Kiss This Snow Off My Face

The day started quietly.

During the night, snow fell on our second refrigerator.

I made bagels, which we ate while one lone teenager slept in.

I bought farm-cut bacon, which was scrumptious.

Our stockings were stuffed with fun surprises.

Julia's kaleidoscope was a big hit, with everyone.

Matt enjoyed a speed cube.

This delighted expression made my day.

I had made Nate a Star Wars quilt.

Dave guessed what this was before he opened it.

Melanie gave me some original artwork.  I was deeply touched.

Dave commented that the tines looked a little angry.

I love to give gifts that make people laugh.

Papa Ben did some shopping for the holiday.

Everyone was happy with his gifts.

This might be one size too large, but that just means that she can wear it an extra year.

Will is looking to the future.

Julia has worn this tutu all day long.

I asked Will what he thought about our quiet Christmas.

Papa Ben received a dangerous money clip for Christmas.

His African employees sent him a funny Christmas message, too.

We had a lot of fun this morning.

There was quite a bit of laughter and silliness.

I'm still pleased about everyone's stockings.

Before nine, we were out the door.

We had more than twice as much snow as we had two days ago.

The more mass on the sled, the faster the trip down.

We worked to build good trails.

Jacob slid down the hill fifty times, no exaggeration.

Going down meant going back up again.

The ramp from Wednesday still worked well.

Sometimes laughter turned into screaming.

Deep snow blew over the front of the sled and sometimes into our coats.

Dave mastered steering after nearly hitting me a few times.

I thought this was a very touching moment.

Unfortunately, it did not end well.

This is how families bond, or so the rationalization went.

It was a great help to have Papa Ben at the top of the hill.

Melanie figured out how to increase her mass by inviting a sibling to ride along.

Jacob's mantra:  Up down, up down.

Even Will had a great time.

How fast can they go?

The little kids learned if they rode in the back, the front person got all the snow.

Once the trails were packed down, sledding into the stream became a problem again.

That didn't stop anyone.

Nate got snowed.

Several times, in fact.

I'm warning you right now to get ready for the next picture.

We've all laughed quite a bit about this shot.

And this one, too.

Melanie braved the snow for Nate.

Like the Energizer Bunny, Jacob just kept going and going.

So did Matt.

Look how much fun these two are having.

Notice that Carolyn is saying, "No!"

They ran into Julia.  More bonding time, it seems.

Up, down, ad infinitum.

On occasion down comes sooner for some than for others.

When coats get full of snow, it's time to go home.

They took the long route and had a little fun

One last trip for Mom. 

One last trip for me.

And one last trip for the kid that doesn't mind at all getting snowed.