Almost Missed It

Today, I almost missed it.

But I didn't...

It started early this afternoon when the boys came in from sledding. They all dried off, changed clothes, and retired to deep, warm corners of the couches. This was the perfect time to settle in for a movie. Just as I found a corner and a blanket, Gable looked at me and asked, "Hey mom, will you go exploring with me?" Exploring? Exploring on this day meant going sledding in the woods. In the woods, which is outside, which is cold and wet and about the farthest that one can get from the deep recesses of a couch piled high with boys, pillows, and blankets. But it was Gable....and he's sweet and cute, doggone it.

So we pulled on our gear and grabbed our sleds. I offered to sled with him in the backyard, but he had his mind set on exploring, as you may recall. So we set off into the woods. He showed me the path that he and Jonah had made in the snow this morning. We sledded it. We walked through the snow and noticed the rug of leaves just beneath. We saw the deer prints and turkey tracks. The raccoon home and the creek that was half ice, half water. Gable was so proud of all the new hills that he and Jonah had found. The only problem was that this was in the woods, which means lots of small trees and sticks. We found ourselves sledding at full speed down a hill and then coming to a complete stop against a log. And Gable found out that sledding face-first belly-down is not a good position in the woods. He found this out when a wayward stick punctured his neck.

And I am saddened to say that I almost missed this. Even while we were outside, I was tempted to say, "Okay, that's enough. I am going now." And Gable would have been fine with that. But I wouldn't have. I would have missed so much with Gable.

A few minutes later, Jonah came plowing out, now recharged and ready to go. We crossed the street and found some new hills that ended in the creek. And at this creek, we found the motherlode. Icicles. The biggest, most beautiful icicles hanging from the mini-waterfall. Beautiful. The boys promptly decided that they must have one for a popsicle. Seeing them dangling over freezing cold water, balanced precariously on a stick and a rock - it was nail-biting and hilarious at the same time. I figured we were surely headed for disaster, but in the end, the boys both struck gold. We came home with 20" icicles that took two hands to circle.

They are in our bathtub if you care to see them. I'm sure they'll be alive for a few more days...