Snow Day!

So, here's what you need to know about Athens, Ohio. It doesn't snow here. At least not very much. Oh, and not until January. At least that's what the locals like to tell you. Nope, no snow here. Maybe 10 inches total the whole winter. In fact, to listen to them talk you'd think we were still living in Virginia - the weather sounds that similar. And, it's true that we are well below the lake effect snow line (about an hour south) and we're in the foothills, not typical flat Ohio landscape. So, why oh why has it snowed at least a dozen times in the two months since we moved here? Now, granted, it hasn't snowed a lot at one time. In fact we've only been snowed in to the point I didn't want to venture out twice. School has been delayed twice, never cancelled (even though in Virginia it would've been cancelled without question - the roads were pretty bad). We did get a lovely sleet storm last Thursday which resulted in me nearly getting to know a tractor trailer way more than I wanted to (Still the kids stayed in school...I just can't get used to that!)

So, I guess the natives were right...it wasn't snowing in December - it was technically sleeting. The picture above is our street - nice and icy but not snowy!

Olivia's winter program was cancelled that night because of the weather so I was thankful for that. I'd been nervous that I'd have to drive on the hilly, curvy road toward the school again soon after my afternoon near death experience.

They rescheduled the program (very cute kindergartners singing happy little Christmas songs) for last night (Monday). Olivia insisted on dressing up:

Once we got to the school I figured out her master plan - every single one of her friends was wearing a velvet winter dress. Together they made the most adorable group of little girls you've ever seen, all hugging and giggling :)

Well, it's good that they had the program when they did because not an hour after we got home it started snowing again. And it snowed this morning and most of the afternoon. So, finally, after a dozen days of snow the kids got to stay home. Yay! We spent the day playing and making cookies (Yum - sugar cookies and some new concoction we made with Reese's peanut butter cups chopped up in the dough) and building a gingerbread train (of course!). And, this afternoon, even though I haven't figured out where the box of snowsuits is yet, we played in the snow. The crazy thing was Jeremy told me that his assistant said it was raining in Athens, not snowing. At first I was thinking that maybe THIS is why they think it doesn't snow here - they don't know that it's called "snow" not "rain" but then a neighbor told me that even though it was raining only 3 miles away we live on a little elevated pocket of Athens that often gets different weather than the rest of the city. Odd but I suppose it makes a little sense. Anyway, here are some (not-so-great) photos of the fun in the snow:

The hill in our backyard is pretty good for sledding but the very top is incredibly steep (which is hard to tell here). Poor Olivia's sled kept running away from her :)

Making the obligatory snow angels...

I don't know, I'd say we spent the afternoon in the snow not the rain! It was cold and fluffy and white. Maybe they claim it rarely snows here but it sure was fun to sled on! :)