The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

A special thanks to Mr. C for stopping by on Christmas Eve Eve (two days before Christmas *grin*). Bryson was very excited (though he's a little 'deer in the headlights' in this picture), Dallin did better this time on Santa's lap (at the mall he was thoroughly freaked out), and Eli....

Eli was so overcome with emotion, he couldn't keep them in. He obviously loved Santa.

Christmas Eve we went to my sister Kim's house and had yummy finger foods, watched a Christmas movie (though I can't remember what one) I think there was a game on for the big boys.... and we periodically checked online to see where Santa was at the time. We got home late, but let the boys open a few presents before bed- they each opened their pillow (they love pillows for some reason, so I made them each a pillow.... Buzz Lightyear for Bryson, and Diego for Dallin) and a Thomas train... Dallin especially loved his train. They both went to bed with their new pillow and train, only to be drug out of their beds a few minutes later to set out the cookies for Santa...

Christmas morning, Bryson was a few steps into our room before he remembered what day it was... we managed to hold him off maybe three minutes before he could be restrained no more. It took a little while to wake up Dallin, especially while keeping Bryson out of the presents. It was so fun to open presents with the kids- they're just so excited about everything. I'm pretty sure though, that Dallin would have been perfectly content with his Thomas train. We'd take turns opening presents, and by the time it was Dallins turn, he'd be in the other room playing with Thomas... every stinking time! It was very cute though. After presents, we had our good friends (who happen to be our neighbors) over for a late breakfast. Last year we started the tradition of crepes and colorado omelets, and continued it this year, despite Nathan's 'diet' (I use that term loosely).

It was especially fun this year to teach my children about why we really celebrate Christmas. Bryson is old enough that he can understand it a little better, and it's so wonderful to see him learning about Christ and to hear his questions (and answers) about Him.

Snow happens

but this is ridiculous. It started snowing last Wednesday, and pretty much hasn't stopped since. The worst was on Thursday- we got 24 inches in as many hours- it literally snowed ALL day Thursday. Nathan shoveled the driveway on Wednesday night just before we went to bed so it wouldn't be as bad in the morning..... ya, he got stuck backing out of our driveway...
It took three neighbors to get him unstuck (and me actually putting the car in gear while they pushed, instead of leaving it in neutral while pushing on the accelerator....).

The view from our front windows... it has been so beautiful because everything has stayed so white- since the snow is so deep and fresh snow just keeps on falling, even the roads are still white and beautiful instead of muddy.
I so want to go sliding down the slide. I can't believe Bryson hasn't yet... I don't think he could make it out to the swing set alone though- the snow is too deep.

Our back porch. Yes, that's the railing... CRAZY how deep the snow is. Dallins new favorite 'snack' is snow. I open up the sliding door, scoop some into a bowl, give him a spoon and he loves it. I love it also because it's not sticky, doesn't stain and doesn't leave his fingerprints all over everything he touches after eating- too bad there's no nutritional value.

Ten months old!

Look at all those teeth! A bit lopsided though... there's three on the top with no sign of the 4th to balance things out, and 2 and 1/2 on the bottom...

Under Where?

When Dallin was ready to move out of his crib and into his big boy bed, it was all his idea- we followed his lead and he did great... well, the other night after baths as Dallin was getting dressed, he pulled out a pair of Bryson's underwear and insisted that he wear them. Daddy put them on over his diaper... smart Daddy *grin* But the next morning, Dallin wanted nothing to do with a diaper. I went with it for a little while, but really, I am not ready to potty train Dallin... he's not quite ready either, but he's more ready than I am. He's stinking cute in his unders though...
Here he is jumping up and down yelling 'big boy! big boy! big boy!' He kept his underwear dry for a couple of hours- with me right next to him , but I had some stuff I had to get done- so I wrestled a diaper on him- he was over it real quick fortunately for me.

He's been going potty on the toilet on and off for a few months, and has even pooped on it a few times... he knows what to do on a toilet, and what it's for, and has flushing down of course, but has little concept on conveying the need to use the toilet, or how to get his pants up and down... several mornings a week he wakes up dry though, that's a plus. So we'll work on some things over the next few weeks and then maybe we'll tackle potty training full time after the holidays. *groan*

Thanksgiving

A little over a week before Thanksgiving, Nathan's sister Laura called to let us know she was coming for Thanksgiving! As she lives in the Caribbean *drool* I almost think she spent more time in traveling to and from Spokane than she actually spent here- regardless, we had fun having her here and Eli was so excited to finally get to meet her.
Nathan's sisters Laura and Emily with Eli

Cousin Karlie loves babies, and is constantly trying to mother Eli so she takes a little abuse from him in order to get close...

