holy snow, batman!

I thought we were going to get away with a relatively un-snowy winter, but apparently Mother Nature has decided to make up for some lost time. After our local weathercasters finished one-upping their snow accumulation predictions from an expected 2-4 inches to an ultimate 6-9 inches in the city and non-stop snow for the last 12 hours or so, we've ended up with, I'm told, about 6 inches total.

But apparently I'm brave or crazy or both because I didn't let this stop me from getting out of the house and over a few blocks to the weekly playgroup. After all, if I can handle walking through waist-deep snow in sub-zero temperatures after Muncie's big blizzard last February, this would be a cakewalk.

So I bundled both Garrett and myself up and off we went. It was beautiful outside. So quiet, so white, so still -- so serene. And, happily, it was not too cold. Just snowy, just wet. So we had a lovely walk, made even lovelier by the fact that most of our route had already been shoveled. I fully intended to snap some photos, but because it was still snowing pretty heavily and I didn't want to be the one responsible for water-logging our camera, I didn't. (My friend, Rachel, however, caught a bit of the beauty before it turned too trampled and slushy.)

Of course I was the only one who showed up to the playgroup, but that was fine. I got to spend some quality time chatting with my friend, Kari, and her two adorably energetic girls (seriously, her daughter, Hazel, is the biggest reason nursery every Sunday is so entertaining). By the time we walked home, most of the snow on the sidewalk had turned to wet, puddly slush, worn warm by the many feet that had already trampled through it.

Back home and dried off, I snapped a few pictures from our windows. The first is a street view and the second is of the back of the building. Like I said, it's not nearly as pretty as it was earlier this morning, but use your imaginations (and, for those of you in Utah and other snow-ridden places, your experience), and I'm sure you'll get the idea.


Apparently the NYC Parks Commission is providing free sledding and hot chocolate in parks throughout the five boroughs today, which sounds like a lot of fun, but maybe for another time (like when Garrett's old enough to enjoy something like that). I feel like I've fulfilled my duty of going out to experience the snow, and now I fully intend to spend the rest of the day curled up on the couch with hot cocoa and books (or spread out on the floor with Garrett and his toys, engaged in a tickle fest, as the case may in reality be), enjoying it from indoors. And isn't that one of the most satisfying things about snowy days: the getting to relax and warm up indoors after having a good time outside playing in it?

But before I go, I have to dish with you the fabulous deal I got yesterday. I stopped in Payless to try to figure out exactly what shoe size Garrett wears (he's a 2, in case you were dying to know) and found the most adorable pair of blue and white velcro sneakers. I've been on the lookout for velcro shoes for him because his current pair have laces and I'll tell you what: infant, or even toddler, shoes should not have laces on account of the kicking that invariably occurs while trying to get them tied. The sticker price said they were $15, which, whoa, is too much to spend on a tiny pair of shoes for a baby who's not even walking yet. But then I saw the pink version of the same shoe marked at $7.99. I had the salesclerk price check the blue ones and sure enough, they were ringing up cheap: only $7 on clearance. They had them in size 2 AND size 3, so I thought, well, if it's gonna be essentially buy-one-get-one free, I might as well get them both, one for now and one for later, so I went to the counter to purchase them. Only THEN I was informed that they were having one of their buy-one-get-one-half-off sales. So instead of paying $30 for two pairs of shoes, I paid $10.50. For TWO pairs. I have to say, I walked out of that store most pleased with myself and my unwitting ability to get a bargain. And aren't they just so precious?