Our First Morton Family Snow Angels

The Dictator's first snow angel.
She was obsessively precise in her snow-flailing.

So, the other day, in the middle of frantically cleaning the house in preparation of impending visitors, I was interrupted by the Dictator and Anarchist begging to go outside and play in the snow.  It wasn't an unreasonable request, the timing was just hideous.  And everything in me ached to say "no."  After all, it was cold (I don't like the cold), it was almost lunch time, I had to finish cleaning so as not to embarrass myself to terribly in front of my guests (as if they aren't already aware of my housekeeping skills), and going out would require actually getting everyone dressed (the Dictator and Anarchist were still sporting pajamas and bedhead).  But then I realized something: the Anarchist and the Dictator have never actually been outside to play in the snow. 

Now, before you lifelong Michiganders shake your heads in disgust, let me defend myself.  For the first year of the Anarchist's life, we were quarantined inside our house by prematurity-related medical orders and the practical impossibility of dragging her oxygen tank outside in the cold.  Before that, I was pregnant and constantly nauseated.  And last year I was just plain lazy and too poor to invest in snow pants (okay, so that's no excuse).  Also, we're just not an "outdoorsy" bunch.  We like warm, cozy, artificially controlled climates, fuzzy pajamas and sedentary activities like eating...and sleeping.

The Anarchist writhed like a languishing fish out of water to create her angels.
They turned out beautifully, anyway.

This year, however, both girls have finally been supplied with shiny new snow pants, and I was suddenly struck with the realization that the Dictator may well be the only 5-year-old on the planet, or at least in a snowy climate, to never have made a snow angel.  So I felt guilty.  And we spent a half an hour bundling up in ridiculous layers of previously unused outdoor apparel. And we played in the snow. 

For 12 minutes. 

Don't judge.

I couldn't get the Dictator to leave the house without her toys.
They "watched" her play in the snow.