December passes

December draws down as we slide towards the new year. The early winter months have found us busy with the normal albeit often forgotten beauties of the season. Early in the month Merrick and I found an early Saturday morning to brew a batch of Scotch ale and an IPA. The two of us were able to crank out ten gallons and clean up before noon on a gray drizzly morning. Sophia finished up her second session of gymnastics. She was very proud to pass on her first attempt, she improved greatly and we are going to get her signed up for the next session that will start after the new year. Merrick is staying active as well and has started skating lessons. We did get the family out for an open skate before his first skating lesson. His balance and athleticism is always amazing to watch. He has also developed an excellent knack at waiting in the middle of the ice until one of the college girl instructors come to help him. Getting there is always half the fun, one night as the parking lot was as icy as the rink, Merrick crossed the lot by taking three steps and then sliding like Pete Rose Penguin over and over until he was at the front door of the rink. The next week with three inches of fresh snow and a parking lot filled with inattentive SUV drivers, Merrick decided that an unadulterated section of parking lot need a snow angle. Although we were running late he was not to let the lot go unadorned and dropped down for a full snow angle display for all to see. The outdoor rinks are just now being flooded so we will try to get to some outdoor ice as well. The opening salvo of snow hit us hard dumping nearly 12 inches in the area and leaving wet heavy snow and massive drifts to be cleaned up. The kids however have a very different opinion on the snow and it was perfect for a snowman. We also spent two days making the largest snow cave that I had ever made. It was large enough for all three of us to sit very comfortably inside and have a nice chat while the candle light flickered off snow walls. The cave only lasted a few days until the kids decapitated it and is became an snowy atoll, not unlike the Metrodome. Christmas comes with decorations for the tree and Christmas sings. Sophia even had a speaking part and was asked to introduce the final song of the concert. The Grandmas made a trip over to watch Sophia's sing and we had a nice lasagna dinner and conversation before they had to make the dark drive home. Sophia also was able to go caroling with her girl scout troop. With all of the snow we have been getting a great deal of sledding done. Merrick is an intrepid little sledder on the hill and completely fearless as his three-year body rolls and tumbles across the hard packed snow. He even likes to crash Sophia as she hits the jumps. Sophia hit a particularly large jump only to have Merrick run to get into her way. She took him right in the knees, when she got up from the snow he asked her if it hurt--seemed very reversed from what I expected. As I washed him the other day I wondered to myself about all the bruises on his little body and what a doctor would ask if I had to take him in. After every crash he stands up and hollers back up the hill "That was Awesome!!" We are between the holidays now and are making plans for a little ice fishing and try to sneak in a night hike with some hot coco and woodland sledding as well.