Snowshoes for Christmas

A white Christmas is always lovely. But this year a white Christmas seemed ever more desirable because we were giving the girls snowshoes as a main gift.

It turned out that we had a white Thanksgiving and a brown Christmas. November and December traded places. We did have big snowflakes falling down on Christmas day, but somehow those didn’t stick. It’s Murphy’s Law — if Minnesotans give their children snowshoes for Christmas, there will be no snow.

Much to our delight, in the evening the day after Christmas, the backordered snow arrived. It fell thick through the windy night, and by morning we had 5 or 6 inches.

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Southern girl that I am, I had no idea if 5 or 6 inches is enough snow to snowshoe in. But a few friends I consulted thought it was, so the girls and I bundled up and headed to the backyard with our brand-new snowshoes. Yes, I received a pair, too!

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Snowshoes attach to your snow boots, and I think I got mine on right.

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As a test, the girls trekked around the backyard for a bit.

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Then we headed out onto the frozen lake, feeling very adventurous.

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I can’t decide if snowshoes make me feel more like a mountaineer or more like Big Foot. But I do like them.

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We left a few tracks on the frozen lake. We didn’t make it all the way across yet since it was 11 degrees and getting dark.

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We’re looking forward to another snowshoeing adventure soon!

12 Board Books We Still Love

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Around age 6 months, my oldest daughter started chewing on her board books. And ever since then, words have been as much a part of her diet as bread and water.

I suppose that following a word-lover’s diet is what makes it hard for us to part with any books around here, even those chunky little board books with chewed up edges that my 9-year-old and 12 year-old obviously outgrew ages ago. Or did they? Does anyone truly ever outgrow a good little story?

Part of what makes some of those first board books so special is that they were how we first started sharing truths about God with our children. Stories about God’s love and His faithfulness, stories about Jesus, stories from the Old Testament — these were all first shared in board book format.

We still keep some of these special board books around for little friends to enjoy when they visit us. And so here’s a dozen of our favorite, faith-based board books — just perfect for the little one with chubby little hands who likes to help you turn the pages as you read together. Or for any one else, of any age, who still likes to hear a good little story full of truth.

godlivesinmyhouse

God Lives in My House by Melody Carlson

godgoeswithme

God Goes with Me by Melody Carlson

godmadethem

God Made Them All by Melody Carlson

icancount

I Can Count on God by Melody Carlson

jesuslovesme

Jesus Loves Me by Debby Anderson

babysfirstbook

Baby’s First Book of Psalms by Steven Elkins

justincase

Just in Case You Ever Wonder by Max Lucado

liftflapbible

Lift-the-Flap Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

liftflapbibleadv

Lift-the-Flap Bible Adventures by Allia Zobel Nolan

easterstory

The Story of Easter by Patricia A. Pingry

Jesusstory

The Story of Jesus by Patricia A. Pingry

10c

The Story of the Ten Commandments by Patricia A. Pingry

Happy reading!