So. Winter.
Winter in Finland is dark. Like, really, really dark.
And despite the sun being gracious to us for the past several weeks making its appearance more often than not, the snow around these parts has been kind of dismal (at least when you compare it to what we're used to.) Being that it is so dark most of the time, anytime we see little snowflakes coming from the sky-we get excited. Like, EXCITED. I don't think I ever appreciated snow until I understood how much it does for making things brighter. Live in a dark country through a winter and all of a sudden snow seems like God's gift to all those struggling with the winter blues (ahem, me.) The whole place LIGHTS UP with snow. Snow is good.
Needless to say, the adult part of the Sprague bunch have grown in their love for the white fluffy stuff. Yet, our appreciation will never, EVER compare to the deep affection our girl has for it. She pretends it exists when it doesn't. She squeals when she sees it. When she comes near it, she does what any one who loves something with all their being does-she rubs her face in it. When it slides down her clothes and under her shirt, it bothers her not. She also eats it. Even if it has brown specks on it.
We did what any well-meaning parent should do, and told her it has bugs in it. (Which by the way didn't stop her.) And when you look at how little snow we've gotten this year, 'snow eating' is basically eating dirt with some snow rubbed in. So the probability of bugs is pretty high.
All that being said, when the snow started falling this week, Ben called me up and announced we were going sledding. 'A Last Hoorah' was mentioned. The snow accumulation was kind of non-existent, and yet Eowyn heard him say it and was all about it so there was no turning back. We even played pretend snow before we got to play in the real snow.
By the end of the day, while dismal, it was enough. (Which kind of describes this entire season actually: Dismal sleep, dismal sunlight....yet enough.)
The snow was our girls manna from heaven. Getting to share that with her made for an excellent middle of the week. She went sledding twice. Once nice and slow, with daddy behind her. The second time he gave her a good push and there was not one ounce of fear in her. It was all big smiles and arms raised high. I think Ben might have found his roller coaster partner. The swings beckoned, so sledding was done about as quick as it started.
It was a great last run, if I do say so myself.
(Also, Elias didn't mind it, but was far more interested in sleeping.)
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