snow days

We got snow in Durham in January and February.  It wasn't enough to cancel school in January, but the layer of snow on everything was pretty.  We tried to do a little bit of sledding with the first snow (on cardboard).  We also visited the Cathedral again and saw Durham Castle for the first time.  We had to take a picture of Weston by the sardines sign downtown, since he loves sardines.  

The end of February, we got a lot more snow, with enough this time to get a couple of days off school.  The kids were excited to make a snowman and have a snowball fight.  I was glad not to walk to school in the snow.  The day that the snow first started, I had to pick the kids up from school.  I stood outside for 10 minutes waiting for the kids to come out, while getting pelted by bits of sleet.  It was sunny and not snowing when I left the house, so I didn't think to take an umbrella with me to shield me from sleet!  By the time I walked 10 minutes there and stood waiting for 10 minutes, it was sleeting.  And then we had to walk home in it too.  That really did me in - so cold to have bits of sleet hitting your face.  It snowed most of the weekend.  Church was cancelled.  Nathan and I walked over to the grocery store on Saturday because we were pretty much out of food (and I didn't want to try to drive in the snow or try to get out of our culdesac, where the snow was deeper).  We each carried a couple big bags of groceries about a 1/2 mile in the snow.

 Nathan and Jared's school asked for volunteers on Sunday to come shovel the school parking lot and pathways.  I'm not sure who actually went and did that, but despite quite a bit of snow still on the ground, they had school again on Monday.  They aren't quick to call off school for snow.  I guess Nathan and Jared can now tell stories of when they had to walk 3/4 of a mile to school in the snow.  And even though half of the students and teachers couldn't make it in to school, they still had to stay at school.  Some of the buses couldn't even make it, but apparently those that walked to school or made it in still had to stay.  The boys weren't happy about that.  

Alex missed the February snow days, because he was in a bit of snow in Antarctica... he wasn't too sympathetic, because every day was a snow day for him! 

You can get an idea of how deep the snow was if you look at the picture of the fence behind Jared (from the first evening) compared to the next day (1st and last photos below).  The kids were loving it!  Me, not so much... but nice to get a break from taking the kids to school.  

Savannah and I enjoyed watching from inside!  

So funny when he realizes the camera is on him, but thinks I'm taking a picture...

There are always some tears with snowball fights...