73. Winter (Listen and Read)

Once the fall is over and the snowflakes start to fall I get very excited.

I can hardly wait for the ground to be covered with a blanket of white snow.

I put on my mittens, my scarf, my hat,

coat and winter boots, and I run out into the fluffy snow.

I have to be careful not to slip on the ice.

It can get very icy and cold in the winter.

The first thing that I do is to build a snowman.

I sometimes build a snow fort too.

My friends and I have a good snowball fight.

We laugh a lot, and our cheeks and noses get very red.

When we get too cold, we go into the house and have a cup of hot chocolate.

My father fills the backyard with water that freezes and turns into an ice rink.

When the ice is hard enough,

my friends and I get our skates and we go out on the ice to play hockey.

All of my friends own hockey sticks.

I am usually the goalie,

and I have to keep the puck from going into the net.

My sister and her friends don't really like to play hockey.

They would rather just skate around on the ice.

I took skating lessons, so I don't usually fall down.

My little brother is just learning to skate,

so he falls down a lot.

My father has to shovel the snow off the paths and the driveway in the winter.

I help him.

Shovelling snow is hard work.

When my dad and I finish shovelling the driveway,

we go into the house and warm our hands and feet in front of the fireplace.

There is probably nothing more beautiful than fresh fallen snow on the trees.

In the morning, when the sun shines on the snow, it glistens.

I like to leave my footprints in the snow.

Winter can be very beautiful and exciting.