snow day!

We woke up and were astonished to see white flakes falling from the sky and a thin blanket of the white stuff already on the ground. SNOW!!! What could be a better treat for the last day of Christmas vacation?!  Next-door neighbors Oscar and Nadine knocked on the door at 8:30, asking if Seb and Liesl could play. YES!!  Out they all went: they sledded, they threw snowballs, they built ramps, they built snow caves, they tramped around... with the exception of lunch, which he wolfed down in about 10 minutes, Sebastian was outside playing from 8:30 until 4, when the advent of freezing rain brought him inside. 

Liesl spent more time moving between inside and outside - her hands and toes get cold, like mama's - so she and I played piano, read books, wrote a winter bucket list, made granola and chicken soup, did some sewing, cleaned up and organized and sorted, pretended to be various creatures....  It was a good day. I have had a cold since Friday and was glad to be cozy inside for most of today.

Steve romped around outside with the kids, getting pelted with snowballs by four children, shoveling snow into a ramp and runway... and since the Buffalo Bills and Steelers both won today, the Steelers unexpectedly made the playoffs - and he was overjoyed. Happy day.