Let It Snow, Winter Wonderland!

Maranda's first snow. Well, she actually has seen it before when she was two years old on her birthday in November over Thanksgiving, but she claims not to remember that!



We usually make it up to Michigan to visit family each year. Working in the school system I have the summers off too, so it's easy to travel at that time. Plus Michigan is so beautiful in the summer. My sister has a cottage (they call it a cottage, it's more like a summer house) in Traverse City. We were up there one summer for the Cherry Festival. My parents used to have a boat out at Grand Haven. Lots of things to do and see.



This year Maranda said she wanted to see snow, and decided Christmas would be a good time. We both had two weeks off from school. Wade was able to get the vacation time since he didn't go to the Jet Ski World Finals in Lake Havasu this year. By the time we could figure this out it was too late to buy air tickets. Maranda wasn't too excited about driving up, she has always flown, but we made it. We stayed the first night at a friends house in the mountains in North Carolina. As turned out with all the winter weather this Christmas, and airports full of people and delays....it was a good thing we drove. What clinched it for Maranda was when Wade told her we wouldn't get sick, like you do when you fly.



So here is the snow highlights of the trip.

We first spotted it in the mountains in Tennessee. Just a little dusting. It was funny, at one stop for lunch we made she said "look, snow droppings" pointing at a little patch of snow that had not melted yet. Then when we were driving through Ohio it actually snowed. Wade told her to look out the windshield, and she said "oh snowdrops". Okay, so I had to teach her "snow lingo". I told her they'd think she was a Florida girl or something. She said "I am a Florida girl"


She didn't go out and touch the snow right away, she did wait until the next day. On mom and dad's back deck we even got to see icicles!

Wow, they were even low enough where she could grab one.

I took photos from her phone camera too so she could send it to her friends.

I was telling her to be careful when she grabbed it in case it all broke off and fell. Which she was careful, (I think it's her middle name) when her aunt reached out the door and just grabbed one and ripped it off!

She finally picked up some snow. It was not the packing kind on this day. Just wait a few days after the rain. It snowed after the all day rain on Christmas and it packed good. She wouldn't through it at anyone though (she's so nice).

Her next winter adventure, ice skating!

My sister told us we should go downtown and skate! She needed a little help from her cousins.
But I give her credit for going out there when it was so busy and snowy! It was funny how you could catch a snowflake reflection with the flash!

She wasn't the only one hanging out around the edge of the rink. Of course mom, Karen and I were just watching. Someone had to take the photos!

It was chilly, but fun!

I had to show her how the snow was collecting in her hood. After skating we walked over to Friday's. We were all wet when that snow melted. There was even a bicycle taxi dropping someone off in the snow! Brrrr...

The day after Christmas we went to my other sister's house. First time that I've seen it since it was finished. It was pretty as a picture!

Across the street they had a hill, so Maranda got a chance to go sledding for the first time ever!! It was a nice small hill for her to start on.
There she goes her first ride down!

She was not sure about this at all. I wish I could of captured the panicked look her face.

Oh, you mean I have to walk up the hill?

Every one did join in, they all weren't just standing there. It was fun I even went.

Maranda with her cousins, Jessica and Kendra.

We did end up having almost everyone going down the hill. It was nice because we just went across the street and we could go in and get something warm to drink and sit by the fire.

But before we went in Kendra did get Maranda to make a snow angel! Everyone was asking if she's made a snow angel yet. Again, she still wasn't sure about laying in the snow!
Kendra's snow angel!

Let It Snow! Thanks all for looking!