Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....

Well, last Friday, Aaron and I hunkered down to prepare for what we were told would be a storm, an awakening to a white blanket out side our windows. With dripping sarcasm and a few scoffing words at our weather forecasters, we doubted. Sure enough we woke up, and.... grass could still be seen in the backyard, but the rain/sleet/sloshy-stuff was falling down - yippee! With slight disappointment at our visions of sledding down our backyard slide, we decided to change plans and move on with our day.

As it turned out, over the next two days, we did accumulate some more of the white fluffy stuff. Not as much as our hometown roots in Cleveland, ahem - 9 inches - but beggars can't be choosers. As Austin and Emma headed off to school, I looked at Brynn and asked her a silly question, "Would you like to go play in the snow?" Squeals of delight could be heard a block away (this from our exuberant child!) Now, might I add, this was not the first thought on my agenda as my eyes peeked open this morning. In fact, in the past week, I must have mentioned AT LEAST once a day how very COLD my body temperature has been. The thought of spending time out IN this said cold, did not cross my mind, until I thought of my child. I knew she would love it, I knew it would be good to get some fresh air and activity, I knew this might be the last chance before it melts again, but I had to tell that to my begrudging heart.

I decided to read my devotion "real quick" (a phrase my children now repeat), and what I read simply confirmed this thought that I now knew with conviction came from the Lord. Sure, we could have done a slew of other things this morning (i.e. veg on the couch), and that wouldn't have been a "bad" thing to do, but I've come to recognize that spirit nudge, and simply wanted to obey.

SO, with gleeful skipping, we traipsed downstairs, I climbed into storage, retrieved boots, pants, coat, hat, mittens, scarfs, and added socks, and gleefully skipped back upstairs to commence dressing. First came the pants, then the coast then the socks, then hat, then the scarf, then the mittens, then the boots.... nope too small... let's try boots #2, no go.... boots #3... we have a winner (little too big, but they'll do). Now, I don't need to tell you the words that every mother hears after dressing has commenced..... you guessed it, "Mommy, I have to go pottttttty." Off come the boots, and the mittens, and the hat, and the scarf, and the coat, and the pants (only the socks remained). Sounds like a Froggggy book doesn't it (zip! zat! zup!)

Finally, we were ready and out to the backyard we headed! First we brushed off the swing and had a-go, then we had a lesson in snow/grass angel making, then we tried to crack the ice pond on our sand-box-tarp, then we climbed the playset and whizzed down the slide, then we yanked open the shed to retrieve our one and only, toddler-sized sled. At first we created a circular track around our stray-neighborhood-cat footprints, and then we decided to go a bit off-road and head out to the front yard. After another lesson in snowball making and a few target practices, we decided to take our sled for a ride. She climbed aboard and I pulled her down the sidewalk for a bit. As we're walking, we would hit a dry patch or two, the sled would make a sound and Brynn would belly laugh for a full thirty seconds. She's such a joyful child, loves to laugh, and has a tactile sense of learning about her. As I would glance back, her legs would be dragging enough to accumulate a pile of snow on her pants, or she would drag her arms to get the same result, all the while giggling away. What a precious start to the day.... and we would have missed it.

Lord, thank you for the laughter this morning. Thank you for a chance to glance at your marvelous creation. Thank you for those moments spend with the gifts you've given us in our lives (family, friends). Thank you for your direction, thank you for being patient with me all the times I turn my eyes and ears from you. Thank you for this season of "rest" and "hibernation". I love you.