Winter's Redemption: Snow Days!

Last week we had a couple of fun snow days! We finally got the chance to try out sledding in our front yard.  Being 6+ months pregnant limits my (wise) sledding time, but it allowed me to get some fun pictures!

Even in the bitter cold, the physical activity did everyone so much good!  I know how hard it is to get outside sometimes when we're cold, but it's even more important for our health and well-being in the winter.  Winter gets a bad reputation because it limits certain activities, but even in the 'death' of the year, nature is our friend in refreshing and renewal.

No children were harmed in this activity and, in fact, loved falling out as much as anything else!

Snow, Snow, and Yes, More Snow!

I have said it before and I'll say it again. I LOVE snow! Yes, it certainly changes everyone's plans in a heartbeat, but still I love it! Everything is so beautiful and quiet.  Makes you slow down a little, I think.  It helps with almost a week of snow days to contemplate life, but just the very nature of snow causes you to pause for a moment to take it all in.

We cannot wait for Jude to big enough to actually play in it.  Until then we took him out for a bit (less than 2 minutes because it was FREEZING) to witness his first real snow.  He's bundled in a bear cub suit that is obviously still a bit big on him, but it looks cute and did the trick of keeping him warm.

Clearly, he wasn't all that impressed.  But just wait until he's big enough to throw a snowball at. 

December Musings

Welcome to December! I wonder what kind of a winter we're going to have this year.  Last year was definitely something to remember here in Oklahoma.  The winter wonderland we had created quite a bit of trouble for anyone trying to go anywhere! My brothers and sister-in-law spent way too many hours merely traveling here in the metro.  But, if you didn't have to be out in it, it provided a lot of fun!

It really is easy, as the Bible says, to love those that love you, but its quite a different story to love those that hate you.  I think being thankful is the same way.  It was easy for me to enjoy and be grateful for all the snow last year because I got to enjoy it.  The snow loved me, so to speak.  I didn't have to get out in it much and I certainly wasn't stuck anywhere.  On the other hand, I'm sure those that battled with the weather weren't thinking straightaway how thankful they were for wretched conditions that fouled up their holiday plans.  And yet, that's where true thankfulness and peace live.  As we all feasted (some multiple times) last week, it was really easy to be thankful, wasn't it?  But this week, where perhaps stress is greater, there's no days off and the end of the year looms, can you practice thankfulness just as abundantly? That's my personal challenge for this weekend - to see all of the things in my life that 'hate me' and find joy and gratitude for them.