Canadian winter cold

I take the trio skating about once a week and there is often a hockey game on afterwards.  The kids often beg to watch a bit.  So we were waiting for the zamboni to finish cleaning the ice.  I thought I'd get some pics.  SMILE GIRLS!  Emora!!

OK, now, SMILE-- Emora quit that!

SMILE- take 3-- as you can see, their personalities shine- Dominique the cute poser, Ivan- humoring me and Emora making us all laugh- the joker of the family.

Emora's buds from across the street got to play with us last week.  We've had a lot of snow this year.  Can you tell?  When I stand on the mound that was made from shoveling, I am looking strait onto our garage roof.

So- it's crazy cold here.  I mean REALLY cold.  Some of you reading this are Canadians- you know and feel my pain- you're living it!  Those of you reading this from the sunny south-- when I walk outside, the snot in my nose freezes, my fingers burn- especially if I haven't gotten my gloves on fast enough, my jeans become frozen stiff boards, if I just washed my hair- it becomes a matted clump of frozen ice (instantly).  A friend posted a picture- her eye had teared up from the cold and that tear froze before it fell.  No joke.  It's COLD!

This day was not too cold obviously, but at school the kids are having "inside recess".

Not only are the temps extreme, but some days we get wind on top of that- bone chilling, frozen sandpaper ripping at your face cold.  Yep- this land is not for wusses!  And yet, everyday, the kids on my street, walk to school- because their parents may not have a car, or the cars are not running, or the parents don't drive them for other reasons.

And during this freeze- I'm thankful for my hot water heater for scalding hot showers- otherwise I will stay shivering in my bed for hours.  I'm thankful for hot coffee, soups, the oven, my warm house, my working vehicles, my warm clothes, warm hubby and warm kids, the wii to workout with inside and my slippers, blankets on the couch as we read books...!  Also glad that we get awesome summers to compensate for these crazy cold days.  Brian said when we moved up here that we were trading extreme hot for extreme cold.  Maybe we are people of extremes!