The rest of 2009 is here

Well this is how behind I am in my blogging. This is the results of the Christmas Day Blizzard of 2009. We were silly and left the cozy Heit Grandparent's house to be snowed in at our own place. It had been snowing all day long, and we knew that it would continue to snow. We were silly also because we weren't as prepared as we were on Christmas Eve at the Kelly Grandparent's house. On the 24th we brought lots of clothes and diapers and formula and toothbrushes etc. It didn't really snow at all. On the 25th we had none of these things and it snowed all day. So we were running short on formula, no clean unders, limited diapers, etc etc etc. Well, Daddy and some of the uncles took a scouting outing on foot to see what the damage was on the roads. It looked doable. So we dug out our car (bad sign, I know) and Rick and I took a scouting outing in the car. We went probably 3/4 of the way home and didn't have any trouble except for Grandma Heit's road. So we decided to go back and pick up the girls.

We thought we were pretty lucky because in the time it took us to pack up the girls, a snow plow had done parts of a couple roads we take (not Grandma Heit's road). This was surprising because we heard the plows were pulled off the streets because they couldn't keep up and it wasn't doing any good. We also SAW a snow plow on the road on the way home. Then we realized it was being followed by an ambulance. Or rather, clearing a path for the ambulance.

Anyway, we know our road is generally pretty bad so we were going to cut through Burger King's parking lot. Well the plows had cleared Broadway decently enough, but blocked the driveway entrances at the same time. So we had no choice but to go to the light and take the street. Yikes. We got stuck about 10 feet past the corner. We made some headway after several times backing up and plowing our way a little farther. I was out pushing and trying to move some of the snow between runs. Tiring, let me tell you. It is not snowing at this point and it's not too windy, so we were blessed. It wasn't incredibly cold either, so that was another blessing. It could have been a really bad situation. But we were 1/2 to 3/4 of a block from our destination, so if push came to shove we could abandon the car and walk home with the girls. Several neighbor guys came out to help while I walked home to get some ice melt to put under the wheels. As the guys worked on getting the car forward (the girls were snuggly sleeping through all this) I looked at the driveway and wondered where we would put the car if they did get it close the the house. I decided not to worry about it yet and complete my mission. Well I didn't think about how I would get to the house or in the garage with no garage door opener. Rats.

So I had to go around the side through snow that was chest deep. (Pictures below) I brought the ice melt to the car and thought I'd let the men to the hard work while I cleared a way to get INTO the house. So I made my way BACK to the house (I had opened the garage door to avoid chest deep excursions, whew! good thinking me). Luckily the snow drifted in a way that I only had about a foot of snow to clear from the garage door to the house door. It still took awhile and lots of energy. I also cleared a foot path one shovel wide through the 2-3 feet of snow on the driveway since I knew we'd be carrying kids through this no matter what. Tiring! Well long story long, Rick brought Brie home at which time we remembered the door is locked and the keys are in the still-running car. So she hung out in the garage while I extended the foot path. Rick brought Chelsea and the keys and went back for a load of presents and bags and such. The guys were able to move the car a little farther up and off to the side of the road in a space that miraculously had no snow in it. Blessings galore! The car was far enough over to be safe from other cars/plows, close enough to carry the kids safely home, and there were some guys there helping us.

As the guys were taking care of the car, I got the girls undressed and in bed. Another blessing: Brie was asleep for the night at this point. This is like two hours earlier than normal. That NEVER happens. But it did this time. Chelsea hadn't had a nap so she was conked out in no time. Rick and one of the neighbor's kids brought in all our stuff. Rick took a shower, and we were able to relax and rest our weary bodies. It was a hard trip home that last block, but we made it and were very happy to be snowed in at our own place. We said a thankful prayer and settled in for the long haul.

Our front door the next morning. Keep in mind I had cleared this out about 12 hours earlier. It only took a few shoves to get the door open far enough to get out. The back door was a lost cause. The snow was right up against the door up to the window and extended far into the back yard.

This is the snow I had to "walk" through to get to the small garage door to get ice melt, which we ended up not using anyway. It was chest deep when I went through it, and at this point it was coming up on shoulder deep. And you can't even see where my path was! Here's a blessing though. Note how the drift makes the snow bank drop dramatically where the gate opens. If we had had all that snow up to the house, life would have been MUCH more difficult.

Can you spot our car? Hint: it's the one facing the wrong way. Can you believe with all this snow, there was a spot that big that fit our car perfectly? Off to the side? Blessing!

Here is our driveway, the road, and the back of the business across the street. Can you tell where one ends and the other begins? I sure can't. It's all pretty much got the same snow coverage.

What I had to face, to get in. The picture is taken at my eye level. Yeah. Lots of snow. And it looks like a nice pile of snow. No, it was that deep the entire length of the garage. I have to admit, I was kind of excited to tackle it. But I was already very tired and was ready to be in the house after pushing the car for like an hour already, before all my shoveling began. But I did it! What an adventure. We were probably very stupid to try it, but we were watched out for throughout the entire ordeal. If you want to see the snow at the Heits check out Chris and Amanda's blog on the right. That's what we left behind. You can kind of see a little dip in their pictures in the snow where our car had been sitting.

Moving on. Chelsea got a balloon animal making set for Christmas. She'd been pestering me for a day and a half before I actually sat down and made one. But here it is! My first balloon animal. It is a dog. Chelsea was so excited to play with it. I don't know why I put off making it for so long.

Grandpa Kelly took Chelsea on her first sledding expedition. She wasn't sure what to think about it. She was more concerned about having snow on her boots and mittens than sliding down the hill. Oh well. We've yet to take her out again. It's been too cold. We'll get out again, hopefully this year.

And they're off! It was fun to watch. Grandpa had a good time too. Only two or three runs, but that was enough for a first time.

The annual Christmas vacation skating festival! This event had to be postponed because of the storm, but we squeezed it in before everyone headed back to school.
Aren't the three of us cute?

This is from Brie's first experience with rtice cereal. She did well that first time, then for awhile it was like torture for her to eat it. And now she's gotten the hang of it and mostly doesn't mind eating.

Cute messy face!

Michelle and Allen had a second wedding reception for us folks in North Dakota. This event, too, had to be postponed because of the storm. But, all is well. We were able to wish them a happy life formally. And no worries-that's Baby Brie, not a baby out of wedlock! tee hee!

One moment during the reception.

A similar moment. Junior bridesmaids sure get sleepy!