Let it Snow: Meilani revels in her first Snow Play Day

For the Martin Luther King holiday on Monday we decided to take a family excursion to the snow. We had planned to go with our friends, the Schultzes, but one of their girls was sick so we set out on our own. This was Meilani's first snow romp. We bundled her up in lots of layers, including the hat and scarf Mama made and even an extra layer for her "baby." Meilani (thankfully) slept in the car and Mama and Daddy got some good quality connecting time.

We arrived at Shaver Lake (about an hour's drive from our place) just as the snow started coming down. Perfect timing! Meilani was definitely intrigued. We rolled down the windows and dined on our picnic lunch in the car. "SnowSnowSNOW!" Meilani squacked. "SNOW Down," she announced, making sure we noticed that the snow was indeed falling down. She was eager.

Meilani was especially proud of her new "boots" that we found at a Swap & Shop party last week at my friend Jessica's place. We got these black boots for $3 - such a deal compared to the $15 ones we scoped out at the store. (In Fresno, there's not really a need for boots except for these occasional snow days. That would be another story if we were in Chicago...)

After we bundled her all up and successfully got on a pair of mittens we headed out. There was no mystery as to where the coolest spots were near Shaver Lake. Dozens of families lined the hills equipped with sleds, tubes, and other makeshift sliding devices. The whole area echoed with peels of laughter and joy.

We fashioned a sled for Meilani out of a cardboard box since we didn't think the adult-sized sled would really work. Surprisingly, she was timid about sledding at first and kept saying "MamaMamaHold" so Mama would hold her tight. But by the end of the day, she was the fearless creature we know her to be.

We also took a little hike up into the woods and paused to make snow angels in the newly-fallen snow. Again, this was a first for Meilani so she was curious and concerned about what Mama was doing laying in the snow, flapping her arms. Then she joined in the fun.

Daddy put Meilani in the hiking backpack to give her a little break and a better view of our woods walk. At this point, we realized she was either too bundled or too cold because she just stared for about 20 minutes - almost lethargic. But we warmed her up with the new sights to see.

Daddy even got in on some sledding action. We found a lid to a plastic container (someone else's makeshift sled). He took this state-of-the-art snow flyer for a few rides. Fun! "More!" squealed Meilani as she looked on.

After a few hours or reveling in the snow we eagerly packed back in the car, changed into dry clothes and gulped some hot peppermint tea and oatmeal cookies. The day was a great escape with Daddy from our usual Monday routine.