Josh and Becca Thrap and Family

How ’bout this weather we’re having, eh?  Last weekend we went to the Wheelers for Michael’s 8th birthday and I was hoping to hit my G-pa Wid’s 89th B-day get-together also.  But then this MASSIVE ice storm hit and everything was cancelled so we ended up more or less trapped with 24 cupcakes!  We tried to make the best of it for all the kids but then…THEN…the power went out.  So there we were, 10 of us in the apartment (sorry Kate, “house”), adults outnumbered by kids, dissappointed kids, bored kids, hungry kids, kids who are afraid of the dark, and kids who are afraid of inclement weather…I could go on.  We tried to play some games by candlelight but finally we just gave in and trekked the kids to the Chinese buffet place about a mile away and tried to spend most of the evening there so that when we got back we could just put the kids to bed.  Then when we finally got home on Sunday we couldn’t even get into our house because the snow had covered the driveway and the plows had made big drifts across the front so we had to stop on the road and Josh, Jacob and I all shoveled–very possibly the first time I have shoveled snow since I married.  And now, we’re in “Blizzard conditions” again.  It rained all morning–I even saw lightning (!  I didn’t know it could lightning in Winter weather!) and now the snow has finally arrived.  The kids were let out of school early and they don’t have school tomorrow.  Josh’s boss even closed the office early and he should be home soon.  The kids have ear infections for the first time ever and I am not enjoying it.  Neither are they.  So, this’ll be a LOOONG weekend.