The Evening Snow

✅ BEDTIME STORY
                    Beverly closed the book with its final sentence. Yet, she didn't make a move to get up. Any kind of motion was impossible with her comforter and three other blankets over her lap, and a child barricading her in on each side. The bedside lamp glowed over them, adding to the atmosphere of the bedroom... restful and snuggly. The fall of the flakes had brought twilight soon enough and she and Glenn had eventually got the boys to wind down for the final ritual of the day.
                    Kaley was of course down for the night, and Glenn was working. It soothed him like the bedtime story had soothed her sons from arguing. Only Ivan was asleep though. Brandon, no surprise,   had taken the book from her. Probably to replace with the one about the dinosaur crashing Christmas dinner. Beverly eased back into her pile of pillows, simply basking in this cocoon of warmth. It truly is the little things, Lord. 
                   It was an old truth, but never one to grow tired of. Beverly glanced up as Brandon pushed himself farther in. She pulled his bear, Sandy, out of the way to keep from being squished. She patted down his tan fur, though it was pointless. All their children had one, but Brandon's was the most beat up; or perhaps the most loved. Beverly went back to eyeing Brandon with the book. "Another one?"
                   "You can read." Brandon waved her off, head against her chest. "I just wanna look."
                   Just look? Beverly kept herself from repeating. Brandon wanted never to just look at anything. She occupied herself with grooming Sandy while watching Brandon turn the colorful pages. She absorbed the quiet; wondering what was on his mind.
                    "She looks like you, Mom." Brandon referred to the story's little girl. Beverly continued to tug with Sandy's ear. "That's me, huh?"
                    Brandon nodded. He then pointed to the angel beside the girl. "Do angels actually have faces?"
                    Wow, he was being thoughtful tonight. Beverly hoped this wasn't a scam to keep from going to bed. "I suppose... angels don't look like anyone else on earth."
                    Ivan stirred and snorted. Beverly moved a hand through his hair. It soothed him and he settled. There was another page turn and Brandon pushed himself closer to Beverly. He spotted Sandy and grabbed his paw, and consequently Beverly's fingers. She let him squeeze them, his focus split between her fingernails and wedding ring. A penny for his thoughts, Father... Please! 
                    His hand, rough and tough with hours of play, covered the pale, pink ribbon over Sandy's chest. That was thanks to Glenn's mother, who'd stepped in more then once when they'd needed her. Beverly finally squeezed Brandon's hand back. "We had a good day, didn't we."
                    "Yeah," Brandon sighed out of his deep thought. "And I'm happy with you again."
                    "You are." Beverly held back tears.
                    "So..." Brandon tilted his head. "Can I watch some Spacemen?"
                    There it was! Beverly drove a tickle into his tummy. "No!"
                    Thankfully teeth had already been brushed, so the battle into bed only took ten minutes. Beverly cancelled any thoughts of no school tomorrow, kissed them both, then found her downstairs. She smiled at the sight of the candles, the only light framing the dining room. Outside, it was still cold, but they were sheltered from it in here. Beverly sat down were she could appreciate the shadows better. A few quiet minutes passed before Glenn walked out of the den. He seemed surprised to find her there. "What're you doing?"
                   Beverly turned her head with a smile. Glenn's eyebrows raised. "What's wrong?"
                   "Nothing." Beverly promised, wiping at her cheeks. "I just... really love snow days."

THE END

P.S. Many thanks to my sister, who loves snow days as much as me, and helped me create these characters! 

