Winter in Toledo this year was so bad that most people would probably think we were exaggerating if we told them about it. Trust me, as the momma who was stuck inside for days on end with 3 girls ages 4 and under... and as the daddy who spent hours upon hours out in the cold shoveling and snow-blowing the driveway... it's no exaggeration. It was the worst winter Toledo has ever seen. The winter of 2013/14 set records for both total snowfall (beating the record previously held by the great blizzard of '77) and for record low temps. We had many days with temps and wind chills below -20 degrees. We didn't know whether to feel boastful or depressed when this news broke in March (taken from a Toledo Blade news article):
"The Weather Channel announced Friday that Toledo’s winter of 2013-14 has been the worst of any major city in the United States this year.
Toledo was “the winter misery champ” because of its record-breaking snowfall and significant cold throughout the season, the weather-focused channel pronounced in placing the city atop a list of the 10 U.S. cities with the nastiest weather during the season just ended."
All of that to say... with a new baby and bad weather, the girls and I barely left the house for 3 months. Erich still faithfully drove to work each day, even amidst the level 3 snow emergency days (people still get sick in bad weather!). But Avery, Norah, Paige, and I had to get creative and stay sane as we hunkered down through the snow days. In the entire month of January, Avery only had 4 days of school due to cancellations. The homebody in me didn't mind it too much. I'll cherish those days with them! Avery only played out in the snow once or twice because it was so cold. We had lots of days full of Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Tumblin' Monkeys, crafts at the kitchen table, movies, books, "sleepovers" in the living room, hot chocolate, and playing "secret mission", "house", and "doctor". And before it all gets painted too rosy, don't worry... there was plenty of sister fighting, "I'm bored", "When will we ever get to go outside", and crying mixed in among the fun. All in all though, it was a good winter.
Doc McStuffins gave us all lots of check ups throughout the winter. Every check up ended with "oh no, you have a fever!" and lots of "medicine" to make us better. Thanks for keeping us healthy, Norah!
Almost every day, Avery and Norah would bring their sleeping bags down to the living room to have a "sleepover" while they watched a movie (don't forget the sleeping bags for baby Izzy and baby Hallie. Thanks for making those Grandma!).
Another fun winter activity was decorating all of our windows with window markers. The snow provided a white backdrop that really made the colors pop!
Avery "helping" daddy shovel the driveway. The snowdrifts were taller than her in some spots.
Avery learning the art of throwing a snowball (good aim!)
They started to get a little stir crazy by the end. Shenanigans like this were common (the girls ask to watch this video over and over again. They think the end is hilarious)
The Weather Channel may have dubbed us "the most miserable city" of the year, but I choose not to remember it that way. I'll pick out the good parts and leave the rest behind. I regret that there are no pictures of Paige in the mix. There were many hours of feeding and cuddling my baby girl. The rest of the time she was sleeping. Sorry, 3rd child, for the lack of documentation!
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