It started snowing Tuesday morning, and it started sticking very shortly after. Oddly enough, it was sticking to the roads and not the grass, which should have registered in my brain as trouble. But the forecast said a dusting, so despite what I was seeing, I trusted the good ol' forecast.
Karl's dad had come to take Cooper to play that day. When he got here, I asked him what he thought about the weather, and he said he thought it would be fine. After all, it was only supposed to be a dusting.
See the theme here? We all were literally not believing what we were seeing. Even at that point, it was pretty obvious that we were going to get more than just a dusting, but none of us had even slightly entertained the possibility of how the rest of the day was going to unfold.
About 15 minutes after Karl's dad and Cooper left, Karl called to tell me he had talked to his dad and they were turning around to come back home because the snow was really picking up and the roads were getting slick. Let me repeat, that was just 15 minutes after they left. That's how fast this snowstorm was upon us in full force! I told Karl to go ahead and come home. He said he was going to wait at the office for traffic to die down since all the schools were about to dismiss and traffic was already ugly. I told him that was a big mistake, but he didn't listen! Well, after 45 minutes, Karl's dad still wasn't back with Cooper, and I started to panic. We live close to a fire station, and I heard the trucks go out. I kept trying to call Karl's dad, but the phone lines were overcrowded and we were having trouble getting calls in and out. I was literally shaking because I was so scared. Finally I got in touch with Karl's dad through a text message, and they were fine, but there were 3 accidents off the main road coming to our house, which is why I heard the fire trucks and why they weren't back yet. He said he was going to get gas and take Coop to get lunch so that traffic could calm down. Unfortunately traffic never calmed down that day. It got worse and worse. People were having to just leave their cars and walk to wherever they were going. Accidents were everywhere. People were running out of gas. The roads were just iced over completely. Karl's dad started trying to bring Cooper home again around 1:00. They were only a few miles away and maybe 10 minutes in normal driving conditions. For the next several hours, we exchanged text messages, and they weren't moving anywhere. That evening our friend, Joel, (who is also our neighbor) borrowed my car to go pick up his wife, Joie, who had been trying to get home all day too. Once he got to her, they ended up having to park my car because it was too dangerous for them to drive it any farther and just walk. Karl was able to get in touch with his dad and tell them where Joel and Joie were. Thankfully Karl's dad could get to them because at this point, there was no way he could get off the main road to our house in a car. Joel and Joie got Cooper from him, with blankets to keep him warm, and started the long walk to our house while my father-in-law decided to try and make it back to his house (and by the grace of God he did). There were many good people who went out of their way that day to help others in need, and I am so thankful one of those people crossed paths with my neighbors and son. As they were walking, a car pulled up and asked them where they were going and offered to drive them home. Cooper was not dressed for being outside in that weather for a long amount of time. He would have been a popsicle by the time he got here had that man not driven them! Long story short, it took almost 8 hours from the time Cooper left that morning until he got home to a very anxious mama; it took Karl over 5 hours to get home when it normally would take 30 minutes, and he ended up having to leave his truck and walk because so many cars were stranded in and around the roads; and my dad and mother-in-law both had to spend the night at where they work because they had no shot of getting home. I know what we went through is nothing compared to what others went through that day, but it was such a nightmare. That was one of the most anxious and helpless days of my life. I hated Cooper being out in it and me not knowing where he was or if he was okay so much of the day. It was a terrible feeling, but I am so very thankful for Joel and Joie getting my baby home to me that night. Then they brought over some spaghetti a little bit later, and we all ate together. They also stayed with me until Karl got home close to 10 that night. I went to bed with a massive headache but a very thankful heart shortly after that.
Our neighbor Maria showed Cooper how to make snow angels...
...and snow balls that were used in a good ol' fashioned snowball fight! She got Karl right on his neck where his bare skin was showing! Ha! That was payback for him pegging her on the booty when she was trying to show Coop how to make a snowball.
Jake, being such a good baby, took a nice long nap that morning so we could all play in the snow, but I wanted to get a few pictures of him "enjoying" it too (he wasn't too fond of the cold, understandably so).
After bundling him up for a couple pictures outside, I decided later that day to just get some pictures of him admiring the snow from the window. I scooted his little rocker to the window, pulled up the blinds, and started to take his picture. That's when I noticed Coop coming around the side of the house as shown in picture 1. Then I saw his daddy coming along too with something in his hand; see picture 2. Then in picture 3, Karl sees that I see him and starts hustling to get out of my view in hopes that I don't see that he has cut up a cardboard box for him and Cooper to use as a sled down the big BUMPY hill in our backyard. The look on his face shows that he knew I would not approve!
That picture is proof that boys really never grow up. They get older and get married and their wives are really just their new mamas.
The day it snowed was one of the craziest and scariest days of my life. They said a dusting, and a dusting it was not, but the day after, I was pretty happy we had several inches of snow to play in!
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