The Next Holiday

The last holiday that happened during our snowstorm was President's Day. Not everyone celebrates President's Day with gifts, but I've always given Katie something because of her love of presidential history.

My other president placemat only went through President Obama.

I didn't want an update placemat until now.

I always get at least one book on President's Day.

I love this series of Weird but True books!

My last gift was something I wasn't expecting.

It made me laugh!

I got my first presidential action figures!

I loved them!

A Forgotten Valentine's Day Gift

The day after Valentine's Day, I realized that I had forgotten to give Katie part of her Valentine's gift. Oh well. It turned out to be a nice surprise for her on that day!

My mom knows me well! Kit Kats are my favorite!

The Following Morning

The following morning, we were greeted with more ice. This was the storm that never seemed to stop.

Ice sure makes it hard to get around, but...

...it's pretty to look at while it hangs on everything!

A Valentine's Cake

Katie's favorite color is pink, and she thought that we should have a pink cake to celebrate Valentine's Day!

I loved our pink cake!

A Special Memory

It was ten years ago today that I finally received my referral from China in my adoption journey. It's funny how the memory of that whole day remains so strong. I hope it never starts to fade. It was a day that felt almost unreal after a lot of years of waiting. After speaking to my adoption agency, I was so excited to get the very first pictures of Katie.

When my mom first saw my face, I was a tiny baby wrapped in a lot of fluffy layers!

Now I'm getting so tall! I still enjoy my fluffy coat though!

A Snapchat Valentine's Day

Of course we pulled out Snapchat on Valentine's Day!

The Cats Try the Snow

We decided to let Mr. Limpet and General Washington explore the snow on the deck. They didn't run straight back in the house, but they didn't seem to enjoy the snow much either. There wasn't a whole lot of movement. They were happy to come in and lay in front of the fire for awhile!

The cats mostly stayed close to the door where the snow wasn't very deep.

General Washington seemed like he was stuck under the chair for awhile.

He finally made it out and then headed for the door pretty quickly.

I liked seeing the cat paw prints in the snow!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was the second holiday that we celebrated during our storm. Luckily I had ordered my gift for Katie earlier because nothing was getting down our road for deliveries. All of that work we had done in clearing out the driveway was only for us to enjoy. Our delivery was delayed for three days.

My mom got me a penguin in my favorite color, pink. It also had hearts on it!

Digging Out

When I started shoveling a path for our delivery, I couldn't believe the amount of work. When I lived in New England, I got a lot of practice with shoveling a lot of snow. We didn't have as much snow as some of those storms. The problem was the alternating freezing rain with the snow. There was such a thick layer of ice in the middle of the snow that it created two problems. 1. It was really hard to break through it. 2. It made for heavy, heavy shovelfuls of snow.

Katie ended up being a big help for me. I would shovel as much as I could. Then Katie would come along and jump up and down on the edge of where I was shoveling to break the ice for me. Thank goodness for her!

This was the core of our snowfall - a thick layer of pure ice.

I tried to pick up some big pieces for my mom, but it was so heavy that it was easier to jump on it and break it.

I decided to measure the snow.

We had about six inches of snow at that point. The snow kept coming down this day too and we ended up with almost eleven inches in total.

I loved this little stick I found with ice covering the tip!

The Second Day

Our snow storm continued to last throughout the day and the night. Overnight we got a lot of freezing rain and then more snow on top of that. When we woke up the next morning, Katie and I went out to clear a lane in our driveway for a delivery we were expecting and we couldn't believe how much it had snowed. 

We had more snow than I could ever remember!

Chinese New Year

One of the three holidays that hit during our snow storm was the beginning of Chinese New Year - the year of the ox. One of the small gifts I gave Katie was a book about the Chinese zodiac. She loves learning about the different animals and what they represent.

I was born in the Year of the Tiger. I learned that two jobs that I might be good at are being a CEO or an actor.

Just Watching

Even after spending time outside in the snow, Katie couldn't help but watch it when we went back inside.

I think it's relaxing to watch snow fall.

Time to Go Sledding

Since no one had tried sledding down the hill yet, Katie decided to try. It was slow going at first, and Katie always seemed to head straight for the rock wall. After a few tries, she figured out how to steer the sled.

I was excited to be the first one down the hill!

Attempt #1

Attempt #2

Attempt #3

Checking Out the Hill

We have an access road right next to our house that's on a small hill. It's a very popular place whenever we get snow. Katie wanted to go check out the hill before any sledders got there.

I decided to make a track with my boots down the hill.

In addition to the snow, there were strong winds which made it feel so much colder.

I got down the hill with no sledders around, but I could hear kids playing in the woods behind our house.

After the trek back up the hill, it was time to catch snowflakes!

Heading Out Into the Snow

Katie was so happy to get out of the house to play in the snow. It's so rare here to get more than just a little snow, so you've got to take advantage of it when you have it.

The first thing I did was to try to make a snowball, but the snow didn't stick together at all.

The snow would just blow away since it was so light.

I just like to walk around in the snow and make patterns with my feet. My mom didn't get a picture of it, but I made a giant heart for Valentine's Day.

We had some ice under the snow, so when I jumped I could hear the ice cracking.

Next I know I had to make a snow angel.

The hardest part of making angels is getting up without ruining it.

A Snow Day

We got hit with a winter storm yesterday. Instead of cancelling school and having to make it up at the end of the year, school was switched to remote learning for the day. Katie got all of her work done early so she could enjoy the snow for the rest of the day.

I had to start the day with a short class meeting. We were all excited about the snow!