Snow???

School has been cancelled for tomorrow due to the "possibility" of snow (I think we're supposed to get around an inch or so). Anything less than blizzard-like conditions, daughter #2 has said she is going to "smack James Spann so hard his momma will feel it." Her words, not mine

I'm going to speak/write from the heart and I know what I'm about to say is really, really going to upset some people but here goes: I hate Alabama in the winter. It is so lame. Now hear me out. It gets really, really cold sometimes but very rarely snows. This is a problem for me. I love the winter. I really do. I love snuggling on the couch next to a roaring fire. I love hot chocolate. I love making hot chocolate for Chris and the girls after they come inside from playing in the snow. I love watching them play in the snow (Chris is such a big kid at heart...he throws snowballs, builds snow forts, loves to sled, etc.). I love when they come inside with pink cheeks and noses. I love hats and mittens, scarves and boots.

I really do love winter and some of my favorite memories are snow-related. The first winter Chris & I spent together we woke up to a beautiful snowstorm one morning. The kind of thick, heavy snow that bends tree branches and makes everything look beautiful. There was a diner not far from our apartment so we took off in search of some breakfast. We walked hand-in-hand thru the snow and had such a long, lovely, romantic walk. We walked right down the middle of what is ordinarily a very busy road. Not a soul out at that hour, just us two lovebirds.

My other favorite snow memories are from when the girls were little. The winter we lived in Maryland was the year the Eastern Seaboard was hit w/ a blizzard ('96 I think). We were basically housebound for 3 days. T was around 18 months old and was entranced by the snow. She would stand with her little face pressed up against the french doors and watch the snow fall for hours. When the snow finally stopped and we opened the garage door, we were faced with an entire wall of snow. We had lots of little boys in that neighborhood and they instigated a snowball fight with Chris. T had a little pink sled and Chris dragged her up & down the street. She hated everyone minute of it. She didn't cry but she wasn't exactly squealing with delight, either. She just sat there ramrod straight.

KJ totally loves the snow and would be snow bunny if we lived in Vermont or Colorado. Given the chance, I think she'd be an excellent skier or snowboarder. It started to snow one foggy Christmas day in PA and KJ was the first one out there with her sled. Fortunately grammie & pop's house sits atop a nice hill and she ran up and down it all day. Finally my cousin Ben came over with the 4-wheeler and hauled her back to the top after each run. She came inside and looked like a frozen Popsicle. But a happy frozen Popsicle (see photo above with the red head wrap. Her cheeks are so red and she looks so healthy!