Blizzard in Minnesota

We had record snowfall Saturday, about 18 inches in 24 hours, and today we are digging out. It is the most snow we have ever seen. The subzero temperatures haven't kept the kids in the house. They have had fun making snow caves and trying to walk through the snow. Here is a video and some pictures from the weekend. Winter in Minnesota, you gotta love it!

 Clearing the walkway.  Thank you girls!

 Megan, David and neighbor Sam at the snow cave moments before it collapsed!

 Steven in his snow cave.

 Marissa is all bundled up on our nice cleared walkway!  The temperature was 0 degrees with -20 windchill!

Megan and Amber discovered it was just easier to lay on the snow instead of try to walk on it.  You sink up to your knee when you walk on the snow!

On to the next season

Halloween is over and it is time to say goodbye to our pumpkins. This picture says it all!

Time to get ready for winter. I decided to put the Christmas lights up before I needed to use gloves and snow boots. Megan helped by putting the lights on the tree. She is always willing to climb a tree!
Now we will wait until Thanksgiving to turn them on! And then we won't take them down again until March, April or even May, depending on how the winter goes! Megan thinks we should just leave them up year round. An idea that is worth considering!

Liquid sunshine

In Oregon, liquid sunshine has a completely different meaning, but in the midst of this cold Minnesota winter, I have found something that brings a little sunshine and the promise of warm days ahead.  Lemonade!  I don't know what it is about this beverage, but it seems to make it a little summery even on the coldest days.  

Endure

I have decided that the way to describe winter in Minnesota is "Endure".  When I get really tired of having to bundle up every time I go outside, I try to remind myself that winter will end some day, maybe not soon, but it will end.  And then we get a day like today.  It was 42 degrees and Megan walked outside and said it felt like summer!
 Here is a picture of our van.  A majority of the cars on the road are just as filthy as our van, it only shows better on a white van!  It doesn't make sense to wash the van when sand and salt are constantly being splashed on to it. Also, the doors freeze shut if you wash the van when it is below 20 degrees.

Notice the dried up salt on the garage floor that has been building up over the last few months.
It is supposed to get back to the teens and below tomorrow, but we just have to remember, this too shall pass.