snowy evening

It took until March 1st for any snow to stick here. Almost a whole winter with no snow. Every time we had a flurry, Celia would ask "Will it be enough to play in?" The snow pants and mittens spent most of the winter in the closet, with a little girl just waiting and waiting to use them.

Yesterday we finally had some. I promised Celia that morning that she could play in the snow later in the day. Late afternoon came, and when we got home it would have been so much easier to just say no. It would have been easier to have her watch a tv show while I got Henry to sleep and made supper. But, I knew how she had been waiting and waiting for that snow. How much fun it would be for her to go out to play, and how much fun for me to watch her. With pasta water on the stove and a tired baby struggling to fall asleep in his stroller, I brought Celia to the front hall. We put on her snow pants, her coat, her boots. She showed me how she can now put the mittens on, thumbs in thumb holes, all by herself. And as evening fell, I let her play in the snow. I knew dinner would eventually get made. The baby, somehow, would nap. The snow wouldn't last long. This was her chance.

She went gingerly down the icy front steps. She looked back at me for reassurance. I nodded. She flopped in the snow, crawled and rolled in it, and made an angel. She stood up, lost her balance, and flopped again. She gathered a handful and tried to pack a snowball. Chris arrived home. We got out the sleds. I started cooking supper and got Henry to sleep. I watched out the window as they played and took sled rides as the evening thickened.

I called them in for supper. Celia was happy, red-cheeked, cold, and asked for hot cocoa with her spaghetti. I let her have it, of course. This was a once in a year event.