Snow!

We're having our first snow tonight! It's a late night for us; still up at 9:45, but I'm so glad that we are. It's been that kind of day today... so different from the usual Monday pace. After a sleepless night I was granted a day lounging in bed to rest this hugely pregnant body. I drifted in and out sleep while bright morning light changed to the soft warm afternoon light; streaming in the big window and casting patterns on the all white room.
Snuggled in piles of pillows and down blankets I dreamed of so many things as I half listened to my family playing through their day... stories on the sofa, Legos on the floor, blanket forts and pancakes.

In the late afternoon a dream of Belgian chocolates lured me out to the quiet kitchen to savor a square of dark chocolate while Nichola lay sleeping in my downy bed, and the boys made a trip to town for groceries.

The laziness of the day continued when we all gathered in the livingroom chatting rather than focusing on the task of dinner. As the sun sank down we finally hefted ourselves into the kitchen to prepare a meal of blackened shrimp and creamy pasta while Quinn read library books to Neeka. Though the sky was dark and we were far off of routine, it was nice to cook another truly healthy meal with my partner rather than compromising with some prepackaged thing.

Around eight o'clock we finally gathered at the table for dinner with a sigh and satisfaction. Quinn had two helpings and we both shared our shrimp tails with Jeff and Nichola who happily crunched away on them.

As an extra special treat Jeff and Quinn had picked up a small box of desserts from a patisserie in town that uses local, organic ingredients in their beautiful, gluten-free treats. We quartered a tangy lemon custard cupcake, a flour-less chocolate cake wedge, part of a huge pecan brownie and a chipotle chocolate tart topped with a fresh raspberry. It was so decadent and yummy!

As the kids and I sipped the last of the frosty mug of milk Jeff called from the porch, "IT'S SNOWING!"
He had gone out to rescue our dogs and potted tomato plants from the cold night.
In a matter of minutes I was a flurry of children's boots, hats, and sweaters as they rushed about in a mad dash to get out to the swirly flakes.

It's just after 10pm now and I think they've had their fill of the fluff for the night, and are settling in front of the fire getting sleepy as the wood stove clicks and hums with the heat, and the excitement melts off with the cold.

In less than an hour they'll be fast asleep in their own downy bed covers and I'll be sipping tea and pouring over my new book on shamanic soul retrieval.

Mmmm... sweet, warm, fuzzy days....