Monday morning, when the first sleepy head rose, amazement and wonder took over because snow was on the ground and they had been waiting, waiting since Christmas actually for a chance to take their saucers out and slide like crazy.
Bears and hunters, little snow women were built, hours spent outdoors before hot chocolate was called for and drying out and warming up became necessary for comfort.
So a couple of weeks ago, John and Jacob read about Big Foot, I am not sure where, but they believe, they think he is out in our woods exploring, doing I don't know what?... eating rabbits, living the life they have always dreamed of (living free, survival mode in the woods where shelter is optional, bathrooms are everywhere and manners are for house folks), marching around out there just living a Big Foot kind of life. So Monday morning they came in swearing they saw Big Foot prints, how did they know you may ask? the footprints were huge and shoeless, I am not sure what they saw, but now they are more certain then ever that he is roaming around. For the sake of my little girls, I have repeatedly said he isn't out there, that I really don't think he is real (I know, I felt a little guilty about that one), and that the last known sightings was VA but my boys are still hardcore Big Foot believers and my girls are getting a little weary of walking on the trails in the woods.
They have a reasonable explanation to everything I say about him, he can travel fast, why would calloused feet need shoes, who wouldn't want to live in the woods always, seriously I am starting to believe.
I love research and I have always said study, read, find out everything you can about what interests you. It has gotten thrown back in my face these past couple of weeks. They want to know everything, do you know how many youtube videos are out there, do you know how many I have had to preview first so I can make sure they are appropriate for a 10 and 11 year old. Yes this is what I do at 5:30 in the morning, I have limited them to 2 a day, a reward for getting chores and homework done in the time allowed, not counting the articles we have to look up about him.
So the snow was just right, enough to play in for the day, water the ground and be gone by noon of the next, leaving sludge and mud in its place.
Jett totally loved this, everything his fearless soul needed.
If we could have kept gloves on this outside boy's hands he would have spent all day in it. His hands gave up before his body and mind wanted too.
Round 2 of the snow excitement happened when daddy arrived home. More pushing kids down hills in saucers, snow ball fights and tromping around in this winter bliss.
It seems a little strange that we started out week with snow and cold and are ending our week in the 50s but I am not complaining. The little bodies in out home have been venturing out all week, exploring and playing, exactly what I love for them to be doing.
I am not sure if you noticed but one child was missing from all of the pictures, my sweet, warm-blooded Jillian does not like the cold, she does not like the snow, she does not like jackets or gloves. She even asked me today why she wasn't at the beach looking for shells...in her bathing suit. Some days she wears her swimsuit under her clothes, she constantly asks when we are going back to Mr. Charlies' pool (he takes care of our neighborhood pool). She is in total denial that we live in a place that gets cold, she only wants to wear dresses and sandals, swim and have warm air blowing on her (she sits in front of our little heater playing throughout the day).
I am secretly hoping that is the end of the snow for the season and spring will arrive early. I am ready for some color in this beautiful place where every season brings something new.
2 comments:
It was fun reading about the kids and their adventures. When I was in high school maybe my first year of college, there was a movie about the Fouke Monster (Arkansas' Big Foot) being near Texarkana. My dad knew the family from Foreman (?) that supposedly had the encounter. Get in touch with Daddy sometime and let him tell the boys what he thinks about Big Foot. It was called the Fouke Monster then.
You and Jillian can come stay with me when it gets too cold in NWA. I'm not a fan of cold either and we rarely have days below 70 degrees here, even in the winter. Nights sometimes get a little chilly, but nothing a light jacket wouldn't stand up to!
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