During the process of getting all the photography done with Bodie modeling the new Snugfits colors, Gavin has become intrigued by cameras. He's just thrilled by the idea of capturing an image and keeping it, going back to it and looking at it again and again. He and Garrett got their own little kid digital cameras back at Christmastime, but right now the interest is really booming. I think he's seeing the practical use of the camera, as he "sits in" on Bodie's photo sessions. To be honest, Gavin can't just sit in on anything. He has to be smack dab in the middle of the action, so he gets his little Mickey Mouse camera and starts snapping away! He actually helps the process because Bodie is distracted by him, and Gavin can always make the baby laugh.

The camera is great. It's the red Disney one sold at Target for $56, not the "Discovery Kids" camera sold at Kohls. We bought that one first because it was on sale for $26, from $80. We thought surely it must function a lot better than the less expensive Disney camera, but it was terrible! The screen was so blurry you literally couldn't tell where the camera was aimed other than color and shape. It didn't have an automatic shut-off, so it went through batteries like Garrett goes through a box of Dunkin Donuts. That camera was a real piece! The kids were pretty bummed.

These Disney cameras, however, are incredible. Most importantly to me, they don't drain batteries on a daily basis. The pictures are mostly well focused, and the kids can even add graphics to them! They really get a kick out of taking my picture then adding honeybees buzzing all around my head. They're pretty durable too. Bodie has proven that, as he treats most objects he gets his hands on as either a hammer or a projectile. At least he hasn't tested the camera's buoyancy yet. (Knock on wood)

Scrolling back through the shots on Gavin's camera is hilarious. He's got about 30 pictures of various street signs and traffic lights, lots of different colored Jeeps, tons of his brothers, another couple dozen shots of his favorite t.v.  show, Peppa Pig, and then a few of Sara and me working around the house. I notice that I look angry a lot. I need to be more camera wary, and less "scowly".  There's one random shot in there of a huge "number two" floating in the toilet. He must've been pretty proud of that one, nice tapered ends and all. Its a shocking and repulsive image, but to him its something to take pride in, I suppose! Being potty trained is still a big achievement in this house, and something to be commemorated!

Yesterday there was a bulldozer clearing a lot near our home, very loud and violent work. It was a huge machine, mowing down 30 foot trees and pushing them into a gigantic pile by the street. Gavin (of course) wanted to get a snapshot of it, so we walked up the street to see it. As we neared, Gavin became more and more nervous, covering his ears and grinding his teeth. "DADDYDADDYDADDY" he kept repeating, and I knew he was really thinking about turning his tail and bolting back to our house. But he didn't. We found a good vantage point at the edge of the street, Gavin uncovered his ears, raised the camera, and took one quick shot. Then he turned his tail and ran back home. I was pretty proud of him for that act of bravery! Overcoming autism is all about pushing the limits as much as possible.

This blog post has sort of turned into an unsolicited review/endorsement for the Disney cameras. They really do work well, and because of that Gavin's new passion for photography is starting to flourish. It's like a unique little window into his brain. He's a kid with autism, and he's pretty quirky, and sometimes a real challenge to keep up with. This camera has been an exciting, creative outlet for him to show us the world through his eyes.

  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!