No Ice{skating}, Just lots of SNOW

Today was suppose to be the day I took Natalie ice skating for the first time. We were both very excited! Natalie couldn't wait to touch and smell the ice, and she kept saying, "Dat ice will be veeeerrry sippery!" I was curious to see how my ice skating skills would fare after a three year hiatus. I took lessons in my twenties and learned to jump, spin, and arabesque (my favorite!).  It was the most graceful (and best shape) I've ever felt; how I wish I could get those buns back again ... but that's another story all together ...

A gently snow was falling when all four of us headed for the rink.  CPV doesn't work on Mondays, and I convinced him to come along, mostly so he could take picture.  Within 15 minutes of  leaving our house, the conditions were getting treacherous and other drivers just can't be trusted.  We made the decision to turn back.  Natalie was so devastated by our change of plans that we had to come up with, well, another option.

Here's Natalie in front of our Plan B ...

We followed up lunch with a walk through the Home Depot Christmas department.  It doesn't get much better than that ... especially if you're three years old.  Thankfully Unfortunately some of the singing dogs, cats, reindeer, ... on display have run out of batteries already.

When we got home, the snow had slowed again, but I grabbed the camera, handed it to Chad, and ...he captured Charlotte's first experience with snow!

I know I am totally biased, but I think my husband is just about the cutest thing going ... and Natalie, well, her tolerance for picture-taking is about a maximum of three shots ...

It continued to snow (and snow hard) right on through the afternoon - while the girls napped.  I woke Natalie around 4:00 and suggested she look out the window.  Her face lit up, and she said, "Oh my goodness, Mommy, all the grass is gone!"

And now I have officially become a mama-who-turns-her-child-into-the-Stay-Puff-Marshmallow-Man-in-the-hopes-of-keeping-her-warm-while-she-plays-in-the-snow.  First layer of pajamas.  Second layer footsie pajamas minus the feet. Socks. Bib overall snow pants. Jacket with hood.  Hat. Gloves.  Boots, which were nearly impossible to get on because she was so puffy and clumsy.

Natalie and Chad had a great time trying out the new sled I bought on super (ridiculous) clearance at the end of last winter.  Charlotte and I stayed inside to play and prep a delicious dinner.

Snow Day ... Hooray!