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Yes, we are still up to our ears in snow and yes, we are still finding ways to entertain ourselves. While Will is sticking with his self-proven formula of “underwear-only makes a happy day,” we have also inserted our own variations ( not that Will’s underwear-only idea is bad, it’s just that I get cold really easy ). So… we ventured outside today and built a snow cave the likes of which I have not built in years. Mostly because we haven’t had enough snow to build a cave comfortable enough for me to sit in, but saying that up front doesn’t have the same zing that “the likes of which I have not build in years.” Literary effect, people. It’s all about the writing. And the underwear…..

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With the holidays behind us, snow all around us, and another 10 weeks before Will’s baby sister arrives, we have basically been holed up finding ways to entertain ourselves. Aside from a very brief sojourn as Star Wars characters with his buddy Harper, Will has given his new roller skates a test run ( in his underwear ), made banana muffins with Jess ( in his underwear ), and dabbled in a little shaving cream art ( in his underwear ). So not surprisingly, Will has basically just been hanging out in his undies while Jess and I try to keep up with him. Almost as if to prove a point, he is sitting next to me playing PBS Kids as I type this…. and yes, he’s in his underwear. So although the temperatures have been extremely cold lately and the snow even deeper, it has not daunted Will’s sense of adventure…. attacking each new day with a sense of excitement… all in his underwear. I think we can all take a little bit from that….

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As a parent, you want to be encouraging to your child while also setting boundaries and providng direction in whatever they choose.  This holds true through most of their childhood and, while the boundaries slip away as they mature and can make good decisions for themselves, the encouragement will always be there. Will’s professional career is a perfect example of this parenting ideology:  he can be an astronaut, fireman, policeman, scientist who studies people… or all of them, seemingly and somehow at the same time.  However, should those fall through as his ultimate Plan A career dream, I will be glad to gently steer him back to December 5, 2008.

On that day, Will literally took a spoon that I handed him and immediately, in one fluid motion, hung it from his nose.  And kept it there long enough for me to run downstairs, get my camera, turn it and the flash on, and take a few pictures.  He even managed to nearly defy physics as he tilted his head.  I was ready to put him on Star Search.  That show’s still on, right?

So my point:  I will encourage Will in whatever it is that he chooses to do.  But I will also be there to provide the Plan B option, nasal acrobatics, because man… that kid was born with it.