Yes. We know you’re here and you’ve obviously brought winter along with you. Looks like she has every intention of making her presence known as well. Seriously, the wintery weather arrived on exactly December 1st and has camped out, blanketing us with fresh, clean snow each day since. Guess that’s lake effect for you. I just think it was impeccable timing on the part of winter to make it’s grand entrance for the season smack on December 1st. Nice job!
I have to say, I’m not minding it a bit. It’s absolutely beautiful outside and it makes inside all the more cozy. I do, however, worry about Shawn driving in it since every highway nearby is in complete chaos each morning for the work commute. . .ugh. It never fails, each year people forget that they can’t drive in the snow the same way they would drive on a dry stretch of road on the 4th of July. Imagine that! Fortunately, Shawn grew up in this pocket of the northeast and knows to expect the other driver to underestimate the yucky road conditions. “Caution” is his middle name, you know.
No matter what my age, year after year, I never lose that excitement I get over snowstorms. I just have to be out there. Along with the fun parts–sledding, tromping through huge piles of snow, snowmen and snowball fights, I also have to say I don’t mind the work it creates. Shoveling and brushing off my vehicle are sort of fun things to me. Snowstorms are awesome at shaking up the mundane, ordinary pace of things. Everything slows down for a bit and you have to think more about your normal routine. Also, I’m pretty sure I still equate a whopper of a storm with a day off of school. We would play outside the entire day while it snowed nonstop. My clothing would be soaked, but I never noticed till we went in for the night and could practically wring ourselves out. The sheer fun of it all apparently blocked any sense numbing pain that now, looking back, seems like a scary invitation to frostbite or hypothermia, but what kid would ever worry about that nonsense?
So today, being the best day for snow so far this winter, beckoned Liam and me outside. I love love love winter pictures of my little man all bundled up and I was dying to take some today. I managed to shovel and clean up a bit while Liam milled around, trying to get used to walking in his boots. Every so often I’d hear a muffled little voice call out, “Mommy! Liam falled! Come pick Liam up!”, which I did probably 10 times. He was also less than thrilled with his mittens (so am I actually–I have to find him a decent pair!). Despite my best efforts at rigging them to stay on for more than 2 minute intervals, one would inevitably end up on the ground. This would send Liam into a tizzy even though he was begging to have them taken off the entire time he was outside anyway. I’d hear, “Oh no! Liam’s gloves! Liam’s gloves!”, and the look of alarm on his face as he stared down at the thing was pure drama.
While he was initially having a good time, this whole outdoor experience thing was beginning to lose it’s charm for him after barely a half hour. Normally just the suggestion of going inside will put him over the edge. Not today. The elements were against him I guess. I managed to get a few good pics of him but it took all I had to convince him to play outside just a teeny bit longer for me to do so. And then it happened. Faceplant. Right into a deep pile of snow. Oh boy. Call me a mean mommy for including that as part of my photo op but isn’t this blog for posterity? He’ll be cracking up at that picture one day. Besides, I scooped him up seconds later and he was over it already. Though, that was pretty much the finale of our snow day.
It’s ok, it ended up being a great day to play together inside as we watched the snow fall from the windows of our toasty house. I even kept the photo shoot going and somehow managed to spot a gorgeous cardinal who was willing to pose for me through our front window for like 10 minutes! That’s pretty much an eternity in bird world. Maybe he was watching me outside earlier and felt sorry for me so he gave me another shot at some pretty winter pictures. Thanks Mr. Cardinal! So here’s what I have for you on this fine winter day. . .
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I wondered if you guys were getting the snow that made the news from Buffalo. Looks like you did. I think he’ll grow to really like playing in it. I don’t know a kid who didn’t! I love the cardinal picture, the red against the white snow is so pretty.