Melanie ~ look at me with starry eyes...

I gave the kids a big box to play with, they coloured it and then played in it and then the fighting started. Amelia (next door neighbour) has been getting bossier and meaner to Reagan, and Reagan has been taking it pretty well, and tries to be very diplomatic, but last night was in tears, just tired and then overwhelmed by Amelia. I could see it going that way again today. Last night I chatted with Reagan about how proud I was of her for being so accommodating to Amelia, and how she was showing me what a great big sister she'd be, but that I would talk to Amelia about being fair and not just being the boss of everything.

Tim went and got a second box for them to play with, but I told them that if the box was a little smaller, the bigger one would go to Reagan because she is 8 and bigger, and Amelia is 5 and smaller. Amelia says "But I have a bigger mouth!". I said "Well, that might be true, but you are still having the smaller box" and then went to laugh elsewhere.

Tim shoveled the driveway a bit more, made it wider so the car could fit in and out. We watched the crazy neighbours across the road trying to get out of their driveway. There was a car parked on the other side of the road, but completely covered in snow. The man backing up must not have realized that because he rammed into the car TWICE before he hit it hard enough to realize it was there. They kill me. They are the same neighbours who got four cars stuck in the snow all at once. One would get stuck, so they'd pull out the next one.

The girls played in the snow and in a giant puddle across the road, till they were completely soaked. I'm washing all their clothes now. The neighbour boy next door is making an awesome igloo tunnel thing in the snow. It was so warm outside, I put my coat down and sat in the snow with just a t-shirt on.

Shaved Tim's head.. well, buzzed it short.

Need to go figure out dinner! Reagan's school is closed tomorrow, need to phone her stepdad and see how their roads are. If they are too bad, it might be an idea to keep Reagan an extra day.

Took Reagan out and even though there wasn't a single pair of water proof kids gloves to be found in this city, I did find her boots. Not winter boots, but cute pink polka dot rain boots, so she can just double up her socks and keep herself dry. Bought some mittens, but they are fairly useless, as soon as they get wet they are no good. She can wear mine over top.

We stopped in at McKay's used books and bought a huge pile of books, a few for me, a few for her, and a bunch for me to read to her: the next three in the Little House on the Prairie series, plus 5 of the Borrowers series. I'll start reading those to Reagan next, I loved them when I was a kid. Just read her chapter one of Little House on the Praire. I also bought the first Emily book, by L.M. Montgomery. I have them all in Canada, but I've been wanting to re-read them. It might be years before all my books are here in Virginia.

The snow has been coming down hard all day, but just started sticking. Was too warm earlier. Tomorrow, if I'm feeling well enough, I'll go with Amy, Amelia and Reagan (and Tim if he wants) to the big sledding hill at the middle school up the road.

Poor Tim is out at the store again, we are having ham and bean soup for dinner and he wanted biscuits, but I forgot we were out of butter. He's picking some up, as well as chocolate chips, with the promise that I'll finally bake him some cookies.

My (bonus) child is full of vim and vigor, way over excited about the snow.

I'm looking through snowflakes at cherry blossoms.... Yesterday I was laughing at all the places around here getting snow, while we had sunshine... and now we have snow and it's almost May!! Bizarre!