Fourth Snow Day of the school year

Well we didn't bare the brunt of the storm, but we got another day off from school anyway.  I think Topeka ended up with another 4" of heavy, wet snow.....the kind that breaks branches. 

Exhibit A: 

 

While we didn't get too much snow, our friends in KC and Wichita got another 10" dumped on them.  Check this picture out from the country roads out in Larned!!  They also got slammed with bad weather and were out of school on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Monday!

The tractor that was clearing the roads got stuck, so another tractor came to its rescue.  God Bless John Deere.

 

Mitch is taking the Bar today and tomorrow and they were warned that the test would go on, no matter the weather.  For this reason, last night he checked into a hotel next to the testing site.  It turns out that probably wasn't necessary, but it's better to be safe than sorry!

Cal and I made cookies this morn, and although sprinkles usually don't go on peanut butter cookies, he demanded them.  This resulted in him eating only the sprinkles and leaving a sprinkle trail throughout the house, rivaling that of Hansel and Gretel.

 

I tried to entertain Cal the best I could, but he's in the stage where he doesn't want to play with anything or play by himself.  Instead he just runs around like the Tazmanian Devil, which is why we've decided that his middle initial stands for "Taz" on most days.  I froze colored water and I thought he'd love this activity, but he wanted to repeatedly open and close the garage door instead.

The aftermath of the frozen water looked like we'd rubbed a clown's face in the snow OR gutted a Jayhawk.  I don't care for either, so both sound like appealing options.

 

This is a short snippet of how cute he is jumping in the puddles.  He loves to splash, but don't most kids?  He's taken this new skill and generalized it to his bathtime, during which I hold his hand so he doesn't fall.   It makes for a slippery bathroom floor.

These pictures were actually taken this weekend.  Cal loves his snow boots and rarely wants to remove them. 

 

Being the amateur first time parents that we are, Mitch and I forgot to buy a sled for our son.  Failures.  We tried to use the top of a garbage can.  Another Failure.

No luck on the sledding, but we still had fun!

 

The falling snow was so beautiful today.   Very peaceful.  I tried to catch it on video, but the large falling flakes didn't show up the best. 

 

Ok, snow. Ok.

Ok, Mother Nature, I see what you're doing here.  UNCLE!  We give!  Let's just scratch winter off the checklist and move onto spring after this storm.  Deal?

 

 

Snow Days....yes, plural....more is better!

We've accomplished a lot during our two snow days.  More is better (or generally that is the case!) and apparently mother nature agrees with this sentiment, as Topeka got 10" of snow on Thursday.  At one point, the snow was coming down at a rate of 4"/hour!  Here are some pictures of how we've spent our days.

Thanks to Pinterest, I have made a few more activities to help Cal bide his hyperactive time.  The goal is to eventually match the ABC magnet letters with the letters on the alphabet board.  Until then, it's just a place to put an array of magnets and stickers.....and as of yesterday, crayon cave drawings. 

 

About 5 minutes later, we moved onto painting.  He really was into painting today and the paint ended up everywhere: face, table, chairs, wall splatters, and Ollie's head.

 

 

We took a snack break and then Cal found the portable DVD's hiding place and demanded to watch Mickey.  He was so content that I took the opportunity to scratch a to-do off of my list:  scrubbing the kitchen floor's grout.  It's an enviable job, I know.

 

This is a pic of our amazing neighbor, Lynn Lindsay.  (I hope you're ready for some alliteration.) Lynn is married to Linda.  The Lindsay's live across the street from this Lindsay and I love them and their helpful snow plow.  He comes over anytime it snows and plows our driveway and the sidewalks!!!

 

We ventured out into the great white outdoors after his nap.  Cal liked walking through the deep snow but after about 20 minutes, he preferred to stay on the cleared sidewalk.

 

 

Why not?  Let's eat!

Ollie's never been one to be outdone in the eating department.  She figured if Cal was eating it, she needed to chow down, too.

 

 

This morning, per usual Cal behavior, he climbed up onto the bathroom vanity and did this:

I took Cal over to my friend's house so he could play with her kiddos.  Haley and I got to catch up with each other and the kids had a great time playing together!

Brody and Cal are 6 days apart and are both very ornery.

We came back home and as I was making lunch, I looked around the corner to find my little monkey standing on his chair.  This is not unusual, but it still makes me take a sharp breath of panic each time. 

 

Cal and I were about to go outside to play in the snow when we got a GREAT surprise!!!  Mitch crawled out of the darkness of the library to join us for the afternoon.  He has been so faithful to his studying schedule and we don't get to see him much lately, so we were really excited to play in the snow as a family. 

I guess the snowman didn't need a hat.

 

 

This poor snowman had a short existence. 

 

Cal gouged his eyes out.

 

Then Ollie ate his nose.

Then ol' Don amputated him.

 

 

Just to make sure that the snowman didn't rise from the snow pile, he proceeded to bite and scratch it until the body fell apart.  Goodbye Snowman of 2013....we enjoyed you for the 15 minutes you were standing upright.

 

Ollie was shivering and looking pathetic.  That poor, neglected dog...

 

To cap off our night, Cal performed his typical final routine.  Good night, everyone!

 

 

 

 

Winter Weather is on its way!

Kansas is expecting just a mere dusting of snow, it would appear.  While my fellow teachers and I are jumping for joy at the high probability of a snow day, Mitch is grumbling and shaking his head.  He's done with winter....so over it.  I must admit that it's difficult to be excited about getting out of the house when it's freezing cold and there's a foot of snow on the ground.  Oh, and he's got this pesky test he's studying for so that doesn't help his motivation.   (Side note:  one week til the big day!!!!)  After this snow, I will probably be ready for warmer weather, but I'm excited for one last solid punch of winter.   Stay safe, everyone!!!

