It’s a snow day in Tacoma!
I remember being a kid this time of year and watching with excitement the local news broadcasts forecasting snow. It didn’t happen often, but it dominated the programming when it did. I remember a lot of Steve Pool and Rich Marriott segments in those years. I could hardly sleep and would constantly get up through the night to look out the window and see if the snow fell yet. Sometimes it did, sometimes it never did. It’s a tough job accurately predicting Pacific Northwest winter weather and snow levels. Sometimes without any previous news hype I would wake up to a snow day. That surprise was best of all and seemed to result in the best snow. That’s what this morning felt like.
We only had a few inches on the ground but that was plenty for you and Eliza to sled, build snowmen and fall backward into snow angels. You had such a blast shuffling across the yard. We took a walk to Bluebeard where you dropped me off for a remote workday. The wind was blowing so the conditions felt a little more arctic than ideal, but it was nothing a donut and hot chocolate couldn’t solve.
On your way back home you waved “Bye Daddy!” — one of the many phrases coming into your vocabulary. You can say everyone’s name now, especially “Liza!” You can say many food words (because you constantly want to eat). You spend a little time each day reading books out loud to yourself, which is heart-melting to watch. Cooling that heart, you scream as loud as possible when you’re frustrated or we misunderstand your words. We need to work on a little patience there. In between those outbursts you are a sweet kid and love to especially cuddle your mom and hold hands.
On non-snow days, your motto is “Ball is life” as you constantly have a ball in your hand or at your feet. Your favorite game right now, indoors and outdoors, is holding a ball high above your head and then throwing it forward to run at it and take a swing with that big left foot. Most of the time you gracefully connect the strike. It’s purely athletic and a perfect combination of your Mom’s throwing arm and your Dad’s footwork. And sometimes you take a big whiff and fall solidly on your butt without embarrassment and the immediate willingness to get up and try again. That’s the best of both of us, which is basically… you.
We’ve got more winter ahead and we’ll get more days in at home to play (ball) in the snow and try to get you up on skis in the mountains, if only for the photos. After that, spring is upon us and we’ll get you in some toddler soccer league. Something tells me you’ll be a multi-sport threat. Although skiing is my new favorite sport, soccer was my first. Ball is life.
Love always,
Dad