                   

In the Quiet Wintertime

✅BOARD GAMES

                    Ivan got his wish for Jack Frost, though he and Glenn were the only ones enjoying it. Beverly was content to watch the snow and Brandon was too busy fighting his eyelids. Already four years old, his naps were numbered, but he'd been protesting them since being born. All the fresh air, exercise, and warm food however, he lost the battle after twenty minutes and was snoozing away with the end credits.
                    What Beverly didn't expect was for Glenn to be snoozing right along with him! Normally, he'd try to get some work done during nap time.
                   Not today. Beverly motioned to Ivan with her eyes as she dimmed the lights. Ivan snapped the TV off and Beverly took up one of their mammoth blankets. Past experience dictated not moving either of them, so she draped it carefully over her husband and child. She wanted to laugh at the lumpy pair they made, but settled for a snicker as she cleared the pokers and sticky napkins into the kitchen. An accumulating mass greeted her from the sink, which, Beverly knew, would only get worse after dinner. Napkins discarded in the trash, Beverly stared at the dishes and almost convinced herself to tackle them.
                    But then Ivan tapped her arm. He stood beside her with a box. "Scrabble?"
                    No wait, dishes first! Beverly's common sense protested- faintly- before she smiled. "Absolutely."
                    They set up on the dining room table, minding the cheap clinks of the wood-letter tiles. Beverly was tempted to play more music, but another glance at the windows and she felt a break in the wintery silence unnecessary. She had barely set up her tiles when Ivan was out the gate with ADMIT. Beverly shook her head. "Reading the dictionary again?"
                    "Our teacher uses the phrase 'well, I admit' a lot." Ivan studied Beverly's first word, MOAT.
                    "What's she admitting to?" Beverly ventured. Ivan paused, then moved TAXES onto the board. "Not knowing the real answer."
                    Beverly cupped a hand over her mouth, staring at her son. Ivan cocked a brow. "What?"
                    "You..." Beverly shifted her tiles, forming her next word. "You just make me very PROUD."
                    Ivan's face lit up with the praise, grinning at her. "And you make this too easy, Mom."
                    GALLOP. Beverly blew hair from her eyes, adding to his score grudgingly. The best she was able to follow up with was LAD. Only for Ivan to respond with ANVIL.
                    Lord, I was lucky to pass 6th grade English! Beverly gave a familiar rant. How is this kid mine? 
                    Beverly ran a hand over the table's smooth surface, hoping to will an outmaneuver to appear. It didn't and she had to go with US. She waited for Ivan to stun her again, looking up when he didn't. Rather, he was glancing out the window at the snow. He looked back, his grin softer. "Days like these are nice."
                    Beverly eyed the snow as well; still falling, still coating the world in its sugary brilliance. Much like the snow, there was no hurry- from anywhere or to anywhere. There was just; sleeping, sipping hot chocolate, and playing a game. She shared Ivan's grin. "That they are."
                  

