Here in Wilmington we get snow one day a year, if we're lucky. We live in a weird climate. In the summer its practically tropical. In fact, the famous Venus Fly Trap was discovered here, and only grows in the wild within a 100 mile radius of our town! See? Weird. In the winter, we have a strange humid, windy, chill-you-to-the-bone climate some days, then it'll get up into the 70's for a few. And as I said, snow is rare. Even when the rest of the state is getting their inches upon inches, we get squat. When it does snow, schools and businesses close up and there is a run on the grocery store for milk, eggs and bread. Its crazy!

We finally got a good snowstorm. It came overnight, and in the morning everything was covered with a nice thick blanket of shiny whiteness. This was officially Bodie's second snow, but the last time it snowed he was only 5 months old. Now he's 18 months and he was completely wonderstruck when he saw the snow. I opened the blinds in the morning and lifted him up to look out, he stared for a second and his eyes got wider and wider, then he said "OH NOOOO!" I laughed. "It's just snow, Bodie. Do you want to go outside and play?" He nodded his head vigorously.

After 15 minutes of bundling our offspring, they were all set to go out. Bodie initially took some very cautious and timid steps into the backyard, curbing his famous feisty bravado at first. Then he did a happy little jig, stomping a small circle into the 4 inches of white fluff, as if testing his footwork on the new terrain. After his rare moment of hesitance, he charged full speed across the lawn, squealing and whooping like a wild animal. Inevitably, he ended up doing a full faceplant into the snow. He fell pretty hard, and it didn't look good from where I was standing with the camera. I was thinking, "Oh boy. Playtime might be over before it even began." I didn't say anything to him as he sat up, knowing that any acknowledgment of his crash might bring the tears. If I act like its no biggie, then he will just shake it off, which is exactly what happened. He popped up, looked around, and kept going.

The snow was so heavy that it bent our loquat tree nearly to the ground, making a really cool snow cave for the boys to run through. Gavin and Garrett made snow angels, a snowman with a pickle for a nose, had a snowball fight, and of course filled up a bunch of tupperwares with snow to put in the freezer for later. Doesn't everybody do that? Now they eat the snow for dessert after supper. Simple pleasures!

Of course, it doesn't last long. Within 24 hours, the only snow left was the little clump of a snowman in the front yard, his oreo cookie eyes staring forlornly at the Carolina blue sky as the sun slowly terminated him. We'll miss the snow for sure. Maybe we'll get lucky and get a double whammy this year. I guess I should be careful about what I wish for...

Bodie is the most rough and tumble kid I've ever met. I thought my other boys liked to play rough with me, this baby actually flings himself at me like a projectile from a slingshot!  When I'm wrestling around with Gavin and Garrett, Bodie plows into the melee headlong like a bowling ball. In football, it's called spearing, and he'd get so many 15 yard penalties his team wouldn't even be in the stadium. If I'm not ready to catch him, I pay the price of 2 bruised faces - mine and his! He has no fear whatsoever (except for the vacuum, and I believe he's just copying his brothers when he runs screaming from it to scramble up onto the couch). Bodie is supposed to be our in-house model for these baby onesies, instead he's the in-house stuntman. His aunt and uncle bought him this helmet for Christmas, only 49% as a joke. They are seriously concerned about their nephew and his hazardous tendencies!

This baby is a complete do-it-your-selfer too. We can't turn our backs on him for one minute, or he'll be somewhere in the house taking an unnecessary risk. His latest thing is to pull a kitchen chair over to the counter top and get his hands on whatever he can. Here he is caught in the act - looting the valentine candy.

We try to keep everything back from the edge of the counter so he can't see it from the floor, but that doesn't make a difference. He knows there are things on the counter, and he will stop at nothing to get at them!

He doesn't wear this helmet all the time, just when he's really feeling dangerous. He sometimes brings it to me to put it on him, and I'm thinking to myself "What is this kid about to attempt now?" I'm sure someday soon he'll be stuck up in the top of a tree or on our roof. (knock on wood)

We thought babies were supposed to get easier, this one is a real challenge. In this picture he's enjoying the fruits of his labor, sporting his soaked and marker stained turtle neck.

That's the other thing he does - he can turn the water on in the sink and play in it. He covers the faucet with his hand, spraying everything within a six foot radius. Unbelievable! Too young to put on the "Naughty Bench" , we just verbally reprimand him and redirect. I don't think most of his exploits are actually acts of naughtiness, I just think he's exploring his own capabilities. He's an Indiana Jones and Crash Test Dummy all in one 28 lb package!

