February has been quite the month here in the Seattle area! In the month of February we would have been to school only 8 days! (And only 4 of those will be -fingers crossed because they haven’t happened it yet-full days. ) Friday the first we had no school, scheduled teacher work day?) The next Sunday (February 3) the first of several snow storms rolled in. We got hit pretty hard that night and school was cancelled for Monday, and Tuesday. Wednesday we had a late start, and they also had an early release (already scheduled). Thursday we had a late start, but normal release time. Then Friday a second snow storm was moving in, and it was supposed to be bigger than the first. The kids had school at normal time, but since the storm was coming and supposed to hit around noon, they had an early release so everyone could be home safe before the storm hit. And boy did that storm hit us!
During the first snow storm we lost power for a few hours. It wasn’t a huge deal, our house got chilly, but it was only out for a couple hours. Since we knew there was another snow storm coming we were able to prepare for it. I was able to go to the store and stock up on the things we’d need. Chris was also able to get us a generator for if/when we would lose power again. We figured a generator is a nice thing to have on hand and we had been planning on getting one, but this storm is what convinced us to get one ASAP! I was glad we had gotten one because we did end up losing power for about 12 hours during the second storm. We were able to charge phones, and have heat. We also had some neighbors over that didn’t have heat, so it was nice to be able to share the warmth!
After the second storm on Friday we were completely covered in snow. It was so crazy, I have never lived in anything like it. Saturday morning Ryan had a birthday party to go to and we all walked over to it with one of Ryan’s other friends. The kids are normally great hikers, but trekking through the snow wore them out! (About a mile.) It really was beautiful and fun to see the winter wonderland!
Sunday night another storm came through and Monday also dumped snow! We had no school that week until Friday, which was a late start. The week was filled with play dates with friends, snowball fights, snow forts, and giant snowmen! Chris had a lot of fun building snow forts and a giant snowman with the kids. Both kids loved having time playing with their friends. During the snow storm we also talked more with neighbors we hadn’t talked with much and had fun getting closer to them. It was fun seeing the community come together to help those in need.
Of course with the snowstorm the city basically shut down. Seattle generally doesn’t get much snow, so we aren’t as prepared for snow. We don’t have many snow plows so only the main roads are clear, while side streets are a disaster. They are also limited on the types of salt they can put on the roads to help protect the salmon. Lost of people also live on hills which makes those roads even more treacherous. The weather didn’t help matters either. Once it stopped snowing the snow would start to melt, then we’d have extra freezing nights, where everything would freeze and we’d be left with icy roads. (Seattle also doesn’t normally drop below freezing. ) It really was the perfect storm for missing school and being trapped inside! Another downside; there was no school on Valentine’s Day, therefore the kids’ Valentine’s Parties were either canceled or postponed so that was a bummer. And of course the novelty of the snow began to wear off and we were just a bunch of people stuck inside!
The week following all the crazy snow storms was of course midwinter break where there was no school as well. Since we’d been trapped in the house the previous week or two we wanted to get out a little bit and do some fun things. We were able to go to Chik-Fil-A, go bowling with some friends, and go see a movie. The kids loved it all, and have really enjoyed being stuck in the house. (Although I know they are getting excited to go back to school!) On the days we were trapped inside we did do some science experiments and we did some crafting. We played plenty of board games, and Ryan has started getting into Chess. We’ve also read books, and of course played video games!
We were also able to make quite a bit of progress on the house remodel as well. The basement is now dry walled and primed. We still need to paint, molding, and flooring, and then it will be livable! (Then the bathroom needs to get tiled.) We also are finishing the master bathroom upstairs and Chris has been a tiling machine! It has been fun seeing the progress and we are getting so close I can taste it!
Overall I’d say we survived February. Some days I think we had a blast and found a lot of fun things to do, on other days I’d say we barely made it out in one piece. It was fun to experience, but I’m hoping for a more normal winter next year!
