The Big Dig

A catch-up post to cover the last 2 months is in the works, but when something as ridiculous as the record breaking snow that hit DC occurs, that post will have to wait another day or so. Both the federal government and the school system have been shut down for the week, so we have had lots of family time, which has for the most part been nice, but we're definitely suffering from cabin fever. I've been a bit grumpy today, which I have tried hard to remedy after Ella had my camera and caught some candid pics that I didn't see until I was uploading pics on the computer today. They have been deleted, but there's something about having children that reflects all your glaring imperfections right back at you. But I digress.

Points of interest about the storm:

1. I went to Orlando, FL this past weekend for my Mom's birthday celebration, catching one of the last flights out of DC on Friday before the storm hit. Of course my return flight was cancelled on Sunday, so my parents and I took matters into our own hands, rented a car and drove two days to get home before the next storm hit on Tuesday. Our neighbors, who have been down there at Disney for the past week, were also scheduled to come home Sunday, and couldn't get another flight until this coming Friday. Ella is anxiously awaiting the return of her friend Nora.

2. The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang kept us amused throughout the mess. They theatrically coined last weekend's 2 feet storm as "Snowmaggedon" and yesterday's storm of an additional 1 foot was deemed "Snowverkill". Other terms such as "snowverwhelming" have been thrown around. One thing I love about DC is that it has a great sense of humor. If you haven't seen the Post's Peep's Diorama contest at Easter time, take some time to laugh. Or have you ever been part of a sing-a-long while jammed with thousands of other strangers in a metro station after the downtown 4th of July fireworks? The comments on the CWG's blog left us chuckling.

3. If there's one thing a little bit of snow does to Washingtonians is cause panic en masse. And when you get a lot of snow, imagine the horror. Tuesday morning I went to pick up a few things at the grocery store after having been gone the whole weekend and before the next storm hit. Not surprisingly, I joined hundreds of others in the store who were cleaning it out the best they could. Here's a snapshot of the produce section.

4. Brian has spent hours digging us out of the storm. He has bonded with the neighbors and the lack of older children outside helping created firm ideas about the work ethic he plans to instill in his daughters. I'm glad the storms created an opportunity for such enlightenment.

5. We're bored. There are only so many games to play, movies to watch, times to put snow gear on and off (plus the snow is way too deep for quality play), crafts to do before your head starts to spin. This is what we've been reduced to.

Samantha and Lucy entertained each other by a game of "keep the pacifier in Lucy's mouth". It turned out to occupy them both for quite some time.

Need I say more?

Now that our road is plowed, the older girls have gone to spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa Munk. A change of scenery was very much needed.

Okay, so here is the Bowcut photo gallery of the mess. Enjoy.

This is our house after blizzard #1.

Brian and Sam weathering Blizzard #2:

The aftermath of Blizzard 2:

And Monday is supposed to bring a few more inches. It will help our spirits considerably if you feel just a little bit sorry for us.

And that catch-up post will follow shortly...I promise.