It's been snowing since a little before 2 p.m. today, and at nearly 8 p.m. it's coming down even harder. We could get up to 8 inches of snow by tomorrow, which is very exciting for Accalia and Cole. Cory, however, is out in that snow right now delivering pizzas and is not having a very good time. Of course it's very busy since no one wants to go out to get food, so hopefully those who are calling to have pizza delivered will at least tip well!

Last night Cory wasn't supposed to be the closing driver, but he got to work and found out the manager had not scheduled a closing driver. Since Cory was supposed to be the second to the last driver to close, he ended up closing and made it home around 11:30 p.m. rather than 10:15 p.m. We ended up staying up until nearly 2 a.m. talking, which probably wasn't the smartest thing to do since I had La Leche League this morning. It was really nice to catch up on things, though.

So, this morning's meeting ended up with no one coming. Most of the people that usually come drive from out of town, so i wasn't too surprised since everyone has been preparing for this storm. I actually brought all three kids to the library with me because Cory was still asleep. He ended up coming to the library right before the meeting was supposed to begin and taking the older two back home.

This afternoon, just as the snow was beginning to fall, I took Accalia and Cole to a Santa's Workshop thing at the art studio. This was a free event that Lita had planned so kids could come and work on different crafts - making holiday cards, painting wooden ornaments, etc. Cole had a blast, and Accalia was excited because three friends were also there. Ella stayed at home with Cory and was looking just a wee bit distrustful as we walked out the door, but she was perfectly content staying home with Cory.

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A while ago I had gotten this book and stuck it on a shelf knowing that one day it would probably interest Accalia. Accalia picked it up the other day, started looking through it and then asked if we could sit down and read it. We've been reading it on and off over the past couple days and she can't seem to get enough of it. Now, I really do hope that Accalia is at two or three years from hitting puberty full force, but the reality is that girls as young as 8 1/2 or 9 are starting to develop. I was at least a couple years older than Accalia when my mom sat me down to talk about body changes and all of that, and it was a talk I had been dreading her initiating. I didn't really feel comfortable talking about any of that with her, and now that I think of it, I don't think that either of my parents ever even talked about sex with me. Anyway, it's so exciting for me as a parent because Accalia is so eager to talk about all of this with me and is not at all embarrassed. She's so excited for all of these changes to happen and tells me she'll tell me when everything does happen. By the time that does, she may be a little more self conscious and not be quite as open about everything, but I'd like to think that the openness we have in our relationship now will just continue to pave the way as she grows older.

The book really is neat. The author talks a lot about the wide range of normal as far as development and how this is a time to be excited about what is happening and to celebrate it. There's also a good deal of talk about how to handle being at different stages of development with the other girls in school, about being teased, about what to do if you have your period while you're at school, etc. Obviously those aren't concerns of Accalia's - yay! - and it did remind me of how nerve wracking it was for me when I was that age and in school.

So, the book is one I'd definitely recommend. There's also one for boys. When Accalia's older and is menstruating, another book I'm definitely getting for her is this one. Weschler's "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" is a book that I think every woman should read, and her book for teens sounds just as good.

But, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. I'll just continue to enjoy the little girl that I have, the one who is so excited about going outside tomorrow and making snow angels.