Winter Driving in the Country

It's been snowing a bit lately. That's fine with me because I love the snow...as long as it doesn't land on the roads. Unfortunately, I have no control over that. And even if I did, the wind would play its own little game and create some unsafe roads anyway.

We do have a good strong wind around here. It's part of living in this part of the state. That's fine, too, because I love the wind. I just don't like the wind blowing the shingles off the roof. That's not wind, that's trouble!

Anyway, when the wind blows the snow onto the roads around here, we end up with some pretty impressive drifts. I was headed to "town" today and had to navigate several drifts. I chose to drive around them since I was driving a minivan, not a truck. But there were some instances where I didn't have much choice and it was then I wasn't sure if it really was a minivan I was driving, or just a light-weight snow plow. I did get snow pretty high up into the air in some places. If I wasn't worried about flipping the van, I might have attacked some of the bigger drifts! (I guess there is some recklessness in me somewhere.)

I was driving on one particular road that was only bordered by wide open, dormant farm fields. With the wind blowing the snow across most of the road's surface and bright blue sky above me, it felt like I was driving in heaven! But snow drifts are bumpy and though I couldn't really see them under the wispy snow in motion, I sure could feel them as we bumped along the way. So much for my heaven analogy; I'm pretty sure heaven is a little easier on the axles.

Checking in

I feel like I haven't posted for a while. It's been busy around here. AND COLD!

It's SIX BELOW right now. I have an errand or two I'd like to run, but I have no desire to take 3 small children out in this weather. It's sunny, but frigid. Ugh.

It's also stopping me from running our Christmas gifts around the neighborhood. We got almost half delivered Sunday night and haven't gotten back to it yet. The ward choir is going caroling next Friday. I wonder what the chances of a decent warm-up by then are? Weather plagued us in June when we were trying to have our summer picnic. We must be a cursed choir!

Our tub situation has not really improved. Since Daniel gets to have braces, our tub fund has been hijacked. Now, the only way to fill the bathtub is via the shower head. Why does it seem that the water builds up really fast around your ankles when the drain is plugged, but when you're actually TRYING to fill it, things take forever? We've got the holes covered with a shower curtain liner and the trusty all-purpose board. The plastic is billowing from the cold air currents flowing under the house. It makes me long for a heated toilet seat! Maybe I'll plug some of the holes with washcloths the next time the tape comes off.

I am done with Christmas shopping (except for Chad's stocking). I am not done with Christmas sewing or Christmas cards (though the letter is written). I have to finish Christmas pajamas so that I can get pictures for the cards and my December calendar page. I am looking forward to being able to sit in front of the Christmas tree BEFORE Christmas day and do nothing while soaking up the twinkle of colored lights.

We've started sleeping Sarah in her crib. So the trips to the crib every two hours are starting to take their toll. Ugh. I am tired. I hope she can sleep through the night before too much longer. I can't remember what it feels like to do that.

We were in Hagerman this past Monday for a special FHE. We picked up the boys from school about 2:45 and arrived about 5:30. The kids had fun with their cousins and I was sure they'd be sleepy in the car. This is good and bad. Good because they'll sleep, bad because when they do wake up, they'll be monsters. Between the snow plows and the screaming kids, I nearly crashed the van. I did have to drive onto the median once, but the kids slept through that. Often, there were 3 kids going at it at once. Daniel didn't cry at all...probably because he slept through it all. I was crying; mentally.

Chad and I must have been playing "good cop, bad cop" because while I was making threats and counting to three (I used to be able to count higher than that, before I had kids), he was talking kindly and trying to find things that would make them happy. I was just looking for the biggest telephone pole to wrap the van around. We got home just after midnight.

So while we love visiting family, I'm really DREADING making trips to anywhere over 100 miles away. I think we have to set a ban on driving in the dark. And not at the same time that the murderous snow plows are out. They don't just plow snow, they plow you!

And now you're caught up. :)

Are we almost there yet?

That's what Leah was asking me less than 30 miles into our drive yesterday. Not a bad question, unless you consider that the ride is more than 3 hours long! After much crying and hysterics (the kids weren't very well behaved either), the girls finally fell asleep around 60 miles and slept for 50. Nathan never complained. What a lovely boy! He took a nap when the girls did, so I had the ride all to myself for a bit.

We were glad to finally arrive and get out of our seats. The kids had fun playing until bedtime. Nathan almost got to sleep a room with his cousins until I found him on the floor between the beds and one of his cousins midair in a leap over his head. Considering they (cousins) had school in the morning, I thought it best to put Nathan into bed with Leah. He never even balked.

All cousins have been gone all day. We are dying. It's hard to find something to do in a strange house for very long. It's 2:40 and they should be home soon. Then the tutoring work begins and the house starts trembling with 6 kids shedding energy equal to at least 10!

We should try to go somewhere tomorrow.