More Snow

There is something purely magical about snow. The way it seems to float when it just starts to fall. How thick and heavy it can be. How light and soft it can be. How with the right wind it can seem to be moving on a horizontal plane. The way a gentle wind can send a flake back towards the cloud it came from. The way it covers the ground like a soft blanket. I love how it sticks to the bare branches of trees that are hoping one day soon they will start anew. I am so happy my kids are getting to experience winter. Real winter. And that I am too. I know, most of you are done, done, done with the snow, and while I long for warm sunshine, warmer temps, cool breezes, and the gorgeous colors and new life that come with spring, I can't help but enjoy the last little bit of winter while it is here. Maybe it's me just trying to find the happiness, peace and beauty of the present instead of wishing it away, or maybe it's because I've never lived north of the Mason Dixon line, but there is a smile on my face as I watch the snow fall from the heavens and cover the earth once again while my children play. From the warmth of my home, of course. It really is the simple things in life.

Making the discovery.

Ryan showing the snow to Kaitlyn.

About an hour after it started falling.

Never did I think there would be a day where my kids would be able to identify natural snow falling from the sky, nor did I think we would experience snow from a bird's vantage point. We were dancing around the house this afternoon and Ryan ran to the window with one clear as day word. SNOW! The kids stood in front of one of our many floor to ceiling, wall to wall windows and watched from 18 stories off the ground as the snow fell. Now that I am homeschooling, without curriculum, I am constantly looking for teaching moments. Especially those that align themselves with the Sunshine State Standards for education. I LOVE when learning is child led and Kaitlyn was asking all the right questions about snow and I was able to teach her all about precipitation, the seasons, and why snow is snow and not rain if it is all water. Sure, she may have already known a lot of that and was trying to be silly, but I could tell she was enjoying the "lesson."

So while I too am ready for spring, I am so thankful for the quiet moments just appreciating some of the things we take for granted until they are gone. The mesmerizing beauty of the falling snow that never fails to stop me in my tracks, just to watch it do its thing and to thank God for the simple gifts he grants us.

The snow was starting to cover the ground. I love the awe in Kaity's voice.