March Madness

No, I’m not referring to the NCAA basketball tournament. I’m referring to the insane snowfall we received today! I’d estimate we got four to five inches of snow accumulation…at the end of March, no less. It just kept coming down. So, our day included a lot of improvised activities and a whole lot of fun.

We started off the morning with some comfort food, homemade French toast. We do things a little differently in the Patton household. I grew up on French toast with “goop”, not syrup. And believe me, the goop (butter, powdered sugar, water, and cinnamon) makes all the difference! The girls love French toast, but Cadie has a special fondness for it. I watched her tiny mouth practically inhale a full piece in just a couple of minutes. Yum!

Next, I was inspired to conduct an impromptu Easter egg hunt. For practice, of course. The girls were all giggles and excitement, squealing with delight every time they located a hidden egg. Jeff and I took turns hiding, jumping from room to room. We did four rounds all together, and I think the girls were just as excited the fourth time around as they were the first, if not more. Now, I can’t wait for the real thing!

Catching a ride to their bedroom so I can hide eggs.

They looked EVERYWHERE!

Before we knew it, it was time to eat. So, Daddy fired up the stove and cooked us some cheesy dogs. Nothing like some processed meat to cure that insatiable hunger!

It was finally time for the girls to take a nap, so they retreated to their toasty beds, but only after promises of playing in the snow once they woke up.

We’ve been a healthy household for a few weeks now, so Jeff and I may have gone a little overboard in preparing the girls for our frolic in the snow. They each had on: tights, two pairs of pants, socks, long sleeve shirt, sweat shirt, snow jacket, snow boots, gloves, and a hat. I wanted them to enjoy the snow without all of us having to pay the price later.

Cadie absolutely LOVED the snow. I am sure she would have spent the entire day outside playing in it if we let her. Maddie enjoyed it as well, but became tired of it once her little hands started getting cold and her nose and cheeks turned a little red.

We attempted a snow man. Jeff went for the “roll massive balls of snow and attempt to stack them on one another” approach. It wasn’t very successful. The entire structure collapsed as soon as he tried to stack the second ball on the first. Oh well.

Pretty impressive, huh?

Only in Oklahoma will you see lush, green fescue under inches of snow.

Cadie couldn't resist the slide.

My Girls

About twenty minutes later, we dragged the girls back into the house with promises of dinner. As I was preparing dinner, a brilliant thought occurred to me: snow ice cream. So I sent Jeff to claim some of the fresh snow for our dessert. I grew up eating snow ice cream and remember at is as a special treat. As an adult, I’m not sure what is so great about it, but it still gives me warm fuzzies when I think about that childhood memory. I want that for the girls, so we made some. It was pretty tasty and the girls absolutely loved it!

After today, I am even more ready for tank tops and flip-flops, but I’m glad we have this day of freezing fun to look back on.

She's a Scream

You know Cadie? Sweet, innocent, loving, shy, little Cadie. Turns out, she’s a screamer. She doesn’t get upset very often, and it takes a lot to set her off, but when she does, plug your ears. I was simply beside myself this morning when the girls began fighting over a chair and in complete and utter frustration, Cadie threw her head back and screamed at the top of her lungs with all the strength and gusto her little frame could possibly posses. Part of me was waiting for her head to start spinning. Her little face was bright red, then out came the waterworks. Madeline usual gets what she wants when there’s an argument because Cadie just shrugs it off like it isn’t worth it. Madeline better watch out, though, because when it’s something Cadie really cares about, she’ll fight for it. It’s a win-win situation. I don’t want Cadie to be a door mat, and I certainly don’t want Maddie to be a bully.

Divide and Conquer

Naptime is just about to drive me nuts. Cadie is so easy; Maddie, not so much. If there is one thing I could change about that child, it would be her sleeping habits. I love her dearly, but enough is enough!

I was beginning to wonder if maybe she had outgrown naps altogether, but after a no-nap Sunday, I changed my mind. She definitely still needs one. The trick is getting her to actually go to sleep – without me lying next to her, telling her to do so over and over and over.

Today, after various threats and a noticeable increase in my blood pressure, I decided to try a new tactic – divide and conquer. Spending just a tiny bit of time alone with one of the girls makes it very obvious that they feed off of one another, especially Madeline. She’s a performer; it’s what she thrives off of. Take away her audience, and she’s a completely different person. So, this afternoon, I hauled Maddie into our bedroom, propped her up on Daddy’s pillow, and told her to take a nap. Twenty minutes later, both girls were out.

Mission Accomplished.

Now if I could just figure out bedtime. It’s 10:45 at night, and I can still hear her in there talking to herself…