I meant to post this sooner but it took me forever to dump my recent pictures for some reason. The day after the snow day, I took my camera with me when I took Hayley to school. The buses were all late and no one else was waiting around the school yard yet, probably due to the fact that although some streets had been cleared, side streets were still a disaster and no one had bothered much with driveways or sidewalks. We stood in the empty schoolyard which was just about the only thing that had actually been partially cleared yet. But they left enough huge piles of snow to make any kid ecstatic.

Can you imagine being a young kid and walking into your schoolyard to find that? Hayley was ecstatic. She couldn’t help herself and ended up throwing herself to the ground to make a snow angel, and then she started playing while we waited for the bell to ring. I was freezing but it was fun to watch how happy she was.

She told me that at recess and lunch time recess they had the best time out in the snow. Kids were playing all kinds of games and were probably not thrilled to come back inside. Ah, youth.

She’s also had a lot of fun with her tea set (and between the one we got for Breanna’s birthday and this new one, we have enormous tea parties now!) and has played with it every day since buying it. She also won’t even get into bed at night without her new doll. Maybe she’s finally found a special doll after five years of being mostly ambivalent.

The tea pot that stores everything is huge.

But you have to see it next to her to get the perspective on how huge it truly is.

I’m still impressed with her choices for toys all by herself. Such a good little shopper!

Tomorrow is the last day of class before the holiday break. They’re having a pajama party and all the kids will wear pajamas all day long. She is so excited that I thought she wouldn’t sleep at all – instead she fell asleep within ten minutes after staying up 20 minutes later than bedtime so we could watch the old Rudolph special. It’s so nice to sit with my own two kids and watch Christmas specials that meant so much to me as a kid too.

I can’t believe Christmas is just around the corner!