Ice days

Be careful what you pray for because you usually get it.

I know it sounds weird but we pray for ice storms.  If we get a big enough ice storm, schools and work are closed.  So Monday in came the ice.  I took off work early to to and get Maddie and Ethan from school.  The roads were a mess.  Imagine one solid sheet of ice covering everything.  At one point, I noticed a car in front of me have a hard time so I slowed way down (from about 5 miles/ hour to about 1 mile/hour).  The car was stopped in the middle of the road trying to turn and it could not move.  I just waited behind it for a few minutes until it made it across the street.  

The kids school is on a hill and there was a huge pile up at the bottom of the hill.  All the day-care vans were stuck half way up the hill (someone needed to round up all the big adults, put then in the vans to get traction, and get them off the roads.)  I watched one car after another slide down the hill into the other cars.  Luckily there was another, much flatter road to get home.  Why I was one of the few one who seemed to realize that flat is better than downhill in an ice storm still amazes me.  

Getting into the neighborhood was also a challenge- all uphill.

Ethan was beside himself when we got home because he was so worried about David.  (Ethan is so sensitive.)  We had to call David just so Ethan could talk to him. 

But the next two days were great- no work or school.  David still felt like he needed to go to work.  He had to prepare presentations to show some of the new buildings that will be built.  

Maddie and Ethan learned that the quicker they got math, reading, writing, piano, and jobs done, the faster they could have computer time and then watch a movie.  On Monday evening we all sat down to watch a movie knowing that we could sleep in the next morning.  Maddie and Ethan were a little confused  and Maddie made the comment, "but it is a school night".   The next day they got up quickly and got all their work done and then came sheepishly and asked if they could watch another movie.  (I think we have trained them very well.)

Wednesday, Maddie spent the whole day sewing clothes and accessories for her build-a-bear.  She designed matching hats, a tutu, and collars and then sewed them all.  Ethan wanted me to sew a navy hat for his dog.  I looked at the picture and told him it was too hard and I couldn't sew it.  A few minutes later, he came and showed me the navy hat he had sewn.

By mid afternoon the sun had melted most of the ice away and the kids were devastated that we would have to go back to work and school the next day.  

We are just greatful that we got to spend a few days at home together.