Playing in the Snow

We are so pitiful. Last Saturday, forecasters predicted that we could see 3 to 4 inches of snow, with flurries starting around noon. As usual, Riley started the day asking Kevin to take her to the park, so we told her that it was REALLY cold outside and that it might snow, and so we should stay home. Riley was so excited you’d have thought we had announced Christmas do-over or something. All morning, Riley got bundled up in hat, gloves, and scarf, peered out the window for a bit, got tired of being bundled up, unwrapped herself, started talking again about the possibility of snow, and bundled up all over again. Zoe was equally enthused, but saved the energy and just watched hopefully at the window. Adam seemed oblivious–snow, no snow, it was all the same to him. When we finally did get some snow, it was in the very late afternoon, and it was just a light dusting. Kevin took the kids out on the porch and let them hold their hands out and catch some snowflakes with the promise that if there was snow on Sunday afternoon, they could play in it.

All this excitement for snow reminded me of winters when I was little. Charleston gets so little snow that we were all hanging out the windows every time there were flurries of any kind, no matter how short-lived. If the temperature dropped to 40, we, the children of sandy beaches and thick humidity, all started saying, “Is it gonna snow?!” In our part of the world, snow was always a major event.

So on Sunday morning as Riley got ready for church, she ran through the schedule of events out loud. “I’m gonna get dressed, then I’m gonna go to church, then I’m gonna eat lunch at Andy’s (ended up being Wendy’s, actually), then I’m gonna change clothes, brush teeth, and have rest time, then I’m gonna play outside in the snow.” She reminded us of this plan all morning, during lunch, and just before rest time. So, despite the fact that the “snow” was little more than a few patches of white ice by the time rest time was over, we uttered not one clarifying word to that effect. The kids bundled up once again in all their barely-used winter wear, and they did indeed “play in the snow.” They had so much fun and stayed out there so long (given the extremely cold temperatures—BRRRR!!), that I am strongly considering buying some fake snow to throw out in the yard when things get nuts and Kevin and I are desperate for a break.:)

Kevin took some beautiful pictures of the kids on their “snow day.” As is not altogether uncommon in these parts, the funniest comment came from Zoe: “Mommy, can we build a snow man? We need a carrot.”