And The Snow Falls On

✅CHRISTMAS SPECIALS BY THE FIRE
                    Beverly's toes still tingled with cold within her fleece-lined cabin socks. New pairs were tradition for her family every year, but hers were typically worn through before April! And they were lucky if any of their children's socks remained a pair before New Year's.
                    "Greech!" Kaley exclaimed, indicating which video she wanted to watch. To which Ivan quickly retorted. "Jack Frost- Mom, I hardly picked any of our movies last year!"
                    Kaley mounted herself on the fluffy, coffee brown pillows of the couch. "Grech, Grech!"
                    Ivan shook his head. "Jack Frost... maybe Frosty... but Jack Frost."
                    "Grech, Greeeeeccc-"
                    Beverly chose to ignore it for the moment. Kaley's chanting was a regular anthem around here. She was more interested in getting their tray to the ottoman without dropping it. Doing so would take care of everything.
                    Sure enough, Kaley's gabbing stopped and even Ivan paused, eyes zeroing in on the food. Grilled cheese, halved peppers and carrots with ranch, and chips. They would be the perfect munchies while their marshmallows roasted over the fire.
                    Glenn was lighting the kindling right now with Brandon standing dutifully with the logs. Their middle child was even more spit-fired then Kaley, but when it came to 'man's work', he was as silent and studious as an Ivy League student. He carried out even the slightest actions with precision and care. Beverly even trusted him to put away the dishes. Only not today. It begot the point of the snow blocked roads and drifted driveways.
                     "Daddy doesn't pick often," Beverly tucked a napkin into the collar of Kaley's sweatshirt as she snuggled- or rather stomped- into Beverly's lap to eat. Ivan straddled the couch arm, appealing to his father. "Dad, you want to watch Jack Frost, right?"
                     Glenn and Brandon held a log between them, ready for the baby flames. Glenn raised a brow at his sons. "The Christmas Village?"
                    "NOO!" Both boys cried and Glenn shared a grin with Beverly. "Aw, but it's Mommy's fav-"
                    "The Grinch is a much more fulfilling watch." Ivan defused the idea.
                    "Winter on Willow Ranch," Beverly suggested, messing at Kaley's tangled ponytail. It was an old black and white that still proved entertaining- and meaningful. Beverly had yet to watch the ending through dry eyes. Besides, horses were always a win! She directed Kaley's fingers from the marshmallows to the vegetables- which all three of them were eating! The fire began its blaze and an idea sparked. "How about The Snowman?"
                   "Fro'ty?" Kaley tilted her head up.
                    "The other snowman." Beverly told her lovingly. The living room enjoyed momentary silence as the family considered it. However, Beverly's tone pretty much cemented the choice. So, while Ivan fished out the DVD, she got the others situated with their plates.
                    "I DON'T want carrots!" Brandon whined immediately. Beverly eased his plate back in front of him. "Yet, there they are."
                    "I don't LIKE carrots!"
                    "They'll improve your eyesight." Ivan put in, though he eyed his own veggies in distain.
                    "Can't let them go to waste." Beverly went on dicing Kaley's grilled cheese. Brandon's carrots were suddenly tossed on her plate, the defiant steel in her son's brown eyes. "No! I'm not eating-"
                    "You can eat them down here with your family or alone up in your room." Beverly told him. This was a rule Brandon was familiar with; as an attention seeker, it was his worse nightmare. Beverly stared off with him until his shoulders slumped, allowing her to put the carrots back. But he kept his face scrunched, jerking his plate into his lap. "I'm not happy with you."
                    And he climbed onto the couch, away from his evil mother. Beverly cast a look at Glenn and they shared a shrug. Glenn closed the fire's grate and crossed the room to sit with Brandon as the opening chords of 'The Snowman' strummed into the living room. Ivan, meanwhile, took his lunch with little fuss and Kaley shoved into her mouth with reckless abandon. They became mute, letting the program do the talking- or rather, the telling.
                    In time, when the program was no speech and all expression took flight, Beverly moved and Kaley by the fire. The water and mugs waited in the kitchen, but they couldn't have plain white 'malkos' in their cocoa. She began sticking marshmallows on their wooden pokers, glimpsing two things as she did. One, the return fo the large, puffy snowflakes outside their windows. Slight condensation edged the panes, but inside was all warm and cozy. And it wasn't just because of her socks and robe.
                    Second, as Ivan muted away on his crusts, Glenn had gotten Brandon on his lap. And now and then, whispered a few things in their son's angry-red ear. Beverly knew what he was talking to him about. She loved his gentle approach with the kids... gentleness, patience, and a killer jaw! That's my man! 
                    Kaley fought for control of a poker, but her grip was fleeting. Beverly grinned, seeing her ulterior motive working. Sure enough, Kaley was soon asleep and Beverly could cradle her onto her shoulder. She pulled the pokers out, then motioned to Glenn as she stood and walked out. Enjoying the scent of their daughter's weathered hair, Beverly settled her into her crib. She expected the gentle heat to leave her when she had laid Kaley down, but it didn't. Smiling, Beverly carried the warmth back downstairs and warmed the water, soon replacing the plates with mugs. She kissed Ivan on the head, even while his attention remained on the program's end. "Who wants a 'malko'?"

~To Be Continued~