Snow days...

Last week was the big snow/ice storm of '11!  We were snowed in for 4 days and it was pretty sweet.  There have been crackeling fires, hot chocolate, snowball fights, homemade soup with friends, movies watched, and lots of sledding. It has been a fun week with Ric home and the kids all here....almost like another Christmas break...without the presents!

We have the honor  ,misfortune on most cases, of living next to a huge chert pit...which is basically a big red mud hole where they dig for dirt.  I hate that it is there on most days...last week is not included in those days.  We took anything we thought was somewhat capable of sliding down a hill and headed over the ridge with two families that live near us.  We had boogey boards, storage bin lids, inner tubes, and a sandbox top(which didn't work so good).  The kids LOVED sledding down the frozen hills...over and over again.  They honestly didn't tire of it, except for Jesse who fell the whole time because he was too light to crack through the frozen snow when he walked...and Addie who had a near fatal crash with her bestie Sydney!!  After the crash, Boo was done!

We had been out there for a good hour or so when she crashed, when the boys found a new hill to go down.  It was AWESOME!  It was tall...steep...and even had two jumps in it.  I had the honor of taking the trial run(thanks Trav)...and boy, it was sweet.  Ric was up top with the kids and he was trying to get Addie to slide down the hill...she was still traumatized by the last spill and didn't want anything to do with it!  Ric was assuring her she would be fine, but by the death grip she had on his arm, she was thinking otherwise.  So what does any good Dad do?  He lets her death grip stay in place...he lays on his stomach...and he slides down that massive hill right next to her, reassuring her all the way.  Her face went from fear to sheer excitment faster than you can say bodysurfingdownasnowbank....and she loved it! And I loved her daddy even more for it!

It reminded me, that my job as a parent, is to love...nurture...hold their hand when fear rears it's ugly head...to listen..to slide down ice covered hills on our stomach's.  I love being a mom...watching my husband be a dad, and being a parent is always a fresh reminder of the Father's love for me.  His love reached way farther than a snow covered mountain...it stretched to a mountain called Calvary...oh, what a Savior!  So as I reflect on this past week and the snow/ice storm we had...I will remember lots of things.  I will remember the fires we sat by and played Sorry, the hot choclate that was consumed, the good times we had with friends and neighbors, the good food that we ate....and Ric and Addie going down the hill together...death grip and all!  I will also choose to think about Jesus...and how good He is to me...an undeserving sinner!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

in my place condemned he stood;

sealed my pardon with his blood.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

*and no, I am a terrible mom and so didn't take any pictures of my kids sledding...the terrain was just too dangerous to carry my precious T1i over the ridge...just sayin'!