Cousin Jesse is 5 months older than Eli- and showing off his walking skills..

What would Thanksgiving be without a little motorcycle riding? Ya, my family is a little redneck.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the delicious spread or any other family... I got my camera out for a few minutes and then forgot about it. Suffice it to say, it was a wonderful day spent with family, we were surprised by the first snowfall of the season and I ate too much.

Mama's helper

Bryson's favorite favorite part of helping me bake...

Pretty sure more ends up on his face than in his mouth...

Dallin vs. Stocking Hanger

Poor Dallin is so accident prone...
He decided to pull one of the stockings off the mantle... as he was looking straight up at it- hence the giant knot/puncture in the center of his forehead. Pretty sure he's not going to do that again.

Mmmmm Carrots

Nothin' like trying out those new chompers on a giant carrot. The only drawback was that it was a little cold right out of the fridge... but it kept him plenty busy while I canned some applesauce.

Convertible

Tonight Bryson rode home from our church Christmas party with Aunt Emily. They arrived a few minutes before the rest of us. Being the fun and imaginative kid he is, he wanted to wait in the garage to 'surprise' us. Afterward, Emily recounted part of their conversation to Nathan and I... (fyi: Nathan's dad restores old Mustangs)

Emily: If you could have any kind of car, what would it be?

Bryson (without hesitating): A red Mustang, but not one like Papa has... one that you can jump in and that when it rains, you need an umbrella.

a good nights rest

My kids have taken mercy on me, and for two nights in a row, they've all slept through the night (as have I)... and they've stayed in their own beds. I feel almost human.

Cutest Cookies EVER

For reals. These are the yummiest cookies ever. I got the recipe from a great cook at a holiday recipe exchange at church. They have the texture and taste just like brownies, only they're so much cuter.... they are quite time intensive to figure out the right proportions though, but I'm pretty sure that they'll taste just as good a little round circles instead of teddy bears.

9 months old

I love babies in just diapers.

With all my babies, I've taken pictures (almost) monthly on this same changing table in just a diaper until they were a year... How is he 9 months old already??

Little updates

A bunch of little things...

As soon as Bryson does something, you can bet Dallin will be close behind trying to copy him... tonight it was for the better though- I always put at least a small portion of everything we're having for dinner on my kids plates- no matter how many times they've spit it out before, I generally make them try everything too. Dallin will usually try his broccoli and then spit it out, thoroughly disgusted... but tonight, Bryson munched down his veggies and then asked for more broccoli and carrots- I saw Dallin look up from his plate with his head tilted to the side a little, so I eagerly gave Bryson his requested second helping- I usually would have insisted that he eat some of his chicken first, but I wanted to see what happened... Dallin watched intently as Bryson ate bite after bite after bite of broccoli and carrots, and then, lo and behold, Dallin looked at a (tiny) piece of broccoli on his plate, picked it up, examined it a little more, said, "gock-wee" to himself, popped it in his mouth, chewed and swallowed it!! And then he asked for MORE!! Consistency... persistence... tonight it paid off.

I saw a lawn care truck today with 'Mowing for Jesus' on the side... mmmmmK, and I'll bet he appreciates all the nicely cut grass. 'nuff said.

This morning while Bryson was at school, I went to Coeur D'Alene for a few errands (where I spotted the 'Mowing for Jesus' truck) and the entire 1/2 hour there and 1/2 hour back, I listened to 'Life is a Highway' by Rascal Flatts from the (favorite) movie Cars over and over and over per Dallins request- "Eye-wee 'gain mommy!" (Highway again mommy!) from the backseat every time the song finished.

Before it got too icy and (even more) cold, we hung our Christmas lights on our house tonight- My brother Dan came over to help/take over *grin* and outdid his amazing job from last year. When the lights finally came on, Bryson, with such excitement yelled, "SANTA!!"- 'cause that's why we have Christmas lights- so that Santa will know how to get to our house.

