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Not much has been going on here in the Jackson house. Just lots and lots of cuddling.
We pulled out the exer-saucer thing, but Connor is not quite up to it yet. Today he did stand in it without slouching down and chewing on the seat. Progress comes in small shuffle steps sometimes.
Katie decided a few days ago that she could PICK UP her brother!! You can just imagine my horror when I turned around in the kitchen to see Katie standing in the living room with Connor in her arms!! At least she was not walking with him I did not know what to do first. I could not decide if I should put down what I was doing or just rush right in with it in my hands. I was turning in circles just terrified that her arms would get tired. Of course they did not. She really is a strong little girl, even if she is rail thin. Not that I am going to allow her to pick him up anymore. We have upgraded her to being able to hold him in her lap with his head on her shoulder. Giving her a little trust on being able to support him. I do have to save Connor every once in a while, but Katie is very good about telling me when her arms are getting tired, or she just wants to put him down.

And then it SNOWED!! School let out at 11 AM, we went to Fridays for lunch before the weather turned, a little family togetherness before I take the kids to Atlanta, which was supposed to be Saturday (which technically is today) Oh, Katie was over the moon! She was so excited, just had to be out in it. There was no keeping her inside, even when we told her not to go outside. I remember how exciting it was to us when we were little, so it is hard to get too mad. Okay, so I got mad, but then reminded myself that she IS 5 and she IS as excited as I used to be. So, I got over it. Connor was down for a nap, so we played on the deck for a bit right when it started. SO COLD! And Katie ran outside without gloves on, and then her hands were too wet to get gloves on her, so she had to come in to warm up.



That did not last very long and we were in the front yard - I was thinking there would be other kids for her to play with so that I did not have to throw snowballs or be hit with them! But there really weren't many kids out, two up the street. When Chip left for work we had to go in to take care of Connor.
Which did not last long! We were back on the deck with frequent baby checks. The snow was really starting to pile up now and Katie was having a good time. Her bubble mower was out so she mowed the snow. Finally she was frozen solid, so I convinced her to come inside and have a hot bath.
THAT DID NOT LAST VERY LONG ... (do you see a pattern?) As soon as she got out and dressed in some dry clothes she wanted out again. I even told her no ... came downstairs 30 seconds behind her and she was already on the deck! Why, oh why, did I take off the child safety covers on the doorknob? So I rushed her back in, at least until her hair was dry. Then every 2 minutes it was "My hair is dry, can we go back outside?" Thank goodness Connor was taking a good nap!!
Talked to Mom and she brought up the red sled she had brought us. So, I tracked down a battery for the monitor, a cord for the sled, and we were off to the races. This time with double layers of clothes and mittens. Finally managed to get the gate open and we made a lap around the track to get Katie used to sliding. We really don't have a great place for sledding, but there is a bit of a hill behind the neighbors yard, and for Katie it was quite steep enough. I even got to take a few turns on the sled. Twice by myself and two times with Katie. Once again I was totally amazed that we were the only fools out in the park! The wind was gusting and the snow was stinging (this is the South, no fluffy snow for us), but it was FUN! How did all those other parents and kids miss out on this. It is not everyday we get snow down here. In fact, we get one good snow a year usually, why would you waste it? Sure, it will be there tomorrow, but not for too long. It will warm up, turn slushy and dirty and brown, and they will be sorry they missed it. Not Katie and I, we had a blast!!!