Eternal Winter

In my book, when the temperature dips into the 20's, winter has not officially ended. However, now that it is April, some clear signs of a change in seasons have occurred. The tulips are poking above ground, albeit only slightly. Jonathan got a crew cut in hopes of warmer weather and a good baseball season.

 And most importantly, the street cleaners are out in full force scooping up and brushing off the sand that piles up on the roads all winter long during each icy snowstorm. (Did I mention that I can't stand the sand?) My hopes are high that we have turned a corner in this region of the country, and summer will indeed come. (It is very clear that you live in an unbearably cold climate when you notice that on the first day that it finally reaches above 32 degrees for a high, children emerge from their homes in short sleeves, baseball games are being played on front lawns, and the townsfolk seem a little happier.)

We rejoice in the glimmer of warmer weather ahead. However, we will miss several aspects of the winter wonderland that has been solidly frozen beneath New England's frigid sky.

Last winter Steve took the kids outside to build something. In 2008 it was a life sized igloo. 

This year it was a replica of our family, in the form of snowmen. Sophia came in for warm mittens and announced, "We made a snowman for everyone in our family. There are like 61 out there!"

Afterwards the fun turned into a snowball fight. 

Another day Steve took the girls sledding. Our favorite hill is almost into Boston. It is marked with the sign, "Use Hill at Own Risk", which always makes me a little uneasy. 

But this day, Steve took the kids nearby. They returned with the analysis that the benefit of this hill is that it is easier to climb up, but lacks the true thrill of a real sledding hill! 

Steve also took the kids ice skating several times, in an effort for both winter fun and to pass off a sporting badge for the Wolf in our family.

This winter left for ample time playing games with the family, with three school snow days and an additional three church snow days. We dusted off Guesstures, a charade like game that Steve and I received as a wedding gift and hadn't played since we were childless and with a carefree group of friends. It soon became a family favorite!

Steve spent these snow days shoveling snow and working from our home "office". 

These days also provided ample time for making cookies. . . 

Dressing up . . . 

Doing crafts . . .

Reading . . .

 

And getting ahead on homework.

Although the sight of glistening snow on white steepled chaples, ice skaters on local ponds and   children zipping down icey sledding hills will be missed, we are ready to give up weeks with the high in the low teens, snowpacked roads that never melt and bundling children in full winter gear to walk to the busstop, just two houses away.