A Letter to Santa

Last night, we took the kids to see Santa.  I've carefully planned our trips to see Santa the last several years, and going on a work night (especially a rainy one) seems to be the best way to go.  There were maybe two families in front of us, and we had a Fast Pass that we didn't even have to use.  It was perfect.

Preparing for the photo was, in itself, something of an adventure.  Hannah didn't want to wear the boots I'd bought to go with her dress, but her back-up pair of shoes didn't look quite right.  There were tears and sweaty curls, and Brad had to bribe her with the promise of a Pokemon card.  As we headed downstairs to leave, she looked at us expressionless, went into her room, and closed her bedroom door.  It wasn't looking good, until she sullenly came downstairs (taking the less traveled path to the kitchen) with her boots on after all.  Jack's picture shoes were a bit too big, and after some frustration about not being able to tie them tight enough, we were finally ready to head out the door.

Both kids looked adorable (they had better, after all that!), and while Hannah was very shy and never did end up telling Santa what she wanted for Christmas, Jack shared his list (which he'd jotted down on a daycare business card for fear he'd forget).

Brad and I joked about the fact that while we've already started our Christmas shopping, both little lovelies had surprises on their lists for Santa.  We're never quite as prepared as we think we are :)

After the kids sat on Santa's lap, we went to have dinner at the food court and the kids played happily on the indoor playground and the merry-go-round.  It wasn't until we got back to the car that Jack realized that not only had he misplaced the business card with his list, but he'd also forgotten to tell Santa about the ever-important Minecraft Lego sets that he was hoping to receive.  I promised to help him write a letter to Santa and he seemed to feel better.

Well, today when I picked Jack and Hannah up from school, he announced that I didn't have to help him write a letter because he'd already done it and he just needed my help sending it to the North Pole.

This is what he pulled out of his backpack when we got home:

There are so many things that I love about this letter.  I love that he just continued their conversation from last night.  I love that he's still learning where to place the punctuation when addressing a letter.  I love that he drew his own stamp and wrote the address as simply as we refer to it.

And then there's the obvious part about a second grade boy who's not quite sure what he believes, but who's smart enough to know what he doesn't want to know.  My ever-practical little boy.

He can make us smile and laugh and break our hearts at the same time.  Hopefully, he can hold onto the magic of Santa Claus for a little while longer.

Fingers crossed.

Silent Sunday

{perfect family outings are, indeed, possible}

A Bouncing Break

On Friday, the littles and I got up, got showered, and headed out for a break from being kept indoors all week.  We needed to get out - desperately.  So I took them to Sport Bounce, and then we went to school for a little bit so I could drop off all the work I'd done at home and get set up for Monday morning.  We stopped by McDonald's to pick up some lunch on our way home and had a little picnic on the family room floor.  It wasn't a lot, but it was enough.

The bouncing helped them burn off some energy and I could tell that, for the most part, they were having a good time.  Hannah wasn't crazy about the slides this time (could you tell?), but she seemed to think one of them was better than the rest, so we spent a lot of time climbing up and coming back down on that one:)

And now it's time.  I've procrastinated all weekend.  I must start report cards.

a beautiful day

our saturday was spent like this:

and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Knock Knock, Too Smart, and Fun Family Times

We took the kids to Famous Dave's for dinner tonight.  It's one of our favorite places, and earlier in the week, Jack had requested that we visit again.

"You remember that place with the big bear?  And the moose on the wall?  When can we go there again, Mom?"

So I thought Saturday before school started would be a fun, family celebration.  Only in order to make it back on time for the kids to have baths and go to bed, we decided to visit the closer location rather than the one we normally eat at.  And unfortunately for us, it is not set up in exactly the same way, i.e. bear outside and moose on the wall.

When we got there, Jack shared his disappointment.  I tried to explain that maybe they had brought the bear statue inside since it was going to rain.  And look!  They have animals on the wall, too!

He wasn't buying it.

The animals were not in the right place.

And the statue?  It's way too heavy for someone to move it because of the rain.

Literally.

Those were his words.

We don't get anything past that one.

*****

On the way home, Hannah decided to tell her very first knock-knock joke.  She just randomly started saying, "Knock, knock."

So finally, I asked, "Who's there?"

And believe it or not, she said, "Cow."

