Quiet times

It's snowing today.

Actually, it's been snowing constantly during this cold December. I would be surprised to look outside the window and see it not snowing.

This weather does make it a bit more difficult to get "out and about" with three little girls and a newborn baby boy, but I still love this season. Once we've managed to get all the wet coats, hats and mittens put away, we almost always sit down to sip hot chocolate together. Beth, Amy and Erin have been enjoying outside "snow play" immensely. And Brian and I are content to snuggle up on the couch and watch the snow fall.

That's what we did this afternoon. While Beth was at school and Erin napped, Amy sat and played with her fisher price nativity set. Brian fell asleep on my shoulder, so I covered him with a blanket and just sat and held him. We sat for over an hour, and I realized that this is one of the many blessings that a new baby bestows.

We're forced to slow down. Without a newborn in the house, I rarely ever just sit back and watch the snowflakes falling. But now, we are all taking the time to enjoy the quiet moments, even though they are all too few and far between. We may be sleep-deprived (and, believe me, we are very, very sleep-deprived), but we're happy.

Very, very happy.