Snow Much Fun, Part Deux

Well, it kept snowing!  So we kept playing.  Jack had a blast with the big kids at the end of the street going down the only 'hill' in the neighborhood (it's really a drainage ditch, but Illinois is flat as a pancake, so you work with what you've got.)  And while he was doing that, I needed a way to keep Ben busy, yet safe.

 

So we busted out the snowman kit that we got as a favor from Cameron's First Birthday Bash, which I don't even think I mentioned during that post (and can you blame me with that sweets table to gush over?).  The favor was a HANDMADE snowman kit.  Like, a hat that Ulia sewed on an actual sewing machine.  And a nose on a stick that she actually made and sewed on the stick. 

 

And now, we finally got to put it to good use!!

 

Introducing..."Snowy".

 

 

I sent Ben out into the backyard to play and he said he was going to make a snowman.  I had no idea that what was falling from the skies at that moment was absolute, perfect, snowman-making snow.  The kind that sticks to itself and packs effortlessly.

 

 

Within ten minutes of sending him out there, he was knocking on the kitchen door yelling that he was ready for me to put the pieces together!

 

 

 

He honest to goodness rolled two 75lb snowballs all the way across the yard.  I don't know how he did it because I had to chop one of them in half just to be able to lift it into position. (no wonder he totally bonked and went to bed early that night!)

 

 

I helped him get the middle and head on, and then helped him with a little face sculpting.  Because what's a snowman without cheekbones, ya know?

 

 

 

 

And how are you supposed to hold eyes in place without eyebrows?

 

 

 

But Ben was the mastermind behind it all.

 

 

 

 

He really was in love with his snowman.

 

In fact, this is how I woke up the next morning

(after being up at 12am, 3am and 5am with the baby)

 

6:23 

Ben: "Mom, where are my snowpants?"

Me: "They're in the dryer.  Wait, what?!  Benjamin, you are NOT going outside right now.  Go back to bed, it's six o'clock in the morning!"

 

6:41

Ben: "Mom, where are my boots?  I don't want to PLAY outside, I just need to check on Snowy."

Me: (noting through groggy eyes that Ben is now wearing his snow pants, inside out) "Ben, you are NOT going outside.  If you want to check on your snowman, go look out the window in the office."

 

6:54

Ben: "Mom, I can't see snowy through the office window because there's bushes blocking me.  Can you put on my other glove?"

Me: (noting that now he's got his boots on and one gloved hand) "If the office doesn't work, you can see him from the guest room Ben.  Go look out the guest room window, PLEASE."

 

7:05

Me: After finding Ben standing on a kitchen chair to unlock the special, "Ben-proof" lock on the sliding glass doors, wearing his inside out snowpants, jacket, both gloves and his hat on his head (score one for mom, he wore his hat!)...

 

"Okay, Ben.  FINE.  Go check on Snowy.  You have ONE minute."

 

 

Snowman Love.

I guess you can't argue with that.