Snow!!!!

Today we woke up to a wonderful surprise:  snow!!

Now, this may not look like a lot to some of you, but for our area, this is a good-sized snowfall. :)

Hayden and Jenna enjoyed getting out in the crisp weather. :)

Our beautiful street

A few shots of our transformed backyard.  

Jenna and Hayden enjoy the view.

The snow kept falling in huge flakes for a good hour or so.  It was so fun to see the world slowly turn whiter and whiter.

Even Belle, Robby, and Emilie got in on the fun! :)

Of course, my daughters were super excited to go out and play.  They brought out their dolls for a few photos, too.

I couldn't get over how beautiful all of the plants and trees looked under a fine dusting of snow.

The girls soon got serious about playing in the snow and left their dolls in the safety of the little back porch, under the eaves. 

Middle Gal made this cute baby snowman.

It was just the right size for her Felicity doll. :)

Oldest Gal made a bigger snowman out on the lawn.

After Hubby got home between jobs and the girls were warming their toes while watching a movie, I decided to get my main 8 dolls in their wintry gear and capture a few pics in the pretty snow.  This group shot was taken in my front yard, which was super daring for me.  I normally only take 2 or 3 larger dolls out at a time. First, because it's easier to set them up for photos (especially in the snow where there's no extra spot to set them down), and second, because my neighbors usually don't stare too badly if I only have a couple of dolls. ;)  One of our next door neighbors, an older gentleman, came out just as I was finishing this shoot.  He didn't laugh or anything, and even offered to help hold up a doll for me so I could get a photo. :)  It's nice to have such considerate people living right next to us. :)  (This also goes to show you that you're never too old to outgrow feeling a little sheepish doing doll photos in broad daylight. :}  I'm so glad I did, though...the pictures turned out great!)

I thought it would be fun to get some new individual shots of each of the girls.  Here are some of the ones I took (you can see most of these on my sidebar, too):

Rachel

Charlie

Emma

Hailey

Maggie

Tess

Jenna

Hayden

All in all, it was a lovely morning.  The snow is still on the ground hours later, which is nothing short of miraculous in this area.  Usually, if we get snow, it only lasts for an hour or so at the most.  It's so nice to look out and see the snow still covering the ground.  I'm just glad I don't have to go anywhere. ;)

I'd like to end this post with a thank you to all of you who have been praying for me and my family.  This month has been tough in a lot of ways, but it's also been a great opportunity to see the Lord work and provide just when we needed it most.  From that unexpected rewards check from Costco I'd forgotten about that allowed us to get the groceries we needed before payday this week, to the way Hubby was able to negotiate with Charter on a better deal so that we don't have to cancel our Internet (yay!!!), I've seen Him at work in the little things.  I'm so thankful for a God Who cares about the seemingly insignificant things in our lives.

This is not going to be a quick fix, and we're going to have to remain disciplined, especially these next few months, in order to keep on course.  But God is good.  We have our home, a special Christmas to look forward to with our families, and 3 beautiful girls.  In light of the horrific events of the past week in Newtown, Connecticut, I am reminded more and more of how brief, precious, and unpredictable life is.  We need to live each moment to its fullest.  I need to remember how quickly these years with my children will pass by when I'm tempted to answer them unkindly or impatiently.  My heart aches for the parents who lost their sweet little ones last week and will now have to face Christmas without them.  My thoughts and prayers are with them, as I'm sure yours are too.  

I hope that you and yours have a truly wonderful Christmas together next week.  I'm not sure if I'll have another post up before Christmas or not...I'll just have to play it by ear.  From here on out, it's pretty much craziness and rushing from one activity to another until January. ;)

Talk to all of you again as soon as I can. :)