Riddicks' Winter Storm Week

Happy Wednesday, friends! Well, today I thought I would share a few snapshots from our time last week with all of the snow and ice. I know this winter storm created a lot of hardship for a lot of people, in and out of Nashville, and we are still praying for those without power and all who were deeply affected by this storm. With two littles under our roof, we tried to keep morale high and memory making a priority, while simultaneously having heavy hearts and a mindset of prayer for all that was happening around us.

Out of all the the blur of last week, my very favorite moment was when Jane went to her room for a minute with our power out and trees and tree branches falling left and right around our neighborhood. She came downstairs a few minutes later and said, "I went to my room and prayed that a tree would not fall on our house." Cue all the tears. The faith and prayers of a child. There is nothing quite like them. 

So, needless-to-say, we are just making our way through the days after this storm, reflecting on the sweetness and fun and the hard and the good, all the while keeping our focus on Jesus. I thought I'd just share a few snapshots and memories from the week though - a week for the books for sure. 

I wouldn't have wanted to be in it with anyone else though!! 

I thought maybe I'd back up to before the storm hit - here is "Mom" and her *crazy* goal to walk a mile every day, and her sweet family who bundles up in freezing temperatures to help her keep said goal hahaha We knew the snow was on its way, and we got in one last non-icy walk! 

The kids were so excited to wear their snow things, so it was a win-win with keeping them warm! 

Then that night, I had saved two little "ski and snowboarding" pajamas from Christmas, so we got them out after baths, and they were a favorite for sure! 

Before this sweet one fell asleep, she told me she was going to wake up, "Happy and excited!" Haha and that she did!! 

I had saved one last Christmas gift and gave it to her that morning - a snowsuit for her baby! Which of course, just made it all the more fun haha 

Sheesh, I love this girl and love her little motherly heart! 

We were loving watching the snow fall that first morning! 

Our sweet neighbors that have truly become like a third set of grandparents to our kids got out their saucers that they used with their kids for Jane and Andy to use, and let me tell you, they were in heaven haha 

Wasn't this JUST yesterday!? Little Jane almost two years ago to the day... 

And now little Andy loving it all the same! 

We just had FUN that morning. We knew at this point that a good amount of ice was on it's way, so we tried to soak up all the snow fun we could that day! 

And loved watching these kids have so much fun! 

It was little Andy's first time in the snow since he's been up moving around, and he was loving it!! 

Loved being out with this guy too!! 

We came in for a "peppermint drink," Pierce started making a fort with the kids (which we didn't know we would be living in two days later haha) We had lunch and naps and then... 

Had to get in a little more sledding before bedtime! We had always heard about the hill everyone goes to, but weren't sure if our kids were big enough until this year when we decided to just try it. It's a good bit of a walk and through a little patch of forest, but we saw so many neighbors and had the BEST time! Jane went a few times by herself even, and we all loved that night in the snow! 

We cozied up for a minute that night after dinner and put the kids to bed, hoping that everyone would get a good nights' sleep... 

But were up at 6am as the power flickered and then went off. It sounded like a thunderstorm outside almost, but then we realized that was ice snapping tree branches and trees and the "boom" of them falling and cracking the ice. And the devastation that was starting was setting in quickly... As we started seeing pictures all over the city of so.many.trees. down and so many without power. 

We started to settle in for the day... 

And this little fort is where we lived most of the time... 

Pierce also set up his tent in the playroom, which was another fun play space for the kids. And while I can't say we were totally prepared for a widespread power outage like we had, I did pick up some battery operated Christmas lights the day before, and they helped make it cozy and fun even without lights. 

Around dinner time, we started wondering what we were going to do for supper...our gas grill was out of gas...(really great planning on our part there😉 haha) and we were going to make due with some simple lunch things that didn't need to be heated up, but Pierce had a plan.... We found him skating on ice carrying our fire pit, which as you can imagine was like watching TV for the kids hahhaa  

He had covered some firewood in the back before the snow, so he started a fire... (At this point, we really felt like we were watching Survivor hahaha)

We grabbed an iron skillet... 