Bring on the snow!!!!

What'd Cal do this weekend?

Well, he started Saturday morning off with one of his newest and most "artistic" activities.  I had to snap a picture before I scolded him because he was so having so much fun being so naughty.  Future Picasso?  Thank the sweet Lord for Magic Erasers.  They truly are magical.

 

 

 Donnie didn't want us to go to the KSU game, so he hopped into Mitch's lap.  Our "cat-dog" can be pretty sweet.....sometimes. 

Sweet little O-Bird.

 

It was in the 60's today so Cal and I spent about 80% of the day outside!  Mitch was holed up in the library, absorbing as much info as he could.  After Cal's nap, I took him to a pond and we fed the geese and ducks.  Oh, and we also fed these annoying white birds whose expertise is in thievery.  Look at Cal scolding the birds here!  We told them, "No, no, white birds!!!!"

 

 

He tried to coax the geese over with the bread.  I was laughing out loud while listening to him talk to the birds in a way that we talk to our dogs.  :)

 

Eventually he threw the bread to them, but he wasn't happy that they didn't come up on the bank to say hi.

 

 

 

 

Silly boy

Cal was trying to pull the garage door open.  He's been doing this "heavy lifting" skit recently.

 

 

He likes to test his boundaries and once he realizes that I don't want him to do something......that is the one thing that he REALLY wants to do.  It always turns into a game. :)  Case in point. 

A little bit of our life lately. I love alliteraltion.....lots and lots.

In the instances that I'm lucky enough to nap with Cal, I love watching him fall asleep.  He tries his best to stay active by slapping his hands on his legs, singing, talking, you name it.  When he finally winds down, he rubs his eyes and gives the tell-tale sign of smacking his lips together several times before he drifts off to dreamland.  It's endearing.  This is a wretched picture of me, but years down the road I want to remember what it felt like when Cal and I snuggled together for a long snooze.  Plus, people aren't supposed to look pretty when they sleep, are they?  I mean....this isn't a Disney cartoon, people!  This is real life.  :)

Cal absolutely loves the train at Barnes and Noble.  I've taken him to the store numerous times just so he can play.  Be warned, if you try to take him away from the train when he's not ready then you'd best be prepared for an all out temper tantrum.  This kid is strong....like strangely strong.  He also has a way of "melting" when he doesn't want to be picked up.  Basically his arms become dislocated (there's no other way to describe it) and you can't even get a grip under his arms and then there he goes.....MELTING to the floor.  Sorry, I digress.   My point being that I've learned to not run errands without being armed with a package of trusty fruit snacks.  These tasty morsels are honestly the only thing that can turn him around in the throws of a tantrum....and I definitely use them, especially out in public.  Hey, they're better than suckers which are also a fave!

 

Cal likes to point to freckles and moles and yell, "Mole!!!!!"  His next move?  Trying to scratch it off of your skin.  When he yells "mole!", it reminds us of the character, Gold Member, in the Austin Powers 3 movie. 

 

My little shadow doesn't like to be ignored or play in the other room while I work.  Mitch has been super busy studying for the Bar every day, all day so ol' Caligator and Mommy find ways to keep each other busy.  (It's mostly me chasing him and picking up the destruction path that follows his tornadic behavior.)  So when I was trying to make dinner on Sunday and Cal wanted to help, I let him pour the oil into the batter, rinse out the bowl, etc.  But this was the highlight of his night:  pouring water between containers is.the.best.  Notice the large water spot on the towel.  After two full bowl spills, I smartened up and brought in an old towel.

 

 

Next up.....making a bed in a large box! 

 

 

 

For the grand finale, he helped me put the towels away.  :)

 

 

"Uh oh."

 

Hugs, pants, and ear tubes....oh my!

Cal was eating string cheese and hugging Ollie.  He loves to sneak in a few hugs and pats while the dogs are eating.  It's about the only time they allow themselves to be vulnerable because they're forced to stand still.

On Sunday, we went to Dillards to help Mitch shop for dress pants.  Cal had quite the adventure in the land 'o pants.  Here he is saying, "CHEEEESE!".

When he wasn't pulling the pants off of their hangers, he was running through the racks laughing with glee.

 

"Does this make my butt look big?"

Up close and personal.

 

I could have watched this all day!  I love watching kids ham it up in mirrors.

 

 

 

After our adventure at the mall, we went to the park to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather. 

 

Turns out that the tunnel isn't just for LITTLE kids. 

 

Cal recovered fairly quickly on Monday after his ear tube surgery.  He was extra cuddly all day, which I loved, but we did spend some time outside.  At one point, he looked up the tree and heard the birds chirping.  His brows furrowed and it was like he was saying, "What the heck is that sound?!"  I had no idea how little he was hearing!  When we came back inside, we resumed our TV watching.  Cal enjoys a variety of programs now:  Barney (much to my dismay.  The little orange dino, Riff, annoys the tar outta me.), Jake and the Neverland Pirates (kind of a cute program!), the old faithful Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (Goofy makes me laugh out loud sometimes), Sesame Street on a rare occasion (Cal likes to say "Ehhmoooo!"), and the overly enthusiastic crew of Yo Gabba Gabba has resurfaced as a favorite (I can hardly stomach DJ Lance and his crew of creatures).  I sound like a really tolerant person right now, don't I?!

 

Just chillin' with his smoothie.