A White Christmas

My first ever.

It really snowed too, not just the few inches that came on Tuesday.

After Alex plowed through his smorgasboard of gifts (and the rest of the family opened theirs), Alex and I went to play in the snow.

We played with his tobaggan in his backyard and then set our sights higher.

I dragged him on his sled through the streets to the neighborhood park. The streets were empty of people, by the way. In fact, during my entire stay there, I barely caught a whiff of a neighbor, although I know they're out there because Kathy's already made friends and many plates of cookies / neighborly packages of goodies kept showing up on their expansive kitchen counter.

So the streets were quiet and snow-filled. I pulled him on the sidewalk of course, and made him get off when we had to cross the street.

What a winter wonderland. Everywhere was white. There was so much white that at first it hurts your eyes. Also, when you look around, the snow-covered rooftops blend into the sky and you can't see where the horizon line is.

So at the park, Alex and I played in the snow. I plowed him around and pushed him down the hills. We wrote his name in big letters (he followed my tracks. Nice, simple, easy to write name: ALEX) We made snow-angels. (He knew what they were.) His didn't exactly turn out...he was a little rambunctious about it. We played in the park, on the swings and slide and spring-y dinosaurs. Then more sledding and sliding and rolling in the snow. To top it all off -- me, running with the Alex in the toboggan behind me, nearly all the way home (to his immense glee.) What fun was had. Exhaustive, but fun.

When we got back, I think we played a bit more in the backyard. We had a mini-snowfight. (That is the only kind you can have with 4-year-olds.) It consists of Alex patting snow on my back and head, laughing in a deranged, maniacal, 4-year-old way, informing me he's got me, running off, back to me, and waiting for me to get him back. Whereupon I shoot a tiny (miniature -- about 2") snowball and hitting him smack in his back, and inform the giggling monster, who is already on his way back at me, that I got him. Then I suffer through more full-on snow attacks (tossing snow behind me which showers him but doesn't seem to faze those little arms) before he finally relents and runs away.

I love snow and Alex.

So after that, I tried to study but I think I snoozed a bit. (Had to get up early for Christmas and was extra tired from snow-play.) I wake up, outside is dark, and the house smells delicious.

Dinner time!

We had a great Christmas dinner, like I'm sure everyone else in the world did. We had roast with cabernet au jus, seasoned squash and potatoes, beans, rolls, and for desert -- cheesecake! Homemade! Yum, yum, yum.

The only sad part of the whole trip, besides about Kathy and Alex -- but that either ended or will end soon, was having to go home early because of a stupid storm. My mom's still there, she's staying until Wednesday and flying back. My dad and I drove home today. Hear about that next blog.