Reindeer games....

I'm so pleased with the fact that my camera is always on the ready when events like this occur. Yes, both his fingers were literally stuck inside some birthday party treat bag contraption while sporting antlers?  'Nothin he could do! Good, good times around here!

I love that.....Disneyland edition:



I LOVE THAT.........



Cole had his tongue lodged in his cheek with complete concentration the entire drive....

We could share 1 Matterhorn sundae...6 spoons... and it is paLENTy....



Santa brought on more fear in Kate than any resident of Disneyland...



My cute parents surprised us all and made the trip to Anaheim....

 



Kate's favorite ride hands down was....Tea Cups!.....




I could whip out my camera and these were the poses I got instantly...



Almond Rocha was in rich supply....

My FAVorIte meal at the park was still alive and well...Ratatouille with asparagus and corn cakes...

Mr. Incredible just kept hanging around  the Thomas crew...it was our own personal photo session if you will... 

The castle looked just so fantastic at Christmas time.....night or day.....

We drove to Newport Beach to finally see the temple and oh was it worth it....

I got sincere, happy and excited smiles from my kids....

Kate was a delicate eater...

Jack finally got "the lightsaber"....

The Goff cousins were THEE most fun to Disneyland with......."stupid stroller food" and all!!!

2 for 2....

So really, what are the chances that this kid right here loses both his front teeth in a matter of weeks?

Chances are pretty high my friends.

However, what are the chances that this kid right here had the help of both his brothers in the "losing" process?

Tooth #1- Loose level on a 1-10.....6.

Sledding with older brother who is known for going a little too far with things+face hitting the ground= loss of first front tooth. The trauma of losing a tiny white tooth in the sparkly white snow far surpassed the actual loss of tooth. A quick note of explanation to the tooth fairy worked wonders.

Tooth #2 Loose level on a 1-10....8

Apparently younger and meaner brother didn't want to get off  Cole's bed so a kick to the mouth was completely warranted?????????????? Who is this demon child? 

The bum luck my sweet little middle guy has had with teeth......

On the bright side:

The coveted tooth necklace was finally placed around his neck at school today!

The tooth fairy has been VERY generous! 

The Runner....

Cole is my sweetheart. He's the most obedient, kind, easy going and pleasant kid to be around. Kyle and I agree that if all our kids were like Cole...we'd have 5 more. 

Cole fun facts: He's a gamer..... Cole+Wii= LOVE.  He prefers the indoors 98.3% of the time. He likes sitting and/or walking.  He's lovingly referred to as "molasses" around these parts.

 Keeping those facts in mind- might I present to you Cole.."the Runner."

 Since school began he has completed 25miles. My little gamer has been running  laps at lunch recess....by his own accord!!  He qualified to run the final 1.2 miles at the Seattle Children's Marathon and was adamant about doing it so by all means............WE RAN!! 



The running club crew at the starting line....



Multi-talented Cole's action shot....he runs AND smiles!



Finish line is in sight........




That's right....this kid who reeeeaaaaaallly enjoys sitting indoors and playing anything and everything electronic just completed his marathon!!! What a fun day to spend with my boys. Jack was an allstar as well but this was Cole's first race so all props to the newbie! I loved every moment running with Cole..his toothless smile oozing with pride.  This was a good... good day!!






Looking on the bright side....

 I'm a happy person by nature. I'm definitely a "glass half full" kind of gal. Today however... I'm a bit blue..no,  annoyed is a better way to phrase it.

You see, I'm flying solo in the parental department till what seems like forever. I've got 4 solid days down. Many more to go...blasted hunting season. I've done it many times before..it's old hat. But this time it's a little different....looooonger. I like CO-parenting, I'll leave it at that.

 Other mentionables that I can complain about .... for just a minute:

#1- My Most favorite hilarious and witty local radio talk show host and CHANNEL that has been my oasis of conservative sanity in my liberal desert of a state for 16+ years is changing its format to ........OLDIES MUSIC! You have GOT to be kidding me.  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH say it isn't so.......I'm speechless!

2# I've lost my cooking mojo temporarily--- and I'm still hungry.

