Snow!

We finally had some moisture find its way to Arizona the last couple of days.  Snow levels were as low 2,700 feet at some points.  This means there was snow only 15 minutes north of us!  The snow at this level did not last long at all but we did get some much needed and welcomed rain.  Anyhow, the sight of snow all around us inspired us to take the boys northwards and play in the snow.  It was their first experience with the cold, wet, fluffy, white stuff.  =)

After Trent got off of work this afternoon, we packed all the gear (way more than we ever needed to bring), loaded up the truck, picked up the boys, and headed north.  The little guy passed out before we even left the neighborhood, but the oldest was wide awake and excited the entire time!  In just the past week the boys have had 2, now 3, mountain driving adventures.  The oldest laughs through every minute of it.  He even rocks himself side to side to mimic the twists and bends in the road.  So as we set off for our adventure today, he could not wait to see what would happen next.  Around every mountainous curve all we could hear from the back seat was laughter and "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, weeeeeeeeeeeeee, weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"  Two of the most precious sounds in the world this afternoon. =)

We drove about 45 minutes north before we finally hit any kind of substantial snow levels.  The rain from this morning's storm melted most of the lower level snow.  Anyhow, as soon as we reached the snow, our oldest was in awe.  His eyes were wide open, mouth agape, and he had the most inquisitive look in his eyes.  When we finally reached an area we could pull over play, he was so excited to get out of the car.  He did not want to wait to put on more clothes and winter jackets, he just wanted to be let free.... that was until the chill of the blowing wind hit him and he sank about 14" in the snow.  From that point on he was terrified!  Oh how quickly excitement can turn to terror.

After getting both boys ready and venturing away from the icy snow where we were parked, the oldest still did not want anything to do with cold or snow.  I crouched down beside him trying to shelter him from the wind and desperately trying to elicit some kind of wayward smile.  I was determined I was not going to leave the snow until I got at least one picture that suggested he might possibly in a far-off world enjoyed his first snow experience.  After all, snow is my favorite thing in the world, next to sitting on the beach drinking a margarita. =)

I, in my determination to get some kind of facial expression other than tears, began throwing snow balls at my son.  Several broke apart on his jacket, but he finally caught one.  Well, he did not catch it, it just stuck to his gloves. LOL.  Anyhow, this quickly distracted him from the crying.  Like any toddler, it went straight in his mouth.  I wish I could have captured the look on his face when he first "tasted" snow, but the subsequent pictures were priceless.  My son's favorite part of the entire snow experience was eating whatever snow he could grab.  Needless to say, my duties quickly went from photographing to yellow snow patrol.

Our snow adventure was short lived because it was truly bitterly cold.  The windchill was ridiculously cold and since neither boy was interested in actually playing in the snow, we decided to make our journey home.