Pinch Me. I Must Be Dreaming.

Either that, or I'm in some kind of strange time warp, having gone to bed a few days ago in the month of October and having woken up in January or February.  Something strange is going on.  Just look at this!

They say (whoever they are) that it's been over 30 years since we had measurable snow in October, so snow on pumpkins is not a common sight at all.  Neither is snow on branches that still have some leaves.

We're so used to seeing snow on pine branches, and we marvel at how heavy the snow can be and how low the pines can bow down while carrying their weighty burdens before springing back up when the snow melts or slides off.  But to see snow like this on maples and oaks that are still wearing their autumn finery?

That's quite different; and I marveled at the sight, even while I wondered how many branches would fall because of the unaccustomed weight.  Our damage wasn't too bad; fortunately, only a few branches were broken.  It surely did seem topsy-turvy though to see the beautiful color of fall leaves mingled with the white splendor of winter's snow.

My plans for the day (loads and loads of laundry and quarts and quarts of applesauce) were set aside when we woke up and saw the enticing snow.  Opportunities this rare must be taken full advantage of.  :)  So out we tromped, the boys and I, to do all the fun stuff we could think of:  eating snow, throwing snowballs at each other, doing a little shoveling (although the sun took care of most of that for us, warming the sidewalks and driveway very nicely), making a snowman, playing in the pasture with Molly...

...and a little sledding.

The bigger boys even climbed up the slide to the trampoline and investigated how slippery and fun that was.  (As an aside, if I didn't know the boy in the picture below was David, I would have guessed, just from looking at it, that it was Josiah.  I don't normally think they look alike; but in this view of just a portion of David's face, I actually think he resembles his big brother.)

I love this next series of pictures:  I had gotten Shav all bundled and ready to go out, and we were standing on our little front porch together, I with camera in hand to snap a few photos.  Only trouble was, Shav was so unfamiliar with snow and snowsuits and snow boots that he hardly knew how to walk.  Since I was holding the camera, I asked Josiah if he could help Shav get down the steps; and this is what he did...

 1. Lift.

 2. Swing around.

 3. Set down.

 And then Shav was ready to head off...

 ...still a little unsure of his footing...

 ...but quickly getting the hang of it, thanks to Josiah's kind help.  :)

Seeing my two younger sons in the snowsuit that Shav is wearing and the jacket that Tobin has on...

...reminds me so much of the winter of 2007, when David was the little guy wearing that bright snowsuit and Josiah was the big brother with the coat Tobin now wears.  Seeing my boys wearing hand-me-downs is another way that time seems to play tricks on me.  :)

This morning, I wore the Fun Mom hat; and it really was a pleasure to get outside and play and enjoy the surprise gift of an October snowfall. In the afternoon, I turned into the Making Applesauce Mom; and--with the invaluable help of my mom--canned 19 quarts.  When Jeff got home from work, he took a look around the kitchen, saw the applesauce operation in full swing but no real dinner in sight, and gallantly said, "Should I go get some takeout for our supper?"  :)  He departed, two boys in tow, and returned a little later with subs from Subway.  He knows how to speak my love language.  :)  

Now that night is here, I'm just the Tired Mom.  It's been a memory-making, special day--with a dose of productivity thrown in for good measure--but here I sit, completely worn out and not sure I can even summon up the energy to crawl upstairs to bed.  ;-)  Based on how quickly all of my boys fell asleep tonight, it's obvious that I wasn't the only one completely worn out by all of our activities today...

...especially by playing in this wonderful, amazing, fantastic, unexpected, absolutely gorgeous SNOW!!!  :)