Everything started prettily enough. Saturday, we had enough snow to dust things white. Sunday, it came down hard but didn’t accumulate too much in our neck of the woods. We lit a fire, walked through the neighborhood, and in general had a good time.

But what stands out about this storm is, aside from too few hours on Tuesday, Seattle parents were unexpectedly stuck with their kids for a week. Perhaps some parents spent the whole time reliving the magic of snow days through their kids eyes. In our house, that magic had all worn away by Thursday. Partly that’s because our kids don’t like going out in the cold that much. Sledding had lost its thrill. Thursday’s coating of ice made it hard to make snowballs or snowmen. Come the afternoons, it was hard for me to muster the willpower to put on all those layers and get the kids out of the house for what I knew would be just a short excursion. When we did get out of the house on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, it was hard to walk anywhere quickly because all Alex wanted to do was be a Mammy Wooleth (the way he still says Wooly Mammoth). He’d tromp around on all fours, breaking through the ice crust over the snow, like he was an Ice Age mastodon. But we were luckier than many. We kept our power through the whole experience, so we could use movies and iPads to entertain the kids when we ran out of other ideas.

As pretty as the first snowfall was on Saturday, the first snowmelt on Friday was even prettier!

And the animals were unusually photogenic.

What’s that? You’ve never seen a wolf picture from me before? Well… that’s right. In five years of bringing a camera to the zoo, I don’t have a single picture of a wolf. Most times we don’t get to that part of the zoo, or when we do, everybody’s napping. Not this time!

(And there are more where that came from!)

So all in all, a really nice trip and a really nice way to start 2012. Even if it made me think that at least one of us would be happier in a wolf pack.

But here’s the thing: When I listen to music, I hardly pay attention to lyrics at all. Not so with Alex. He’s now learning and singing the lyrics that I’ve been ignoring, like the opening verses of Jocasta:

When the baby’s born
Let’s turn it to the snow
So that ice will surely grow
Over weak and brittle bones

Let’s leave it to the wolves
So their teeth turn it to food.
Its flesh keeps them alive
As death helps life survive

The world can be kind in its own way…

It’s really an excellent song, on many levels… but it’s a little disturbing to hear a five year old sing it. (Alas, much of the album pairs catchy music with dark lyrics. Nothing’s safe.)

Sure, that redhead looks innocent enough. But see that scratch under Alex’s eye? It’s from Patrick, who without warning or provocation attacked his brother’s face. (Aside from a few minutes of crying, Alex was OK, and I now get to tease Alex that he looks like Scar from The Lion King. Alex then corrects me. “No, Dad, Scar’s scratch went through his eye, like this.” Then he draws an imaginary line from above his right eyebrow down to the top of his cheekbone. He’s very precise.)

As for Patrick: He actually shows signs of maturing. October was a rocky month. (Those who saw us during our trip to Virginia know that well enough!) But the last several weeks, Patrick’s been very even-tempered and upbeat. Our trip to Minnesota stands out in particular: Patrick was much, much better behaved than he was on either our summer vacation or our trip to Virginia. But every now and then he does something unexpected, like deliver this scratch.

I imagine this is what it must be like for one of those crazy animal people buy a tiger cub and bring him home. He may live in your house, eat your food, and act cuddly most of the time… but the day always comes when you remember he has claws and is a wild animal at heart.

Yesterday, the store closed. I took the kids over for one last stroll through the store. (Plus, I had to use up some old gift cards that had been sitting in a desk drawer.) The store was oddly empty… they’ve been removing shelves and stock for a few weeks now. A few employees seemed to have a good time; they were taking photos of one another and I saw at least one piggy-back ride. The customers had a harder time. Over and over, I heard different people mutter, “This is sad!” (I said it once myself.) And I saw one woman walking through the children’s section, crying.

Oh well. Long live the ebook era, I guess!

The power of the written word at work!

Patrick tries out ice skating for the first time:

And Alex has run away to join a pirate family. Watch your valuables.

First casualty of the season: Patrick wanted to know what was inside a snow globe, so he whacked it against the wooden back of our Stickley couch. Now he knows.

What I didn’t capture on Facebook was the simple, matter-of-fact conversation I had with Patrick after I cleaned up the water, broken glass, and bits of fake snow from our couch.

Me: Patrick, why did you do that?

Patrick: Because I wanted to see what was inside.

Me: What did you think would happen if you hit it?

Patrick: It would break.

I didn’t really know what to say. Everything unfolded exactly according to Patrick’s plan. He wanted to know what was inside, so he wanted to break the snow globe, so he did. All in a few seconds.

I later tried to explain that I didn’t want him trying anything like that again. Beyond the mess, I told him that broken glass was dangerous, that it could cut him, and it made me scared when I thought of him getting cut. He thought about that for a moment, and then he said, “Like that time I ran out into the street, and the car was coming, and it saw me? Like how you were scared then?” (This particular incident happened months ago.)

“Yes, Patrick, like then.”

I wonder if I’ll ever figure out how his mind works.

One of our crazy holiday discoveries this year: Swanson’s Nursery, the great plant store in Northwest Seattle, hosts a reindeer festival throughout the Christmas season. (They have a camel and a donkey, too!)

For those not in Seattle, that’s when the animals at Woodland Park Zoo get their special turkey dinners. With some animals, like the Jaguar, it isn’t a Turkey Toss… two turkey legs were just put on the ground for the cat to find. (Next to a cute paper mâché turkey, for some reason.)

With the lion, though, it did look like a turkey toss. Or maybe a turkey zipline — I didn’t have the best view. All I could see was a turkey flying in the air, and moments later the lion had it in his mouth.

For me, it was an odd trip to the zoo, because Alex decided he didn’t want to go. He spent the day running errands with Molly instead, and I got to spend the morning just with Patrick. Molly & I rarely seem to have time with just one kid. It’s a different vibe. It’s certainly less stressful to have just one, and it’s nice to be able to pay attention to one child rather than always chasing after the one who happens to be running away.

(Molly’s theory is that always-wear-shorts-Alex knew in the back of his mind that he’d be cold if he went to the zoo. Or maybe he’s just starting to get tired of it. Or maybe he really wanted a donut from the grocery store, and he knew that was one of the errands. Who knows.)

Now that the animals have had their turkeys, it’s time for the people to have theirs. Happy Thanksgiving, all!