Minne-SNOW-ta

Mother Nature decided to tease us up here in the far North with a week of what we call flip-flop, t-shirt weather. The rest of the nation would probably be bundled up in sweaters and long john's when it's 40+ degrees and there is snow on the ground, but up here in the Midwest, when Spring starts and the thermometer gauge shoots anywhere past a freezing 32 degrees, we lose the coats and pull out the flip flops. I'm not joking. The week of Valentine's Day found us out and about in spring coats and sweatshirts and shaving just so we could wear flip flops. It was heavenly.


Then she dumped well over a foot of snow on us. Sunday about 10 am the deluge started and didn't stop until Monday night. Mike claims his angel baby Sophie sent it to us, to pretty up the scenery for her already amazingly beautiful memorial service. If that is the case, she performed per her usual...to the extreme. Thank you Sophie Belle. I'm sure the only people who enjoyed it more than Libby and I was her big brother Channing.


So, what are two girls to do when it's snowed some 15 inches?! (Especially when there was no need to shovel, since their beloved Dad/Poppy and cousin Andy braved the weather to come snowblow it?) Why, what any true Minnesota girls would do: we donned our snow suits, packed up the sleds, and headed off to the nearest hill with Uncle Jonah!

This was only our second sledding adventure this winter. The first was shortly after Christmas, when I took Libby out by myself. She didn't really have that much fun, opting to sit and scoot her butt down the hill rather than sit in her sled and go down.


Not this time.


I think it took someone sledding with her to realize how much fun it can be. Her first run with mama was illicited a smile and some shrieks of delight (but only because she was copying mama.) Her second run with Uncle Jonah filled the cool quiet air with the melodious giggles of a toddler.

By the third run, she had perfected the art of sledding like only a lil' Minnesotan can, and was heading down the hill by herself sending up whoops of delight and squeals of sweet laughter the whole time. Always with a "un mo?" (one more) at the bottom.

The "un mo?"s didn't last for long. Pretty soon she was telling us she wanted to go eight and nine more times. After quite a few trips down the hill (with an equal number of trips hauling sleds and little girls UP the hill) we set up a countdown from five. And she made every single run. Boy, did she ever.

Eventually, we packed up and headed home. Despite the sunshine and snowsuits, even lil' Minnesotan's get cold. And their mama's and uncles realize how out of shape they are after the millionth climb up a snow covered hill. It was a much needed adventure for us though.

Sledding I learned, is a nice release for the soul. Nothing can lighten you up like giggling like a kid again as you run jumps that have you flying off your sled and getting snow down your pants. Good for a mama's soul too, seeing your little girl with a smile as bright as the sun and hearing her sweet giggles fill the air.


Minne-snow-ta winters sure can make for a lot of joy.