Inside fun

We've been stuck inside with the cold weather, but so far so good. We've played with play dough, made cookies, read books, had dance parties, given the kids lots of baths, taken a trip to the library, and played with toys. 

Jake's imagination is growing like crazy, and I'm so excited! I love pretending with him. He's at such a fun age. 

McKenna is loving eating more and more like the rest of us- with a fork and spoon all by herself. She loves that she now gets ketchup and BBQ sauce with her chicken nuggets and refuses to take bites if I try to feed her. She essentially growls and grunts until the fork is in her hands. She's such a character! 

She's such a messy eater, but she loves that coating herself with food gets her much-loved baths. She squeals with delight and tries to climb in the tub when I carry her up the stairs and set her down in the bathroom. I'm glad both my kids like baths and that they don't mind being in the tub together. I'm hopeful that we will continue to stay warm and happy this winter!

Snow

Today it snowed for the first time this winter. Boo :( Jake's happiness almost makes up for how miserable Andrew and I feel about it. And McKenna seems pretty indifferent. She was fine with being out in it as long as I was holding her. She wasn't overly thrilled when I put her down. 

Jake would have played outside all day- I feel like we lasted quite awhile, but then he ran right out of one of his boots. He didn't miss a beat or seem to mind, but I'm sure letting my 2 year old play in the snow in his socks (even 2 pairs) doesn't win me good mom points. And after I bribed him inside with a movie, he probably asked 20 more times throughout the course of the day to go back out. Maybe next time we won't go right after breakfast :)

Jake lost a boot while we were out there, but at least he has boots. Poor McKenna wore a regular pair of shoes with quart sized zip lock bags covering them, secured with rubber bands. No wonder she wanted me to hold her :) They might not have been too classy, but they did the job. Her feet stayed dry and warm. 

I'm afraid we're going to spend a lot more cold days playing in the snow over the next 4 or so months, but at least Jake will be happy and we can get some fresh (albeit freezing) air. Please be kind, Ohio winter!

Kisses

Today had some highs and lows, but the highs were pretty sweet. McKenna took an interest in kissing Jake today ❤️ and by some miracle, Jake not only didn't push or hit her, he asked for more!

Jake was playing with some toys in his tunnel when McKenna crawled in and gave him at least 30 separate kisses on his forehead. He ignored her at first, but I made a big deal about how sweet it was, and after 15 or so, Jake would say "more" each time she planted one on him. She was even kissing him during their bath tonight. I'm sure I looked like a goon with an obnoxiously big smile on my face, but I LOVE moments that make me think they'll be friends someday :)

McKenna hasn't mastered the art of kissing yet- if she decides she wants to kiss me, or if I ask her to give me a kiss, she mostly just rams her forehead into my mouth. But it is so sweet. That girl. Oh how I love her. And Jake. And that they love each other ❤️

Soup

Despite seeing the first snow flurry of the season, today was a good day. The kids and I spent the afternoon playing at COSI, and we leaned that the afternoon is so much less crowded than the morning hours in which we typically visit. 

This evening we had black bean soup for dinner and McKenna ate all by herself- with a big girl spoon (actually 2 of them) and bowl- for the first time. And she loved it! 

Andrew calls her dinner habits "bath insurance."  She's big into loading her hands with food and rubbing it in her hair. Seriously. Every night! The kids get so many more baths now than when Jake was the same age; or really, even more than a few months ago, before she discovered that coating her hair and face with food won her a bath every time.  I won't complain. Bath time is a happy time for both kids, and they get along great in the tub. I love my messy little cuties!

Shark!

McKenna has only ever pooped in the tub 3 times. Unfortunately, 2 of those times have been in the past several days. The most recent one I don't want to forget, so even though this might embarrass Jake someday, it has made me smile every time I've thought of the "shark" encounter.

I was sitting next to the tub, filled with kids, bubbles, and bath toys, while Andrew was reading to us. I must have looked away for a second because all of a sudden a turd flew out of the tub and landed between my legs with a thud. I looked in surprise at Jake, who looked like he too was going to poop out of fear. He yelled "shark!" in terror, and for the first time that I can remember, he was ready and beyond willing to get out. I laughed and laughed, but mostly because I knew Andrew would clean it up for us. I married such a good man! 

And Jake is winning the poop in the tub contest. Only 1 incident to date. Way to go, kid!

Soaking it in

So a huge cold front came through last night. Tear. Actually lots of tears. I'm not looking forward to MONTHS of entertaining the kids inside without the zoo, parks, or stroller rides to keep them (and me) happy. Is it spring yet!?

To fully soak in the last couple days of warmth, we hit the park on Monday and the zoo Tuesday. I'm still hopeful we'll have a few warm days here and there, but I guess I need to start coming up with some fun indoor activities. 

McKenna loves seeing the animals and Jake just likes being out and about. Despite the impending winter, I'm so lucky to be able to stay home with the 2 little cuties that I love more than anything!

Halloween Fun

In addition to trick-or-treating, Andrew and I had some Halloween fun with our kids. We visited boo at the zoo, put on by the Columbus zoo and aquarium. They handed out lots of candy, but really it was just a fun excuse to put the kids in their costumes :)

Poor Jake wants nothing to do with dressing up. So he fell asleep on the way to the zoo and woke up in his stroller dressed as a fire fighter. He handled it really well and didn't seem to even notice much. McKenna had no idea we dressed her up, but she had fun with so many people "ohhing and ahhing" over her. It was fun to have Andrew at the zoo with us and to see the Africa exhibit for the last time of the season. 

We also went to our church Halloween party, which was pretty impressive. They had lots of carnival games and fun things for the kids to do. 

And on Halloween night, Andrew and Jake carved Jake's first pumpkin. Luckily Kim and Darrell were at our place and brought their pumpkin carving kit, which waved a lot of agony for Andrew. 

All in all, if call it a very successful Halloween season!