Live(ish) From the Frozen Tundra.

While we wait for our rolling black out to come along I thought I'd slip in this post from yesterday, the day time froze. 

And everything else in sight.

We Swinney's never waste an opportunity to sleep late.  I made certain to turn off the girls' alarm clocks just in case school was canceled and it's a good thing I am responsible like that b/c we are on day two of no school.  Always good and always bad.  I just hate going to school in June.

We woke up to these two between us doing whatever they do.  If they had facebook pages their relationship status would be "it's complicated".  Jules is aware that Penny is not always excited to see her.  It could be the way she tucks tail and runs like a bat out of hell when Jules enters the room.  Just a hunch.  But sometimes they get along just fine.  Like this morning.  It sort of depends on both of their moods.  And one of them (certainly not going to say who) has very unpredictable mood swings and may or may not have yanked on the other's ears in order to make them stand up chanting "I wish you were a Chihuahua!  I wish you were a Chihuahua!"

But these two.  What love.  Like peanut butter and chocolate.  Cinnamon and Sugar.  They just go together.  Mia lets Penny sleep on her bed every night.  I say let b/c if Penny were to dare try to sleep with Jules she might get flung across the room.  I may or may not have witnessed this before.  The nerve of that dog to lay her puppy paws on the royal sheets.

This is what happens when your kids want to go play outside and you tell them to wait except they want to get ready right NOW.  They get themselves ready.  By the looks of them you might think they are trying to cop a stay at the Life Shelter.  But, no.  This is actually their best effort.  I have been thinking I should better equip them in the getting dressed department but now I'm 100% convinced I do. 

This is the half inch thick sheet of ice right outside our back door.  There is snow on top of it which is mighty decieving but rest assured, there will be no snowmen built during this winter blast.   No, this winter blast has left the streets empty.  The silence is in fact, defening.  No children frolicking in the snow.  No friendly snowball fights with the neighbors.  Just the bitter 17 degree temperatures with a "feels like" temp of 1 degree and below zero windchills.  

But, wait.  That would keep MOST people in doors.  But not the Swinneys. We like to keep it interesting around here and decided to take a 2 mile roundtrip treck to Tom Thumb for sodas and candy.  Oh, and it's possible that I had an ulterior motive to snag a Chi Latte at the Starbucks stand they have there.   You can tell they are standing on the trick snow here.  The huge field of this tricky stuff outside of the school was so inviting and tempting but alas it was all a big hard crunchy hoax. 

Thanks to Aunt Lexi for filling us in on the Starbuck's "shorts".  The girls scored short hot chocolates and Levi and I got our non-coffee fix.  Well, first he insulted the barista by telling her that their hot chocolate sucks and how he hates coffee.  Then she politely suggested he try a vanilla bean steamer which was amazing...and very hot.   I have to wonder if she might have heated his drink up a tad bit more than ours seeing as how mine was perfectly drinkable and his burnt about half his tastebuds off.

I guess she she showed him. 

On our way back we stopped by the school to stick our tongues out at it and laugh in it's face.  We chanted some mean things to it and proceeded to, well....

Shake our hineys at it. 

And that was approximately the last moment the trip was fun.  Immediatley following the inappropriate rump-shaking Jules began to cry.  Upon entering the neighborhood she began to wail.  This wailing broke that defening silence I mentioned earlier and so did my desparate efforts to shut her up calm her. 

And then she got louder. 

I don't know why we even try to do these things.  They always end in Levi and Mia leaving me behind trying to convince Jules that her legs are not broken and that she isn't going to die.  Although, this trip was a tad different consideing the sub-zero wind chills.  I did begin to wonder just exactly how long and at what temperature frost bite sets in.  Because surely something that terrible was happening to Jules at the decibal her wailing was.  And did I mention the echo? 

As soon as we got home Mia and Jules both melted and this was all that was left of them.   O.k., not really but how funny does that look?  But seriously, their shoe basket and coat hooks are within 2 feet of this heap on the floor.  I'm not annoyed. 

I had to rock Jules like a baby for a while in order to calm her down.  I was afraid with all the facial contorting that was going on that she might not ever look the same.  But as you can see she is back to being as cute as can be. 

Here we are in front of the fire.  This picture is important b/c the entire way to Tom Thumb and back the only thing Levi was concerned with was his dang fire.  Nevermind Jules and her frost bite scare.  He was certain that without constant poking and prodding it would disolve in to nothing more than stone cold ashes.  Just that quick.  Thank goodness nothing of the sort happened.  I don't know what we would have done (except for maybe just continute using the electric heat) if that fire had gone out while we were gone.

Here is me not amused that I'm having to wear a hat and scarf indoors and still, I was freezing.  See the crock-pot in the back ground? Those are black beans and they were delicous.  Mia eats nothing as a rule of thumb but she engulfs black beans.  By the time Levi and I had buttered our cornbread she was asking for seconds and almost choking on the cornbread she had shoved in her face.  I know.  That is a totally weird thing for a kid to love. 

We end the night with Jules "pulling" her own tooth.  It technically just fell out but she had her hand on it so, whatever.  It will be our little secret.  She lost her first tooth about one year earlier than her sister.  It was so completley barely hanging on that we were all very excited to see it gone.  No more haveing to see her flick it back and forth watching us all squirm and squeel in disgust.   Gross me out. 

Now, on to laundry and cleaning up Baby Alive's accident.  *Grrr.*  Last night Jules prayed over our food and asked that her Baby Alive not be dead since she hasn't fed her since Christmas break.  Bwhahahahaha!  It's also funny seeing Jules get super stressed out b/c her Baby Alive won't stop crying despite her efforts to feed her and give her drinks and change her.  She is walking around like a hot mess trying to get that doll to shush.

And you know what?  Serves her right! I'm not relishing in that at all.  Not one bit.