Delaney's newest baby... Charlie. She's a girl with a mustache (and eyeliner, of course)

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Letting go... and letting the dirt in

I had to let go today... let go of all my squeamishness about the kids getting muddy...
It was an unusually warm day today...but very muddy since the 8+ inches of snow we had last week melted rapidly leaving us a yard filled with muddy holes and dog poo (thanks, Bailey :)).
But I gritted my teeth and just let them be kids.
That's what baths and washing machines are for, right?

A rare moment of sibling love...

"Are those your school shoes?" Yes... just grin and bear it, Mommy

"Look how big I am!" He couldn't begin to reach the handles last year!

The Princess and the dragon...

I dare not tell you how much Disney charges for facepainting... but the results were priceless. They looked so darn cute!

A little rain won't hurt anything when you're this determined!

We couldn't keep them out of the pool--even though it was pouring down rain and cold! Delaney is getting so brave in the water and little Jonathan just has NO FEAR, which is scary for Mommy!
Today is only 50 degrees and windy so we are hanging out relaxing--but no pool!

Gobbles? Check!

Our little guy was so excited to get to the pool...even though it was only 60 degrees out and pouring down rain. Thank goodness the pool was heated! Sending our love from Disney!

Happy Halloween!

We didn't take a picture "pre-loot eating" so he's a sucker monkey now!

I think the kids were done with smiling at this point, especially Delaney. No more Trick or Treating for her!

How can you get upset that he got chocolate all over his belly? He's just too cute!

Our beautiful Lady Bug! She was the one Daddy needed to carry home on his shoulders after too much Trick-or-Treating, not Jonathan.

"I wipe it off!"

Delaney is having some real issues with bed time. Specifically, she just doesn't want to go to bed. At all. Every night is a ritual of tucking her "snug as a bug in a rug" only to find her "discretely" coming down the stairs, with her eyes covered, of course (so we can't see her) for one more "tiss and hug". Jonathan and I take turns every night re-escorting her up to bed. The first couple trips are gratis... the ones following carry a high consequence... a bum spanking. Even this has not deterred her. Last night when I was going to bed, I thought I'd look in on our little angel sleeping in her new full-size big-girl bed. I gingerly opened to door to find an empty bed. I was a little panicked as I had not heard the patter of little feet upstairs before this. Where could she be. Not in the bathroom, not in our room watching tv. I finally called out to her, my fear getting the best of me. She arose, groggily from underneath our fluffy comforter in the space between my and Jonathan's pillows on our bed and said "I sleep in your bed". She was escorted back to her bed but I had to hide a snicker. Tonight I went over to my sister's house and was not her to partake in the bedtime games. Jonathan informed me that she had to be spanked twice tonight for bed exitus and that she has a new "coping" mechanism. As soon as she is spanked (lightly) on the bum, she quickly licks her hand and spanks her bum. After the second spanking session, Jonathan had to ask.... "What are you doing?" Her answer... "I wipe off my spanking"
How can you argue with that?