Keys, Candles, Snow, Snow and more Snow

Keys don't open closed doors from the inside. That's what Rody (Little Pedro) learned today.

He loves using keys to try to open doors. The kid will spend 10 minutes trying to open a door from the inside. Tonight he got so frustrated when the door didn't magically open when he put a key by the handle. While he uses the key, he wanted me to stand by the door, open it, wait for him to say "brrrrrrr" as the 4* cold seeped in, then shut it and repeat.  He could do this for an hour.

I'm hoping this kid decides to learn how to talk really soon. He gets so frustrated when he can't communicate what he wants. This morning he brought me a small birthday candle and grunt/squealed and nodded. I guessed at several meanings to the grunt/squeal and nod without success and with increased intensity in the squeal. Finally, I said, "Should we light it?" Suddenly he was pacified or just distracted (who knows) as I stuck it in a banana and lit the wick.  I let him try to blow it out a few times then he decided he was much more interested in the banana. Problem solved or at least adverted.

Does he really remember from his first birthday what a candle is and that it can have a flame?

And for a completely opposite topic, we got 20+ inches of snow yesterday. The city practically shut down since visibility was too low for plows. The roof of the Metrodome where the Vikings were supposed to play the Giants collapsed.

Church was cancelled. We got dressed in Sunday best anyway and held our own little family worship service with songs, prayers, scripture reading and a special guest speaker, Pres. Uchtdorf: "Of Things That Matter Most". We love the new http://www.lds.org/ website, especially how the conference talks page lets us access conference talks so much better.

We decided to follow his counsel to spend some time appreciating and pondering God's creations. We changed and added lots of clothes and braved the 6* coldness with a windchill at some number ridiculously below 0*. The snow was a little higher than a picnic bench. I know because we took advantage of a picnic bench on our walk so we wouldn't sink down as much. The snow was over Rody's head in some places from snow drifts. But, it didn't matter; he couldn't walk with all his snow gear on anyway. Pedro forged our path with him in his arms. Rody laughed heartily as he watched me make a snow angel.

Back home our pile of snow clothes made a pile much higher than the snow, and we enjoyed a traditional Sunday lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup. Yum!

I am so grateful for a warm home, warm soup and warm hearts.