Snowplay

Sunday I took Quinn out into the relatively balmy -6C temperatures to get some fresh air. He had his big boots on, his big snowsuit, and the big mitts that snap onto it. I call it his space suit since he has all the mobility of an astronaut in it. He's getting used to the boots quite well and can now walk around not too badly. The mitts are a serious impediment though - the suit and mitts are a little big as of yet, and he can't grip anything.

I wasn't sure what he wanted to do, or could do outside. We're still figuring out the outside-in-the-winter thing. Including Quinn. He wandered around for a bit and ordered daddy to do a few things, but he really couldn't do much himself. I decided to try to figure out how to make winter outdoors fun for him.

I put him in the sleigh shovel and pushed him around some. He didn't really seem to get a kick out of that. I packed down the snow on the mini-hill I previously shoveled in the driveway; he walked on it a bit but that wasn't really working either. I plunked him on top of the mini hill; he liked that a little. I tried to slide him down the mini hill and that got a little giggle, but it was tough sledding and I couldn't scrounge a suitable sliding implement on short notice.

Next time Bec poked her head out the door, I asked her to get his knit mittens, which are quite a bit smaller. They wouldn't be good for serious cold or long jaunts being carried in the backpack, but it was relatively warm and he was moving about so we thought we'd try it for awhile and see how his hands fared heatwise. I managed to get his thumbs actually in the thumbholes which took a little doing. It's amazing what a difference that makes. He could grip most anything then.

For awhile we played fyonto yodo (front loader) in the snow, dumping into his dump truck. He liked that. I started shovelling a path in the backyard to the composter, more for something to do than anything else. Quinn started helping with his little yellow shovel. Then he gave me his little yellow shovel and he started pushing the great big sleigh shovel by himself and trying to tip it over like I do. He had the right idea! By then I'd finished the path to the composter and then he had a great time walking up and down the path, shovelling along the sides and walking in and out of some spurs I'd dug.

It was a slow start, but by the time it was time to come in he didn't want to, which I think is a sure sign he's learned to have some winter fun.