A Tale of Two Elves

I will honor Christmas in my heart 

and try to keep it all the year. 

--Charles Dickens

Snow Daze

We had a snow day!

Grateful the snow didn't pack into snowballs

Then we had another one

followed by a weekend,

and another snow day,

and two more after that.

Whew! 

Max remembered how much fun snow can be because he LOVES to dig.

Snow is soooo much better than the sandbox

Alexandra only experienced a light dusting last year, so when I told her we needed to get dressed to go play in the snow, she selected this outfit:

Looking more like a spring fairy than a snow bunny

We finally convinced her it was cold outside. She became a believer. Moments after this photo was taken she stripped off her gigantic gloves and became so cold she wanted to go back inside.

"Hi, Snow!"

This year was the first time sledding for both munchkins. I hadn't gone in years (decades?). Alexandra cried and laughed both times I went down with her.  (Once she learns to keep her gloves on in twenty degree temps, she'll have much more fun.) Max managed to divert us into a snow pile when I went down with him. After all, what's sledding without getting snow down your pants?

Max loving life and Alexandra hating the snow on her bare hands when she fell

On the third day of snow, we were grateful to attend a Superhero birthday party. It was the same day as the OU/OSU bedlam game. It was a good day.

Super Sooner and Superman

Cabin fever prompted me to dig through the Christmas activities I had reserved Christmas Break.  (Okay, I only had one activity planned and now it's gone, gone, gone.) We made a gingerbread house out of stickers and foam. Mostly I made the house.  Max kept asking me why it wasn't real and why he couldn't eat the real one that he and his grands had made last year. "Because your grandmothers put the pieces together with pins instead of icing." He still doesn't understand. And, after encouraging his sister to eat a foam gumdrop, they happily went off to play.

Alexandra is very proud of the house they built

Great-grandma Celeste came over. 

My helpers

She spent a lot of time (justifiably) shaking her head, covering her mouth with her hand, and laughing at my culinary skills. I was so excited to use my little pie maker and let the kids help.  Eh.

Martha Stewart, watch out.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience.  I watched our children cope with having only each other to play with and thought, "They are learning to love and appreciate each other even more--as long as they don't kill each other first."

eating fudge by the Christmas tree

Well, that's the true Christmas message when we get right down to it, isn't it?


What are you favorite things to do by yourself or with kids on snow days?