Hunters and Gatherers

With the ice age upon us, getting groceries from the store to the kitchen has become much more entertaining. Rather than risking another whipeout in the automobile, Jen and Krista decided to transport groceries by raft.



I'm a little disappointed that they didn't ride down the street in the raft with the groceries.



The last 50 feet was the trickiest, so I hear. I would have helped, but I was too busy being amused.

Ice World

Here, Tyler is pointing out the level of a snow drift outside our 2nd level window. As you can plainly see, he is anything but disappointed. These may be the luckiest kids ever. No school again this week.



Does anyone have an ice axe I can borrow? I'd like to get into my car.

Cold Remedy

Pick your poison.

The 9th Level Druids

Today we dressed up like druids and played Dungeons and Dragons.



Not really, but that would have been fun too.



I'm not sure what Jen is saying in the picture above. But, it is obviously really good.



The power was out all morning due to a massive ice storm that hit last night, so we gathered around the fireplace and played music and board games most of the day. These two have recently put together a great tune. I hope they'll record it soon and let me post it.



Also, I think "The 9th Level Druids" would be a great name for a band.

I thought we lived in a RAINforest

Sledding is the new mode of travel in our neck of the woods. Tyler was invited to sleep over at a friend's house up the street last night and so Tyler's friends rode their sleds down the street to pick him up. It's how we get around anymore.

We've been pretty much iced in for a week now. Wasn't there some movie filmed in Oregon about some family that gets snowed in for about a week? Red Rum? Yeah, we're praying for a nice and rainy Christmas.

We're actually having fun with the snow too.

My favorite zen moment of the week occurred while zipping straight down the middle of our steep unplowed street, while sitting cross-legged on the circular disc you see below, with my hands on my knees in cupping shape.



Snowball Warriors











You've gotta click to enlarge this one to get the full effect of Amanda's expression. Amanda and Krista are suffering the wrath of my snowblower maneuver.

Fending off the snow with Mimosas

Gingerbread Row

The gingerbread village moments before being eaten alive by a pack of snow-crazed children.


Ellie somehow got into the left over candy and we've been trapped all day with a dog puking cinnamon bears. As you might have guessed, it's getting a little snow-crazy around here.

13°

Jen and Krista risked life and limb to get some groceries today. Jen crashed the FJ into a dirt hill after hitting a patch of ice and swerving backwards into oncoming traffic on Cedar Hills Blvd. I should mention that it was the ONLY dirt hill on Cedar Hills Blvd. Everything else was houses, pedestrians, babies, puppies, and ravines. Not even a scratch in the FJ and everyone's fine. Jen and Krista report that they felt as though they were being carried away on angel's wings onto a fluffy pillow. Sounds like fun. Makes me want to wreck the car too.

And so it's thirteen degrees in Portland tonight and we've got another storm on the horizon. The kids are ecstacic. Tonight they learned that school will be cancelled again tomorrow, making three snow days in a row. Portland is a great place to be a kid.

I predict more sledding and hot chocolate in our future.