Playing in the snow and Math Treasure Hunt!

I'm feeling some serious maternal pride today! First of all, this morning my daughter decided to make a "Math Treasure Hunt" for her brother. I don't know where she got the idea, but it was pretty awesome! She spent about an hour secretively writing up clues and hiding them around the house. The clues were all in rhyme, and each clue led him to the next one, and required him to solve a math problem at each stop. The clues were things like, "Answer the problem where you sleep, and away the guard will leap." At the end, he found his "treasure," which was some change from her piggy bank that she'd hidden in the kitchen. They're so funny, those two... they sure can fight in typical sibling fashion, and if you ask them, they will insist they can't stand each other... but they are definitely the best of friends, always playing together, making up games and stories, and even getting into trouble together!

My other proud moment today involves my youngest, Harry. Today Harry played in the snow! This may not seem like a big deal, for a 5 year old to play in the snow... but for Harry it's a very big deal! His sensory processing issues have made being out in the snow absolute torture for him. Last year he was only just barely able to tolerate going to and from the car, but would freak out if the snow got on him at all. He flat out refused to go out in the yard, and didn't even like to step in snow, even with boots on. But this year I've been taking him out a for a few minutes here and there, encouraging him to walk in the snow. He's been doing much better, kicking at the snow with his boot, and one day even dipping a mitten into the snow. Today, at his brother's urging, he tried sledding! And he LOVED it! He stayed out in the snow for a whole 15 minutes... a record for him! He then went back out later, although the second time he only stayed out for 5 minutes. This is probably the most time he's spent in the snow in his entire life! I'm so proud of that boy, and all the progress he's making!

I'm proud of all these children of mine, with how they're growing and learning so much every day.