Play day in the SNOW!

Well, Isaiah's prayers were finally answered!  The skies cooperated and dropped almost 8 inches of snow and sleet on us between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.  Gastonia looks rather pretty as a winter wonderland.

This is what it looked like at our house just after sunrise this morning. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After breakfast, we went for a walk around the neighborhood.  We tried to find a place to sled but the snow was too fluffy at that time.  Michaela found a better use for the snow.  What a popsicle! 

 

 Isn't this a peaceful scene.  I love how the snow makes everyday things seem so magical.  Wouldn't mind it if this pasture was in my backyard.

 

 Michael and Isaiah helped rescue a cop who was trying in vain to get out of his yard.  A few good pushes got him on his way. 

 

 

 The long walk home.....those hills sure are tiring in the snow.  We all got our exercise today.

 

 

Our boxer, Cheyenne, enjoyed playing in the snow also.

 

Yum, yum....hope my tongue doesn't stick!

 

Time to build the snowmen. 

 

That ball of snow is almost as big as Jeremiah.

 

 I think this is the biggest snowman Isaiah has ever built.  Jeremiah did a great job building his own snowman!

 

 

After a nice warm lunch of chili and corn bread, we ventured out in the Jeep to see how things looked in town.  The roads were mostly clear and there was a decent amount of traffic even though most of the businesses were still closed. 

 

Hmm...wonder why we don't have any customers today???

The highlight of the day was the sledding at a local golf course near our house.  When we went out for a drive, we took the sleds with us just in case we found a good place.  The golf course was a perfect spot with its long bumpy hills. 

              

 

There we several other families sledding also.  One of them let us borrow their inner tube.  The boys had a blast on it.  Just take a look at some of these wipeouts!

 

Check out this ride!  Both boys went flying when they hit the jump.  Jeremiah got the breath knocked out of him.  He was a little more cautious the next time he came down the hill!

Can you see the fear on his face???

 

After the boys finished sledding, we drove over to check on the horses just before dark.  They were doing fine and they really enjoyed the apples we brought them for a treat.

 

Buddy is always the first to come and greet us.  Here he was looking over Michael's shoulder while he was getting something out of the Jeep. 

Michaela was getting some kisses from Rio and another horse in the pasture, Pobre. 

Rio getting some lovin' from Michael.  He was enjoying having his face rubbed. 

 

 Jeremiah and Michael feeding them the apples we brought.

I love this picture.  It looks like Rio is smiling at Michael.  He was really just looking for more apple in his hand. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Horses In The Snow

We drove out to see the horses during the snow storm on Tuesday.  It was beautiful to see them with a blanket of white covering their backs and manes. 

 

 

 

 

Oh how sweet! 

Introducing Rio and Buddy

The Sheffield family is growing again!  We have just added two horses, Rio and Buddy, to our clan.

Buddy



Rio

We've wanted horses for a long time but never really had an opportunity to get them until now.  About two weeks ago, we purchased these horses from our pastor and his brother.  They are both quarter horses and are already broken to ride.  Since we only have about 2 acres of land, we have rented an 8 acre pasture and barn about 10 minutes from our house. 


We have been over to the pasture several times in the last two weeks.  Just trying to spend some time with the horses so they will get to know us. 

 Feeding Rio some hay.  The other horse doesn't belong to us. 

 

 Michael grooming Buddy.

When we pull into the pasture, Buddy is the first horse to come and meet us.  Here he was checking out the back of Michael's truck.  I think he smelled the horse treats we had in there. 

 

 Buddy is very gentle with the kids. 

Michaela really likes Rio.  She stood and petted him for a long time on the day we bought him.  This is her dream come true!

 

On Monday, the weather was absolutely perfect so we took advantage of it and spent more time with the horses.  We finally had a chance to saddle up Rio and go for a short ride. 

 

 

This is a friend of ours, George Smith.  He led the horse around while Jeremiah rode. 

 

 These two pictures were taken the day we bought the horses.  We were pleasantly surprised at how well Rio did with the kids on his back.

 

It's A Snow Day!

     After enjoying a beautiful 65 degree sunny day on Monday, we were treated to light blanket of snow on Tuesday evening.  It's not very often that we see such a drastic shift in the weather.  I'm not sure whether to get out the flip flops or the snow boots. 

     The kids were thrilled with the snow and couldn't wait to get outside with the sleds this morning.  There wasn't much snow but at least the roads were icy enough for a couple hours of sledding.

 

Just a sampling of the fun we had...

 

 

Even mom had to get in on the fun!  Brings back memories from my childhood.  My brother and sister and I played on a sled just like this. 

 

Our sweet neighbor brought out some hot chocolate for the kids.  What a nice treat!

 

Isaiah doesn't look too confident about riding with his dad....he must be a bad driver!

Snow Showers!

 

 

I think Mr. Snowman is praying for more snow clouds.