Snowpocalypse 2011

Nary two weeks into the new year, New England experienced another major snowstorm, dubbed locally as the snowpocalypse. This on the heels of the what I called the Boxing Day Blizzard. This storm was considerably more substantial, however.

Photo: Kids at Play Photo: Lost the HandleBeginning in the wee hours of the morning the snow arrived and continued to fall for about eighteen hours or so and left us with eighteen inches. In the early morning rush hours two to three inches were falling an hour. The severity was anticipated and, of course, school was canceled. Snow day!

Photo: Tastes GoodPhoto: ShovelingThe kids loved it. Staying home with the family was a nice reprieve. The house was a nice cocoon from the showdown for most of the day. Ali made pancakes for breakfast. For the rest of the morning the kids played inside and I did some work. After lunch and naps the outside play began.

Photo: SnowmanPhoto: Snow Angel

Boxing Day Blizzard 2010

Alright, so we don’t exactly celebrate Boxing Day in the States, but we definitely experienced a blizzard on the day that it is observed. Temperatures plummeted, snow descended, and the wind howled beginning in the afternoon and continued for the better part of two days. It has been downright frigid.

Photo: Ready for Work Photo: I Can't Use My Thumbs

Still, we did need to get the kids outside to prevent them from getting anymore stir crazy. Plus, the post-Christmas pall might have taken grip if we hadn’t. We really couldn’t go anywhere, and it took considerable effort just to dig out the driveway with the drifts building. Those drifts proved a bit treacherous for the kiddos as one of the photos will attest. They could hardly remain standing.

Photo: Having a Hard Time Staying Upright

Still Waiting

Much to Ali’s chagrin our newest member is still in utero. Of course, it is now about as active as it might be on the outside, which leaves my poor wife feeling as though the baby is trying to make break for it out the side of her abdomen or perhaps through her belly button. Still, not even the hint of a contraction, though I suspect that labor will begin within a week or so.

Here are some updated pics of the little nugget though. You can see part of the face in this close-up, a nose and mouth.

Nugget's mouth 35 weeks

We have been trying to prepare Hadley for the arrival of her new sibling, but we are pretty sure she doesn’t get it completely just yet. She is, however, very fond of patting Ali’s belly and saying, “Baby Nunnet.”

Hugging Nugget Rainy Golfer

In the interim, summer has finally arrived in Massachusetts. The days of rain for the most part have given way to a string of lovely sunny days. Hadley and Ali have had multiple chances to head to the local beach and enjoy the sand and lake. Additionally, we all walked downtown for Hadley’s first foray into the children’s wading pool, which Hadley eventually began to enjoy.

Staying Cool Adidas Outfit

New Shades Uck Hands

I have been working way too much, especially in Ali’s eyes. Yet, with a new class to plan and a revamping of another, in addition to all the sideline projects, I have been logging a lot of computer time. Only recently have I been earnestly getting some of the household projects going. However, I am beginning to make some progress on all fronts, which is good all around.

Building Sand Castles

More news to come for sure