by Lisa Linthicum

Created on: January 06, 2009

There's nothing like snow falling to get kids excited. My three were absolutely when snowflakes began floating out of the sky one Sunday afternoon early last December. Little handprints and noseprints were numerous on the windows and glass doors all over the house from their weather watching endeavors. The wind was blowing so hard that the windchill was way too cold for them to go out and play. They were making paths in the living room carpet from all of their anxious pacing.

Late that afternoon, the wind had let up and it was time to bundle up and head out for some frolicking in the snow. Getting them dressed could have literally been scenes from a sequel to the famous "A Christmas Story" movie where the younger brother has so many layers on that he literally can't move his arms. I had my kids wearing tons of layers, trying to make sure they stayed warm.

Finally, it was time to trudge out into the falling snow. By that time, there was probably about six inches of snow on the ground. And, it was still falling.

My nine year old son immediately fell down and made a snow angel. "Terrific," I muttered, watching from the kitchen window. I was now certain that he was going to come down with pneumonia.

My six year old kept running around trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue. She was mesmerized by the falling snow.

My three year old just sat down in the snow and looked around. He didn't know what to make of the situation at all.

I let them stay out for about 30 minutes before herding them back inside the warm house. Undressing them was another full-blown comedy. Their rosy cheeks were a perfect visual to match their excited recollections of their snow adventures. A quick dip in a warm bath and some dry clothes got them all ready for a cup of hot cocoa.

Early that evening, their excitement about the snow turned to disdain. Our power went out due to the heavy snow on the trees and powerlines. The first 30 minutes was "fun" and "exciting" for the kids. My oldest explained that we were living like they did on "Little House on the Prairie".

After they had exhausted the joy of flaslight shadows, they began asking about playing their videogame. "Sorry, you need electricity for that."

"Can we play on the laptop?" they asked excitedly. Afterall, it runs on a battery. "To get on the Internet, you need the wireless router which runs on electricity."

"Oh, man!"

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