Another Round of Spots and Cell Pictures

Yesterday when I picked Bug up from school, he seemed crankier than usual. When he napped into the five o'clock hour and said his mouth hurt, I knew we had a problem.

Last night I found a blister on his tongue that couldn't be comfortable and was pretty sure I knew what our problem was. This morning's spot-fest told me I was right: hand, foot, and mouth disease. Fabulous. Bug had avoided this particular plague last year, but since Maddles (in retrospect) seems to have had it last week and I may or may not have fallen victim, we're guessing it's a different strain. Thankfully those of us who had it last year seem to have much lighter cases this time around.

He's had a miserable day; crying pretty much anytime his tongue hits his teeth. The blisters on his legs, knees, feet, and booty don't seem to really bother him. We did lots of couch cuddling and Playhouse Disney watching. And apparently, to feel better you must have a Bob the Builder quilt, Lightning McQueen blanket, Dog, Blanket, and Gilbert.

Slacking and Cell Picture-Palooza

I know I've been a blog slacker lately, but it just seems like there hasn't been a whole lot going on. I'm also apparently lazy because all recent pictures have been taken on my cell phone.

We put up the Christmas tree last Monday, even though it was not the required Friday-After-Thanksgiving. It was such a beautiful afternoon that I wanted to get all the stuff out of the crawl space, but then couldn't resist the temptation to get started. We finished up with the outside lights this weekend. It was our first time doing "big kid lights," and I have to admit I'm pretty proud of our efforts. I did all the stuff up on the roof, while the Hubbster had the very important job of being on standby to call 911 in case my klutz gene kicked in. The klutz gene is also the reason I don't do ladders....

The kids were also a blast last week. I got a Maddie Make-Over, we had a front yard picnic, and they ran around in their undies wearing my shoes.

Here is my new favorite Daddy/Braedon picture. I took it on Sunday morning while Nathan was practicing for UpStreet. Those are hands down my two favorite people on this planet!

Oh, and the Dynamic Duo's new favorite phrase is "chicken booty."

Miracles for Stellan

Tonight we can give thanks to our amazing Heavenly Father for His healing hands on Stellan. Go on over to My Charming Kids and check out what has transpired today for this little boy and his amazing momma. It will truly touch your heart and remind you that there is a God and He is alive! Can I get an amen?!

Happy Halloween, Part Deux

Third time's the charm! We finally got a Halloween picture where they are looking at us and smiling! Check out the 2007 and 2008 failures.

This has probably been my favorite Halloween with Braedon so far. At three, he really got it. I didn't even have to go on the porch with him and ring the bell; he did it all like he was on old pro. We also had a blast out our taekwondo school's annual Halloween Party on Friday night. He was so adorable in the costume contest, bouncing around and giggling. He ended up winning first place in the 7 and Under division, with the coveted prize of Toys R' Us gift card. Not to shabby for a borrowed costume! (Of course post-party we had to make a stop, where he picked out a new push steam engine for his Geotrax and the fighter jet from the Cars movie.) FYI, if you take the hat off, he just looks like a mossy boulder.

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween from the McIntyre's! A week or so ago I put together a Monster Mash, but decided to wait until Halloween to post it. Sadly, I couldn't post it directly to my blog. Go check it out here!

Christmas Card Preview

While my mom and Kenneth where here this past weekend, we took advantage of Kenneth's rock star photography skills and had some Christmas card/family portraits. We went to a local park after the Dynamic Duo's nap; I took my camera along and got some decent shots on it. Can't wait to see what Kenneth was able to capture!

Fall Festival 2009

It's all about the hat! Take it off and he just looks like a giant, moldy rock.

Saturday was a super, super, super busy day. Bug and I ran errands that morning, then went to the Fall Festival with Maddles and the Sis that afternoon. All of that before our night of partying in honor of Nai-Nai's birthday that night. (We paid for it with a very cranky Dynamic Duo on Sunday.)

The kiddos loved the Fall Festival! It was also a great test-run for costumes before the big night. They got their faces painted, got to paint pumpkins, "play" musical chairs (Bug purposely got out so he could get a prize out of the basket), and walk in the costume parade. They also loved the sugary goodies they got. The adults all gathered around the man with an iPhone, so we could keep updated on the Alabama/Tennessee score. (Bug and I made it home for the last, very harrowing, 7 minutes of the game.)