[Insert Finding Nemo Joke Here]

So, we got a lot of snow over the weekend. Like, a lot of snow.

Governor Patrick declared a state of emergency on Friday and told everyone to get off the roads. Which means that I got to work from home. The last time I worked from home? I went into labor like 30 minutes into my shift. It wasn’t really a concern this time, but I stayed away from spicy foods and long walks, just in case.

Can I just say how awesome it is to wake up ten minutes before you have to be “at” work and then wander downstairs in your PJs to fire up your laptop? I wouldn’t want to do it regularly, because I think it would probably make me a little nuts. Ok, ok, ok… a little more nuts. But once in a while? Sign me up, please. Instead of commuting home, I took a nap with Lilian on the couch. Ok, I would probably start bearing more than a passing resemblance to OCD-era Howard Hughes if I didn’t have a reason to shower and put on pants regularly. But I think I could really get used to working from home.

Saturday was nice and cozy. Kristian spent most of the day clearing our sidewalk and driveway with his new-to-us snow-blower, which meant that I spent a good chunk of the day cuddled up with Lilian. And he still managed to fine enough time time to bake cookies while I worked on my thesis. Love that man.

By Saturday afternoon, I was feeling more than a little stir-crazy. So, Kristian, LJ, and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. It’s a little nerve-wracking to walk around on the snow with a baby on your back, but we went slowly and were careful to keep a lookout for cars. The driving ban had only just been lifted, so it was a relatively peaceful walk. It reminded me a little bit of walking around Kathmandu during a strike that kept everyone off the roads. People were outside helping each other shovel or just hanging out and enjoying the snow. It was strangely festive.

Sunday afternoon, we gathered up all of our winter gear and went snowshoeing with Pepper. We did a loop that’s about three miles through the Lynn Woods.

It’s kindof hard to tell from that picture, but there’s a baby on my back. I made a couple of concessions to baby-wearing: I went slower than I normally would have gone, I didn’t jump around like I usually do with my snowshoes on, and I used poles so I’d be a little extra stable. But it was surprisingly easy going. I think it helped that a) we did a trail that we hiked a few weeks ago when there was no snow on the ground and 2) LJ fell asleep pretty early into our walk.

I want us to be a family that does things like going snowshoeing together, so this was a great start.

I probably should have spent that couple of hours working on my thesis, but I figure life is for living. We had two feet of snow and I have a pair of snowshoes that hasn’t seen nearly enough use. Sometimes, you just have to get out into the woods and play in the fresh snow.