Do unto others

Remember how in my last post, I mentioned about our neighbors bringing us some cookies? Well they did, and they were yummy. So Bryson wanted to return the favor and make them cookies to give them back with their plate... apparently he got sick of waiting for me to make cookies, so he took matters into his own creative hands while I was napping this afternoon (I love me a Sunday afternoon nap)...
Yes, those are the worlds tiniest chocolate chip cookies... and no, at 4 1/2 years old, Bryson is not a culinary genius... they're Cookie Crisp cereal *grin* He ever so carefully placed them on their plate, and even tried to bring them over to Torsten and Katrins- but the chain on the top of the front door stopped him. Guess we'll have to make some real cookies today... they have allergies, so the cookies will be egg free, dairy free, and nut free cookies- doesn't that sound yummy? We'll see how it turns out.

Opposites

Bryson and Dallin could not be any more different if they tried. Even my pregnancies with them were so different. I remember being so relieved when we found out Dallin was a boy because since my due dates were a day apart with them, all my boy clothes would fit in the right season. Or not. Bryson was 90th percentile, Dallin was less than the 10th... all along the way, they've just done things completely the opposite- even with their eating habits. Dallin loves chicken and meat, and Bryson loves his veggies- his favorite food is 'matatoes' (tomatoes). Oddly enough, they both loathe potatoes in any form unless they're french fried... some common ground they can build on I guess.

Tonight during dinner, a neighbor brought by some cookies (thanks Torsten *grin*) and, as usual, I told Bryson he couldn't have any until he finished his meat, which he slowly but surely did- and Dallin he couldn't have any until he ate some broccoli and carrots. Dallin eats carrots just fine if they're raw (and smothered in ranch dressing), but doesn't like cooked carrots- He never really eats his broccoli- he always 'tries' it by putting it in his mouth and then sticking his tongue out and letting it fall out of his mouth.. I actually found him trying to shove his carrots down the air vent on the dining room floor- little stinker... BUT, tonight he eventually ate his broccoli and carrots... never mind that it was a teensy tiny sprig of broccoli and a single carrot cube- and that I held my hand under his mouth so that as he tried to spit it out, I'd 'help' it back in reminding him that he wanted a cookie. I'm pretty sure he thought it was worth it in the end.

They're on to me

I think my kids have been blog stalking me because now they've upped the ante... for the last three nights, they've doubled their efforts. Literally. Eli has been up at least three times a night (more on that in a sec), and either Dallin or Bryson has come into my bed somewhere during the night- Bryson said his bed was 'hot and cold'... mmmmK.

Tuesday during breakfast I noticed something in Eli's ear... oh, turns out his ear was full of dried blood, as in 'completely-blocking-the-entire-ear-canal-with-a-nasty-blood-clot' full of dried blood. After I regained my composure, I made an appointment with his ENT (he's the best doctor ever)... turns out, a blood vessel close to where the tube was placed was irritated and was bleeding... so we get to do some more ear drops- great! He H-A-T-E-S any sort of messing with his ears whatsoever. Yesterday his ears were fine, but the one side was full on bleeding again last night/today. Dr. Leavitt said that it shouldn't hurt, but may be a little annoying... hmmm, so what's the deal little Eli?? Whats up with this thrice a night stuff? I surrender! I admit it- you boys are in control here! I AM AT YOUR MERCY!! I am begging you, just please let me sleeheeeheeeeep!

Halloween week...

I'm sure this isn't the last time during this holiday season that I'll comment on my blog about how much more fun holidays are when you have kids. It's so fun as they get older and really start anticipating the holidays and all the festivities that come along with them...
We stuffed and painted paper bags and made them into pumpkins- So sad that I was so proud of myself for letting the kids do their own all by themselves... they did such a good job too- Dallin had fun painting the counter top when his bag was done... and then his face- can you see his orange lips? I was a smart mama and took his shirt off before we started painting.

We made sugar cookies to deliver to neighbors- of course we couldn't only do Halloween shapes- Bryson insisted on some trains and firetrucks too- Dallin frosted his own cookie...

but ended up frosting the counter- I'm seeing a pattern here

On a non-Halloween note, Eli learned how to pull himself to a stand in his crib... boy was he proud- and now of course he wants to do nothing else but pull up so he can stand and show off...

even if he is at a 75 degree angle...

We invited some neighbors over and carved up our pumpkins- Bryson was very eager to clean his out all by himself and thought it was pretty cool at first...

but then it was slimy and he was pretty sure it was clean enough after 2 handfuls. Sorry Charlie!

