"Mommy, my hands are freezing!"

Stephen had to work late last night, so I decided to head for the hills and chase the newly-fallen, mountain snow. I mean, how often is the white stuff within driving distance of my little Bay area home? I didn't have an exact destination in mind, just up, up, up until we hit the snow, so there was a bit of meandering until we hit Highway 9. Bennett was getting concerned after a half-hour of driving and no visible snow yet. "Do you know where you're going, Mommy?" and "Where's the snow?" kept coming from the back seat. I sometimes forget that a mom like me can really stress out a kid like Bennett. He is a lot like Stephen in his need for planning and structure and predictability, which is why I usually save spontaneous outings like "Let's go chase the snow, kids!" for when Daddy's not home.

When we finally did reach the snow, however, all of B's stress melted right away as he caught his first glimpses. "I see it, Mommy, I see it!" I may as well have been five years old myself, though, the way I couldn't stop smiling at the blanketed trees and little white piles on the sides of the road. Seeing all that beautiful winter scenery was food for my snow-starved soul--apparently absence has made my heart grow fonder (especially when I think of how I used to complain about it when I lived in UT). As we approached the top, Benito kept asking to get out and see it, so we pulled over and frolicked midst the snow-capped trees and gorgeous views of the lighted valley below. Eli was fast asleep in the van with content Millie by his side, so it was just B and I throwing snowballs at each other. This cute couple gave Bennett their miniature snowman and laughed at his shock over how cold his hands were from touching the snow. First-timer through and through.