We went to the snow. It was glorious. Of course we packed like we were going to Indonesia to trek in the Himalayas for ten weeks. When really we were only going overnight in the mountains about an hour away. The trip was so worth it because we were together. Because when we drove twenty minutes out of town and Nathan could see snow on the mountains, his voice had awe in it and every mountaintop that had even the briefest sprinkling of snow had him saying "EMMA! LOOK!! SNOW!!" He wanted us to get out on the side of the freeway so he could touch snow. We assured him that he would see plenty of snow. But he wanted to see it NOW.
To me the snow looked a little thin. I had anxiety the whole way up because what if there wasn't enough snow? We just needed a little bit to sled on, I kept thinking. I hope this works out.
Turns out our friend's mom's cabin that we were going to is tucked up way high in the mountains along the Angeles National Forest. Two houses away from snowy wilderness. Their entire house was dripping, like it was defrosting in the snow. And there was snow. Up to our knees in some places. Being in California, you could look across to the South side of the mountain slope next to us and there was dry, brown mountain. But if you looked on the North side, you could see Santa and his reindeer frolicking.
The kids slid down the slope on sleds. On discs. On the seat of their snowpants. The first time we went out we must have sledded for about an hour, when Nathan had to go back in because his feet were hurting. When I got him back to the cabin, I pulled off his rainboots and they were packed inside with snow. INSIDE. He might as well have sledded barefoot, I told him. He thought that was funny.
We spent alot of time with the dryer, when indoors. Filling the dryer with snowpants and snowy things. Taking them out, reapplying them to children, and going out to wet them down with sledding hills again.
By the second day we were mad sledders. The kids went down on the their knees, stomachs, faces. They tried surfing. I slid down on my stomach and Emma leaped onto my back as I passed. We crashed, flew, cried, landed. On the way back to the cabin I showed Emma how you could fling yourself over into the deep snow and land like a smashed grapefruit. We did this several times. Throwing yourself into snow feels great. It's always so supportive, and nice and clean. Plus you can eat it.
Emma and I made snow angels. Of course I didn't bring the charger for my video camera, so I only got about a minute of footage. Our snow angels had tiny heads but big, magnificent wings. And hers was so close next to mine, my little angel. I guess I keep thinking how lucky I am. All these kids. Emma with her missing front teeth and her hopefulness. We exhausted ourselves in that snow. Even Lilly, who went sledding until she had to finally eat. Even after she flew off the sled and into a snow bank. She sledded her big grinning 20 month old head off.
All the way home tonight, Nathan was missing the snow. I, too, was missing the snow. Just to be someplace else, even for a night, and trying something fun and being with friends... All that white, and everything dripping, and all those trees just growing there with nothing else to do. We saw a double rainbow in the sky. Why did we come back? The only good thing was, our white minivan Blizzard came down off the mountain will all of us in it, still together.
Next time we'll bring up snow boots, and stay longer.
