It snowed last night!  I woke up this morning wedged between both kids, and a sniffly Julia announced there was snow outside.  “No there isn’t, Juje,” I corrected, thinking of our imminent brown Christmas, then opened the blinds to find she was right.

We have been dealing with rounds of sickness and pain here at the big house in Moorhead, but with the dusting of snow and the bright sunshine we went ahead and had an adventure anyway.  Dylan’s health improved after a week of high fever and orneriness, then Janelle suffered a pinched nerve and was out for a few days (now hobbling and trying to stay limber), next Julia began to run a temperature and leak facial fluids.

After sled rides in the yard we loaded up in the bicycle trailer for a quick trip to Northeast Park and enjoyed an hour of sliding (and falling) on the rinks.  There were other families out enjoying the day, and we were able to make friends with another dad and his kids who were learning to skate.  Julia was looking red in the face and more than a bit snotty, so we went home for hot chocolate and bathtime.

Will the snow manage to stay on the ground for another day or two to make it a white Christmas?  I doubt it.  The previews have been nice but the real whitewash will soon arrive, turning our beautiful brown landscape into a fond memory.  Dylan asked Santa for a Wampa (an ice creature native to the planet Hoth doncha’ know) for Christmas, and I reckon we will be able to recreate the scenes from The Empire Strikes Back in bone chilling accuracy within a few short weeks.