Mar 07 2008
Snowy March in Texas
This was just nuts. Not until the end of our third winter in Texas did we see snow like this. About two inches piled up Monday night/Tuesday morning, and then quickly thawed in the 60-degree heat. Benjamin and I rode bicycles together for about an hour Tuesday afternoon without jackets.
Then about four inches of snow hit us on Thursday (see opening pic, and click to enlarge).
The first time, only Shannon got to play in it with Benjamin. He absolutely loved it.
The next time, I got my chance. After work, Ben and I played in the backyard, and then moved to the front yard to build a snowman. I hadn’t done that since about 2002, when Shannon and I built a snowman in front of our Bella Vista, Arkansas home.
Benjamin named the snowman “Maddox.” When he and I made our way up the front walk to go in for hot chocolate, I said, “Tell Maddox goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Maddox. Don’t let your head fall off,” Benjamin said. “And stay cold.”
In the following video you’ll see that a little more practice would have done me some good. And you’ll see it at 2x speed so it’s mercifully short and, if I may say, pretty funny. Make sure you can hear it. Give it a little while to start after you click the play button.
And below is the fun in the backyard. Notice my tight snowball pattern on the fence. And that’s with one hand holding the video camera. Oh, yeah, and there’s a cute kid doing things, too.
Oh the top video is hilarious!!!!
Great pics and videos Mark… have a great weekend!
This post has convinced me it is time to step out of the Lurky McLurkerson closet. I wasn’t sure until I saw you demolish your original snowman ball, but then I knew I had to let you know that a complete stranger a few hours south of you in Texas was quite literally LOLing at your antics.
Not really just that, but although I’ve been reading your site feed for a month, I only JUST figured out that you’re in Texas and that Ben is a redhead. Maybe I should work on those old “reading comprehension” skills I’ve heard so much about.
Anyway, I’m a Texas neophyte with a redheaded daughter and I have a brother named Ben. And my cat looks exactly like the cat in the photo with Ben and the Easter basket. In fact, I’m wondering when you borrowed my cat. Blog kismet, I say. I found you last month when I googled “how to make fake swords” for my son’s 5th birthday party, and I landed on your post about seeing people sword fighting in the park. While you did not have a useful explanation of how to make fake swords, the post made me laugh so I subscribed to your feed.
So I apparently just wrote a novella to say, “Hi, I’m Sis B and we only got a tiny dusting of snow in Central Texas.” I will try to be more concise if/when I comment again. :)
I liked Shannon’s giggles in that top video the best. Was she Alvin, Simon, or Theodore?
Seeing that kind of snow that far south must be such a unique experience that it was a blast for Ben. VERY rare opportunity for him! Heck, at the time that video was taken, you guys had almost as much as we do now. (It’s going to be quite pleasant here right through the weekend and we should see a LOT of ours melt.)
Kinda cool about Sis B coming out of the McLurkerson closet, too. Hi Sis!
The top film is awesome. Like busy little Jawas. I loved the “Oh Noooo!”
I’m so glad that Ben got the chance to play in the snow. Not something most Texan kids get. We’re supposed to get hit with your second storm today. I’m hoping it doesn’t grind St Louis to a halt like the last pass did.
And welcome, Sis!
Dave - I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I laughed at it after speeding it up. Plus, 1:37 vs. more than three minutes had to be better.
SisB - So glad you spoke up! Glad to hear I’m not the only Texas newbie slogging around out here in blogland. I popped over to your site. I hope you don’t scoff too much if I ever whine about the rigors of bringing up one child. Simon tries his best not to, but I’m sure he bites his tongue a lot.
Simon - I got the Chipmunks feeling, too, but then I also heard the jawa, like Moksha did. Had I not been next door to sleeping Benjamin’s room while editing it, I would have been LOL uncontrollably.
Moksha - It thrilled me beyond words to see Benjamin playing in snow. Our hearts broke this Christmas season because after watching all those TV specials and DVD’s related to the holidays, Benjamin wondered aloud more than once why we didn’t have snow. Then we got some! Twice! Shannon and I literally bubbled with joy, ostensibly for Benjamin, but we both like to play in the white stuff, too.
Actually, in a rare moment of revealing truth: I really don’t bite my tongue all that much. It would be silly to pass judgement on the rigors others experience raising children (or child) while having no basis upon which to create that judgement other than my own experience. If ALL parents and ALL children were the same, then maybe. But the sheer volume of variables introduced by each child and his progenitors (YES!) makes it a ludicrous task to equate one situation to any other with any amount of accuracy.
We find having two kids is a lot more work than one, but we attribute that almost exclusively to the SECOND CHILD. He’s the maelstrom where our first was a brisk spring breeze. Nap time around the Fraser house is delightfully calm…
It really is awesome that Ben got to enjoy the snow so much. The look on his face, especially in that last photo, says it all.
That was great! I am sure that was great fun to be in the snow! Not to mention that you all were out there with him AND he got to build a snowman….excuse me “Maddox”…AND he has videos to remember it all!
Stay warm Mark! I will be in touch about May…I would love to meet you all…too bad Maddox can’t be there! ;)
Later!