For Christmas, each of our kids got two toys, one from us and one from our always-knows-just-the-right-gift family in CA.  (Okay, plus a few arts and crafts items, too—the foam “play-dough” has been a huge hit.)  And here’s why we have learned to not bother with too many toys:

Given a few unsupervised moments, Piper and Wesley turn our living room into 1) a underground shuttle launcher or 2) a mole haven, depending upon their mood and variety of playmates 

 

Later that day, they stripped their pillowcases and became ghosts, unhatched baby birds, and ocean swimmers.  I’m going to buy Wesley some more toys for his birthday so maybe they will leave the living room rug alone….

My parents moved this weekend…closer to us!  They are about 25 minutes away now, and I’m dropping Wesley off for his first day at Grandmas tomorrow!  (I’ve got a full day of classroom volunteering and Girl Scouts.)

I wanted to post a few pictures of the moving party just for posterity.  Their new home will look so much different soon that it will be fun to look back on the first day.

Welcome, Grandma and Grandpa!

Forty-eight hours of 4 kids brought out the big guns—roasting hot dogs and marshmallows in the fire place. 

 

Hey, look!  Parental supervision!

 

Piper dressed up for s’mores—there’s an outfit for everything, I guess!

A few days ago, I mused aloud, “Do you think any one will do the Polar Bear Plunge with me this year?” and Dwayne said,  “I will.” 

Or something like that. 

Which is how we went from this….

 

 

to this:

 

Last year, it was mid-50s and sunny.  This year, we had the same sun, but there were frozen puddles still solid back out our house.   I also had a more specific goal this year—to swim to the nearest buoy.  And, hopefully, back again. 

 

We are the two heads closest to the buoy.  (And I saw at least a handful of women in bikinis.  Someone willing to risk hypothermia for no particular benefit probably isn’t too concerned about wearing a skimpy suit while doing it.) 

 

Made it!  

 

 

“Babe, hold my hand—I can’t feel my toes!” Actually, I couldn’t feel most of my body.

 

Kyla and Piper wore their suits so they could do a cub dive after we swam.  They both made it to their ankles before these were snapped:

 

Evelyn got to be an honorary family member for a little while, so she got a Polar Bear photo, too.

 

Whether you consider me brave, adventurous, idiotic, or worse, you have to admit—I rock that braid!

 

We have a bit of dilemma for next year.  If I do it for a third time, it gains momentum and I will have to keep doing it.  This wouldn’t be so bad if we spend New Years in Mexico.  Maybe we’ll work on that.