Snow Gear

The snow plow finally arrived...along with record amounts of snow. It has been snowing for days. Seriously! We are getting a lot of use out of the snowsuits and sleds this year. We are all getting a lot of exercise too... since it requires a full workout to get the kids dressed and outside every single day.

It only takes me about 9 years to get everybody dressed in their snow gear to go outside. Wyatt can put his snowsuit, boots, hat, and gloves on all by himself. Score!

Jonah can gather all of his own gear and lay down on top of the snowsuit so that I can zip him in. I have to help get his boots on and pull the pant leg over the top of the boot. I have to help put his hat and hood on and get his mittens on with his thumb in the separate thumb hole and pull his sleeve over the mitten top. He assists as much as he can, but he definitely has a ways to go.

Sam doesn't recognize his own snow gear. He doesn't gather it up. He is usually skipping around singing or spinning in circles while the other two boys are getting dressed. He operates very differently than the rest of us!

Most of the time as soon as Wyatt and Jonah are dressed and already out in the snow Sam starts bawling because he finally realizes that he is not even close to being ready. He will break into hysterics when I tell him that he needs to pee before he gets into his snowsuit (I learned that one the hard way!). By the time he finds his gear another 10 minutes has passed!

Sam doesn't help get his own boots on at all. It's as if his legs are attached to someone else's body. When I say push your foot in he bends his toes or wiggles his fingers. Argghhhh! The absolutely most frustrating part is getting his mittens on. He insists on having his thumb in the separate thumb hole, but he can not do this feat in under 10 minutes! For real. It is like trying to dress a frog in a three piece suit!

Today I got Wyatt, Jonah, and Shane (in a snowsuit in his stroller) outside in full snow gear and Sam still had not found the potty! I am not even kidding! It might be faster and easier to teach Maggie to get into a snowsuit than Sam!

Can you imagine trying to get him to school on time? Sam where is your backpack? Do you have underwear on? Make sure that you use the potty before you get dressed. Where are your shoes? Are you wearing socks? Is your homework in your backpack? And on and on....... Then the bus will come and he will start crying! I can see it now!

Someday I hope that Sam's wife reads this blog so that she realizes that I tried to teach him to be self sufficient. His brothers are self sufficient. His parents are self sufficient. We try to be patient with him, but maybe it is better if Sam and his wife consider living somewhere where it is really really warm. That way he can be naked all day and sing, and spin, and march around and pee outside and save his poor wife the trouble of going through the rigors of getting the little toad dressed every day!

Why do I have to sit up for this picture?