Thursday, February 16, 2006

A Rare and Wonderful Thing

I woke up this morning, came downstairs, and had breakfast with Joseph. We talked about how amazing it looked outside-- but mostly about how much fun would be had after school.

Just playing in the stuff.




It never once occurred to me that school would be cancelled.

After all, in the five years we've lived here, there's never been a "Snow Day."

Thus after breakfast, Joseph and I simply stood staring out the window until it was time for him to leave for the bus stop.

I watched as my boy bundled up; saw him strain to get both straps of his backpack up over his now bulky shoulders.

Then I kissed him goodbye, and watched him trudge through the several inches of snow that now covered the front steps, stopping to say goodbye to Ryan-- who was engaged in the futile pursuit of clearing our driveway and sidewalk.

You see, while not anywhere near the storm that struck the northeast this past weekend, this snowfall would soon develop into something pretty darn nasty.

(I would later hear the words "blizzard conditions" coming from local weathermen on every station.)

Thus it was, before I even sat back down to review Joseph's overnight numbers, that the front door flew open.

My son bounded in, arms raised, fists pumping, cheeks bright red, hat and coat covered in snow, and all the time shouting:

"It's a Snow Day! It's a Snow Day!"

"What?! What?!"

"Mom, Laura told me. She saw it on the news this morning. All the schools in the city are closed!"

Joseph leapt up and down while shouting these words, making no attempt to contain the sheer joy of having been given this news.

"This. Mom. Is UNBELIEVABLE!"

Given that the boy has never in his life had an official Snow Day, the news was indeed, unbelievable.

So what have we been doing? Well, Joseph is (no surprise) outside playing in the snow with a friend, after a morning of Trouble...




Some major fort construction...




Followed by the adventures of "Pilot Joe" and his trusty sidekick, "Super-Nurse Sara" (yes, that's Evan-- responsible for taking care of all sick animals, while fighting off various bad guys).




Sorry, no photos of "Super Anna." (Uh yes. That would be me.)

And now, while I get ready to bundle up Evan so that we can further enjoy this fine Snow Day, I can't help but shake my head and laugh as I remember the weather here just two days ago-- Valentines Day.

A day of sunny skies and a high of 50 degrees.

A day of kids without coats...







And here I thought spring was just around the corner...




Umm... maybe not.

18 comments:

Johnboy said...

Snow days are a gift to be shared!

Allison said...

Could your children BE any cuter?

I think not.

Jamie said...

Ahhh - I wish they would have called snow days when I was a kid! I can understand his excitement!

Looks like you enjoyed yourselves - and the snow!

Great pictures ... your kids are adorable.

Rachel Segall said...

your kids are really cute. snow days used to rock.

Anonymous said...

I have a Huge Smile on my face right now :D Your kids are so cute that I could eat them for dessert!

And Joseph is a major wicked fort engineer.

I remember my one and only snow day (schools rarely close in Alberta). Snow to the top of our front door made leaving the house impossible, 'til mom dug us out....and my younger sister and I made bows out of hangers and string, and proceeded to shoot pencils at innocent bystanders (including the cat) from behind the couch. And drank lots and lots of hot chocolate. It was the Best Day Ever.

Penny Ratzlaff said...

Sandra, Your kids are adorable. I'm glad you finally got that snow day. I remember a previous post of yours in which you were pretty sure there would never be a snow day. But, now you had one and it looks like you all had a lot of fun.

Shannon said...

The best day in a kid's life is a snow day. No other feeling compares to the one when you find out there's no school!!

The kids look so much alike when I see them side by side. Wow. They're beautiful.

That's not a fort, it's a cave!! You can get lost in there.

Andrea said...

Looks like your kids had a BLAST on their snow day :) I think every child should get to enjoy a day "off" to just have fun and be a kid.

I'm sure you were so overjoyed as a Mom to see both your children so excited and happy. Those ARE moments to live for. :)

PS- your kids really are beautiful :)

Major Bedhead said...

Your kids look like they stepped out of a Victorian post card. So lovely.

Snow days do indeed rock.

Anonymous said...

Super Anna!
Super Anna!
Super Anna!

Kelsey said...

I'm echoing the collective sentiment: Your kids are adorable!

Here is sunny San Diego, we're finally down into the mid 60s for the first time in weeks! I'd love some seasonal snow :)

J said...

Grat looking kids Sandra looks like alot of fun ! I spent my snow day watchin movies and relaxin.

Anonymous said...

You have such cute kids!

This has brought back memories of 1987 and 1990 (when I was Joseph's age - 10) We had two huge storms that swept in straight from Siberia and dumped four feet of snow on our little corner of England. My parent's village, atop a hill, became cut off in a country that doesn't 'do' snow (no one seems to cope with it very well!) But for me, as a kid, there was no denying the magic.

I treasure the memories of those days, and you've brought it all back to me :)

Erica said...

Omg those pictures bring me back to snow days when I was a kid! Even down to the same board games... Ahhhh nostalgia...

I think kids living where there are no snow days are really missing out ;-)

Allison said...

When I was in school, we had "snow mornings." In Oregon, it would snow late in the evening or first thing in the morning (like 4 or 5 in the morning), so you would have maybe half an inch or an inch on the ground. But by 10 or 11 a.m., once the sun came out and the cars warmed up the ground, the snow would be gone. So the schools would open up late in order to let the city clear the roads. Those were fun. Morning cartoons and a short school day. Not a bad second choice.

Unknown said...

Sandra,
What a gorgeous day! I love to see SNOW!! What I'd give to see RAIN right now, it's been Sunny and one day 86F here in AZ, I forgot what cold felt like!! Looks like all of you had a blast!
Christine

Kerri. said...

You know what? I left a comment here days ago, but it apparently never caught. Either that, or I inadvertently told some other blogger how charming their kids are and how I was an avid fort builder as a kid.

The one I built the other day using the kitchen table and chairs, an afghan, and three cats wasn't too shabby, either. :)

Laura said...

I almost got a tear in my eye with your son's statement of "This, Mom, is UNBELIEVABLE!" That is so CUTE! And, oh, how I remember the blanket forts and the games played. My daughter is 19 now.......I would say cherish and enjoy every single moment....but you are obviously already doing that!