A Real Tennessee Snow Day

We've had "snow days" before, but they were for just a light frosting. It seems like a joke when back home in Michigan they have had several feet of snow and it just keeps coming! Today, though, we finally got a snow day that I felt was legitimate! The snow accumulated fairly quickly and since Tennessee doesn't have as many plows/salt trucks as a northern state like MI, the roads weren't safe to drive on until much later in the day, and even then they were questionable. Matt has another snow day tomorrow. 

When Jack woke up from his nap we bundled him up and played in the snow. He had looked out the window all morning at the white back yard. He loved running around in the new fluffiness. He did face plant once and he wasn't quite sure what to do so he just lay there until we picked him up. I'm sure his face and hands got cold quickly (he was wearing cotton glove, he hates the thicker mittens for him we have that don't allow him to use his fingers) but he didn't complain and just kept playing.

He was bundled in a long sleeved waffle knit shirt, a sweatshirt, sweatpants, jean overalls, two pairs of socks tucked over his sweatpants, good thick boots, his puffer coat, his trapper hat, and his gloves. I think he stayed pretty cozy except for face and hands. 

Our back door opens into our living room. The easiest way to get the snow off Jack was to flip him and brush it off! He thought it was so funny! 

We had so much fun outside! He's not quite old enough to enjoy a snowball fight yet as he didn't like snow being thrown at him, even against his coat, but he just loved being outside. I am so thankful we have a nice big backyard to run around in. It has proven to be a great place to play with Jack in fall and winter weather. I can't wait for spring when we can stay outside longer and then summer when we can get a little kiddie pool! 

On this snow day I was able to get so much done! I washed a load of Jack's diapers and then all our newborn diapers and newborn clothes in preparation for Daniel. I put away all the laundry (3 loads) from yesterday. I made a delicious dinner, which is an accomplishment because lately it's been easier on my poor legs to just stick something in the oven that's premade! Plus my big ole belly gets in between me and the stove so it takes a bit of effort. I then went through all our unpacked boxes of books in search of some to send my SIL who has an extended stay in the hospital. We need bookshelves to put the books on, but they are not high priority as we need to find some good, sturdy ones that Won't just topple over if Jack climbs on them. We'll teach him not to climb on them and watch him, of course, but kids will be kids and I don't want any accidents! So we're waiting and it's easier to keep the books in boxes for now so Jack doesn't rip out pages etc. Of course, the books I wanted were in the second to last box I opened! I had created a couple piles in the process though: books to send Jamie, books to get rid of, and books to take downstairs so I can read them. In the process I was able to reorganize the books I'm keeping and empty two whole boxes! I know I have way to many books, so I'm trying to downsize. It's hard though because most of my books I want to re-read! But I got rid of a good stack so I feel pretty good about that. I'm sure I'll toss a few more when I unpack them for good. So the book boxes are piled in a corner of the play room and take up less space than before. One of the boxes actually contains office supplies so I'll have to organize that sometime. But it was a nice reminder of all my paper friends I have. Can't wait to have easy access to my entire library again! 

In my search I found my old Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen books. I brought tem downstairs for a good read. While these books aren't exactly ripe for my current age (the main characters are high schoolers), they bring back so many memories! They are super quick reads so I don't feel bad investing the time every so often in reading them. 

It was a very productive snow day. Tomorrow I hope to pack up all the piles of junk I have to donate- clothes, movies, books, household goods- and put tem in the car so I can drop them off ASAP. Then I want to give our bedroom and bathroom a good thorough cleaning/sanitizing. Then order the last prints for the nursery and Jackson's room and hopefully the roads will be clear enough that I can pick them up! Tomorrow will be another good day and hopefully my Preggo symptoms will remain at bay. I have been uncomfortable today, but forced myself to get things done. I have a regular Dr. appt on Thursday so unless he tells me I need to take it easy I'm going to keep going strong with my nesting instincts!