The Big Snow

 The storm was warned about for days and days.  Over two feet of snow was expected.  Lots of ice.  Imminent power outages.

I expected the worst.  

But the power never went out and there was almost no ice at all.  Not even quite two feet of beautiful, clean, white, fresh snow.  

It was exhausing though, walking through it for a woods walk.  For everyone except Jemima.

We collapsed frequently.

I took so many pictures of Jemima because she was soooo excited to play.  It was hilarious to watch.

She's so regal...

...except when she is not.

Every woods walk, I find a surprise in the woods.  Who knew the woods was so teeming with interesting things?!

Ineke eventually died of exhaustion.

We gave her a proper snow burial.

(And tried to honor her request NOT to get snow on her face while doing it.)

And then, I grabbed my cellphone to grab a quick snap for instagram (my woods walk accountability partner) and the snow did NOT honor that same request for me.

WoodsWalks 1-4

                 January begins a new year and with it, new goals and aspirations.  I love the openness and expectancy of a new year; the fresh, clean slate.  And I love the reflection on the last year- where I can improve, where I did improve, what I was able to achieve, what really needs my focus now.  Now that it is nearly FEBRUARY, I'll soon be doing a proper post on reflections of last years' goals and what the new ones are for this year.  But for today, I want to share one of the goals for this year that I am most excited about...  a weekly woods walk with the children.  All year long.

CONFESSION: I turn into a hibernating bear in wintertime.  A hibernating SLOTH would be more accurate but sloths don’t hibernate.  I move as little as possible.  I avoid anything to do with the cold unless I absolutely must.  And, it's no wonder, winter can be a very challenging time for me- despair and anxiety and stress creeps in little by little.

(Apparently, sunshine fills my proverbial batteries.)

Coupled with that, I have been thinking a lot lately about how my mothering looks differently, now that I am older,  with my Littles than it did with my Biggle babies.  With the Biggles and some of the Middles, I was growing up with them.  I was making snow angels alongside them and playing hide and seek with them.  Somewhere along the line, the children started playing with siblings and I began staying inside.  I realize this and want to remedy it.  Playing with siblings is so, so good but I do not want to become a dull mother in my old age.  

I hope that this weekly woods’ walk will help with ALL of these things.  I will move my body, even in winter.  I will breathe in deep the fresh air.  I will exhale long.  I will soak up sunshine.  I will feel revived.  I will be encouraging my children to do the same.  And, maybe best of all, I will be a mother who plays, explores and experiences alongside her children once again.  I have already been sledding twice- and I haven’t done that in YEARS!  Moses and I had a very fun time rolling down the pipeline two weeks ago.   Imagine!  Me, 43 years old… rolling down a hill, arms tucked tight and legs flailing- laughing like a child.  It was amazing. 

I am going to take a picture every week for accountability and later, a rememberance book.  At the end of the year, we will have witnessed the woods in all its' seasons, we'll watch it transform and come alive.  

And maybe, just maybe, we'll see the same in ourselves.

WoodsWalk 1:

(First Week challenged My resolve almost immediately when we went out in the middle of a winter snowstorm)

Right behind us was where Matt fell from the sky and lived to tell the tale

Woodswalk 2:

WoodsWalk 3:

Not clever enough to bring sleds along, the pipeline hill begged to be sledded down- so we used coats instead.

Woods Walk 4:

We came prepared this time

 

 “Everyone begins as a child by liking Weather. You learn the art of disliking it as you grow up. Haven’t you ever noticed it on a snowy day? The grown-ups are all going about with long faces, but look at the children—and the dogs? They know what snow’s made for.”

                                                -C.S.Lewis, That Hideous Strength