All of us together- Dallin even got in on the action, not surprisingly... the magnet for messes that he is. Someday, Eli will look at these pictures and wonder "where was I?" Sorry... you were crying in your exersaucer little buddy...

The finished products- You can't really tell what mine is, but it's a cat in a window pane with a tree and the moon... Bryson's is the bat, and he really did do most of it himself... Nathan's is the goofy face that could really use a good orthodontist.

Bryson and Dallin were very proud. Eli was sleeping in his crib.

Last year before Halloween, I went to the annual 'candy sale' at Rosauers and bought way too much candy (like five big paper grocery bags too much)... and then we went to University high school on Halloween morning to go trick or treating- the high schoolers line the halls giving out candy and Bryson's pumpkin bucket was so full, he couldn't carry it... nor could I as I was carrying Dallin and pregnant at the time. That night, I was literally handing out candy by the handfuls just trying to get rid of it!

This year I learned from last year and didn't buy any candy. You read that right- Halloween came and went, and I bought no candy. Halloween morning we went to U-high again and trick or treated- this time filling up both Bryson and Dallins pumpkin buckets, and then, while they were 'trunk or treating' at our church party, filling them up again, we handed out their loot from the morning! It worked nicely and Bryson and Dallin didn't know any different *grin*

Since the beginning of October, when I would mention Halloween, Bryson was adamant that he wanted to be Darth Vader or some other Star Wars character- he's never even seen the movies (nor have I!) but his neighborhood friends are big fans and talk about it all the time- his cousin Chad even gave him a light saber so now he can play Star Wars with his friends- even though he really has no idea what it is... I had already had the idea for Eli being a scuba diver, so I thought it would be great to do a whole ocean type theme for the kids- My sister Kim had a killer whale costume, which when Bryson saw, he was very excited about being Shamu (thanks to our recent trip to Sea World)... I really wanted to figure out something great for Dallin to go along with Bryson and Eli's costumes, but time and ideas ran out... I had an Elmo costume I had bought for Bryson a few years ago that never fit him, but it fit Dallin perfectly, and he was excited to be 'melmo'...
They were pretty much all candied out in this picture, but it's the best one I have of all three of them (thanks Taraka for the pic!)
Sorry Bryson and Dallin, but Eli deserves his own picture for how cute his costume turned out!! I'd seen the idea in a magazine years ago and recreated it... the paci regulator leads to baby bottle oxygen tanks on his back *grin* He was precious in it and loved all the attention he got from everyone... At U-high that morning, one kid actually asked me (in all seriousness) if that would really work to breathe underwater... I didn't dignify that with an answer.

On ears and sleep

After 13 ear infections in 11 months, Bryson had surgery to have tubes placed in his ears. I was pretty hesitant at first to do surgery... I'm not sure why when you consider all the antibiotics he was one before the tubes, but regardless, I have never regretted getting them.

Dallin had a few ear infections, but not enough to warrant tubes. (He did have eye surgery just before his first birthday though.)

Eli has had ear infections non-stop since early August. After 3 rounds of antibiotics, he still had cloudy fluid (indicating infection) in his ears last week, so to me, it was a no brainer to get tubes- especially since our deductibles had already been met this year from his birth *grin* So on Thursday, I brought him for his surgery... I really truly was not worried... I knew it was the right thing to do- plus, he wouldn't be intubated or have an IV and would only be out for less than 20 minutes... an hour after surgery, he was happily playing on the family room floor as if nothing had happened. The only downside, is that now I'll have to find something new to blame any crabbiness on.

So I'm pretty convinced that my kids are in cahoots with each other to sabotage my sleep. But it may be paranoia induced by sleep deprivation. ALL of them individually are great sleepers, but I'm pretty sure they have a little pow wow each night to determine which of them will disturb my slumber that night:

Eli: c'mon guys! I've been able to pull off the "I've been coughing and now I'm awake so I may as well eat" bit for three nights, I'm bushed, one of you needs to get mom up tonight...

Dallin: well, I could always pull the "I need a drink" string...

Bryson: no, no, it's been well over 6 months since I wet the bed, I'll take one for the team tonight, besides Dallin, mom can get you a drink in her sleep, but changing sheets.....

Okay, so now my sleep deprivation has proved me delusional. And I'll have you know that I fantasize about posting about this as I'm trying to fall back asleep...

