Happy New Year!!

Mission North Pole

The First Appreciable Snow

In three winters.  Really, Palmer's first chance to really play in the snow.  He was not terribly impressed.  It lasted 10 minutes and then he was tired and needed a nap.

Monsters

Fish

These boys are fish. Since it was only about 70 degrees outside for most of the week, we were all thankful for a huge heated pool!

TRex!

Headed to Downtown Disney the day before Thanksgiving and had a fun and yummy lunch at this massive dinosaur themed restaurant. Palmer was totally into it! And Connor acted like his guide. They both got to "dig" for Dino bones in the sand pit and Connor got to break open his own geode. 

Pit Stop-Savannah

On our way to Orlando for Thanksgiving week and spent a fun Saturday night in Savannah.  It's a favorite Tate place.  Shipping lanes. Nice hotels.  Sweet downtown waterfront.  Stayed across the river at the Westin this time and really liked taking the water taxi to the other side.  And on the way out of town took a quick detour to Tybee Island to see the iconic Atlantic lighthouse there.  Daughter of a sailor--what can I say?

Palmer's First Mommy Portrait

At football!

The Wallet

Tonite Palmer found Connor's nylon wallet.  He played with it for awhile putting play money in and out of it.  Suddenly, he brought it over to me and said "I'm done with Connor's money trap, Mommy."

He's got my heart in a trap, too.

Come Shop At The Potty Store

Potty training.  Poop.  Time for this shit to get real. (Pun hysterically intended).  You drop some friends off at the pool, you get to shop.  This means you, Palmer.  This means you.

What Kind Of Mom Am I?

I saw this video a few days ago.  Its about how mothers see themselves and judge their performance as parents.   It's sweet and touching.  It's also demonstrative of how people are so hard on themselves.  I'm generally NOT that way.  I tend to see everything from a positive place and I pretty much think I do the best I can and I don't have too many doubts---nor, frankly, much time to devote to fretting about such things. 

But....it did get me thinking about what I would want to hear my boys say about me.   Sure, I'd love to hear that I'm great to snuggle with and all that.  And that they love me.  But for me, I have to say that I want my kids to think about me when I'm gone and never ever leave out the word or thought that they just plain had fun with me.  Fun.  To me, fun is love.  It's joy and it's sharing of the best of life so that when life is not at its best you know right where to go. 

To that end, I give you....PUMPKIN SMASH!!

The Blaze II

This was our second visit to the Hudson Valley for the Great Jack O Lantern Blaze.   Its just amazing.  Its a must see if you live in the Mid-Atlantic and you love Halloween.