Tag: Bigger Picture

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But I Don’t Wanna Go Sledding! {Simple Moment, Bigger Picture}

I literally crawled into bed and threw the covers over my head, trying to hide from my husband. We had been up late the night before, and woke up early for church and Sunday school. I was so tired, the last thing I wanted to do was drag a sled up a sled hill. No, wait…I was so tired that the last thing I wanted to do was stuff two little girls into snow pants, boots, hats, coats and gloves, and THEN go drag a sled up a sled hill.

“But I don’t want to go sledding!” I whined.

“I’m tired, too, but if we don’t go now it’ll be too late,” Ed reasoned with me.

And so I groaned and moaned and threw back the covers so I could start stuffing the kids into their snow pants.

The day was clear and sunny, and the sled hill was crowded. The top of the hill teemed with kids, parents, and all kinds of sleds. But when we actually got in line, it didn’t take long. Lily was in seventh heaven, flying down the hill on her own.

My little one, Emmy, is not as daring as her big sister. But after a few times down the sled hill with Daddy, she told him confidently, “I want to go down by myself!”

I started to panic at the thought. My baby, going down the hill with all these big kids, by herself!

I’m not as daring as Lily, either.

With great trepidation, I let go of her sled. She flew down that hill, and although I couldn’t see her face, I imagine she was laughing the whole way down. Then she picked up the sled and ran over to the side, out of the way of the big kids, just the way I had told her to. She went down that sled hill several more times, all by herself.

So, was I glad that I had thrown those covers aside and forced myself up that hill? Was I glad I picked sledding over napping? Absolutely. We had so much fun on that brisk winter day, and we had been waiting for snow. On Monday, it started to rain, and all our beautiful snow turned to ice. Thankfully, we had had our one glorious afternoon of sledding before the rain set in.

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When Will It Snow?

My girls jumped out of bed early this morning. By early, I mean really early. Early enough that Emmy thought it was still nighttime. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, Daddy!” she called out to Ed as he left for work.

“No, you’ll see him tonight,” I corrected her.

“But it’s still nighttime! It’s not tomorrow yet!” she corrected me.

Well.

As they ran to the window to wave goodbye to Ed, they said, “Did it snow yet?”

Our winter this year has been strangely devoid of that fluffy white plaything. The girls are eager to use their just-the-right-size red snow shovels. They want to put on their stiff pink snow pants, purchased back in October when I was anticipating winter. They want to be pulled around the yard in their bright green sled. They want to plop themselves down on a thick bed of snow and wave their arms and legs to make snow angels.

The one time this winter that they were able to get outside and play in the snow was one short day in December, when we barely had an inch of snow. And that snow didn’t last long. It melted the next day.

I’m trying not to complain. After all, last winter we were heartily sick of the white stuff. We had snow on the ground all winter long. In February, we had more snow than I have seen since my childhood in Central Illinois. As much as I love snow, last winter was overdoing it a bit much. But boy, we did have fun!

This whole week we have been playing outside and reveling in the warm, 50 degree weather, knowing winter will soon come to Chicago. In fact, it’s supposed to come today. The temperatures are supposed to drop drastically, and the weatherman tells us to expect 4-6 inches of snow. Emmy tells me she has a new boy in her class, who used to live in warm place and has never seen snow. She is excited for him to see snow for the first time!

So come on snow, snow!

We’re ready.

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