Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Cold but uncaged

We live in Minnesota, which means a) it snows and b) it gets cold.



Last night we had our first decent snow. Not nearly what they had predicted (6-10 inches at one point), but enough to whiten the ground a bit.

Now, don't get me wrong. I do love the outdoors. Love the outdoors.

But I hate being cold. Really hate being cold. So it takes a bit of convincing to get my warmish self outside into a blowing snow, below zero with windchill kind of day. You know, like today.

But there is one thing that always convinces me: children who act like caged animals.

Now while its cute to think that two high strung boys and yourself can relax, staying warm and dry inside the house, snuggled in together under a quilt reading storybooks and sipping hot chocolate...the truth is, that hardly works.

I was blessed with two boys who go until they crash, never giving into defeat. They don't know the meaning of slow down. They run without stopping to rest, they talk without stopping to breathe. They need to move. A lot. Snowy cold weather does not mean snuggling to Iggy and Ooky. It means sledding and wrestling in the snow and snowball fights and run run run turn your cheeks red and no we don't want to go inside. That's just the facts of how it is.

But not liking the facts doesn't change the facts.
Sigh.
So we bundle up and go outside.



Smile for the camera, MamaTea. Come on, its not that bad out, is it? ;)

And within a few minutes, the boys are doing what they do best. Attempting to use all that energy. All that excitement and zest and power that I wish I could bottle and sell to every adult I know.







I wish I could bottle and sell their flexibility as well. Iggy plowed himself right under a chair around our campfire ring while whizzing down the hill at a billion miles an hour. He laughed the whole time, even while his crazy mother was saying "Holy crap, Iggy! Are you ok? Wait...let me get my camera!!!"



I'm glad he was laughing. I can tell you, for sure, I would not have been laughing if I would have been stuck in the same position. Under a metal chair. At the bottom of a hill. Notice, his legs are underneath his back??



But I was laughing. Laughing because he was happy, because Ooky was happy, and because I was happy. And warm.

Ooky tried to give himself a Santa beard...



Iggy tried to see how much (very clean white) snow he could fit in his mouth at once...




After an hour or so of playing in the cold, it was time to call it quits. We did have hot chocolate. And a wee bit of a snuggle. You know, for that brief moment Iggy and Ooky weren't moving. But I'll take what I can get. Because its not long before they are up and ready for round two. Or three. Or ten.

Such is life. :)

5 comments:

Frogcreek said...

Brr! I am with you, it takes much cajoling to get me out, but once there, I like it alright till I can't feel my toes or fingers, and then I am in and done! Looks like you had a good time, and eek about the chair incident, gah!

Sarah said...

Oh, I so hear you on the cold. I can take it, for a bit, if playing is involved, but once our wind out here starts .... Miserable.

I'm cracking up at A) your son's legs under his back and B) you running to get the camera. lol

Stephanie said...

Yup - that's one of the reasons we went the other day!
Maddie had hurt her leg a week before, and we weren't doing any running and trampoline jumping.
They were so ready for hours of rumpus! (I'm just glad we survived the wait.)

Anonymous said...

Oh, my legs are STILL hurting from seeing that pic!! OUCH!! Glad you made that extraordinary "mom" effort so you could experience those memories with your kiddos!

Anonymous said...

It looks like they had a blast! Unfortunately, only my older girls will go out in the frigid cold willingly, so my hyper boys have to be bundled and cajoled into going outside and then all four kids want to come back inside because it's so cold and their mittens are soaked and so-and-so hit me with a snowball and got snow in my ear... And then everybody tracks snow inside and leaves freezing puddles of melting snow throughout the house and has to get UN-bundled.

Oops, kinda went off there! LOL It sure looks pretty out there, but I am not a fan of Minnesota winters! :)

~Alicia
(of Magic and Mayhem, but your comment settings won't take my blog) :)