So the night before Eli's surgery, I had a hard time sleeping because I was so conscientious of the time and whether or not I could breastfeed Eli or just be able to give him juice... or nothing... ie: past 2am-no breastmilk; past 5am-no juice. So as I tossed and turned, and Eli slept (for the first night in a few nights) and finally just before 5, I got up to give him some juice for fear of his hunger at 7am at which point I could do nothing for him. So the only night in a few weeks that ALL of my kids slept through the night, I slept terribly. Great.

One a side note, Dallin woke up the next night at 2am crying and when I went in his room, he pointed to his ear and said, "eow huwt mommy (ear hurt mommy)" So for an hour and a half, we sat on the couch (since he vehemently denied any tylenol or decongestants) as he tried to doze but instead kept pulling at his ear. And then *whahlah* I remembered the ear numbing drops I had... three drops and 30 seconds and he was zonked. Wish I'd have remembered them a little sooner. Fortunately, Bryson was a dream the next day and took a nap with me while Dallin and Eli napped also- when I thanked him for being so good, he said, "no pwoblem mom." I love my kids- even if it means my favorite past time (ie: sleeping) suffers *grin* And now, here I sit, blogging while my kids are in bed sleeping. I'm going to bed.

an amazing woman

I've been 'introduced' to some really amazing women through various blogs. Women who I'm sure I will never meet, but whom, through their writing have inspired and taught me. And I blog stalk them *grin*

On a slightly different note, I have a handful of really truly best girl friends. These women I have the privilege of knowing personally. They teach me and inspire me. We don't always keep in the best of touch, but when we get together or talk, it's like we haven't missed a beat.... I love blogs because I feel like we keep in touch a little better as we blog stalk each other...

Angie is one of these friends. She and I worked together at a dental office until until she had her first baby- and she's married to one of Nathans best friends. Not only do I love Angie for the great friend that she is, but I really look up to her- she is such a strong and driven woman. She has been dealt her fair share of trials, but she perseveres with a smile on her face while serving those around her. She recently posted about her little boy Brian who has a rare syndrome which required a surgery to remove 1/2 his brain just before his first birthday- he is an inspiring little boy who has overcome so much- in large part because of the dedication of his amazing mommy. Go ahead, grab some tissue, and blog stalk Angie for a minute- you'll be glad you did- it's a very touching story. And yes, I did ask permission before I linked to her blog *grin* I love you Angie!

Part 4 - Life's a beach

And I mean that. The Day after Disneyland was Nathan's birthday. For his birthday, he got a stomach flu! It really was the gift that kept on giving and giving... Really though, I have never seen my husband that sick. He yarfed from about midnight til noon and layed on the couch pretty much the entire day- usually he harfs and then is up and acting mostly normal... but not this time... Good times. Happy Birthday sweetie! The rest of us hung out at Jack and Jami's- it was nice to relax. Bryson was soooo excited to go swimming in their pool... until he got in the water- it was pretty stinking cold.

The next day (Wednesday) we ended up going to the beach in the afternoon- fortunately Nathan was feeling much better. Until he saw we had to pay 7 bucks just to park at the beach. How can people afford to live in California? Every time we turned around we had to pay through the nose just for parking!
Dallin was in heaven at the beach- dirt/sand AND water! What could be better?
Bryson was quite impressed with the waves and loved playing in them- mostly with Jack's boogie board because he could drag it behind him like a boat- he loves to drag stuff behind him- unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of that... or any of our whole family at the beach. Dang. We went to a great Lebonese restaurant- yum! We felt a little closer to Nathan's parents while eating there *grin*

Thursday we we not really thinking and decided to pack up and drive the two hours down to San Diego to Sea World. It really was an amazing experience, but c'mon! How much can we possibly drive on one vacation? I think poor Eli still has a panic attack every time I put him in his carseat.
Here we are waiting for Shamu to start. Sheesh Bryson, would it kill you to look at the camera? Emma is in the front right- she is such a beautiful and sweet little girl- 9 months older than Bryson. It's amazing how much she's grown up since we'd seen her last in Kentucky a year and a half ago.
I love this picture- they were all checking out the Sea World map- I think Bryson thought he was just like Dora or Diego with their maps.

Have I mentioned this kid loves the dirt?

