28.1.14

Do you want to build a snowman?

First of all, if you haven't the new Disney movie Frozen, you need to!  It is, hands down, the best Disney "princess" movie they have made in a very long time.  The music is just fabulous!  I immediately downloaded it after we watched the movie.  Hence, do you want to build a snowman?

I have to admit . . . after all the hype . . . after hearing how this storm had some "juice" to it . . . and how we were going to have a wintry mix, including snow . . . and how there would even be accumulation of said snow . . . and how power outages were expected for three to five days . . . we were excited!  Except not about the power outages.  I say we.  I mean, I know better than to fall hook, line and sinker for what Mr. Weatherman says.  Because we all know how that turns out.  But I have to admit . . . one of the first things I did this morning was wash and blow-dry my hair.  Because of said power outage.  And I washed every last piece of dirty clothing from yesterday and even all the sheets (even though Tuesday is not my sheet washing day).  Because of said power outage.  And I made a pot of baked potato soup and vegetable soup.  And cornbread.  Because there's nothing more comforting during a power outage than veggie soup with cornbread all mushed up in it!  I. was. ready.  

The day started out slowly.  I say that.  Ellie did not get the memo that there was no school today, meaning we can sleep late.  She didn't get it at 6:30AM or midnight thirty or 2:30AM or 4:30AM.  At least she was on a predictable schedule.  She's had a fever and sore throat for several days, and I think her stomach was bothering her last night, too.  But anyway.  There was nothing at 6:30AM.  Or 7:30.  Or 8:30.  And by 9:00, Mason asks, "Where's all the snow?"

Oh, it's coming . . . they kept telling us.  So I broke out the Frozen music, and we sang and hummed Do You Want to Build a Snowman? all morning.  By lunchtime, our favorite part was, "Okay.  Bye."  Because apparently there'd been a mistake.  But, no, they told us at noontime.  It was coming at 4:00.  So we waited.  I waited.  My children were over it by that point.  But finally some sort of precipitation in the area between sleet and freezing rain began to fall.  And the tiny ice pebbles began to accumulate.  Sort of.  In a few places.  We found a nice little spot to scratch in the snow and commemorate the epic ice storm of 2014.  Epic for Louisiana, that is.   

And so the explanation at the end of the day was that we did get the amount of precipitation that was forecasted but not in the type of precipitation that was forecasted.  Yeah, that makes total, perfect sense to me.

The trampoline was the only place really to play in the snow ice.  Mason and Hannah Kate jumped around for about three minutes before succumbing to the bitterly cold and coming back inside.  Mason even tried to make a snow angel, but, in his words, "That didn't work too good."

And the baby?  Well, she went out with us the first time.  And when it was time to come back in (meaning we'd been out there all of two minutes), she started hollering and pitching a fit.  I'm not sure why.  I really don't think it was because she wanted to stay out there.  She barely moved and just stood there.  So when Mason and Hannah Kate were getting "suited up" to go out again later, I turned around, and this is what I saw.

And she did. not. budge.  As if to say, "I am NOT going back out there, and you have lost your mind if you think I am!"  I was laughing, Mason was laughing and Hannah Kate was laughing.  Ellie was not laughing.

At the end of the day, we didn't build a snowman.  I know many are hoping (and even believing) that we might wake up to some white on the ground in the morning.  I really don't think we'll be building a snowman tomorrow either!