Snopocolypse 2011: The Aftermath

Alright, I know. . . that sounded like a rather dramatic title. But things were looking pretty dramatic last night. Check out the view from my front door. I think this was around 10 p.m. on Tuesday.

I had a truly crazy afternoon at work, and then a 2 1/2 hour drive home. I was careful and took the long way home, avoiding the back country roads. It was pretty boring, considering that I didn't go much faster than 10 mph the whole trip. I felt somewhat better, though, knowing that I would have Wednesday off from school. I love snow days. While the blizzard was pretty crazy yesterday, (see picture below) things were looking much better by late this morning. We decided to go outside, but just look at what we found when we opened the door.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nick was eager to go outside and play in the snow, but it was very cold once we got out there. Our side and backyard were pretty cleared of snow, because the blizzard had blown it all towards the neighbor's house. The deepest snow was up by the garage and the front door. Grandma Toni's car was nearly covered!
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Here's Nick and Greg showing off their winter gear.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our next door neighbors loaned us a sled for Nick to try, and Greg took him for a few trips up the street and back.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nick was a little crabby and complained about being cold. I asked him if he wanted to go inside and he said, "No!" So we played for just a little longer.
 

I showed Nick how to make snow angels, and . . .

snowballs, too.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Right about this time Nick told me he was cold again. I asked if he wanted to go inside, and he said, "Yes, Mommy." So inside we went to shed our many layers of clothing. Here's what our entryway looked like.
 

We were only out for about 25 minutes or so, but Nick was shivering when we came in. His nose was running pretty bad, too. I took his shirt off, and the poor boy was burning up. Poor kid had a temperature of 102.7! We're still not sure what he has, but he's obviously not feeling well.

His nose is running, his eyes are watering, and he's kind of achy. There are no other symptoms that we've seen. We've been giving him tylenol and lots of snuggles and just hoping he gets better. Good thing I have another snow day tomorrow. I wouldn't want to leave him when he's running fevers like this. Plus, they haven't plowed us out of our subdivision yet, so we're stuck at home anyway.

Leftover Cake is Just as Yummy!

Today Nick experienced the joys of the day after a birthday party: playing with streamers, balloons and new toys, and eating leftover cake. This particular picture shows his Sunday night dinner, where he ate a mixture of tomato, chicken sausage, and black beans, along with raspberries, milk, and whipped cream cake.

Yesterday was Nick's first birthday party, and I think it went rather well. He made a cute and adorable mess with blue whipped cream frosting, and he got lots of awesome presents. I will post about it once my sister sends the pictures. Above you can see him playing with an interactive book that was one of his presents. It sings and reads the story to him. Nick kept pushing the button and turning the pages. .

The only problem was that Nick woke up yesterday from his nap with a 102.3 degree fever. He had his shots Wednesday, and I'm thinking that might have caused his fever. I hope that's all it is. He is still running fevers, just not that high. Poor guy--his first birthday party and he has a fever for it. I think Nick still had a good time, though. His favorite parts were the balloons and the presents. I spent a little more than planned, but isn't that how it goes with kids?

One First Birthday Party=
=$72 in decorations, birthday hat, and balloons
=$140 in appetizers and drinks
=$50 for a Finding Nemo whipped cream cake
=$7 for the "1st Birthday"onesie
=7 hours of cleaning

But the joy of treating your little boy to a day of company, balloons, and fun?= Priceless

This is the face Nick made when he pressed the siren button on his driving toy. Once the button is pressed, a siren goes off and a voice says, "Slow down, little fella." This made me laugh, and Nick laughed, too.