Handsome isn’t he?
He says I am his Valentine and that Daddy has to share me.
Soon enough there will be other Valentines, but for now it is just me……
I know it is only January , but enough with the cold already.
My kids are dying for some outdoor activity.
We tried going out this afternoon, but quickly changed our minds.
I need the fresh air for my sanity, so do my kids.
But when it is so cold the fresh air actually makes you gasp, that is no good either.
My son has reached that phase that all boys get to…the one where they are never full.
I am amazed at how much he eats, all day every day now.
I find wrappers and empty boxes all over the place and can follow them like a trail to wherever he is.
We went through 4 …yes 4 bunches of bananas this week!
While he was eating his dad’s Saturday morning pancakes, something caught my eye…..
His pjs, oh my they are now capri pants! No man should ever wear capri pants (or jean shorts) in my opinion.
I am glad we were home, I would die if anyone else saw this!
But I guess the mystery was solved, he must have grown like 2 inches lately!
That’s why he needed all that food, he was busy growing at night in his pj’s.
I love the band aids, perfectly imperfect!
I decided as one of my New Year’s resolutions to be in more pictures.
I know I mentioned it before, but when I look through family pictures someone is missing. And it is Me.
I take the pictures and it looks like they are having all the fun, but I am there too.
Today I coerced my son when he came home from school to take a picture with me….Beauty was having none of it.
Not too bad, for a quick shot using my handy dandy remote…hopefully there will be more to come.
My son is so funny.
He is wild, LOUD, and very tactile. He has to touch everything and everyone!
This gets him in to trouble, but is also the trait that makes him not think twice about to giving me a kiss or a hug in front of his buddies.
He is so very caring and thoughtful too.
The other night when we were eating dinner I made something new. I watched as he took a bite and he made a little face.
“What’s wrong, don’t you like it,” I ask…he is quiet for a minute and doesn’t really say yes or no but instead looking at me and reading the expression on my face (he can tell I want him to like it) he says this:
“Thank you for making dinner for us every night, so we can be healthy. Thank you for buying the clothes we like. You always get the toys we like at the store too. You are a special mom and no one is the same as you,”
I swear on all that I am, that is what came out of his mouth!
The words every mother longs to hear, I almost cried right there.
Sensitive boys/men come in all packages. I am sure many people who have spent time with my son as he is yelling and wrestling with every boy insight, would be shocked to hear this.
But I know my sweet sensitive son, and I know this is how he really thinks even if others don’t always see it on the outside.
I just wished I had a secret nanny cam going!


Translation for those of you who don’t read First Grader:
My family it is cool and my dad is awesome. My mom is nice. My sister is sweet. We hang out.
Sums us right up I think

Halloween has been a three day event this year.
We started Friday with a snow-day (classroom parties were canceled and the kids were really bummed)
Thank goodness our gym was having a trick or treat street indoors….My son was snake eyes/ninja and my little Beauty decided that morning to ditch the unicorn idea and be a butterfly.
We came home, played in the snow and my son built his very first snowman on his own.
That night we went to a kids Halloween party held at the karate studio.
Saturday we went to another trick or treat street this time outdoors and with 65 degree weather, we celebrated with 5,000 other little goblins– after 3 snow days off of school and being stuck inside -you can imagine the energy this group had stored up.
Halloween night we went to a neighbors house for a quick party then out trick or treating around the hood with friends. So glad I brought a wagon, Beauty lightened her load a few times by dumping them into the wagon and then about 2/3 of the way trough our route she decided she had enough. She hopped in the wagon and munched on her favorites as the boys trick or treated some more. I had a glass of wine in hand so I didn’t mind pulling her home all that much.
This time Beauty was dressed as Ariel from the little Mermaid (a choice she made as we were on our way out the door) and my son stuck with his ninja choice!
We had great fun and the kids have a ridiculous amount of candy….
When we got home we did the tradition dump and sort on the family room floor so they could get a good look at all their loot.
I had the kids choose a small portion of their favorites to keep and we will be participating in a local candy buy back this year.
Operation Gratitude (a group that rounds up treats/goodies to send to the troops in Iraq) takes the candy and gives the kids 1$ back for every pound they donate.
I feel much better about the candy going somewhere else besides the trash where I usually end up donating.
All said and done, I am exhasted and looking forward to the rest of the Holiday season which has offically begun in my book
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This is the first ever picture of all the new generation of cousins!
My sister was here for 10 days and we still were rushing to get pictures in, I swear where does the time go!
Also note to photographer self…….do not take your own kids to a park with a lake and think you can watch them and still take pictures of your sister and her baby!
Here are some out-takes, and some pics of my sister and my darling nephew!
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