Snow Adventures

Within the last eight days we've had two snowstorms here, each one dumping a good eight to twelve inches on the ground and everything else.  The first snow had started out as rain, and since most of the trees still have their leaves, they froze.  Then the snow weighed them down, and limbs started breaking off everywhere!  And just when that snow had melted, and everyone had barely gotten all the fallen branches cleared from their yards, another snowstorn hit last night, making everything look like a cake with extra thick icing on it. 

The boys, of course, have been thrilled by all the snow, as all kids are.  But for adults snow tends to be frowned upon as problematic.  It keeps us from all the things we have to do, creates more work, makes driving anywhere take longer, sometimes even causes power outages.  I refuse to fall into that category!  I will always love the snow! 

That's why last week when it snowed, I put the baby down for a nap, got everyone bundled up in their snow gear, including myself, and we all went out and built a snowman.  We even took the day off from homeschooling!  And that's why today, when I had to go to the bank I decided to drive by Glenmere Park to see what it looked like covered in all that gorgeous white stuff.  When we got there, I couldn't resist!  I pulled the van over and we all got out (except Lily) and went tromping through the piles of wintery wonderfulness.  It was so much fun!  Then we quickly had to get back in the van because the boys were cold and we weren't really dressed for playing in a foot of snow because I thought we were just going to the bank, not going on an arctic expedition.

For me, it was a much needed moment of letting go.  Going through the daily grind, doing what needs done, and trying to keep the peace, I sometimes feel like I have lost the fun-loving girl of pre-mommyhood.  I find myself barking orders, feeling stressed out, losing patience, and sometimes even wanting to go hide in a hole, far too often.  I'd love to be that mom that embraces the chaos, but most the time I feel more like some kind of grouchy dictator, a happiness Nazi, if you will.  Then God gives me these rare moments where I just forget all the "shoulds" and I just enjoy life with my kids.  It's like sunshine breaking through the clouds, beautiful and warm.

Messes, or the Lack Thereof

It is so strange to have snow in May.  Only in Colorado could this even be possible.  Well, I take that back.  There are countries on the other side of the world who have their winter during our summer and summer during our winter, and it's very possible that they get snow in May.  

In any case, I was not expecting snow.  I was expecting it to keep getting warmer.  I was imagining many future blissful days where the boys could play outside and not tear apart my house and run circles around me (they do, literally, run circles around me sometimes).  

Now, last summer, they played outside a lot, but they would also sneak back into the kitchen and get destructive with my eggs or my salt or whatever else they could get their hands on...like the steak knives.  This summer though, things will be different.  This time I've got them beat.  Two words: child locks.  There's one on the fridge AND on all cabinets containing food or anything else that they shouldn't have.  And the wooden block that holds the knives is now on top of the fridge.  

I feel very optimistic about this whole thing.  Not that I expect there to never be messes.  There will be messes.  First of all, because I sometimes forget to lock the locks.  Second, because my children are devious and will find ways around my preventative measures.  Third, because even though the older boys are getting to the point that they know what they should and shouldn't do, Simeon is coming up on the age where he will want to push the limits, whether he knows what they are or not.  So, yes, there will be many more messes in the future.  But with any luck, fewer involving my spices.