Snow Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It all started with a phone call from my mom:  "Becky!  It is snowing on 967!  Like, really big flakes!"  I immediately knew we had to go there - how often do we actually see snow in Texas??  I packed the kids up in record time and we were on our way.  The kids were totally pumped - "Mom!  Will it be all white on the ground?  Is snow cold?  Can we eat it?  What does it feel like?"  The whole time I'm trying to keep their expectations realistic and let them know that the ground is too warm for snow to stick.

They had a total ball.  Completely delighted with the snow falling from the sky and seeing the little bits on the ground that were sticking to the tops of blades of grass.  I was having all sorts of Texas winter memories coming back and was telling them - well, this is as good as it gets in Texas...  

Then Texas made a liar out of me.  Todd walks outside to go to his car and I hear "IT IS SNOWING!!!!! - HARD!!!"

Back story:  Lia asked several weeks ago about snow and said she wanted to ask Santa to bring her snow as her Christmas present.  As sweet as this thought was, I discouraged her from doing so - basically explaining that Santa doesn't have control over the weather and that he is specializes in toys.  All that was fine and dandy until this happened...

Lia is 100% convinced that Pixie must have told Santa about her wish for snow and that's why it randomly snowed in Buda, Texas without a single weather forecast calling for it.  I'm starting to think that's what happened too - because this?  This is unbelievable.

Miles was very confused...  :)

 The kids were deliriously happy.  Snow angels, snowball fights, catching snowflakes on their tongues,  Texas sized snowman, etc, etc, etc.

 

It just kept falling and falling.  The kids got cold and I went digging through our very slim collection of winter gear for gloves and hats and thick socks.  We were ill prepared for an event like this!  Lia even resorted to wearing socks on her hands.  :)  I opened gifts set aside for Christmas (gloves and fuzzy socks) just to give the kids a little more time outside playing.

The snow was sticky and PERFECT for a snowman.  It was the first time in my entire life that I've built a snowman by rolling a giant ball on the ground and it actually didn't have grass sticking out of it.  

whiskey on snow!

We played outside for as long as we could possibly stand it - and then a little longer.  The kids came inside and warmed up by the fire.  We gave them fair warning that the snow would probably not be there in the morning, but that we would just have to wait and see.

Our backyard before we went to bed.

Shockingly, this was our view in the morning

We looked at the forecast and saw that it was supposed to get above freezing mid-morning.  So, we were outside marching around at 6:00am.  Not joking.  But, there was nowhere else I'd rather have been.  

 The kids were in and out of the snow most of the morning.  We found out school was canceled and I partially would like to believe it was the HCISD superintendent's Christmas gift to the children - like they are saying "go little children, play in the snow - this never happens!" (because the roads were juuuuust fine in the morning....)   

I learned a lot about snow from this experience...  1.  It is messy.  The kids tracked snow (water) through the house on my wood floors over and over.  I was following them around with a mop...   2.  Boots (not galoshes) are essential.  3.  Proper waterproof gloves are required for snowball making.  Those silly knit ones were useless once they got wet.  But, hey!  We made it work!  

What an unbelievable day and fantastic memory for us all.  :)