Mini Vacation

We took the weekend and went to check out Duluth. We've been there before, but now we are looking at it with new eyes. Eyes that are realizing that this is going to be our new home. We are currently still planning on living separately during the weeks and spending that weekends together. It really is a hard decision and not ideal, but it is what it is right now. Things can change, but we are prepared for this to go forward, too.

We stayed at a water park hotel, and Sean loved it! The water was warm, but he still got cold so we took warm up breaks. He loved the kiddy area with the zero entry, slides, and water falls. Graham loved the big kid slides, and I loved the hot tub. I am kicking myself for not bringing the camera. I have a great memory of little smiles and giggles, and Sean can even tell us the story of the pool. He did great on the drive, it was the longest one he has been on since the last time we went up with Alli, Amy, and Braeden. Fun times ahead!

Jewelry...

Who would've thought my son would've had so much fun with my jewelry? This is what I came out of the shower to find last Wednesday morning. I couldn't resist a picture to share with his girlfriends later on!

New PJs!

Auntie Alli spoils the young ones again this year by getting them the lush Gap PJs for an early Christmas present! Don't they all look so cute! She took them upstairs to change them while we were finishing the cleanup from Thanksgiving. My son comes down the stairs screaming with excitement! They are his favorite.

Sean's first snow pants and boots...

The day has finally come when Sean can be bundled up in all his snow gear! I was really prepared for the scene in "A Christmas Story" where the kid can't move, let alone put his arms down! But my son surprised me! Not only did he help me put on his gear, he walked right outside and into the snow. It was like he just "knew" what to do! He took his dad for a walk down the sidewalk, then helped him shovel. He talked the entire time and wants to go "ahee ide" (outside) every time he passes the door!

Duh!

I have been trying to switch my background for days now. I finally had a revelation while I was just about to give up...DELETE the old one first! Ugh! That is all it took. I am slowly but surely catching up to some of my techie sisters and friends!

Our little helper...

Our little Sean is the best little helper! Whether he is putting away wash clothes or toys, dusting or unfolding laundry, he does the best he can at all times! Tonight we had him help us decorate the Christmas tree, and he loved every minute of it! There is one perfect section where he placed all of the ornaments that he could, multiple ones on one branch! Just precious! What an exciting and amazing Christmas this year. He is noticing everything and loves to see all the lights and decorations. I wish for this month to last long enough so we can enjoy all the beautiful things and the magic of the season! Life just gets better and better!

Crayons

We had Braeden and Emma over this weekend for a little sleepover. Oh what fun it was! Graham, Sean, and I went out on Saturday to stock up on the good stuff. We got new coloring books and crayons for all three. Well, we bought Braeden and Emma's coloring things separately and Sean's was a package deal with the big fat crayons. I should have known that he would've wanted the "normal" crayons I got for his cousins. He tried to get theirs the whole time, not enjoying his big fat ones at all! What a bad mom! Of course the cousins didn't want to share their brand new, pointy, beautiful crayons with a crazy 1 1/2 year old who might eat them and/or break them for fun! Needless to say, I bought him some "normal" crayons today. It was so fun to see his expression of disbelief! He kept handing them to Graham and saying "Emma," and we had the joy of telling him that they were his! He played and played with them; colored, sorted, lined them up, pushed them on the floor, boxed them up, dumped them out, etc. Loads and loads of entertainment. Who would've thought!