Negative Four

Negative four - that is the temperature outside right now as I write this. It's funny how when I was a kid living in Alaska, I never seemed to be cold. Maybe the 50 below temperatures froze my memory of those days. I do remember having the beginnings of frostbite on my fingers a couple of times; but not much else besides ice skating, sledding down the piles of hills that the snow plows made, and just plain lots of kid fun.

Yesterday was not so cold, 15 degrees with 20 mile an hour winds. I had to take Logan out and meet the guys to give them some paperwork before heading to the office that afternoon. We had bought Logan a new pair of snow boots; I looked down at him, a big smile on his face as he trudged through the snow. And then it happened. He tripped and fell face first into a pile of white, wintery, bitterness. I felt so bad! My poor little boy with his face and hands red with cold (the wind was not helping the situation), screamed until I got him back in the house and warmed up.

It's amazing to me how little cold weather gear there is around here (of course it's not Alaska.) My husband and I had to go to three different stores just to find snow boots. And the gloves, thin knit ones (for adults and kids.) Apparently the only place to find any good outdoor gear is REI and though I love shopping there, I felt they were too expensive for little boys who outgrow their stuff in a week. However, I was ready to break down and spend the $35-$50 it cost for toddler snowboots; until I found a pair at Target.

Thankfully my mom, having four kids and living in Alaska, is an expert at kids cold weather gear (and finding it); and has mailed Logan a thinsulated pair of mittens with some other cold weather needs. I think until they arrive, we will be spending most of our time playing indoors.