6 Inches of Snow?

Well these little guys started popping out of the ground about a week ago. We were so excited. We had a few days of upper 50's with sun, and we could almost smell Spring in the air. But then the kids came home from school yesterday, on their bikes, and by the time they got to the house they were soaked. It was snowing so hard, and it was wet snow! I told them it was crazy but it would never stick - It's March for heaven's sake! Well, little did we know - IT STUCK! 6 Inches Stuck! We went to bed with no snow and woke up to this!

Shawn was stoked! The first thing he said to me was, "Can we build a snowman?" He has been so excited about snowmen this winter, and I kept telling him we would build one. But we never did. So we pulled out the boxes and got out our winter clothes.
Shawn knew exactly what we needed for the snowman. I must have heard him say, "We need a carrot" about 100 times. As soon as I pulled one out of the fridge, he was showing me where we needed to put the carrot.
"It's a nose, Mom, it's a Snowman's nose."

The snow was really heavy and wet, but before long we had our little snowman made. I tried to just do the bare minimum with all the details, but Shawn wasn't about to have that.

"He needs a mouth, Mom"

"What about his hat?"

"Where's his arms?"

"He needs some buttons . . ."

He sure is one cute kid!

The best part was watching him stand back and look at the finished product. He was so proud to see what we had made. I would have to say we were pretty lucky to get this storm. And by the afternoon, the snowman had melted so much that he started tipping over and his head fell off. Thank heavens it's March!

Only So Many More . . .

Last night Jenny was online checking her email and looking up new blog posts. Tyler eagerly watched over her shoulder and Katy glanced at the screen each time she "bounced" in and out of the room. Shawn pulled a chair right up next to Jen and began to insist, "It's my turn Nenny! I want to play Dragon Tales!" After telling Shawn that it wasn't time for Dragon Tales, Jenny continued looking and reading.

The scene continued on the same for awhile with Shawn demanding his turn every couple of minutes. When he realized he wasn't getting what he wanted and couldn't take it any longer, Shawn reached up and pinched Jenny's nose demanding that it was his turn. Jenny screamed out in pain and ran to the bathroom with a bloody nose.

Needless to say, Shawn was sent to time out.

As time continues to move our family forward, the dynamics of our home are changing a little more each day. My older kids each take turns checking their emails. They post big events on their own blogs. And my little 3-year-old needs his fair share of time on the computer.

Knowing that I'm only going to have a 3-year-old in my house for just a little bit longer . . . Knowing that there's not going to be another little one to take his place . . . I have really enjoyed all the little moments of having a 3-year-old at home. It's just me and my baby boy for only a short time longer.. . . no school or extra activities to interfere. I love experiencing all the funny faces, cute words, laugher, tight hugs, bursts of energy and even tears.

So when he was sent to the corner and told to fold his arms and not move, I couldn't help but smile when after 3 full minutes he was still facing the wall with his arms folded, eyes down, and lower lip sticking out just enough to show he was sad. Because I knew these moments are only going to last for so long and then they will be gone.