We closed out the day by going on the 'Journey to Atlantis' ride- I was a little worried that Bryson would be too scared, especially when I saw the terrified look on his face when he was plummeting down the first big drop... but when he came running out after wards, he couldn't wait to go on it again. So he did- and loved it again. I refrained from riding because I wasn't feeling all that great- just a little off- kinda heavy in my stomach... it got increasing worse as we drove the incredibly long drive back to LA- as soon as my feet hit the ground, I knew it was inevitable. My turn to bow before the porcelain throne. And so I did. again. and again. Apparently though, I'm a little tougher than Nathan because I was pretty much better by the morning- a little weak, but thankful I wasn't puking anymore. My stomach was still in knots though thinking about how this probably wasn't food poisoning- and dreading the ride home.... with potentially sick kids. Great.

Fortunately we got home without else anyone yarfing- overall, the kids did great- Eli was mostly okay if I was sitting next to him, and Bryson and Dallin proved my theory correct that they would in fact rot in front of the tv if I would let them watch it all day. They were zoned out down to Cali and back- pretty much four days of driving- so long as the DVD player was running... Robots, Cars and Thomas and the Magic Railroad (pretty much the worst movie ever made) were favorites... As a result of the movie-a-thon, they've barely been allowed to watch any tv since we've been home... I think they watched enough to last til they're ten or so.

Part 3 - The happiest place on earth

I love Disneyland. Before this trip, I'd only been twice before, once when I was 6 and again when I was 12. You know how things you enjoyed as a child are really fun and exciting again because you have kids? Well, Disneyland is one of those things... the anticipation of just bringing my kids was exciting.

We went with Jack and Jami and their kiddos (whom we stayed with in LA- thanks guys!)- they were our official tour guides and helped us with the fast passes and parent swap passes and such- LOVE the fast passes!

The classic Disneyland picture...

We didn't really see very many characters when we were there- not counting the parades, of course. As soon as Dallin saw Buzz, he went rigid and just stood there in shock and awe- fortunately daddy stood in line to meet him so we could stand off to the side at the front and get used to the idea of actually approaching this creature and posing for a picture. By the time it was our turn, Dallin was okay standing by Buzz, but as you can see from the picture, he still wasn't all that sure. As we left, he just stared and stared saying, "bye Buzz, bye-bye Buzz" as if in a trance.
I have a picture on Autopia with my mom when I was six years old... I remember thinking I was SO big to get to drive a car- as did Bryson and Dallin...
Our favorite ride by far- the Buzz Lightyear ride... I know- I'm not supposed to take pictures, but it was too cute to see Dallin-
Bryson was pretty impressed by this ride- he still says it was his favorite...
We were pretty bummed that Lightening McQueen isn't on display anymore- well I was at least- fortunately I hadn't told Byson and Dallin about him beforehand- they were pretty excited just to see all the stuff from Radiator Springs. They did get to see McQueen and Mater in the Pixar parade- Bryson about wet his pants I think.

All in all, it was a fantastic day. We had TWO rides break down on us! The first was the Pinocchio ride (what a weird movie)... the ride came to a stop 3/4ths of the way through and we were guided out by an (overly cautious) employee. I wanted to take pictures or something, but she wouldn't let me *grin* The other ride we got stuck on was Splash Mountain... It was the end of the day, Jami took Emma (5) and I took Bryson and 1/2 way up the very last hill before the big drop, the ride came to a screeching halt.... just off to the left was Brier Rabbit all tied up, with only the shadow of the foxes sharp teeth moving as he said "I'm gonna skin ya..." to which Brier Rabbit screamed, "You can do anything you want, but pleeeease don't throw me in the brier patch" and then the fox said, "then I'll roast ya...' over and over and over and over and Bryson and Emma just kinda sat there wide eyed for oh, about THIRTY minutes. It was crazy! Finally they at least shut off the audio and animation- and after a bit longer, we had to walk off the ride- it was kinda neat getting to see the inner workings of the ride I guess.
Bryson was thoroughly pooped at the end of the day. Fortunately we brought jammies for them to change in to when it got cold so we wouldn't have to deal with getting overly stimulated and exhausted kids in their pj's when we got home.
The only casualties of the day. Note to self: don't walk behind Bryson while wearing flip flops. You'd think I would have learned my lesson the first time. OUCH! And yes, I know my toes look awful- gimme a break, it was October- not exactly peak toe-bearing weather.