Snow walks

Winter is here!  The snow has been falling for about a week and the days are too cold to melt any of it, and the suns rays are weak whenever they are visible.  I have ambivalence about winter and cold.  On the one hand, I grew up in Dallas, where a cold day was about 50 degrees and necessitated a coat and maybe mittens, but most of the year was hot and sunny.  That became my ideal.  Then my family moved to Ohio, which experiences each season in its glory, and I became entranced by the changes in nature.  The grass is so lush and green in the spring, and the leaves are a rainbow of colors each fall.  Even snow, with its dreadful cold, is a bit of a novelty and delight at first.  I am usually pleased to see its arrival, although by mid-January I'm ready to travel about without its cold sting every time I step outside, and its inconvenient storms making roads hazardous.  We do live here by choice, however, and so I try to make the best of things.  This winter, I am really going outside of my own preference for staying warm and cozy inside by taking the boys out for Snow Walks.  It started last week when the snow came rushing down, and it wasn't safe to get in the car, but the kids were desperately in need of an outing.  So I dressed each of them in their cold weather accessories: sweaters, snowsuits, hats, gloves, boots, winter coats, and we trudged down the street all the way to the playground.

Yes, I brought the wagon, because I knew I couldn't carry one little guy all the way to the park, much less if either of the big boys decided they were done walking when we were any distance from our home.  I did not anticipate how difficult it is to pull a wagon in five inches of snow.  However, we made it to our destination and Winston attempted to use a snow-covered slide.  The results were not great, although he didn't get too upset about getting a face-full of snow.  That was all we had time for, however, as James looked up at me and asked, "Can we go home now?"  And so we returned, slowly, coldly, to our house, which had miraculously transformed itself from a snow prison to a warm, comfy haven.  We have gone on two more snow walks in a week, and although I loathe the numbing of my fingers and toes and the bite of the winter wind, I find that I love the feeling of being the only people outside.  I love the hush of a thick layer of snow on everything.  I love kicking the soft powder off my feet and watching my children frolic in the new sensations.

My children's personalities are completely on display on our Snow Walks.  Winston, second only in birth order, charges ahead, throwing himself into snow drifts and running with abandon.

James, my cautious adventurer, is almost always several steps behind, holding up his pants so the ends don't get wet, although he doesn't realize this permits the snow and cold to get his legs and even his feet, calling out, "I'm going to fall!  I'm going to fall!" despite staying perfectly upright the entire time.  James also enjoys kicking at balls of ice and clumps of snow, which contributes to his place at the end of our caravan.

Finally, the little guy, just one year old and not quite ready to walk along with us through snowy streets and frozen playgrounds, gazes out at the world around him, from his place in my arms or his seat in the wagon.  This is really his first experience with snow, as he was just an infant last winter, which was fairly warm and didn't produce much of the white stuff.  He is warmest of all of us, under his many layers and held close to protect from the wind.  I find myself planning our days around whether we can go out and explore in the snow, and am hoping that my friends are correct in saying this makes me a good mom.  Regardless, its a whole lot of fun!