{ Winter Ice Storm }

The longer we live here in the south, the wimpier I become when it comes to the cold. Growing up in the Midwest, cold and snow were common place. We bundled up, drove through snow and ice every winter for months on end, and enjoyed the beauty that a new fallen snow brought. That last part is the part a sometimes miss. I good snow on Christmas morning every year would be perfect. This year we traded a pretty Christmas morning snow instead for a mid-January ice storm. Everything was covered with a layer of ice. It was a mess to shovel off the driveway, and even worse to drive in, but very beautiful to see from the warmth of my house. Aaron got sent home from work early that day, so it was a day of fun for the kids and him.

Our kids had fun with the other neighborhood kids trying to sled down the front hill, and slip and slide everywhere on the street. Soon, they were cold too, and joined me inside for some hot chocolate and movies. I ventured outside briefly to help our elderly neighbors across the street shovel their driveway and snap a few pictures of our yard. I love ice storms because it always  looks like the water got stuck in time, as if time stood still for a moment or two. I love it. If only I could figure out how to do that with my kids-they are growing up too fast. I may need to talk to old Mother Nature about that time-standing-still recipe-it would be nice.