Special Needs Carnival

Monday, we went to a carnival especially for kids with special needs and their families. It was so much fun! Spencer really enjoyed playing 'stomp the balloon tied to your opponents leg'. Yeah, complicated name....fun game! They also had cotton candy, a cake walk, dress up clothes, face painting, bowling, fish pond..... The girls especially had a blast. Brayden was feeling rather anxious that night, so he and Earl walked around the building. Spencer was a bit to old to enjoy most of the games, but he was a very good sport and made it a fun night.

The carnival was done by Andraia's kindergarten teacher and her ward. They have several teachers in their ward who work with kids with special needs. I was so impressed because EVERYONE was so loving and enthusiastic about what they were doing. It was a really special night!

Pretty Toes Mommy!

Normally I wouldn't blog about getting a pedicure, but Chloe's reaction was PRICELESS. Now, you have to understand that I veryrarely get a pedicure. In fact, this was only my second one ever, so she has never seen me with such gorgeous toes! Usually I just slap on some paint myself or let Andraia try her hand at painting them. This time they are shiny, purple and have flowers on them. A few hours after my pedicure we had gone out to dinner with my parents. As soon as we got home, Chloe insisted I take off my shoes and sit down so she could admire my toes! She kept saying "Pretty toes, Mommy!" And counting them. She is too funny!!

I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home, Glad As I Can Be!

Our kids were soooo excited to see their Dad last night. It was so precious. Of course, the flight was delayed out of JFK, but only by about 30 minutes. So we left later than usual for our drive to the airport. I tried to drag out dinner and after dinner activities as long as possible, but the kids were so anxious to pick up Daddy!

At the airport, Brayden decided that he didn't like having to walk around with the crowds of people. He would much rather have hidden in his stroller, but Mommy was trying to be 'adventurous' and didn't bring in the stroller this time. Spencer wasn't very thrilled with this either, because he was in charge of holding Brayden's hand and Brayden likes to use his head as a weapon when he's upset. Luckily, Spencer has a very kind heart and took Brayden for a lap around the baggage carousels while we waited.

So much for being adventurous, Mom. What was I thinking?

The girls were so thrilled to see their dad!! First, Andraia gave a very hearty welcome to Earl's friend, Tim. Andraia loves everyone from Earl's office and had to make sure that Time knew we were there to see them. I'm sure Tim was in a hurry to get home to his own family, but he stopped to chat with her for a minute.

A couple of minutes later, we saw Earl coming down the escalator. Andraia RAN to her Dad. She was so excited!!! I wasn't expecting Chloe to take off as well. She had been insisting on being carried since we entered the crowds of people and acted like she was ready to fall asleep. But as soon as she saw her dad, she jumped out of my arms and RAN as fast as she could to her Daddy.

I think Earl was a bit surprised at the enthusiastic reception. But he really deserves it. We all missed him very much and are very glad that he's home! Even if he did go to New York without us!!

Santa's #1 Fan!!

Andraia is Santa's #1 fan this year! She absolutely loves the big guy. She has had her picture taken with him three different times this year. I think she's making up for last year when she really wanted to sit on his lap but just wasn't brave enough to do it.

We took the kids to Hogle Zoo for Breakfast with Santa a couple of weeks ago. They really enjoyed it. We would have stayed to check out the animals, but it was snowing really hard.

Andraia loved sitting with Santa. They had a nice little conversation about Christmas, gifts, the snow......

I didn't get a picture of Chloe on my own camera (the zoo took pics for us) because she was too scared to sit alone. But she really loved this elephant.

Brayden wasn't thrilled with sitting on Santa's lap, either. But Santa was so kind. He did everything he could to make Brayden comfortable. It was very sweet.

Spencer didn't want to chat with Santa. He's too old. That doesn't mean I'm old....just him! But he did have fun taking pictures of the snowy landscape at the zoo!

We've had a great holiday season so far. The snow is falling really hard today. We might already have 6 inches, and it isn't stopping anytime soon. Hope we aren't snowed in!!