spare to go sledding with us, and we were so excited. I love sledding with the kids, and no matter how old we all get it gets more funner! Noah seemed to have had more fun this year than last year. Probably because of the snowsuit we got for him. Keeping a toddler warm is crucial in extreme cold weather, and he had a blast taking turns going down the hill with all of us. That is until his cheeks, and hands turned red.  

I can't seem to find a decent pair of gloves that fit him, and so we have been using socks as mittens (don't laugh!) I brought a few extra pairs because they kept getting wet with snow. That didn't last very long as I ran out of dry "sock mittens" and then Noah started to fuss without whining. He's so sweet when he fusses. It's not a loud fuss, but a quiet one. He'll quietly in a low toned voice said, "mommy I want to go home, I'm tired, and my hands are too cold." We were out for almost two hours,  and since Jon had to go into work we were done sledding for the day.  

So here are a few photos from our "epic" Blizzard of 2015...

Thanks for the snow day, Juno! 

Happy Weekend! 

Reflections of winter then and now.

After last nights snow storm I am reminded of my days living in Utah when winters there lingered on forever. Because I didn't grow up with 'real winters' (Texas didn't have any snow in the first 19 years of my life) my first reaction to seeing snow for the first time in Utah back in 1994 was satisfactory. I was grateful, felt fortunate, & was in awe of Gods beautiful creation. 

Oh the memories from 2001!13 years later I find that history is repeating itself. Except my two older daughters are now teenagers & I've added a nine year old, & a toddler boy to the mix (minus the mountains & canyons).

snowmageddon.

The kids attended half a day of school due to the snow storm which arrived at approximately 11am yesterday, and as soon as we got home we ventured out around our neck of the woods to check out mother nature's handiwork. The snow was consistent in falling down, and we probably got close to 10 inches of snow which isn't bad at all! However...I'm actually glad (for once) that school is cancelled for tomorrow (which is today!) I slept in!!! 

 ^^ This girl is always excited for snow...she could definitely be my snowboarder or skier. ^^

 ^^ This little guy...not sure. He loves snow, but not when it's 15 degrees. I'm sure when he's older he'll have more fun in it. Still have hope that he'll be my snowboarder, or skier. ^^

^^ nearby cemetery ^^

^^the expression on their faces says it all...excited for a snow day ^^

^^ love when snow covers everything that's green...so pretty ^^

 ^^ dead of winter ^^

 ^^ our sad, dead christmas tree which has still not been picked up to be recycled ^^

^^ Noah didn't mind walking in the snow. I said to him...if you're bundled up you'll be okay. ^^

^^ and when we came home...it kept coming down. Until the wee hours of the morning. ^^

School is cancelled for today. The kids have brushed their teeth, and are now watching a little bit of toons, and now Chelsea wants to go sledding. She will encourage her brother to join. 

It's 18 degrees so we shall see...