Excitement on the Coast

I live in the south on the gulf coast for a reason. A very very good reason: I am NOT a good cold weather person. I Love that I can often put up Christmas lights in shorts, not have to buy my kids coats--ever--because a simple jacket is more than sufficient, and that we can start swimming outside in April.

Occasionally it does get cold here. Chilly isn't uncommon, but bone-chilling-freaking cold is definitely the exception here.

We spent four years living in Kentucky, and another four in northern Arkansas, and let me tell you. It can get COLD. Freaking Cold. And all you Utah, Colorado, and wherever else you choose to live and freeze and get multiple feet of snow every year--I did that too. I did the Colorado thing, and it was fun--as a child. But looking back on it, snow angels, snowball fights, sledding parties, and walking two miles in the snow to buy hot chocolate from the 7-11 when we had a snow day b/c it snowed three feet--yeah, I'm not missing much! While I had fun doing those things, I always came inside with numb fingers and frozen toes--despite the horribly ULGY snow boots and all the warm crap you piled on in layers in an attempt to keep yourself alive. I'm shuddering just thinking about it.

This morning, the unheard of happened. It snowed. Yikes!! All of about an inch, and it even stuck on the ground! On the freaking gulf coast! It's a cold, wet slushy snow that's going to very quickly melt. So we got the kids up out of bed with the "Hey, get up, look out the window at the SNOW!!!" and they jumped up and ran to throw their clothes on as fast as they could. The race was on when I told them that whoever got finished first got to take out the dog. Who knew that would ever be a treat?

It was fun. The dog found out that she likes eating snow. It's almost like drinking water! Who knew?

Who also knew that the snow would freeze whatever mice were out there, and that the cute sweet little puppy dog would be able to find the corpse in the snow and drag it inside and EAT IT???

I'm so incredibly grossed out. Jacob might drive me completely up the walls sometimes (ha--who am I kidding? He drives me up the walls often!) but that kid is an incredible pooper scooper, bug/lizard catcher/killer and now mouse picker-upper.

Snow and Hot chocolate--a wonderful combination and what my kiddos are currently enjoying with their grits, while warming up after their snowball fights. (They had to jump on the trampoline in the snow too.)

Snow and dead mice. What a totally disgusting combination!