Snow Day!

Just when we were getting our hopes up that spring may be right around the corner, the weather changed drastically, and last night the sky dumped several inches of snow down upon us. Should've known better. I was especially disappointed because Pittsburgh Public Schools were cancelled, which meant our music class was also cancelled. It just so happened that Brett had the morning off and was planning to accompany us for the very first time, too. Big bummer. 

On a more positive note, I must say that it was rather lovely outside. The sun was shining brightly, there was no wind to speak of, and the temperature was not unbearable. Winter days don't get much prettier than this:

Though we didn't get to share music class with Daddy, we did enjoy having him around early in the day. Kaiser spent quite a big of time hanging in his pjs and building with Legos.

 With his "crane-clam digger-excavator".

(You probably didn't know these existed. He's that good.)

I dressed Porter in his fleece "Let It Snow" outfit in honor of the weather -- hopefully for the last time!

 Cranky snow baby.

 That's better.

After Kaiser had eaten lunch and Porter went down for his second nap of the day, my big boy and I got dressed in our gear so we could venture out into the backyard for a while. Call me crazy (or just not a big fan of it), but I had yet to take Kaiser out to play in the snow. I did buy him a snow bib a while back, and today he finally got to put it to good use. He was excited to don his "snowsuit", thick socks, snow boots, coat, hats, and mittens, and in the end he didn't look nearly as much like the Michelin Man as I'd expected he would. :)

 Layering up.

 Letting Berk sniff his mittens.

Upon walking out the back door, Kaiser was not quite sure what to think about tramping through the snow. I assured him that his snowsuit and boots would keep him dry and warm. 

"What am I supposed to do next?"

I thought Kaiser would enjoy scooping the snow, so we brought out a couple of bowls and a big plastic spoon and ladle. Mommy was right; he spent most of our time out there entertained by this activity.

 Snow shoveler for hire.

 "Is this stuff edible?"

"Yep!"

Not long after coming out, I was wishing we had a sled to pull Kaiser around in the yard. Suddenly, I remembered that our plastic baby pool was propped against the side of the deck (that's right, we like to keep it classy 'round here), and thought, "Why not?" I dug it out from underneath a mound of snow, dragged it over to Kaiser, and encouraged him to sit down in it. At this point, I'm sure he thought I was a crazy woman for telling him to get in a pool and had no idea what I had up my sleeve, but in it he sat. He rode in the makeshift sled for less than a minute before he tipped slightly to the side, touched the snow with his bare hands (we'd had to lose his mittens earlier because they were too big and wouldn't stay on), and decided he was not having fun. So back to scooping snow he went.

Mommy let Kaiser continue his job while she got to work building a snowman. I told Brett last night that I'm pretty sure the last time I made a snowman was when I was like seven or so and it snowed while we were in Tulsa visiting family for Christmas. Even then, it's likely that my daddy made it and I "helped". Obviously growing up in Houston left me somewhat impaired in the area of snow construction. Here is my best attempt: 

A faceless, limbless Frosty. So sad.

I experienced slightly more success creating a snow ladybug, per Kaiser's request. 

(I gave up on making antennae.)

When Kaiser requested that I fashion a train, however, I had to draw the line. I do feel fortunate to have a son who was supportive of Mommy's efforts and pleased with the results. :)

 Liked his ladybug.

Adding some snow to my masterpiece.

We had another not-so-fun moment when he was walking over to the snowman and fell. Snow + skin is clearly not his cup of tea.

 "My fingahs!"

"I'm melting! I'm melting!"

(Or, in this case, "I'm freezing?")

But he recovered quickly and thought it was pretty funny when I suggested that he kiss Mr. Snowman.

 "Now that's just plain silly."

 Just his size.

Soon it was time to feed Porter, so I convinced Kaiser to take a photo with Mommy before we headed back inside. 

 After each of our attempts, he said, "Dat was a great picture!"

 Denied.

 Hanging over my hip as we walk up the steps.

Porter was only a little jealous that we'd had so much fun outside without him. Kaiser was in high spirits and decided to tickle his baby brother's feet while Mommy was nursing him. 

 Sweet moment.

 "Hey, what's going on here?"

As naptime approached, the kiddo started to get giddy. He almost lost his balance and fell down, then busted out laughing about it. This soon turned into an impromptu, made-up game of "Don't Fall Down!" where he wanted me to say the phrase, and then he dramatically fell over onto the couch. 

Happy happy joy joy.

Earlier in the day, I'd gone outside and scooped up a big bowlful of fresh snow, which I stuck in the freezer for later. I've read several blogs and Facebook statuses lately that have mentioned making snow ice cream, and I decided that it was high time we jumped on this bandwagon. So this evening after dinner, I pulled it out, added milk, sugar, and vanilla, and mixed. Simple enough, and actually pretty tasty! Kaiser was happy to partake, and very excited to learn that the snow, which just tasted like "ice" to him earlier, was now a sweet treat!

 First bite.

Colder than expected?

With two more winters in the Burgh left ahead of us, I know this was far from the last "snow play" day I'll have with my boys. Despite my typically less-than-ecstatic feelings to see the white stuff fall from the sky, I had a blast making memories with Kaiser today and look forward to many, many more!