The Treadway Chronicles: Some Cold Weather Fun

Man it's cold in Houston. In fact we're having an "ice day" right now. Most of the major roads in Houston are shut down due to black ice. It's pretty crazy considering many people in Houston have never experienced weather like this in their whole lives. I think it's supposed to warm up the rest of the weekend, but then next week, supposedly it's supposed to get back down to the 30's again, with windchills in the teens. As long as there is not precipitation though, we're OK, unlike last night where it rained and then turned all the roads into treacherous black ice.

Anyway, we've still been having fun despite the cold temps and Connor really has been a trooper even though we've mostly been shut-ins.

We are finally looking into getting a new car to replace my 2002 Ford Escape so we did a little car shopping last weekend and Connor came along. We were a little worried how he'd do, but we brought along the car seat on test drives and he did just fine. He liked climbing around the backseat while we talked about the cars features.

Then on Sunday, we actually went to the Houston car show and got to see all the car brands all together and Connor could just run around and play. There was also a kids zone and he liked that. I think we are pretty close to knowing what kind of car we want, which is exciting.

The one thing that Connor was not happy about was his haircut. He got a haircut on Saturday before car shopping and for the first time ever he actually cried through almost the whole thing. It was so sad. Right when we walked in, you could tell he was scared and then as soon as we sat him down he started crying. We were totally surprised, because he has had two or three other haircuts and has done totally fine, but I have noticed more and more how he is becoming more and more scared of new people and things. It was kind of like his experience with Santa. I think it's just his age. He is just really scared of strangers and honestly, that's not a bad thing. Even though he was crying, he looked soooo cute when it was all done. What a handsome boy.

Even though the temps have been in the 30's or below, I've had to let Connor outside occasionally, so we bundle up really well. He's got a winter coat, but of course his range of motion isn't quite as good, but he's certainly warm. After a while though, you can just see how rosy his little cheeks get, so we head back inside to the warmth. He's just got so much cheek to cover up, it's not fair. Hee hee.

In this blog, I also wanted to include a few videos of Connor's language skills that I had uploaded to You Tube. The first one is of Connor practicing saying the letters of the alphabet. Sometimes he does better than others, but this is a good example of a normal night. One thing that is really funny is that almost every time you ask him to say "S" he'll say "B." I'm not sure what that's about, but we'll have to work on that. For now, it's pretty cute. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZv0bagaMQE

This next video is of Connor practicing the body parts. He is usually pretty good at them, but his favorite is always his nose. He'll go up to you and just touch your nose at random. It's funny. He'll also touch your eyes so be careful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Sso6v_wpE

Now here are the rest of the photos from our cold week.

Connor a little sad after his haircut. He looks so dapper though. Poor dude.

Connor having a blast running around at the Houston Car Show. It was a good, indoor, chilly-weather activity. He loved banging the headlights.

Connor playing in the backseat of a car at the car show.

Getting some air in an Escalade. What a smooth operator.

We are definitely considering this very practical car. What do you think?

Connor playing in the kids zone at the car show. Looks like a head on collision is occurring. Oh no.

Connor coloring with Daddy at the car show.

Daddy usually gets all the snuggling love, but on this rare occasion (maybe it's the chill in the air), Connor snuggled with Mommy, so Daddy snapped a picture. Awww.