Snow

Dear Princess,

This is you, four years old, playing outside in the snow with me and M.  It was already dark, my mom wasn't feeling good that day and she was lying down on the couch, so I took you girls outside even though it was dark to give her some peace and quiet and still let you have fun and be kids.  I had just bought those snow pants at Once Upon A Child so we could play in the snow more often that year.  You can't see them, but you also had on Dora boots that I got at Kmart, which you loved, you walked around saying "Dowa-boots" so proudly.  I really wanted to buy the butterfly ones, but you had to have your "Dowa-boots".

Out in the snow, you were so shy at first.  Stood by the bushes looking really uncertain about the whole snow thing.  You had a really fun time brushing the snow off the bushes and laughing as it fell, while M made snowballs to throw at me (I asked her not to throw them at you, you were a sensitive little girl and I thought you might be upset).

When you saw M lay down in the snow to make a snow angel, I think you thought she was crazy at first.  Then I did it too, and we laughed because no matter how hard we try, we ALWAYS step on our snow angels getting up.  You decided you wanted to join in the fun... but what I think you didn't quite remember clearly from the previous winter, was that... well, snow is cold.  The mittens you're wearing belonged to my brother when he was little, I put them on you because they were waterproof.  But I didn't count on that one thing.  You know how when you're wearing a coat and gloves, if you bend your wrist a certain way, there's that little sliver of skin that's exposed?  I tried to put your coat on over your mittens so that wouldn't happen, but when you laid down to make your snow angel, I could see that I failed.

You weren't upset yet, so I helped you make your angel.  You didn't quite understand how to move your arms and legs just right, so I stood over you and helped move them for you until you got the hang of it.  I snapped pictures with difficulty through my own thick gloves.  Then, almost out of nowhere you started to cry.  And I looked down and there was snow wedged in that little spot between mitten and coat.  You wouldn't get up, I had to awkwardly pick you up in that puffy snowsuit to comfort you.  We had been having fun, I didn't want to go in, so I took my own gloves off and tried to re-situate your coat and mitten... and you were happy with that for a while, but then after a few minutes of making snowballs with M (and throwing them at me!  What ever happened to not ganging up on somebody, huh?  <3 ), you were whimpering again with snow in your mitten and I couldn't get it out.

This time, I hoisted you up on my hip and we went inside.  I made a mental note to get you some better mittens.  We took off all our snow gear on the towels in front of the door, like always, and then you and M played (very quietly and peacefully) while I stirred up a pot of hot chocolate.  You always loved marshmellows in yours, so many of them that I had to get the bag out multiple times.  We all sat and warmed up drinking hot chocolate, traumatic snow-in-mitten incident forgotten, and outside in the yard were three unique, even if not perfect, snow angels.

Love you forever,
Katie