These photos have nothing to do with my post, but I am behind on photos. Lydia and Mike. Beauty and the Beast.
Colton and Heather. Batman and Robin.
Mike's brother's came to watch the Purdue Vs. Ohio State football game. Guess who they cheered for? We didn't hear any "Boiler Up!" cheers at our house that day. But all is well. Ohio State just got Urban Myer as their new head coach. All three boys look forward to a new season.
We went to Chicago with our friends the Jensen's the day after Thanksgiving. They took the kids geocaching while we were in the temple. The kids loved going on "a treasure hunt."
We love our neighborhood. It is so fun for all the kids to be right out the front door to get together and play.
This year, we are doing some things according to tradition, and some things not according to tradition. For example- on Thanksgiving day, no one from our household partook of a single slice of pie. We didn't do our Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving due to my job, but celebrated Thanksgiving on Sunday and then invited some friends over to enjoy pie. And boy did we enjoy it! Peanut butter pie! My favorite! Pecan Pie! Since Mike ate half of it- we will say HIS favorite! Pumpkin Cheesecake- Lydia's favorite (due to the fact that pumpkin is her teacher's favorite) And what did Colton like? Well, he liked the rolls. That silly boy doesn't like whipped cream- thus eliminating many a goodness from his diet. The boy also doesn't like potatoes (unless they come fried in a happy meal) but we won't go into that because it might break his poor mother's heart.
One thing we did do according to tradition this year was put up our tree the day after thanksgiving. (No shopping for us though) Because we live in an apartment and because you don't go and buy a tree permit and hunt down a tree in the forest while living in the farmlands of Indiana, we have a 3 foot artificial tree. It is disappointing to Colton because our tree isn't green and tall like his friends, but it gets the job done. In fact, it is a lovely tree, adorned with a slap bracelet for a star and a green alien balloon to accompany it. My kids are going to be designers one day.
To go along with disappointing things for Colton, I think he is going to have a disappointing Christmas. My dear 3 year old boy would like a blue motorcycle (The kind that goes on the road- he specified this.) He would also like a trampoline. Again, due to apartment living, the trampoline is out of the question. And, well, the motorcycle, I don't think I need to explain why that one will never happen.
Lydia had her tonsils out today. Children are so resilient. Before surgery, she was in the waiting room, jumping from letter to letter on an alphabet rug and I thought, "Enjoy this activity now, because in a few hours, you are going to feel like crap." (please excuse my poor language, 'crap' is the Idaho farm girl coming out in me.) Anyway, Lydia woke up groggy and was only motivated to eat her Popsicle in recovery because she had to before they would release her. However, on the ride home she came to life. It was a great day for the girl. She got to watch movies all afternoon, eat ice cream and her brother was forbidden from pestering her! When I went to the store to get her medicine, she ran to the door, gave me a hug around the legs and skipped on back to the couch. Ok. This is not what I was expecting, but I'll take it. We will see how things go tomorrow, but it appears that the hardest part of this whole thing will be keeping her resting. She wants to go to school tomorrow. Goodness, when I had my tonsils out in high school, I felt like crap. (Yes, it appears that crap is the only word I can think of for feeling sick.) I made sure that I got my full two weeks of skipping P.E.
Well, my reprieve is over. The domestic life is calling me. Clothes are beckoning to be folded and dishes are pleading to be washed.
This wonderful event was free, and I loved it just as much as the Blue Man Group! Colton and his classmates singing Thanksgiving Songs. 
He looked SO handsome- and then he had to wear the Diego gardening gloves. 
Colton sitting on Santa's lap for the 2nd time at the Christmas party. (He cut in line the first time and then came and found me with a candy cane in his mouth and said, "You didn't get a picture Mom." 
