Snowpocalypse 2013 & 2014

So back in mid December we had a week of snow here. It snowed several inches and wouldn't get warm enough for it to melt! Schools were closed for a week! It was crazy. 

Fast forward 9-ish weeks and boom, we get hit with snow again, this time 14+ inches!!! It has been insane! It snowed pretty much non-stop for 2 days. I'm not sure where we live! This is so unusual for us! Ok once a year maybe, is normal, with one or two days of the schools shut down and not much happening in town, but not going on eight, yes, EIGHT snow days {not in a row, but total}! Oh and on top of the 14 inches of snow we also got freezing rain! Thankfully we didn't loose power.

Watching the snow come down.

Our house day 1

Our house day 2

Our street

Its hard to read, but that tape measure says 14.5 inches and that's in our backyard!

Lily wasn't into it.

She liked it a bit more after a nice neighbor shoveled some of the sidewalk.

Sliding!

Crazy icicles hanging from the roof

Freezing rain pounding on the window

And that leads us to today. It was finally starting to warm up and the layer of ice was starting to melt so we ventured out to play in it for a bit.

I'm starting to wonder if this snow was just a once-in-a-life-time type thing, or if this could be more of a common occurrence every winter. If it's going to happen more often, we need to invest in some good winter clothes {and perhaps a second vehicle that can drive in it}!

If you have/had snow where you are, hope you had fun playing in it and aren't suffering from cabin fever!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2013

It was a busy Thanksgiving weekend!

Thursday was Thanksgiving.

We stayed home this year for Thanksgiving and my side of the family came to our house for the day. It was the first time for us to host Thanksgiving and the first time in {at least the last} 7 years that my whole immediate family was together. We ate, watched some football, kids played and we ate some more. 

Amazing that everyone is looking at the camera! I think that might be a first!

 Auntie Sha, the photo boomer 

 Kids Table!

Us

Thursday night my mom, sister and I went out and did some shopping {yes, you can call us crazy}. However we decide shopping on Thanksgiving is not worth it. At all. You can get the same sales on Friday {DURING the day, NOT in the middle of the night!} So we went home and slept and then went back out the next morning. People are crazy though when it comes to Black Friday.

Friday was the Civil War.

Russ went to the Civil War game. Our brother-in-law is a UofO alum and has season tickets and invited Russ to go with him. 

The kids and I headed up to my Aunt and Uncles in Portland to watch the game. It was a great game! The Beavers actually put up a fight and we lost by only one point. It was sad, we were so close to winning. But it was a way better game then we thought it would be so it was a lot of fun to watch!

Friday night we stayed at my sisters and Russ stayed at his sisters. 

Saturday we went to Zoo Lights.

Saturday Russ helped his sister and brother-in-law move and we hung out with my sister. And then went to Zoo Lights! 

{click here to see the first zoo light experience, we've only gained a couple kids :)}

 Sibling love

 Lily checking out Lily 

{the baby elephant at the zoo is named Lily}

She loved touching the lights!

The Bartlett family!

Sunday we got our Christmas Tree.

Searching for the perfect tree (the only picture I took).

Well, that was a busy four day weekend! 

Hope you had a fun Thanksgiving weekend!

Snow Day in March!

Today we woke up to this...

a winter wonderland.

I think yesterday was the first day of spring but you wouldn't know it by looking out our window!

Blake had so much fun playing in it. He threw a fit when we came into eat breakfast. As soon as breakfast was over, him and Russ were back outside!

All day it was "no, no, no!" meaning snow. We didn't make it back outside in the afternoon because it was pretty slushy and really wet snow. It continued to snow all day without sticking and then tonight at about 7:30 it started sticking again, so I'm sure we'll be back out playing in it tomorrow morning!

The snow has been great fun, but really spring we would like you too!

Flooding

I'm sure most of you have heard about the crazy weather we have been having here {especially if you live in the state of Oregon}. Or about the sad accident that happened last night, {just down the street from our house} the creek that flooded and a car got swept in and there were 2 fatalities. It is so sad and unbelievable. 

It's been wild that's for sure. Sunday and Monday we started off with snow {which is pretty unusual for us}. Then by Tuesday afternoon it turned to rain and has been raining pretty steadily since. {We did have a nice 3-4 hour break from the rain today in which we made it out the park.} Thankfully we have stayed dry and stranded free so far. There are several streets around us that have had high water. Corvallis has gotten pretty bad this evening. 3rd Street going into South Town has closed for several blocks and schools in Corvallis were just cancelled for tomorrow! {Crazy, canceling school due to rain and flooding!} The scary thing is the rivers aren't suppose to crest till tomorrow night. 

Russ spent the day driving around looking at project sights they have worked on... all of them flooded. Here are some pictures...

Mary's River

{this river is what is causing a lot of flooding in South Town. It usually flows just right down the middle of the picture not the whole width of the picture}

South Santiam

{it's almost to the bridge}

McDowell Creek

{yes this was/is a creek and has made its own new path through a field}

On a side note... remember last summer when we put on a new roof? Praise the LORD it has held up through all this rain!!! Russ just went up to the attic to check it out tonight and there are no leaks to be spoken of!

{as I wrote this OSU has announced they are closing campus for tomorrow... that never. ever. happens}

"No"

Remember back a couple months ago when I said B had learned to say no. Well he really knows how to say no now and says no for just about everything. And when I say everything I mean everything. Anything I ask him is "no".

Me: Do you want to go outside to play? B: No

Me: Are you finished eating? B: No {then I proceed to take his food away and he screams}

Me: Is your name Blake? B: No

Anyways it goes on and on all day long. He still doesn't get what it means or he hasn't figured out that he can say yes when he wants something. We've been working on the saying yes a lot. I'm hoping he gets it soon because believe it or not, I am getting pretty sick and tired of hearing NO all. the. time. 

We had snow again today!

Church

Church this morning was a winter wonderland! 

It was beautiful.

Here is a verse Pastor Rob encouraged us to memorize...

Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. 

In quietness and confidence is your strength. 

Isaiah 30.15

{isn't it amazing to know that by resting in God we are saved?!}