Let It Snow...

Just don't make me go out in it. At least not very often.
That's how I felt after spending 30 grueling minutes gearing up for what ended up being a ten minute walk with Mackenzie this afternoon.
I saw it coming.
I wasn't going to give in.
But I caved.

The first snowfall of the season. As soon as the flakes started to hit the ground I beamed with excitement. I couldn't wait to open the shutters and show Mackenzie what was going on outside. She was too young to really understand it last year and I thought her eyes would glow with wonder upon seeing the snow.
Initially she wasn't too impressed. In fact her instinct was to respond with a nonchalant, "P U - stinky."
My thoughts exactly. I like the snow just fine until I have to venture out in it.
It's cold.
It's wet.
And it's pretty for about five seconds.
Mackenzie and I spent a good hour or so enjoying the snow from the comfort of our nice, warm, dry home.
Until she asked -- no, begged -- for me to take her outside.

Being the pushover that I am when it comes to Mackenzie, I gave in. Though if you asked me, I'd say I did a pretty good job trying to teach her that the snow was way more pleasant when observed from indoors.
Alas, my efforts were in vain. That kid threw herself on the floor and kicked and screamed until I agreed to take her for a walk (I somehow managed to convince her that the playground was off limits today).
Well the kicking and screaming didn't stop there. My child throws a fit just having her diaper changed. If it were up to her she'd be raised a nudist. So you can imagine the tantrum that erupted when we had to add layer upon layer of bulky garments to the mix. It wasn't easy and it wasn't fun. In fact, I imagine it was somewhat like getting a root canal, experiencing back labor, and having a Brazilian wax all at the same time. While listening to a looped recording of nails scraping a chalkboard.




I thought about giving up. Quitting before we set foot outside. But something drove me to persevere. It pushed me to the point of exhaustion. I was sweating, Mackenzie was wailing. How was this going to be worth it?
I knew we'd spend 15 minutes outside. Tops.
But lo and behold, it was worth it. Every tormenting second.
Because seeing the look on that little girl's face was beyond words.