Snow days

We did not have nearly the snow we were hoping for this year.  We did get one nice dose that at least let us see the house and yard covered, and we did go for a walk that day and make a few snow balls.  One Saturday we bundled everyone up and drove to Mt. Hood for sledding.  It was a totally clear and relatively warm day.

It took the kids a while to get into the sledding groove.  Silas wanted to watch Jordan and I go several times before he made an attempt.  Jewel wanted to be held most of the time (in all her snow gear), but did finally enjoy going down the hill with one of us.  Trey was all about the adventure of exploration.  The sled was fine, the zooming was fun, but he mostly wanted to trek around on his own, eating snow and watching for entertaining crashes.  He did surf down the slopes standing on the sled a couple times, then we made him lay on his stomach for safety purposes...that was fun, too.

After sledding for a while the two little ones and I were pooped.  Jewel was just done.  I had been alternating carrying her and Trey up the hills to sled down, and the snow was DEEP.  It was a major work out to trudge through when each step took me in to my knees and I was holding my 35lb 3 year old all the while.  Trey was hungry and getting tired since we skipped naps for the outing.

I took the them both and we went back to the suburban.  As I was getting them snacks I started to smell something.  Through 3 layers of clothing and jackets, Trey was definitely poopy.  I laid him on the seat and got to work peeling away coats, mittens, long johns and such to get to the mess.  When he was finally naked on the seat, Jewel grabs her own buns and says frantically "I need to go poop!"  I told her to please wait while I finished with Trey.  She just couldn't.  "I have to go now Mom!"  I was rushing through Trey's change as fast as I could.  Then I looked over at her as she drops her shoulders and heaves a great big sigh.  "I just did it in my pants."

So, I got Trey rebundled, found her a change of clothes and we did the wide leg walk up to the ski resort bathrooms.  Once in the ladies room, I take both of them into the handicap stall and start the stripping process for Jewel, very carefully.  Meanwhile, she is getting teary and feeling bad that she couldn't hold it and Trey is starting to unravel the toilet paper.  I am working quickly, but he is faster.  She is saying "Mommy, please help me, get this off me" while I am trying to keep Trey out of the garbage and the toilet.  Once we are finally done and Trey is certainly covered in every nasty germ in the bathroom, I am sweating and nearly in tears myself.

On the way back to the Suburban we can see Silas and Jordan on the top of the hill.  Big smiles, big waves.  They are having a blast.  Oh my.  I am planning on a giant coffee for the ride home.