We had so much fun again at the reading festival this year!  What made it even better is that the Beazers joined us.

The girls hung out with Franklin in the library corner.

 The kids got their chance in the money machine.  The more money you could grab, the better your prize.

 The kids got their faces painted.  The girls chose princess crowns.

 Sam chose Elmo.  But since the girls got their crowns painted on their foreheads, he insisted that his Elmo be right in the middle of his forehead.

We got to meet Raggedy Ann and Andy.

Nate waited in line for a long time so the girls could race each other down this monster slide.

 Of course the boys had to have their fun, too.

Since we’ve been snowed in for the last few days, the kids have been playing with play doh nonstop.  They’ll seriously sit at the table for hours!  Sam is only allowed to play with homemade play doh for a few reasons:

1. He wont eat it because it tastes disgusting
2. It wont stain his clothes (because I’m a mean mom and wont add any food coloring)
3. It doesn’t crumble like the store bought kind, so it is way less messy
4. He can roll it and shape it easier because it is a little softer (once it warms up from being in the fridge)

I know that it is winter, so I accept the fact that there is going to be snow.  I tried not to complain when you froze us out with -22 temps.  I turned the other cheek when frost formed on the inside of my front door.  But seriously…was it really necessary to do the freezing rain thing BEFORE you dumped 8 inches of snow on us?  And more snow on the way tonight, huh?  Oh, and an Alberta Clipper for good measure.  And just to add insult to injury, another snow storm Monday, right?  I blame you for getting half way to my visiting teaching appointment and then being forced to turn around and go back home.  That darn groundhog better not see his shadow next week.

Once I shoveled the eight inches of snow in our driveway, I then had to go back and chip away at about an inch of ice.  Lovely Ohio freezing rain.  Nate had fun getting into his car yesterday morning.  It also took me awhile to get our mailbox open.

I kind of felt guilty because we didn’t really do a whole lot for Nate’s 30th birthday.  Sam was sick, so we didn’t feel like we could go anywhere.  But, Nate said he got to do exactly what he wanted to do, so I guess it worked out.  What he did was make wall mounts for his 2 computer monitors in his office.  They are now mounted and it looks great!  He spent all day working on it, but he still has more stuff to do, so it’s not quite finished yet…maybe this weekend.  He bought his own present (an xbox) so I didn’t even have to worry about that.  I did bake a really yummy cake, though.  I used LeAnn’s recipe for Chocolate Pound Cake.  I froze half of it, which is why Nate’s cake is only half a cake.

I walked into Sam’s room to check on him during nap time a few days ago, and this is what I found.  Do you think he wanted his diaper changed?

We also had an anniversary earlier this month.  It was on a Sunday this year, so again, we didn’t do a whole lot.  But we did get to relax, spend time together, and share some nachos while the kids were in bed - so it was actually a really nice evening.  I don’t know what is more pathetic: that this is the way we spent our anniversary, or that I took a picture of the nachos.

Sam was sick again yesterday…he threw up in the morning and then had a temp of 103 the rest of the day.  Nate took him to the doctor when he got home and two shots later, he is feeling much better.  Lets hope that he starts sleeping normally again.  He was in our bed last night, and that is never fun.  No one sleeps when he is there.  I take that back - Nate sleeps just fine.  Sam refuses to be anywhere but right on top of my head, so it makes for one seriously long night.

Sam is feeling better today, so we brought Magei’s table out of her bedroom and I let the kids color.  Sam is only allowed to color under close and constant supervision.  The rest of our day will be spent recovering from yesterday’s inability to get anything done.

The last two days at our house have been somewhat stressful, crazy, emotional, and just about every thing else.  Magei and Sam have both been extra emotional – I have no idea why.  Maybe it’s a full moon?  I think the bitter cold and the inability to get outside has something to do with it.  So I think that my patience may be starting to thin a bit.  Yesterday morning I was in Magei’s room helping her clean up the toys and she tells me that she likes dad better than me.  I’ve thought a lot about that the last two days.  I know it’s something that kids say, but it has really been bothering me.  It’s not a surprise to me that Nate is the favorite parent…he’s the fun parent.  Because the kids don’t get to see him much (especially during the week) when he is home it is a party to them.  And even though when he comes home after a long day, although he is tired, he is not tired of them.  His patience are fresh and his homecoming is greeted with cheers, jumps for joy, and lots of hugs and kisses.  Of course he is the cool parent.  I have to discipline, fight to get naps in, nag to get toys cleaned up, beg to wipe hands and faces, drag them to the grocery store, make them do their chores, try to get them to eat, etc….

Being a mom is hard.  I want to be the fun parent…but, of course, I can’t always be, and I know that.  So why did it hurt my feelings when Magei so nonchalantly made that comment?  My practical side tells me that it’s just something that four year olds say.  My sensitive side feels sad about it.  I’m sure lots of parents have heard comments like this from their children, and I know that in the end it doesn’t really mean anything.  A comment like that really isn’t even a true indicator of the job your doing as a parent.  I suppose being a mom is sometimes a “you’ll thank me for this later” kind of job.  I think what it boils down to for me is that as mothers, almost everything we do is (hopefully) for the good of our children.  We know that they’ll love us for it, but we also want them to like us for it.

As a side note, Nate told Magei that what she said wasn’t nice.  So today at breakfast she leaned over to me and said that she decided she liked us both the same.  It was out of pity and 100% a charity comment, but I’ll take it.

Sam turned 2 on Friday, and boy is he acting like it!  In just the last week he has really developed his toddler attitude.  He has to do every thing himself, his favorite word is “no”, everything is “mine”, and he’s got some serious sass going on.  But in spite of the terrible two’s being right on schedule, he’s still a sweet boy!  He has finally started playing with toys (before now, he just kind of followed Magei around and got into stuff) and his favorites are mega blocks, rocket, and his new winnie the pooh figurines.  He also loves putting a Diego band-aid on his finger every day claiming that he has owees.  His favorite food is bananas and still has an obsession with shoes, hats, and purses.

We took Sam to Build-a-Bear to celebrate, and he came home with Brownie.

I made Sam’s birthday cake with classic car cupcakes with Tiger, Pooh, Darby, Piglet, Roo, and Buster riding in the motorcade.  Sam has played with these figurines non-stop since he got them!

We also gave Sam the Rocket from Little Einstiens with Leo, Quincy, Annie, and June.  He has LOVED this toy.  Seriously.  He’s had to sleep in bed with it every night since he got it.  Sam wont let Magei even look at this toy, let alone play with it.  So, of course, Magei has now asked for one for her birthday.

…this was the last day we have 1:00 church for a whole year.  Here’s to 9:00 a.m. and a firm resolve to be in our seats on time.  (Oh, and the kids in their Christmas clothes.)