Winter Is Here

It has been crispy cold here over the past week with record setting low temperatures. Now all we are hoping for is a bit of snow. Sophie still keeps asking every single day. We spent a day at my sister's house in Gütersloh, where we at least had a dusting of the white stuff. 

 We keep hearing: "Well, you should have been here last year..."

I much prefer this over the rain we had in January though. 

All Bundled Up

It's cold here and Sophie is having to get used to wearing many more layers than in California. 

I think she looks just like a fluffy Elmo on his tricycle with this snow suit and the helmet. 

I love to watch the little kids wobble across the playground in their snow and rain suits. 

By the way, despite near freezing temperatures, Sophie insisted on having ice cream today. 

The First Snow!

Albeit very short-lasting, I think we made the most of our first snow in front of our doorstep. Sophie has seen snow before, especially last winter, but we always had to drive to it. For a while when we first arrived in Germany, it seemed as if seeing snow was the sole reason for moving here in Sophie's mind.

So when she woke up to about 2 inches of (very wet) snow, Sophie wasted no time and put her snow suit on over her PJ's and had a good play with Daddy before breakfast. 

 What a change to the sight of rain in the mornings!

 The sheep meadow with a layer of the white stuff.

 Not sure the boys knew what to make of it.

 A happy girl

 It had already started raining by then. 

more of this please!

Frost!

Never thought I'd be so excited about ice and frost, but it's been nine years since I've seen quite a sight as the one this morning. And it was a first for Sophie. She kept asking Andrew, who is home on a two-day layover, where ice came from.

 On our way to our house in Dusseldorf to put together our new bed.

Freezing.