So, this time around it was a bit different. Dan had a business trip scheduled and he apparently didn’t think it would be too bad, and decided he needed to leave on Monday to keep his scheduled meetings with his clients. Boy was he wrong! The snow coming down on Tuesday and Didn’t stop until after Thursday! Snow, sleet, ice, freezing rain. I was home alone with all three kiddos, terrified that we would lose power while Dan was traveling. I am so thankful that we didn’t have any issues and it ended up just being a snowy few days that was an inconvenience to those who wanted to leave the house, but not anything more than that! It was actually surprisingly fun being home with the kiddos. Not that it normally isn’t fun, but I think normally we get tied up in the hustle and bustle of getting ready for preschool, rushing around to and from drop off and pick up, naps, etc. and it was really nice to just be home and find things to do to entertain the kids. I brought out the big craft bins and we did valentine cards, crafts from Kiwi Crate and just enjoyed using our imaginations. We used this opportunity at home to also have Parker practice holding a pencil, writing letters, and writing his name. He wrote his name out for the first time on a little Valentine he made for Daddy. 
We missed Daddy a lot, and kept in touch by doing FaceTime. It was nice to catch up with Daddy and let the boys talk about their day and the things they got to do. On Thursday after snowing all morning, the snow let up a little bit and I brought the video monitor with me while Sienna napped, and we played outside in the snow. The snow was MUCH more conducive to build a snowman this time, so that’s what we did. We had so much fun making memories. The boys did some sledding on some of our lids from our rubbermaid totes, and we built our first snowman together. It was so fun! It was also great to get out of the house since we had been stuck in there since Monday. A few of our neighbors came out and joined in the fun as well.
After we stripped our wet snowy clothes and warmed ourselves inside for a bit, I got an idea to make a banner for Dan welcoming him home since I had heard that his flight had been cancelled for the fourth time and he was now put on a Friday flight which would be Valentine’s Day. Parker got another chance to practice his name, as well as a few stick figures, and they loved covering the welcome banner with valentine hearts, too. Mason had a lot of fun adding his flare to the banner as well. Sienna woke up from her nap and wanted to help, but after trying to eat a few stickers, and me taking them from her hand, she wasn’t too happy. I guess judging from my last post, and now this one, Sienna isn’t a big fan of snow days (and the activities that come along with being trapped indoors)! It was a fun indoor activity and the boys loved it!
We also had fun making cookies. I found this recipe on Mama Natural’s website and thought I’d give it a go and make some Valentine’s Cookies. It’s is a pretty natural recipe, and I had all of the ingredients so I thought it would be a fun thing to do with the kids. They didn’t turn out like the recipe said, but I didn’t have coconut flour, and used quinioa flour instead. I’m not sure if that’s why it didn’t turn out right, but it was pretty runny dough, and adding more flour didn’t do the trick, so unfortunately we weren’t able to use the heart shaped cutouts. We saved them and used them the next morning for heart shaped pancakes. Instead, they dressed them up with sprinkles and they tasted yummy! They also had a recipe for icing with coconut oil that was super yummy. We added that on top of the sprinkled cookies as well. Dee-lish and so much fun!
Friday, I piled all the kids in the car and headed to the grocery store. It had been four days that we had been home and we were ready to get out. I wanted to get Daddy a little Valentine gift and since we had been stuck inside for so long, and the roads were finally clear, I asked the boys if they wanted to surprise Daddy at the airport. They were so excited, so that’s what we decided to do. They brought their little cards they made him. I thought the banner would be too big and heavy for them to bring, but I brought my bouquet of Hershey’s special dark candy bars that I knew he would love. He was so surprised to see us! It was a fun adventure for the boys as well, and something that we will all remember. The snow storm, round two, where Daddy was stuck away all week, and we came to surprise him on Valentine’s Day. Fun memories were made, so all, in all I’m glad we were able to take some time and pause. To just be thankful for each other and celebrate our love for one another in a unique way.
♥Sharon the Love♥ 