Disneyland

I know I have been so incredibly absent from the blog. The boys and I were gone for almost a month, then we got back and frantically prepared for Christmas (and our anniversary & Preston's birthday which are still coming up...). Add to that clean-up from having the interior of our house painted while we were gone...and yeah, you can see why I've been absent!

So back to the vacation. After a couple of days in L.A., of course we had to go to Disneyland. Unfortunately it was a bit of a let down compared to other times we've been there, but we had fun despite numerous rides being out of commission, a less than stellar Holiday parade, rain, and lots of people. Apparently the boys weren't hampered by the things that irritated me, and they have already started saving money for our next trip.

The boys' favorite rides:
Toy Story Mania
Gadget's Go Coaster
Buzz Lightyear
Thunder Mountain Railroad (for Preston anyway...B didn't like it!)

L.A.

We've been busy: walking around, navigating the metro on a search for a double stroller so I can (safely) explore the city with the boys while John is in meetings, taking in a King's game (well, as much as Archer and the people around us could tolerate), and playing at what seems to be the only kid friendly area of downtown L.A.: the park. (And on that note, there are seriously NO kids around. It's bizarre.)

Mostly pictures for now, more later!

On the Farm

The boys and I have been staying with my parents since a few days before Thanksgiving. John flew back home to work, but we stayed to #1 say goodbye to Auntie Kristen (who just moved to Lithuania), and #2 go on a big road trip to Cali where we'll meet John (who gets to fly instead of riding in a car with 3 little boys for 16 hours)

The boys are super anxious to get started on the road trip, but in the meantime they are having fun helping Poppa on the farm.

"Duck in a Pond"

Snow

Every winter, I wonder why we live in N. Idaho.*** I used to enjoy the snow when we lived in Oregon...it almost always melted within the day and it only happened 1 or 2 times per year. Plus the whole city shut down so it was like a mini vacation. Not the case here. When it snows it's usually here to stay for a few months, an people carry on as usual.

Cold, wet, miserable. Thank goodness a vacation is in my very near future!

***4 out of 5 people in this family love the snow and winter, FYI. They are completely giddy and race outside to play. Probably why we still live here. :)

Fall by the Lake

Happy Halloween

I made the boys' Halloween costumes this year and it was definitely A LOT of work. Peter Pan was pretty simple, but the other two were a little complicated. I need to remember that for next year! It was fun though, and the boys loved them so I guess that made up for all the effort.

We went trick-or-treating with some friends, and we made it exactly 2 houses without incident...then B face-planted on our neighbor's front step and got a bloody nose. He managed to continue on for a little while, but it just wasn't as much fun after that!


Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and the crocodile


Arrrrrrrrrrr! Preston thought it was pretty funny that Captain Hook wore tights and ruffles on his shirt. He said "this is girl's stuff right mom? Why would Captain Hook wear girl's stuff?!" I guess the hook and sword made up for it though.


B made the BEST Peter Pan. He was a little distraught that we forgot pixie dust so John sprinkled salt on his head...it seemed to do the trick!


And my little crocodile. He loved chasing his brothers around and smacking them with his tail.