"Cow, who?"

"Moo!"

We laughed and laughed and laughed.  And then we heard the same joke 27 times before we got home.

*****

The kiddos were so good at dinner.  Maybe we're at the ages now where it's okay to eat in public more often.  No screaming and/or tantrums.  Everyone ate.  It was wonderful.

The potato salad was good, too:)

Silent Sunday

{what normally happens when we attempt to take a family photo in public}

Zoo Trip

With the impending storm slowly creeping up on us, we decided to take the kids to the zoo while it was still sunny.  We had a really nice trip - the fall might be the best time to visit.  It wasn't too crowded, we weren't miserably hot, and the animals were all out and about.  We also decided not to overdo it, and only hit half of the zoo.  Jack was a little sad we didn't get to go to the bird house, but now he has something to look forward to when we surely go back in the spring.  We took lots of great pictures of all the animals and a few good ones of ourselves:)

 As many times as I've been to the National Zoo before, I've never seen the orangutan use the o-line before.  This guy was showing off!

 We walked the North American Trail - a new part of the zoo that only opened a month ago, and it was beautiful!  And downhill, so that's always good:)  We got to see the beavers being fed.

 Jack took this picture with my phone all by himself.  Pretty good catch, if you ask me!

 I just love when they are together and happy.  I still can't believe they're both ours - we're so lucky!

 See?  I told you - show off!

Hannah Bear was so happy to be looking at the animals and walking around on her own!

Jack always wants to go see the big cats first.  This was the first time that we saw the tigers when they were walking around.  Our kids were so excited that the animals were awake, and they started to squeal and make lots of noise.  The lions perked up right away, and this guy made direct eye contact with Jack and Hannah.  And then?  He had to make eye contact with me because the Mama Bear in me came out...tight grip on the littles for sure!

A Perfect, Fall Day

Last weekend, I took the kids to a local farm for some fall festival fun.   

We had such a blast!

The place wasn't too pricey, and there was so much to do there.  

 I could tell Hannah was a little overwhelmed just because she was so quiet and busy looking around everywhere, but she had a lot of fun too.

It was a little crowded, but the lines moved quickly, and there was so much to see that the kids didn't mind the down time while we waited for our turn.  

We certainly wore Hannah out because when we got back to the car to go home, I quickly changed her diaper and she was about to fall asleep right there in the back of the Jeep.  

She was out before we left the parking lot! 

The weather was beautiful - 

blue skies and crisp, fall temperatures.

It was absolutely....

 a perfect, fall day!

Silent Sunday

{Hannah enjoys big-kid slides.  Can you tell?}

Fire Safety

Just recently, Brad taught Jack how to call 911 in case of an emergency.  Jack was so proud to learn this very important piece of information.  He was super excited that Daddy was teaching him how to use the phone and about when it would be a good time to call 911.  Occasionally, they review the number and Jack practices turning on the phone - it's pretty adorable.  Well, last week, Jack's class focused on Fire Safety.  The local firemen came and the students were able to see the gear and take a look at the firetruck.  The teachers taught the students about 911, and Jack proudly shared that his Daddy had already taught him how to make the call.

When I heard that the volunteer fire station was having a family fun day on Sunday, I knew I had to take our little lovelies.  The weather was gorgeous, so off we went.  I was challenging myself not to use the stroller or to carry around the diaper bag...sometimes those things feel very cumbersome and in the way.  Leaving those things behind was a bad idea - I need those things to store our stuff.  Instead, I ended up carrying what felt like 80 individual tiny, oddly-shaped things.  And Hannah is heavy.  And there was a balloon animal line - a long line.  45 minutes long.  But Jack got a very cute balloon lion that he loves very much:)  So it was worth it!

Practicing stop, drop, and roll

Making a practice call to 911.  "My name is Jack.  J-A-C-K," he said.

Trying on the heavy coat

Watching the fireman climb the ladder

We found Uncle Jimmy's locker!

The kids even spotted some of their teachers from school.  They went running up to them and decided to get their faces painted by them too.  Hannah got a purple butterfly on her hand that lasted until we got back to the car :) and Jack got a skull with fire on its head.  

It was a fun outing, and we can't wait to go back in the spring!  I think I'll be bringing my new backpack for that excursion.