Sledding at the Capitol

The hill on the west front of the Capitol building has been a favorite sledding hill for ages. After September 11, though, it seems the Capitol grounds were closed to sledding for reasons of national security. We haven't really had good snow for sledding since September 11, so a lot of people didn't know the new rules. We found out when, during the first of the two recent snow storms, people were ushered off the grounds and it was announced on the evening news. I'm not really sure what threat anyone can be sliding down a hill on a saucer sled, but rules are rules, so we were content to believe that we wouldn't be able to sled this year.

We were surprised last Saturday when we the evening news announced that for the President's day weekend only, the Capitol grounds would be open to sledding. So, on our 11th day at home together, I decided that Annie and I would go sledding on Monday. You can't park terribly close to the Capitol, but Annie was a trooper as we dragged our sled (the 28" wok procured by Daddy because all the saucer sleds were sold out in the city.)



She wasn't exactly fearless, preferring to waddle up and down the hill to sliding on the sled. So, I watched her waddle to the bottom, then sledded down to meet her.



After a little while of sledding (and waddling), Anastasia decided that she wanted to build a "baby snowman". So, that's what we did. Then she took a picture of me with him.



Before we left, I made sure to get a picture of Anastasia as proof of our day of sledding on the Hill. Think she looks menacing?

Knocked Out Again

After having four urinary tract infections in 5 months, Anastasia was scheduled for another DMSA scan, which is a scan of her kidneys to make sure that there has been no damage from these infections. We've done this twice before, and since it requires her to lie perfectly still for an extended period of time, she has to be sedated.

First, she was injected with the dye which will show up on the scans as her kidneys process it. Then we had to wait for about 2 hours for the test to begin. She was content to play with the various toys mounted on walls around the hospital.



Last time, Anastasia had an IV sedative, which knocked her out for a rather long time. This time, since we were pretty close to her naptime anyway, we decided with the doctor that we would only give her an oral medication to knock her out. The medication would only last about 90 minutes. It did take her a bit longer to actually fall asleep ... one of these two has been sedated:



When the effects started to wear off, Anastasia woke up just in time to say bye-bye to Daddy before he headed to work. The loopiness was much less pronounced than last time, but she was still a little funny when she found out that she'd be getting ginger ale.



A visit with the urologist confirmed that her kidneys remain unscarred, but we've decided that we have to take action to prevent anymore infections. Anastasia will begin a regimen of antibiotics aimed which should keep the bugs from causing more major problems. But first, I think we'll have a popsicle.

Snow, The Sequel

So, as if one major snow storm wasn't enough, we now have the second major storm in just 5 days. This one is supposed to be significantly smaller than the last storm, only bringing 8-12 inches. We're now battle hardened to the point that 12 inches of snow seems like nothing. But it's also bringing with it heavy winds and blizzard like conditions. Right now, there are about 3 inches on the ground, and snow falling so hard that, at times, we can't see across the street.



For the third day in a row, there's no work and no school. So, today is movie day in the Hitzig household. On the docket, Ice Age 3, Tinkerbell, and "a princess movie". Maybe we'll make some brownies, too.

Edited at 5:44 to note that we've officially beaten the record for most snow in one season. Previous record year was 1898-99 with 54.4 inches. With at least two more storms now on the horizon, we're set to bury this record.

Mopping the floors

Anastasia helped me mop the floors this weekend. In fact, she wouldn't let me help her with much of it. She decided that it was her job and she needed to do it by herself.



She's a good cleaning helper, that's for sure.

Enjoying the View

Regardless of politics, the night of the State of the Union address is always one of my favorites. On that day, the Capital building is lighted very brightly to make it more visible for all of the TV cameras. My camera doesn't really have the flixibility to take a great photo of the view, but a short video gave me a decent shot out our window.



Myney loves that we can see the train tracks, but this is my favorite view from our house. We only get this view in the winter, once the trees start blooming, they block the dome from view. Still, for 5 months of the year, we have a beautiful view.

Snopocalypse, Snowmageddon or Blizzard of 2010

This winter has been much snowier than we've had in a long time. We've had 4 measurable snow falls in the last 6 weeks, and if Punxsutawney Phil is right, we've got another 6 weeks of winter weather ahead. This week's storm was major, nearly 30 hours of constant snowfall dropping more than 2 feet of snow. Not surprisingly, Annie was very eager to get out an play in it. Orlando was happy to oblige with a tow around the 'hood in the new wok bought just for this purpose.



After her ride down the street, she and Daddy attempted to build a snow man only to find that the snow was too dry. Then they decided to start trying to dig us out. Anastasia with a trowel, Orlando with a snow shovel. After about an hour, Annie decided that it was time for a hot chocolate break before heading back out.



All of this was early in the day, with more than 10 inches of snow still to fall. Once Orlando and Annie got cold, we settled in for a day of watching movies and the nonstop coverage of the weather on TV.



Then, Daddy painted Anastasia's fingernails.



When the snow finally ended, our patio was a wall of snow. The dogs have not yet managed to make it down the steps. Not surprising, since our final total was 26 inches.



Our little girl had a great time playing, and crashed hard, on my shoulder while we were deciding who was going to read her a story for bedtime.