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.

Izzy's Puppet Show

My four year old decided to put on a puppet show for me while I was sitting down nursing the baby this afternoon.  His puppet was a crazy haired head cut out of blue foam with wiggly eyes and a pom-pom nose on top of a popsicle stick.  He had a captive audience ;)

Izzy (as the puppet): What's the question?
Me: What's your name?
Izzy: Mr. Choo Choos.
Me: Do you like trains?
Izzy: No! I like helicopters.
Me: Can you fly a helicopter?
Izzy: Yes.
Me: Who taught you to fly helicopters?
Izzy: The soldiers.
Me: Oh, are you a soldier?
Izzy: Uh-huh.
Me: How long have you been a helicopter pilot?
Izzy: Thirty years ago.
Me: Oh, you're not a pilot anymore?
Izzy:No.
Me: Why not?
Izzy: They shot me down!

(Pause)

Izzy: Okay, you want me to do a new show?
Me: Sure!

(New Show)

Izzy: What's the question?
Me: What are you doing?
Izzy: Once I was in the Army and I got killed.
Me: Oh no! What happened?
Izzy: The doctors fixed me up.
Me: Did they have to resuscitate you?
Izzy: No, they had to shoot me down!

(I laugh and tell Aaron what he said)

Izzy: Want me to do a new show?
Me:Okay.

(New Show)

Izzy: What's the question?
Me: How do you bake a blueberry pie?
Izzy: No, ask something more sensible!
Me: Okay...what should we do about the deterioration of our economy?
Izzy: Punch each other in the face!
Me (laughing): Oh, so you believe that boxing is the key to economic recovery?

Izzy just giggles, he has no idea what I just said :)

Everyday

I struggle sometimes with the "everydayness" of every day.  After a while, it all starts to look the same.  Yesterday was the same as today, which is the same as tomorrow.  My husband goes to work, my kids wake up earlier than I'd like them to, we eat, we homeschool, change diapers, play, eat homeschool, change diapers, play, sleep...an endless cycle.  It's not exciting.  It seems like there's not much to look forward to.  And on the surface, maybe there isn't.

I have to remind myself to hold on to the little things, the "moments". 

I hold on to the few minutes spent in the van on the way home from buying groceries that Aaron and I get a chance to talk to each other--before the kids are in bed! 

I hold on to the three minutes of listening to a song together that says exactly how we feel about each other before we are home and have to begin the process of bringing groceries in, getting kids to bed and putting everything in it's place. 

I hold on to the precious moments when, after screaming in a way that only a baby can, Lily is soothed by Mommy and smiles at me like I gave her the world. 

I hold on to how impatient I feel waiting for Malachi to cut something out for school when it would have only taken me five seconds, knowing that this moment is important too, because he's learning how to use scissors, and I'm learning to let him do it himself (though no matter how hard I try, I can't always resist trimming the edges, I confess!).

When I think about these things, it makes me smile, and it makes me feel like I do have something to look forward to tomorrow after all. 

I look forward to seeing what funny thing Izzy might do, or finding out that Simeon knows morer than I realized.

I look forward to finding a way to spend time with Aaron, and a way to make the evening fun for the whole family (except maybe Lily, who doesn't really care about "family time" right now--she'd much prefer to have Mommy to herself) even if we just stay home and do normal stuff. 

I look forward to what God might do tomorrow that I'm not expecting, how He might speak something to me, or use me to show His love to my kids.

Maybe "everydayness" isn't so bad after all.