It's the little things that get the best compliments

Steve called today to tell me the snow is now packable and therefore "snowman ready."  Ethan was all set when I picked the boys up from daycare this evening.  I told him we'd check the snow when we got home and if we could make a snowman, we would.

We got home and I checked the snow already thinking Steve was mistaken.  Sure enough, the snow just crumbled in my hand - wouldn't pack at all.  I'm thinking if you have no gloves on (which Steve likely didn't but I did and Ethan would), the heat from your hands may make it packable and therefore good snowman making snow.  However, this will also give you frostbite as to make the snowman, you'd be touching that snow an awfully long time and it's bitingly cold (frost-bitingly even).  So I had to break the news to Ethan that we couldn't build a snowman because the snow just wasn't right. 

His face fell, "but I want to pway in the snow wiff you and Owix; I don't want to fix dinna."  I had told him if we could make a snowman we would but if we couldn't, I'd need to fix dinner.  I told him to go on in the house and I'd get him dressed and let him play while I fixed dinner.  He said, "wiff Owix?"  Alex's cheeks are still chapped from our last snowy adventure and as the sun goes down, so does his energy level so I decided Alex should stay inside with me which also meant I could actually fix dinner and not stand outside with Alex helping him up every few minutes.  Ethan decided it was ok as long as HE still got to play in the snow. 

In the house, Ethan stripped off his pants so we could put 2 layers of better pants on for added warmth, then the snowboots with pants tucked in, the gloves and hat (coat never came off) and he was ready to go.  I opened the back door and out he went. 

As you can see, he was quite happy to be out there.  The first thing he did was unstack those little chairs you see laying beside him in the snow.  I then asked him to stack them back up so they wouldn't blow away and as I helped him do that, he showed me the gaping hole in the snow where they had been "stuck":  "Dey was stuck wight dere, Mama.  Look at da grass.  I'm gonna put snow on it."  And he proceeded to do just that as I went back in the house. 

Alex proceeded to lay on a pillow with his sippy, paci & blanket right over the gate from the kitchen into the living room.  He was not at all concerned with the fact that he wasn't outside - he was tired and completely content to lay right there until it was time to eat.  He was just resting up before dinner actually because he was full of energy when I said it was ready - jumped right up and started grunting for me to move the gate.

I had already given Ethan the 5 minute warning and he's said "Ok, Mama."  Because the stipulation to go outside when I'm fixing dinner whether in the snow or in the sunshine is that he has to come in when I say it's time.  However, when I said, "it's time to come in, Ethan.  Dinner's ready."  He said, "NO!  It's not time.  I'm not coming."  I said, "Yes, you need to come in."  E: "No.  I don't want dinna.  I want to play in the snow."  Me: "If you don't come in right now, you won't play in the snow at all the next time it snows or anymore in this snow."  E:  "No.  I'm staying right here."  I looked at him and waited a second for my last statement to sink in because he's almost said "no" before I got the statement out of my mouth.  Yep, it registered.  Not a word was said as he suddenly started walking to the house and came straight in.  Smart boy - I could almost see the "on second thought" lightbulb turn on in his head.

Inside, I started stripped off the cold layers as he told me he thought he needed some hot chocolate.  Hey, I can totally handle that - no problem.  Stripped and redressed in warm, dry clothes, he sat down to eat while I strapped in the energy ball known as Alex.  I wasn't even done yet before Ethan reminded me, "I really think I need some hot chocolate, Mama.  Look how cold my teeth are.  They really need some hot chocolate to eat."  That's right folks - apparently you eat hot chocolate to warm your teeth rather than drinking it.  I chuckled as I told him I was making it and to eat his spaghetti.  He proceeded to eat every bite while he played in and ate/drank his hot chocolate.  He kept insisting Alex really needed some, too, but as Alex was fully engrossed in his spaghetti, I thought it better to let him finish one mess without handing him hot chocolate to make another one. 

The best compliment came after dinner.  Ethan told me I was a really good Mama because I made really good hot chocolate and gave him ice to cool it down so he could "eat" it better and it was yummy with his dinna followed by, "fanks, Mama.  I wuv you."  Yes, I do believe I'll keep this boy of mine and since Alex was so sweet laying on his pillow and then ate all his dinner with minimal mess on the floor, I think I'll keep him, too.