Snow Day

What a week it was last week!  Having an unexpected visitor and dealing with all of the emotions that came with her was crazy enough.  But to add to the excitement, we had a huge snowstorm hit on Friday.  Well, at least it seemed huge to a 12" doll.  I suppose it wouldn't have been quite as impressive to you humans.  I think Beast'sbelle said we got about 1/2".  Still, she seemed pretty excited about it. ;)

Here's a picture of the transformed front yard.  Isn't it beautiful?

I'd never seen snow before (there's never been snow at Beast'sbelle's house in the time I've been here, and before that I was just in my box at the Disney Store).  So needless to say, I was very excited to go outside and get a closer look.  I was a little bit concerned about Robby, though.  I wasn't sure what the cold would do for his joints, and I thought it might be too difficult for him to get around in the deep snow banks.

And then there was Emilie.  I didn't really feel right just leaving her inside with Eugene and Rapunzel while we went out in the snow, but I was afraid she would freeze in her little party dress.

Robby soon put my concerns to rest.  He assured me that he was going outside no matter what, thank you very much, and even if it made his joints sore, it would be worth it to get to play in the snow.  He also let Emilie borrow his shirt from our coast trip.  It was pretty big on her, but at least she'd be warm. 

It was so exciting to catch that first glimpse of the white world before us.  It was absolutely beautiful.  If only it wasn't so cold!!  I was glad that my velvet Christmas dress was nice and thick, but I wished I had a big fur coat to wear over it.

Emilie couldn't stop staring at the snow.  She kept lettting out excited giggles, as if her joy couldn't contain itself.  

We quickly decided that the best spot for us would be on the wooden porch, the same place where Robby had proposed to me all those months ago. :)  When we first climbed up, we took a minute to look around and enjoy the amazing scenery.

The snow made everything so breathtakingly beautiful! 

Robby and Emilie soon started building a snowman together.  I stood and watched as the two of them laughed and played.  Emilie was so good for Robby.  When he was with her, he seemed to forget the pain of his hip and knee and just focus on her.  I felt a slight pang, wishing that I could do the same thing for him.  Still, it was great to see the two of them together.  They acted...just like a father and daughter.

The snowman's face was a little interesting. :}  Robby and I had a hard time finding material to use for the snowman's facial features.  The snow was also not the easiest snow for snowman making...it was wet and very hard when it was packed together.  Robby almost broke the snowman's face in half trying to add his eyes. :}

Emilie was having the time of her life.  She didn't even seem to notice the snow that was piling up on her head.  She looked so adorable, standing there in the snow, staring up at Robby with that big, adoring grin.

Robby looked just as happy.  He pulled out all the stops, doing everything in his power to make this a memorable day for a sweet little doll.  I didn't feel forgotten, though.  Every once in a while, he'd shoot me a tender look, as if thanking me for putting up with his antics.

For my part, I loved seeing him so happy.  Perhaps having someone weaker than himself that he could care for was just what he needed to restore his confidence and make him feel needed.  I'd always tried hard not to make him feel inferior because of his injury, especially since I knew how sensitive he was about it, but the fact remained that I still had to do some things for him that before he would have done for himself, and he was not nearly as independent as he had been before.  Emilie had many needs, and most of them were needs that he could take care of without my help.  

Robby suddenly broke away from the snowman, calling, "I'm gonna get you!"

Emilie let out a squeal of delight and took off running.  Leaving his cane behind, Robby took off after her, running with the lopsided gait he'd had ever since his injury.

Suddenly, Emilie tripped and fell over.  Robby, who was right behind her, tripped over her and landed next to her in the snow.  The two of them were breathless and laughing as Robby helped Emilie up and placed her in his lap.

Then, quite suddenly, Emilie looked up at Robby, her little face glowing, and said, "I love you, Robby!"

Robby blinked quickly, his eyes glassy and full.  He smiled gently down at her.  "I love you too, Emilie."

The look on her little face was priceless.  She leaned in to give him a big hug, and my husband, as mushy as a pile of melting snow, stared up at me with a look of wonder and disbelief.

My own heart melted at the scene before me.  They were so perfect together.  We could all be perfect together.

I turned away for a moment, trying to clear my muddled head.  I still had reservations about the whole parenting thing.  I had wanted to wait at least a year before starting a family, and we wouldn't celebrate our first wedding anniversary until this coming May.  Not that it had to be exactly a year or anything, but I'd wanted to make sure that Robby and I had plenty of time together as a married couple, just the two of us, before we added anyone else to the mix.  

But these past few days had given me a small taste of what life with a little one could be like.  Emilie was such a sweetheart, and she and Robby had obviously formed a special bond.  Would it be so terrible to loosen up on my resolve and start a family earlier than I had planned?

I had a brief, fleeting image of Beast'sbelle, smirking with that I knew it all along look on her face.  I rolled my eyes.  No doubt she would be thrilled that I wasn't so adamant about waiting on kids anymore.  It wasn't like I was ready to adopt Emilie tomorrow or anything, but in the future?  It was a definite possibility.

I turned to see Robby and Emilie on their feet, brushing the snow from their clothing.  Robby suddenly gave me a sly look and leaned over next to Emilie.  "I think we should get Belle...what do you think?"

Emilie grinned.  "Get her!" she shouted.

"Whoa, wait a minute!" I protested, putting up my hands.  "I do NOT want to be covered in snow...Robby!"

My husband raced up to me, but instead of tickling OR tackling me, he put his arms around me and held me tight.  "My love tank is almost empty," he said innocently.  "I think I need a refill."

"Oh you do, do you?" I asked coyly.  "Well here, this should help."  I gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

He eyed me disapprovingly.  "Sorry, not good enough," he said.

And without another word, he leaned over and kissed me on the lips.  I put my arms around him and kissed him back, enjoying the warmth of his touch and the feel of his lips against mine.

We pulled away to find little Emilie grinning up at us.  She was shivering uncontrollably.  I knew that Robby's shirt wouldn't keep her warm much longer.

With a smile, I reached out to her, inviting her to join our embrace.

She jumped up into our arms, snuggling against us and burying her face in Robby's warm sleeve.

And at that moment, everything felt just perfectly right in our little world.

By this time, we all were feeling like we might freeze, so with reluctance we trudged back to the house.  Beast'sbelle let us in and laid out a hand towel in front of the heater for us to sit on.  After cautioning us to not go any closer to the heater, she left to help her daughters get into their snow gear.  

As we sat there, enveloped by warmth and enjoying the view of the large Christmas tree on the other side of the room, I realized that I had never been happier.  While a romantic stroll through the snow with Robby would have been wonderful, Emilie's presence somehow added a new dimension to our outing.  She completed us.  I realized with some surprise that I would really miss her after the holidays were over.  I wondered with concern if she would miss us too.  

I shook my head then.  I didn't know what would happen at the end of this week, but for now, I was going to enjoy every minute we had with this precious child.  We'd just have to take things one day at a time.