Snow Day (!!)

In case you were wondering, I went ahead and poured that second beer. I figured we'd get a two hour delay, at least...

There's just something about a potential snow day that really brings out the kid in me. I like my job, really I do, but when there is even a remote speculation of snowfall I get super excited about the probable day off. I went to bed on Monday night and was up again by midnight to look out the window. No dice. Back to bed. At three I got up and saw the ground had been covered by a light blanket of snow (I might say that it resembled a dusted softie, but there are only a few people who would appreciate that reference) and I just knew that it was enough accumulation to set me free for the day! I had to wake Brent up to share in my joy (he groggily feigned excitement) and then I endured the horribly ironic experience of being unable to sleep because I am so excited about sleeping in.

But I did manage to sleep until about 6:30 when Jack came barging into our room to announce that it, in fact, had snowed! Yippee! Snow day! So exciting!

Now I know that closing down an entire town for less than half an inch of snow really seems to irritate non-native Oregonians. Yes, it is ridiculous to close schools for such a small amount of snow, yes we know that in Iowa the kids have to dig tunnels between their houses and school in order to get to class or something like that. And yes, we know that we are terrible drivers (regardless of snowfall apparently). But don't be hatin' on our snow days- they totally rule! Snow days are everybody's excuse to stay home and play with your kids and drink hot chocolate and enjoy the precious gift of a surprise day off. Snow days kick ass.

Woah, what's this? Snow, you say? Can I eat it?

My poor deprived kids hardly knew what to do with themselves in the snow. Jack really Really REALLY wanted to build a snowman but gave up once his fingers iced over.

Sawyer has a big problem with the concept of gloves. He refused to wear them and then screamed hysterically for about 45 minutes because his hands were cold but he wanted to stay outside. If you've ever tried to put gloves on a small child (or if you've ever dressed a cat in a Halloween costume) you know that once the first battle is over the war has been lost. I'd like to tell you that this was an isolated incident of insurgency, but you'll be reading the sequel version of "Sawyer Vs. the Gloves in the Cold" here shortly. Stay tuned.

The funny thing about blogs is that people interpret your writing in many different ways. Sometimes I go back and reread something that I've written and realize that I sound much happier/sappier/idiotic/insert-comparative-adjective-here than I meant to. In recent posts, I realize that sometimes I sound like a frazzled soccer mom who drinks wine coolers in her mini van (now I know there's at least one person out there who will appreciate that reference!) and finds her kids to be annoying little brats.

It's called sarcasm. Maybe you've heard of it before?

Just kidding (or was I?). But truly, I loved that snow day. I love an entire day to sit back in my cozy house and enjoy the presence of my children. I loved the pathetic attempt at snow angels, giving Sawyer his first sip of hot chocolate, filling the kitchen with the aroma of Jack's cookies, and sneaking in an hour of uninterrupted sewing. Time is a funny thing. I often find myself wishing I had more of it. It has become a precious commodity. I wonder if I will regret the time that I spent at work while my kids were growing up. I wonder if I'll feel like I was there enough. I hope I will.

I've always thought that you really could have it all: motherhood, marriage, career. And I guess you can, but one person can only do so much and sometimes things get forgotten. Friendships get neglected. Parts of your identity slip away. When you hold too many things in your hands, things sometimes get dropped. I needed that snow day.

Brent took Jack to Mount Pisgah that afternoon to look for animal tracks in the snow. I guess he knew that I needed some of that day for myself, too.

So bring on the snow, I say! Or the black ice or power outages or broken sewer lines or whatever it takes! I could use a few extra hours at home with my boys.

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