The B-Lo part zwei

Zwei is German for "two". It does not have the same ring to it as the french "deux"... but then, the German language is not exactly known for its ability to roll off the tongue. It is a little bit more like coughing up a hairball.

Anyway, back to part Zwei. We arrived. There was no snow. I was pretty miffed that a city known solely for two things - chicken wings and snow- was sorely lacking one of them. I should not have lost faith. Buffalo in February will see snow. And we did. We got 6-8inches overnight, which my mother called, "a dusting" and my children called "a blizzard."

So we went sledding. We went to the school where I attended high school... and middle school... and elementary school. Oh, small town living, I do miss you. You should have seen the look on my kids (and their cousins) faces when I informed them that the mountain we were about to sled down was what I had to run sprints on for soccer and field hockey. I think they were impressed, or shocked, that at some point, this floppy body they now see was once athletic enough to actually do said running.

My knuckleheads and their cousins. 5 boys+snow=fun.

I admit, I thought my little beach loving boys would shiver and whine to come in pretty quick. Um... nope. Just Alden did, and his Gramma was only too happy to oblige since it was only 18° with whipping winds. I pretty much observed, courtesy of my on-going pain from the car accident last January. At the two hour mark, I realized, we have a car just over there... with heated seats and satellite radio. Bye boys!

Alden in his super cute snow suit courtesy of my mom. Adorable. Oh, and so is that boy behind him. My Micah. Swoon.

This is me. Hiding in the warm car, enjoying the heated seats.

Micah took them a few more times, and then we all went at night. This time we went to a local golf course. I seem to remember feeling all "trespassing rebellious" as a kid going there, but now... now they have lights and it is roped off with walking lanes, tubing lanes, etc... man. I bet no one accidentally knocks over the tip jar in the lodge and steals some change. Not that I ever did that.

Anyway... night sledding, where it was a balmy 24° and felt downright warm. The sun had melted the hills just enough to allow them to refreeze and become icy catapults which we eagerly encouraged our small children to hurl themselves down, while sitting on a round piece of plastic. I sensed a disconnect with my parental safety self at this point. Alden loved it. Lincoln loved it. Hadji... Hadji luged it. Yes, he went down, repeatedly, luge style. I say we move to Jamaica so he can start training now for his Olympic career. It would be a sacrifice, but I am willing. If I have to sit on the beach and sip umbrella drinks whilst smelling of no-SPF coconut oil, and turning my skin a lovely shade of brown, reading books all day... I am willing. We parents, there is no end to what we give for our children and their dreams...
While night sledding, we saw a fox. It walked right across the bottom of the sledding hill. Lincoln wrote about it for his school journal. "We saw a fox. I wanted to kill it and eat it." First off, I hope his teacher is not a big animal lover. Second of all, I was a little surprised that it took only a few days in the B-Lo cold to turn my boys into the whole, kill-eat-survive-guy from Never Cry Wolf.

So, sledding... good. Luging Hadji... good. Eating Foxes...bad.

This is David. He lives across the street from my mom and dutifully plows her driveway every year... with his tractor. My children were nose pressed against the window watching in awe.

Stay tuned for the next installation of Adventures in the B-Lo...