Snow!

I was planning on writing about Jonathan's birthday today, however, that has been preempted by the all-too-important first snow of the season post!

Last night when the boys were already asleep, the world became very quiet and I looked outside to this sight:

Being a lover of winter (most people think fall is my favorite season, but really winter has my heart thanks to the beauty of this amazing white stuff), I couldn't just go to sleep, so I sat up and enjoyed the sight while sitting in front of the fireplace. Of course, I soon went upstairs to wake up Michael and show him the pretty sight (his response: lift his head, look, look at me, smile, go back to sleep).

This morning Jonathan came into our room before dawn - moon still high in the sky. Usually, I would grab him and bring him in bed with us. This particular morning, however, I quickly jumped to my feet to whisk him over the the window and show him the magical world of white waiting for us today.

We only had an inch or so, but it provided a morning of fun in the backyard, and set a beautiful backdrop for our daily walk.

Jonathan loved running all over the yard, making tiny snowballs, and mostly shoving as much snow in his face as possible.

After our time in the backyard, we headed to the front for our daily walk on the Fern Ridge Path. Before our journey, we played a bit in the open lot across the street. Jonathan was king of the mountain!

The snow provided a great opportunity to wear daddy's old Big Bird hat (mommy and uncle Gary used to have Big Bird hats too!). Jonathan loved it!

Speaking of birds . . . our walk on the Fern Ridge Path was beautiful and so peaceful. Though there wasn't nearly enough snow to make a winter wonderland, the dusting brought a calm over the landscape, and ice to the water in the wetlands. We saw lots of birds . . . Canadian geese, mallard ducks, blue heron, brown hawk, starlings, chickadees, and this bizarre bird that I still haven't identified:

The scenery was pretty cool too!

As I write this, we are having occasional snow flurries with some minor accumulation. The boy and I are inside sipping warm drinks and sitting in front of the fireplace . . . not a bad way to spend an afternoon!

Thanks for the early welcome present, December!