Happy 2012! And here's to snow!

Happy 2012! Unfortunately 2011 was not the year of the blog, but here's to another year of not just good intentions, but also commitment. I've so much to share and catch up on that it is overwhelming, so rather than do it all at once, I'm just going to start writing. Updates will come and slowly our lives will be documented again. I love the idea of our family having a record of our milestones - big and small, serious and silly. I also hope this blog will serve as a good update to family and friends afar - leave me comments if you read a post and enjoy it.

Today was our first snow of the season and for some reason, it feels like the new year started today. We had a terrible round of illness/stomach flu over the holiday, and it finally feels like we're recovered and caught up on life. You really can't match the joy on kid's faces when it snows. The excitement of building a snowman, the delight of an unexpected snowball fight, the pleasure of a perfect snow angel on a perfectly untouched patch of snow - there really is nothing like it.

In addition to my first blog post of 2012 - I also embraced another resolution - being present. The kids were so anxious to go outside and David had just returned from a golf week-end. I was ready for a break in the action - ideally in the form of a good work-out and a moment to myself. As I helped the kids find gloves, hats and snow boots - they asked "who is coming outside with us?" In truth, I really don't like the snow. It is cold, it is wet, and invariably my feet end up freezing. My fingers are still partially numb as I type this.

But...I want my kids to have the memory of me playing with them in the snow, being present, and enjoying their laughter. So, I threw on my snow gear, packed a bag of carrots (for noses), cherry tomatoes (for smiles), and small oranges (for eyes? - who has coal anyway?), and headed outside. David brought Taylor and even though it was a wet snow - we made a memory. The kids were building snowmen and then Jake was dive tackling them, we had a snowball fight, snow angels were made, and our yard/driveway/street is littered with footprints, balls of snow, and angel prints. A successful day in the snow.

I read something the other day by Kristin Armstrong, my new favorite author. She said one of her goals as a parent is to ask "how are you?" as much as she says "hurry up", "get your shoes on", etc. This resonated with me - amidst the hussle bussle of school, sports, work, therapies, and life - taking time for fun and conversation is really the most important thing.

So it was timely yesterday when Jake paid me a huge compliment. I had just said "Jake, you are really good at art." And he replied "Mom, you are really good at...uh...making lunches. Oh, and making people happy." I've never had a greater compliment.

Here's to many more blogs this year!