One Last Winter

I woke up yesterday morning to a fresh layer of snow settling on our backyard and promptly went back to bed. 5 minutes later, as the pillow and I were dreamily fusing together, my kids discovered the wintery wonderland outside and came flying into my room at top speed to announce the news and demand their mittens. It was all I could do to keep them from flinging themselves out the back door in their pajamas - a mere 25 minutes after I had woken up the first time, all 4 of us were bundled and bustling excitedly out into the thick of it...

Okay, maybe not all of us were excited. Having refused his mittens, Mer spent the first while poised hesitantly on the step. Can you blame him? Two days earlier his outside world was full of wonderful new discoveries like blooming buds and scurrying bugs.

Jude, however, plunged right in. This was his first year up on the snowboard and I'm pretty sure he's fully smitten. To him, snow is now synonymous with fun. His five-year-old enthusiasm for whatever the day might bring has kept me moving through the slow winter months.

It wasn't long before we'd worn ourselves out making angels and forts. After one last snowball fight, we piled our snowclothes at the door and knocked back a little hot chocolate. Gabby and I watched the marshmellows melt a bit as we warmed up. I gotta say, not a bad way to spend the morning...

But Mother Nature better not get any ideas. It is time to release Utah from the clutches of winter and let us enjoy our 5 minutes of Spring before the heat hits hard!