October Snow

The recent, unseasonal snowfall (10 inches!!) has been met with joy, confusion and dread of things to come in our little home. Zach and Maddie danced with glee when they heard that the expected inch or so that wouldn't stick had turned into a Winter Storm Warning. Gather the boots! Get the sleds! They gathered and waited.

And waited. And waited. Until finally they woke up early Sunday morning to see the yard covered and more snow falling.  

Last year, Emma was very much afraid of the snow. It was far too cold for her little self, so she was usually content to stay inside with her little sister while the big kids went out to play.  Of course, she'd decide to stay in only after insisting that she wanted to go out and I'd spend a full 15 minutes getting snowsuit, hat, socks, boots, mittens all fastened up just right. But not this year. This year she got all the appropriate snow attire on (with much help and after realizing that she doesn't have any boots that fit and she stubbornly declared that last year's boots were just perfect, thank you), and went out to slide down the backyard hill and play with the big kids.

Sophie watched the snow falling from the sky and had us all come to the window to see the "bubbles". We dressed her in her outside snow gear so she could go play, but she decided those bubbles falling from the sky were a bit too cold for her taste and she promptly came inside to help Mama mix up some homemade hot cocoa mix.

The Builder dreaded the snow. Not just because of the white stuff, but any time there is a weather event of any significance, it is accompanied by power outages and many work-related phone calls, alarms and emails. Once he had all that under control, he was able to enjoy plowing our driveway, starting up the tractor instead of the snow blower and getting the job done in less than a quarter of the usual time.

Personally, I enjoyed the added hush the snow brings. I honestly thought it would be completely melted by now - 2 days later. But even as I type this, the big kids are outside building snowmen, and Sophie says she wants to go outside now. "I like it", she says.

Taken after they started melting, but you can still see the antennae an the front snow"man" and the back two are in the middle of a snowball fight.

I'm off to go find the stash of post-holiday-50%-off-sale chocolate my husband brought home and hid from me. Good thing we don't have too many hiding places. This girl loves a good sale!