First of all, Valentines Day every year, we think back to the day we moved to Richmond. This one marked 8 years here for us! There have been times, for various reasons, that I couldnt picture still being here. But, it certainly feels like the best place to be right now. We are so fortunate and so grateful.
So Grammy and PaPa were able to honor a spur of the moment request, and watch the boys for the weekend in NC. This was to give Lesley and I the ability to focus on building a bunk bed for their room. (Yes, we did also just simply have a nice weekend together.) For better or worse, we had decided the best way to do it for the room was to build from scratch. And, it was time; they are simply too big for sharing a double bed, especially considering the way Heath crawls all over the bed and Alder through the night.
Lots of cuts and sanding in sub-freezing temps and bitter windchill, but we did it. They came home to a surprise and loved it. Luckily we already knew that Heath prefered the lower cave, with more room, and that Alder wanted the top. So that worked itself out.
The bunk beds, while a big effort, are sort of a small thing though, marking a big turning point. We don't get to check in on these boys every night any more to untangle them from one anther and make sure they are covered and set for the night. We will do the checking in of course but how we would find them was always a surprise. Would they be sweetly cuddled? What awkward position would Alder be in when he finally gave in and let sleep happen? How would Alder be trying to keep warm since Heath took all the covers? How much of the bed would Heath take up and how close the falling off the edge would Alder be? How can we make sure and use our backs correctly as we bend over and move around these 55 pound sacks of dead weight in the dark?
Another small thing: notice who is reading to who, and who is having a hard time keeping eyes open!
Then, upon bringing the boys back, the snow was falling heavy. By the next morning (yesterday), we had 8 or so inches of perfect sledding powder. All school and work closed, on top of a long weekend.
We have a killer hill - "Dead Mans Hill" - in our neighborhood. It's like watching a pilgrimage to see the kids and families walking from everywhere to get to it when we have good snow. Everyone is happy.
Heath wasn't so into it. First run and he and I got covered in snow. He was done. Understandable.
Alder on the other hand went down alone every time, loving it, hiking back up with no complaints, getting snow in the neck, waiting in line… Just last year he could only take so much. This year he was ready. Heath will be too.
And we all went for a hike along the creek in the forest by our neighborhood. We LOVE hiking in the snow, wildlife track and sign, how the snow and ice play on everything. Everything is so peaceful and newly defined with that white blanket of windswept contour draped all over.
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