Winter, I'm starting to like you...

I've learned a few things from midwest winters~

If you're going to be shoveling driveways, sledding, walking kids to school, pushing grocery carts through snow covered parking lots etc.  you'll need a good pair of boots.

Enter in my new Bogs.  Love them.

Nice and tall so my legs and jeans stay dry.

They've been getting plenty of use as of late.  Our first storm dropped close to 8 inches of snow two weeks ago.  We had more all afternoon yesterday and since today was forcasted to be frigid I thought it better to get out last night to enjoy the white stuff.

Also, if your kids are old enough to handle their snow gear, and stay up late without being to crabby the next day, winter is actually quite doable.  Except when they have to get said gear on before 8:00am in time for school.  Then it can make a mama crazy, but only one more week before Christmas break so the light at the end of that tunnel is in sight.

Our neighbors built this snowman last night.  It's much taller than myself even.  Very impressive, and just the work of two teenage boys don't you think?  The girls were upset that he had no eyes.

Our streets are normally plowed but because of the severity of the weather city plows stopped plowing in the later afternoon.  Enter inThe Gunn's taking full advantage of a snow covered street.  (when they plow they spread salt which melts the snow and then the streets are mostly bare...no sledding)

What started out as fun for the girls quickly turned not for Sara.  Apparantly she is freaked out by sledding.

Who knew?

She spent the better part of the evening inside crying and crying, but the big kids and I had a ton o' fun going down the hill on our bums and bellies and to the delight of the kids, even stacked on top of me. 

Here is Ella Jane going down the sidewalk which was still icy from earlier in the day.

Here I caught up with Matthew going down on his belly.  Doesn't he look like a little penguin?

At the end of the night we snuggled up in the living room for a Christmas movie.  We all started off sleeping "under the Christmas tree" as my mom used to call it when we were kids, but at 1:30am Sara woke up, which woke up Ella Jane but not Matthew.  He is a very sound sleeper and slept through the whole 90min. period of the girls requesting snacks, Christmas music and books.  Eventually, enough was enough and Sara went upstairs to sleep leaving the rest of us a few more hours of shut eye.

As a sidenote, see that belt Ella Jane is wearing to bed?  It has to do with the accessories we see from her everyday around here.  So stinkin cute.  A post coming up soon about her obvious passion for fashion.