...and made a dish that we now lovingly refer to as "campfire chicken." 

We laugh about that being one of the best dinners... We may have been in coats eating with flashlights on paper plates, but this meal is a highlight for sure! 

Thank you, Pierce, for making this dreary scene a little brighter with a fire and some good food!!! 

Now for bedtime, we brought down Jane and Andy's mattresses, added a few sheets to the top of the fort, blocked off the living room openings to hopefully trap some heat in, and hoped that we all slept a bit in the cold... 

Now, for the kids, this was SO FUN. A dream really to get to sleep in a fort all cozied up...but as a Mom, this was probably the scariest part because A, it's a gas fireplace and everyone had been talking about carbon monoxide poisoning all day, so it was on my mind... And B, it was a fire. Right beside four people sleeping... But the overnight low was 8° and it was already in the 40s in the house, so we said lot of prayers, and Pierce and I basically took turns making sure everything was ok throughout the night... 

But these two little were wiped from our day, so they were sound asleep... 

And we stayed bundled and as warm as we could... 

Praise the Lord, we made it to morning though and the kids were up and at'em before day break, so we got to watch the sunrise through all the ice, and tried to see the positives, while simultaneously making a plan for the day. 

Pierce fired up the actual fire again and we scrambled some eggs and turkey bacon and delivered some extra to our sweet neighbors... 

We worked on a puzzle... We had high hopes for that snow week!! Hahhaa

And mostly stayed by the fire because at that point it was 42° in the house, and the kids had their full snow bibs and ski coats on and were still just so cold... 

This little one took a morning nap on me... 

While Pierce took a walk in our neighborhood to see if we could make it down our icy hill to get to my parents' house... We knew the sun was going to be shining, but it was going to be below freezing all day, so we waited a bit and after a few neighbors made it down, we knew we had to try. 

We packed up, taught our neighbors how to use our gas fireplace incase they wanted to sleep at our house that night, dripped our faucets, packed an extra bag for a work trip for Pierce, and prayed our way to my sweet parents' house. This was a glorious site! My sweet dad plowed their driveway with their tractor, and seeing all of that white fluffy snow and a warm house was exciting for us all!! 

We unpacked, got the kids settled in, my mom made some hot tea (of course🥰), and sweet Pierce was crazy enough to help me get my mile in the frigid temperatures. (The only day we missed the whole month was the day before, and surprisingly, it only felt right. Our priorities were on much better things that day haha) 

It was a BEAUTIFUL walk though!! 

We are thankful for this home and the warm place to land after a crazy few days! 

The kids absolutely had a blast the rest of the week, and I'll post a few more pics tomorrow, but with Pierce's work trip for the rest of that week, all of our Nashville things and events canceled or postponed, and most of our city and friends and neighbors without power, it was a lot to process, and has taken a few days for us to get back on our feet. 

But my are we so grateful for my parents and their generosity and help all week, (and goodness was it full circle to take the kids sledding on the hill I grew up sledding on!!) We're thankful more than ever for power and heat and loved watching so many communities, churches, neighborhoods, and even our city come together to help during this storm. 

We're also thankful for the memories we made and the sweetness that came in the little moments. There were a whole lot of moments to frame from the week, and I'm thankful for eyes to see the joy and the fun. In some ways, it's easy with littles, but with littles, it can also be tiring and exhausting at times, and finding the balance, especially in a week like this is a gift I'm thankful.

So, there's just a little recap of the Riddicks' week. The kids and I had a lot of fun in Louisville, and I'll post a few tomorrow for Frame This Moment, but thanks as always for following along, and thanks for checking in on us too. Here's to enjoying the little things, celebrating the big things, and soaking in all the moments in-between, even in unexpected winter storms!

Sending lots of love and prayers too!!

XO
Tab