Hoping for Snow

Ashley and I have now settled in to our room on the pediatric floor. I wish we could have skipped this floor again but I guess that was not in the plan. I am so thankful to be out of the open bay and in a private room. I was praying that God had something different in store for us, and He did! Ashley has been asleep since we arrived up here this morning and she just now woke up to play for a while. Last night it was difficult to sleep because of the lights and the noise out in the hall. Tonight will be much better. Unfortunately there is not a thermostat in our room or on the floor to control the temperatures. We are baking! If Ash and I had some cookie dough we could start decorating early! It is so very hot up here that it has Ashley and I dreaming of a white Christmas. We are hoping for snow.

Living in Texas we don't get to see snow that often. Blake and Allison have only seen real snow 2 or 3 times in their lives. One of those times it was actually Christmas and it was the most beautiful snow I had ever seen. We had gone to spend the holiday with my dad and the day after we arrived it began to snow, and snow, and snow. The kids were so happy. The snow was the most beautiful shade of white and it blanketed everything around us. I don't remember how much it actually snowed that holiday, but I do remember that it was so deep that it came all the way up to Blake's knees. We spent days playing, sledding, building snowmen, and making snow angels. On Christmas Eve it was so very cold outside. The snow continued to fall and it was getting deeper and deeper. Blake was begging to go outside. I was not a fan of this idea because it was late and so very cold. The next thing I know Dave came into the room carrying their coats, hats, scarves, and gloves. I couldn't believe he was actually going to take our son out into the cold night air. Now as I think back over what I witnessed that night I am so very thankful that he did. Dave was ready to make a memory with Blake that we would treasure forever. The smile on Blake's face as he bundled himself up as warmly as he could was priceless! I have never seen him so excited. I sat at the sliding glass doors and watched as the two of them had the time of their lives. They made their way to the back corner of the yard and I watched them begin to play. It was dark and it was cold and it was snowing, but they didn't care. Blake would take off "running" as fast as he could in the knee deep snow across the yard and Dave would wait until he made it about half way before he would come running after him. Once he caught up with Blake he would tackle him to the ground and they would fall and begin to roll laughing and giggling as hard as they could. When they got up I would watch as Dave took off across the yard and then Blake would chase him until he could "tackle" his dad into the snow. This went on for a very long time. As I sat inside the warm house my heart was overflowing with happiness. How much I loved those two"kids". Blake was having the time of his life and his Dad was making it possible. I made up my mind to remember this night forever. This is a memory that I never want to forget. It tops my list of my favorite Christmas memories.

This Christmas we find ourselves hoping for snow. Spending it here in Nebraska we actually might have a chance. Even if we don't get the snow we are still hoping to make memories that will last a lifetime. Being all together would really make this one to be remembered. I find myself secretly hoping that the Father might have a plan that would allow our Ashley to be "home" with us for Christmas. Even if she is not, this one will always be remembered as special because He has allowed her to still be here.