snow much snow

 They promised us snow, and it came to pass. It's hard to believe. Usually down here, they say it's gonna "winter mix", or ice, or "dust" the ground, but this time they said, "Buckle down, flood to the nearest grocery store and empty the refrigerated departments! The snow is coming!" We should have known it might just really happen with the Polar Vortex and all freezing the south this winter. The first snow was beautiful. It caught me off guard, that's for sure. I didn't think it would really do anything at all, but it did of course, and school was cancelled for THE WHOLE WEEK. Goodness gracious. But the snow that came a week and a half later was just wonderful! I was prepared and how could I not be with Dale and John reminding us over and over again every Olympic commercial break that we could prepare to see up to a foot or more of snow! By the time the second snow fall came we were all in the right spirits to enjoy being cooped up in the house for a solid week...and now for the pictures to prove it.

 Hb might have enjoyed the first round of snow more than the second. Something about her fingers being sooooo cold and she JUST couldn't take any more frozen fingertips!

 Don't mistake the snow for gray hair, I pay money for you not to make that mistake

 The Moose's first snow experience. His face cracks me up. He was walking around saying, "oooh!" and making his face shake like he was trembling from cold. Or his face might HAVE been trembling from legitimate cold. 

 Zeke finally decided to come out and enjoy some fun...he was pretty grumpy the first snow go round, it might have had to do with the fact that the snow MELTED by the second day and yet they still cancelled three days of school. 

 This is when he just couldn't take it anymore. He and Hb are much the same. A switch goes off inside them and they realize that THEIR FINGERS ARE FREEZING and it's like a life alert inside them goes haywire or something. Shrills from Hb and headbutts from the Moose come directly after the alert has sounded. 

 Mmmmm, snow cream. Regardless of what falls down from the sky with the snow, it makes a mean snow cream. The moment we see the first flakes start to fall we try to get our snow cream bowl outside. When it's got enough to work with we mix fresh sweetened whipped cream and vanilla with the white stuff. That's fun. 

 Here we have three happy kids who have woken up to school cancellations and white snow all over the ground. The third kid is me. 

 First snowman of the season

 Dance party!

 Sad. But see, buddy, I remember those head butts from the last time I let you out there. I just don't think you can handle frozen digits again. Not without Dad home to help. Sorry.

 Excitement in unison.

 Snuggly movie time. Seriously, this snow break was dreamy and there were minimal bickerings! It was like Christmas break or something!

 Fine. You win. So cute. 

 Going to sled. Thank you Heritage Lakes. 

 See those puffy lips and rosy cheeks on that little man-child? His inner life alert is jussst about to sound off.

 Excitement over snowman #2. He wasn't just ANY snowman....

He's Olaf! Yeah, Dad!

So much snow. And where are we just one week later? 74 degrees and sunny. Classic South Carolina.

signs of life

 Signs of life...the little moments filling my days, which can threaten my joy yet remind me that life is all around me. They are the moments that bring me to a crossroad: milk spills on the floor again...do I blow a gasket and let her have it or do I get some rags and get to cleaning with her? Legos all over the kitchen table...do I lose it because little things are always all over everything and everywhere or do I thank the Lord for the hands that push the Legos together. Dozens of cookie cutters littering the galley kitchen floor as I attempt to make breakfast...I can let out a roar of irritation or laugh at the Happy Moose who made the obstacle course. Well, since I'm no superhuman, I do both. I have a natural bend toward doing more of the exploding, but I am learning, slowly but surely, these "signs of life" are the things the Lord can use to let me ooze joy and let my loud, boisterous laugh ring out. I am learning that the signs of life, the messes and evidence of life happening around me, are gifts and joys, and if I stop and close my eyes for a moment, my perspective shifts and I can laugh instead of cry, and thank the Lord He is working on this sheep girl one sign at a time!

 Skating for Hb=running as fast as you can on shoes with wheels. It's pretty impressive really. 

 This flooded front yard was too good to resist and I can still say it was a good decision after purging the washing machine and dryer of winter grass shreds.

 It felt good to realize this was a "signs of life" moment and let them go crazy in a puddle in the front yard. It felt like a personal victory to let them run free in mud, grass, ankle deep January rain water.

 She doesn't always want to pretend to be a ballerina, but when she does, she goes all out. She might  have springs in her feet, for real.

 Rocket-shippie...so cute. This afternoon was an afternoon of mommy bliss. Drawing bows and hearts on a rocket ship she named. Sitting, watching her leap around to the "Ensemble" Dish Network Station. This particular afternoon was like what I imagined parenting was going to be like before I had kids, when parenting was extremely romanticized and filled with crafts and teachable moments.

She even wanted to PLAY, gasp!, with the happy moose and made a box train out of all those Aldi and Costco boxes littering the kitchen. It was amazing and filled my heart right up!

Until next time...