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Day 20: Snow Fun

I could be described as "indoorsy." Especially in winter. There are no winter outdoor activities I really enjoy because I hate being cold. I mean, I'll go sledding if it's nice out, but I'd be equally as happy doing Amazon shopping on my couch. Today was the first 20-degree day in quite a while, since we've been stuck in a below-zero rut for a couple of weeks. So the boys asked to go outside and I obliged.

The baby (actually a 17-month-old) usually goes out but is typically held or carried in the backpack. He's fairly new to walking and his hand-me-down boots are a size too big. I thought today I'd see how he did on his own, mostly because I wanted to drink coffee instead of carry him around.

I bundled him up in his little snowpants and boots and thumbless mittens and we all headed outside. He started out a little unsteady and unsure but after a few minutes he strayed from my side and started exploring. To my delight, he did better than expected and mostly stayed on his feet; his wide bowlegged stance probably helped him out.

The big boys squealed with delight, as they usually do in the snow, and kept busy shoveling and "surfing" on their sleds. The babe toddled around touching the snow and wiping out and struggling to get up, but he didn't cry even once. I so enjoyed seeing him really play outside for the first time! He kept turning around to smile at me with his new-found freedom, which really made my heart swell.

Having a one-year-old is hard. Between the tantrums and the STILL not sleeping well and the messes - oh, the messes - he is exhausting. But then when I see him do something new and take so much joy in it, I am really delighted and it makes all the work completely worth it.

We stayed out an hour and I actually enjoyed it! I drank coffee and didn't get too cold. The big boys didn't fight at all. The baby only almost walked into the busy street once. I'll call it a win.

I never thought one of my gratitude posts would be about spending time outside in the winter, but I am really thankful I took them out. I'm also grateful that I left my phone inside, so I actually watched them rather than taking pictures. Little Randy (like from A Christmas Story) was irresistibly cute, as wide in his snow gear as he is tall, but I'm still glad I watched him toddle around with my eyes rather than through my phone.

It was an excellent hour in a pretty good day.

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