#3. I spent a delightful evening having dinner with one of my most favorite friends for her birthday last night. I wanted steak. I wanted steak with polenta. I ordered steak. Steak with pancetta. Polenta and pancetta are two VERY different things. I hate pancetta.

#4- I blame my steak and "P" word confusion on lack of sleep. I do not sleep well without a man in the house.

That's all. My minute is up. Now, onto wonderful mentionables as of late:



Big shoes...who doesn't love little kids in big shoes?!



The fellas were solving mysteries outside. The case at hand: How did the nut get cracked?



Glass half full: I'm kinda 'gettin really good at making bread.
Glass half empty: I'm kinda 'gettin really good at eating bread.



Just a little candy corn toss at pack meeting...



My boy earned his Bobcat and I earned this lovely yellow shirt.



This guy can play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star 3 different ways...bet you didn't know that was even possible. Oh but it is!



And my sweet little Cole is rockin the teeny tiny violin as well. He licks his lips in complete concentration and says, "Oh let me thstart again.." over and over...it's a hoot!

 There, I feel better already!

"It was the bethst Halloween EVER!" -Cole

WHY YOU ASK????

We made spoooooky haunted houses...

We got to wear costumes ALL day at school and actually called it Halloween and not a "fall festival". We even had a "Parade of costumes" and ate enormous amounts of candy and treats and junk and we liked it!!

 Harry Potter and Luigi were sitting next to each other at the parade...



Costumes + recess = childhood heaven



I wore a sweet beard as Obi Won and Harry Potter is actually my brother....



My whole family was invited to TWO of the most fun parties ever.....



Kate wore polka dotty leggings that made my mom very happy....



We ate lots of doughnuts.....



We felt all sorts of gross mystery stuff.....



Brody knocked down the whole slew 'o cans with a tiny pumpkin....



We made each other into mummies.....



I tried bobbing for apples...Brody thought I was being a little ridiculous..just grab one!




 

We even decorated HOMEMADE doughnuts with orange frosting!



"Yea, Halloween thith year wasth pretty much AWETHUM!"

Tis the season...

Every year I have visions of a magical photo shoot at the pumpkin patch.  Every one is beyond smiley and cooperative, wearing adorable festive garb, and really excited about posing for countless pictures. Maybe next year!  



"Choose ONE pumpkin!"



Hands on knees.....



The $18 dollar pumpkin.....I don't know why I agreed to that other than it's pumpkin perfection.



Love her!



And the good sport award goes to.... Kyle...who arrived straight from work, picked up Kate amongst the pumpkins and was immediately puked upon! Right back to the car they go. Sorry 'bout that.



Our decade of wedded bliss!



Breakfast: You bet I built my own omelet filled with spinach, asparagus, mushrooms and cheese.  And yes, we did need to share a vanilla infused waffle with cinnamon whip cream and berry compote. The beginning of a beautiful day.



Antique gallery downtown: Would you also be searching for 5 more of these giant WOODEN bad boys after seeing the $128 price tag?  I kid you not....



We each bought a pair...couldn't resist. I couldn't peg if it was the color, price, or the word "skinny" embroidered inside the waistline that did it for us.

Kyle and I recently celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary! He of course asked what I'd like to do and since Fiji wasn't in the cards this year, I jumped at the chance to have him willingly shop with me....all...day...long! A little antiquing plus a whole lotta mall...It was fantastic!  Delicious food consumption mingled with an entire day of shopping= wicked combination!

Shoe shopping.....when do I go shoe shopping......never!



Thee most divine steak and crab leg (singular) I've eaten to date, hands down. Impressive view from the 21st floor to boot!



Unfortunately I've consumed  this entire jar of gummy bananas in 5 days.  Just another necessary purchase from our day out.



And for the kidlets left at home who happily endured 2 sets of babysitters for the entire day, Star Wars pancakes....I mean come on.  Just to show how awesome of a parental duo we are we went for the big guns!

It was just a wonderfully fun day filled with a lot of  laughs and great conversation.  I adore you Mr. Thomas and am so lucky to call you mine!