Snow Storm 2008

And the snow continues to fall in Portland... we now have about 6 inches of snow and a sheet of ice on top of that. Aunt Mary, Mom, Dad and I are stuck at our home today and probably will be for a couple more days. To keep things interesting we have been baking (peanut clusters yesterday and gingerbread cookies today), playing in the snow, watching Christmas movies, building indoor forts with blankets, and as a final resort, taking the MAX train to Gresham Station (our local outdoor mall) just to get out of the house. The weather forecast predicted freezing rain last night and today so yesterday afternoon we thought we had better get out of the house while we could. Okay, well, while we thought we could. There was no way we were driving anywhere with our front-wheel drive cars so someone came up with the brilliant idea to take the MAX train to do some last minute Christmas shopping. Although the MAX train is only a block away from our home, we turned back once because the wind and snow was so bad we were not sure our brilliant idea was so brilliant after all. But, because we were going stir crazy we pulled ourselves together and made another go of it. The people waiting at the stop said they had been waiting for an hour, so again, we almost went home. Fortunately, the MAX train came just a few minutes after we got to the stop and we were off! We headed first to the Mens Wearhouse so Dad could look at some suits (his Christmas wish was to get a few new suits and this was our chance to take Dad out shopping with us to get them). Next we headed to Old Navy so Aunt Mary could pick up a few items. As we were walking back to the MAX stop to go home, we saw a MAX train pass by. Oh no! Much to our surprise, however, there was another train right behind it. Whew! It was a long wait before our train actually set off so I got kind of bored and hungry waiting, but at least we were warm. Then the real fun began. The wind and snow was still pretty bad as we made our way back home after we got off the train and as we crossed the street, Dad and I slipped on the icy road. Luckily he fell on his back (though not lucky for him) so I was just fine as I landed on his chest. Mom quickly came over to pick me up, asked if Dad was alright, then proceeded on her journey home with me (you realize I did not mention her helping him up). BTW, Dad is fine (Aunt Mary was kind enough to help him up). As we were taking off our snow clothes, Mom stated, "Well, that was fun, but I would not be willing to do that again!" The look on Dad and Aunt Mary's face said it all. If they had to go back in time, they most definitely would have done it again.

Playing in the snow with Aunt Mary

Making gingerbread cookies

Waiting for the MAX to leave


Rewind to a few days ago and here are a few photos of Kate and I playing in the snow and of our trip to Peacock Lane. All the houses on Peacock Lane are lit up with Christmas lights so because Kate and I are both enthralled with lights this year, our parents thought we should see it. It was a blast!

Catching snowflakes on my tongue

I wondered what my snowman would taste like