SNOW!

Yesterday, as I sat nursing Lydia, Hannah called in from the living room, "Mom! I see snow!" I thought it was something on PBS kids- the Word World episode had been a Christmas one. But she quickly let me know it was real snow and told me to look out the window. Sure enough, I peeked through the blinds to see big beautiful flurries. I could tell it was terribly cold when I took the girls to the grocery store that morning, but I had no idea I'd be seeing snow!

I get really excited when I actually get to see snow these days. Growing up in Ohio, I don't think I ever experienced a December, let alone a winter, without a nice covering of snow. We didn't always have a white Christmas, but I can remember at least one time it snowed before Halloween! I've seen snow a few times since moving to the south, but I'm pretty sure they were small dustings in January or February. There is just something special about snow that comes when Christmas is in the air. Hannah felt it too. She was jumping around, scrambling to put on her shoes, plotting to catch a flake on her tongue, and asking "Is Santa coming?!" over & over. To her, it was Christmas.

So, I bundled the girls up and took them outside- it was Lydia's first snow, after all. But we just stayed long enough to greet the flurries, catch a few, and snap some pictures. Then we hurried inside to warm up again. That's another one of those magical moments of the holidays- coming back inside and stripping off wet clothes to thaw with hot chocolate. What a nice surprise! Of course, it didn't stick, and if I were in Ohio it would not be a very meaningful snow. No schools would close, no big deal. But I'm not in Ohio. And I miss the snow at Christmastime. So to me, it was a big deal! Snow!

Hannah was so excited when we stepped out onto the porch!

Lydia's first snow took her breath away (or maybe that was the wind!)