Snow!

Today we had our first appreciable snowfall.  Tween Boy was in his glory.  Teen Boy was busy lamenting that this meant he wouldn't be driving this weekend (having only one session of circles, reverse circles and parking in the Middle School parking lot and a short drive home he's hardly qualified for a drive in the snow), but Tween Boy couldn't wait to don his snow gear and "get out there!" 

He spent the better part of the day driving his trucks through the thick, white snow, making roads, cities, villages, and them plundering them like a giant with his boots.  He then decided to play "Mountain Rescue" by burying his trucks deep in the snow and uncovering them with his gloved hands.  I love that he is in 6th grade and still loves to play with his trucks in the snow.  I know these days are all too fleeting.

It was during Mountain Rescue that he thought it would be a good idea to bury his trucks in the snow until the next time he wanted to play.  That way, "no one can find them and take them, Mom."  We live in a very small town with almost no crime (thank goodness); kind of like Mayberry.  I told him that he'd better go back out and get them because we were due for several more inches and he would never find them.  Grudgingly, he tromped outside to find them, "I know right where they are, Mom.  I buried them!"

Needless to say, one of the three trucks is still buried in the avalanche and likely will not be Mountain Rescued until April or May.

Over a steaming cup of hot chocolate, cheeks and nose kissed with cold, and eyes shining brightly, he said he had added several trucks onto his Christmas List this year.  Bless his heart.

Later, he and Teen Boy worked on clearing all that snow.  Teen Boy used the snowblower, and Tween Boy went behind him shoveling that thin layer that would have turned to ice had it been left.  As Teen Boy salted, Tween Boy rushed in, cheeks pink with the chill and said "I LOVE SNOW!" then raced outside to throw snowballs at his brother.

A lot of people complain about snow.  It's cold, wet, needs to be cleared repeatedly, and causes otherwise intelligent people to drive like morons.

Snow brings out the best in all of us here.  We love to go sledding, skating, snowshoeing, skiing, camping (yes, camping in snow huts!  Granted, the boys do...I will go in a tent), and snowmobiling among other fun winter activities.  It makes Dad and me turn into kids, and our kids love every minute of it.

I LOVE SNOW TOO!

I can't wait until tomorrow.  I hear there is going to be a snowball catching contest between Tween Boy, Red Dog and Spotted Dog.