Soothing Snow

Today we had our second snow of the week. The first one arrived on Monday night. Yes, in March. The kids went out in the dark and played in it... that is how deprived that we Texans are. :) The next day, I kept the big kids home from school even though it was not called off. There was no question in my mind... they needed to be home that day. They went out and played in the snow first thing. I think that throwing snowballs and eating the snow were their favorite activities. Cooper was in love with the white stuff from the get go, and he loved his first snow-playing experience. When the kids came in they drank homemade hot cocoa that I made since we were out of mix (making the real stuff was a first for me), sat by the fire, played Scrabble with Corey and their grandma, then did some homework. I laid by the fire during the Scrabble game and read my new book and dozed for a moment and tried to forget all of the boxes that were calling my name. By noon the snow was gone, and by 4:00 Jack was playing outside with a new neighbor who was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Texas! It was a great day, and I am glad that we siezed it! As far as I knew, it was the one and only chance that the kids would get this year to play in the snow.

Little did I know.

This morning the kids went to school, and Cooper went to my sister's house to play with his cousin. Sometime around noon it started snowing, and at about 1:00 a friend told me that she had called the school, and they had encouraged the pick up children although they were not closing. The snowflakes were huge - the biggest that I have ever seen - and the rooftops were covered, and that is all that I needed for a reason to collect my family and gather them under one roof. This afternoon was filled with the fun of perfect-snowman-building-snow... which the kids did. Twice. They also got a chance to meet more new neighbors and even went exploring with them in the nearby creekbed. Again, there was fire and cocoa and blankets and snuggles when all of the playing outside was done. Perfect.

There is just something about snow. It is magical and beautiful and peaceful and refreshing and cleansing and calming. It brings us a reason to come home, snuggle up with our family, and take a break from our busy lives. It is soothing, and I love it!

***Many pictures were taken, but my computer is not yet up to speed since the move. Maybe I'll post them later.