Every parent and grandparent knows how hard it is to put clothes on a fussy, squirmy, angry, wiggly, indignant, and grumpy naked baby. The first time you try it, you might think it isn't possible. As fast as you can get the shirt on him, he's throwing it off! The legs are kicking like two little pistons in a locomotive. One leg goes into the pajamas and the other is husking it off in the blink of an eye, like an ear of corn in a corn shucking contest! You've got him on his back, but he is determined to twist out of your grip and crawl away to anywhere else. He's screeching like a chimpanzee all the while. You're bound to get frustrated.

Usually this scene takes place after a nice warm bath, prior to bedtime. You've got him cleaned and lotioned, and he's fighting to stay naked. He's got his second wind right before bed and he wants to play. What he doesn't know is that he really is tired and ready to hit the hay, you are too. He can play all he wants to - in the crib.

I've got some great tips for you to make your dressing routine a little easier. With our third wiggly, highly mobile and motivated little rugrat in our charge, I can say that these tips have worked well nearly every time!

1. Take the baby, diaper, and clothes to a quiet spot in the house, free of distraction. I like to use our bedroom. I put him on the bed. This is a "shock and awe" technique which pulls him out of his familiar surroundings, makes him more cautious about trying to get away from you (due to his new elevation) and makes for a comfortable working height for the parent.

2. Tickle him. If he's crying a lot, just tickle him some more in all the places that always make him giggle. For Bodie it's rasberries on his tummy. I hold his hands above his head  and go to town on his armpits and bellybutton. After a few seconds of this he's usually in stitches. I like to get him laughing so hard that he's nearly out of breath. You can transform your baby from "angry/fussy" to "jolly/delighted" in a matter of seconds with a little practice. If his mood really stinks, the disposition will transform right back to "infuriated" just as fast. So quickly proceed to the next step!

3. (Skip this step if you are using footed pajamas) The first article of clothes to apply are the socks. You may be thinking "Socks?"  Yes, socks. They provide a nice sheathe for the baby's feet, which as you know by now can be his most formidable weapon. His sprawled little toes won't be able to grip and tear at the diaper or pants, like a set of eagle's talons. You'd be amazed how much easier it is to slip his little jack hammering legs into the holes once the socks are on his feet.  As a side note: We put Bodie in size 4-5 pullups at night. They hold more, leak less, and provide a some breathing room for his cheeks. He's about 25 lbs now, and they fit fine. They're just harder to get on than his regular diaper due to his kung fu feet and vivacious will to be nude. Hence the socks. So grab those little feet and get the socks on as soon as you can.

4. Tickle some more! My specific technique is to use short bursts of tickling (4-6 seconds) followed by a pause. Repeat this a few times, getting the child used to the rhythm of it, like a game. You will note that the baby will hold perfectly stationary for a moment as the laughter subsides, eyes transfixed on your face, waiting for the next tickle assault. Don't waste time now, get to step 5!

5. Now you have the upper hand! Take this window of opportunity and get that diaper on now! Then stuff a leg into the pants! You may only be able to do one appendage at a time before he needs more tickling, but that's okay. When he starts to fuss again and fight you, you know what to do: more tickling. Remember to use short bursts, then randomly pick a time between the blitzes to unite the correct arm/leg/head with the corresponding hole. If he winds up on his tummy, don't try to force him to roll over again, just tickle his back. I like to go after the ribs and neck, which usually makes him roll back over for me. I have kind of a scruffy goatee, which probably feels pretty funny on his skin.

By the time you reach the end of this dressing routine, you and the baby will be more friends than enemies. Instead of being angry and frustrated with each other, you've had a fun and positive episode! This method works almost every time, even (sometimes) on a colicky baby! Gavin had colic, and almost nothing would make him happy, much less go to sleep. I have some kind of permanent strain in my left arm from carrying him around the house for hours. No kidding! Colic is no joke. The only way we could get him to sleep was to put him in his car seat and drive around the neighborhood, then very carefully move him in his car seat from the car to the top of the (running) dryer! Anyway, I remember he did love it when I would hold his arms up over his head and tickle his little ribs while trying to get him dressed. Take my advice the next time the baby is putting up a battle against you! Attack him with tickles and you will both be happier in the end!