It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like….Santa?

As I was looking through this week's pictures, I noticed a recurring (and completely unintentional) theme.  Santa.  It started on Monday when Mason brought home his artwork from daycare...

 On Wednesday, we found the Santa hats when were looking through packed away Christmas decorations (we don't have much out this year since our basement is getting finished and our upstairs is overrun with toys).

To cap off our unintentional week of Santa, I did a Santa Fun Run 5K.  There were 500 runners dressed up in Santa suits.  It was a very festive sight to see!

Even though we aren't very decorated (by my Christmas decorating standards, anyway), we did manage to put up a tree.  Kade did really great this year!  He put up the lights and most of the ornaments all on his own.  Initially, he was putting them on the bottom but quickly realized there was a cute, little ornament thief following behind him and removing all of the ones he had just hung.  So, our tree is Mason proof.  Except for one tiny little ornament…a mouse.  Mason's favorite thing in all of the world right now is mice.  Or as he calls them "mou".  We left "the mou" within his reach.  He shows it to every visitor that comes to our house and he takes it off and puts it back on the tree at least 3 times a day.

Love my boys!!!

A Rough Start...

Thursday, Thanksgiving, was a great day-we ate too much and watched too much football.  Kade had a red spot on his face but we thought it was just a pimple (he gets them on his arms and legs once in awhile).  We both had Friday off so we decided to take the boys ice skating.  Kade's red spot appeared to grow a little but still, not worried...

Waiting for the ice skate guy to show up and rent us some skates.

 Kade thought he needed the bars to help him skate, it didn't take him too long to realize he didn't.

 Mason, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with the bars.  He thought he could manage the ice just fine without them.  These boys couldn't be more opposite!  Have I mentioned that before? :-)

We ran into our friends, Braeden and Colin at the rink!  B plays hockey so he's very comfortable on skates.  Nothing cuter than a 7 year old telling Erik he would be a better skater if he just bent his knees!!

By Saturday Kade's red spot had spread and no longer looked like a pimple.  It was definitely some kind of a rash but it still didn't look that bad and we were thinking (hoping) it would run it's course and be gone by the next day.  Besides, we had an adult day planned!  We had tickets for the Gopher/Badger football game with 4 other couples and the boys had a sleepover planned at the farm!  It was a great day...

Erik, his sister, Jenna, me, Jenna's husband, Jay

I had a feeling Kade's rash was impetigo.  I had it as a child but mine covered a much larger portion of my face and I was puking sick when I had it.  Kade's was still a relatively small spot and he definitely wasn't sick but when I googled it my suspicions were confirmed.  Sunday morning we picked up the boys and headed straight to Fast Care to get an official diagnosis and medication.  Yep, impetigo.  A highly contagious, fast spreading skin infection.  Yep, the thumbs up to use Kade's ointment to treat Mason immediately because we all knew he was going to get it too.  Yep, this story gets worse...

Monday morning, as we were getting ready to leave for daycare, school and work I noticed Kade itching his head.  I assumed he didn't do a good enough job getting all of the soap out of his hair so I inspected his head, looking for dandruff.  Instead I found little white critters and little brown eggs.  LICE.  UGH!!!!!!!!  I admit, I said said the F word multiple times (and told Kade to not ever repeat it).  I called Erik and told him to leave work, stop at the store and come home with lice shampoo, a lice comb and a magnifying glass.  I called school and daycare and let them know the boys would be staying home and coming back bald.  And then I got to work with laundry, cleaning, bagging, shaving heads, de-bugging scalps and trying not to lose my mind with every tingle I felt on my scalp!!!  My OCD is out of control right now.

After 5 days of impetigo treatment, 5 scalp checks per day, and more loads of laundry than I can count, I'm hoping-praying-fingers crossing that we are out of the woods.  We won't know for sure for another couple weeks (that's how long it takes for eggs to hatch) but so far we are all clear.  The only one who has actually had anything is Kade but Mason is getting treatment right along with him.  Better to be proactive instead of reactive!

The holidays can only get better from here, right?!?!?

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to be thankful for in our life but most of all for these handsome little men.

We have truly been blessed.

We've had a lot of projects going on in our house for the past couple of weeks.  We replaced the vanity in our master bathroom and work has begun to finish our basement.  This means we've had the need for "construction men" to tear out the old and bring in the new.  Kade and Mason are in destruction heaven!  

First they got to "help" dad take out the old vanity.  Which means Mason banged away with his plastic tools and Kade got to use the drill to take out each and every screw (seriously, every single one--not because he had to, he wanted to).  Then they got to take the trim out of the one finished room in the basement.

Every night Kade asks for more projects and cries when we tell him the rest is up to the professionals.  In his mind, he is the professional!!

Halloween Pictures

For Halloween Kade decided he wanted to be….wait for it….a football player!  Yes, he was a football player last year too.  This year, instead of being a Vikings player, he wanted to be Erik/MN Gopher/D-E Eagle player.  The only way he could be all 3 was to wear a Gopher helmet and Erik's old football jersey.  Mission accomplished.

Mason, was an alligator.  Or a crocodile.  Or a dinosaur.  Some sort of reptile anyway!  Again, yes, that is what Kade was when he was 2 years old.  And, again-like last year-Mason didn't seem to mind :-)  He did great trick-or-treating.  I'm not sure he understood why he was going door-to-door but he definitely understood the concept of holding his bucket up for goodies!  

Heading out for an evening of candy gathering!

First stop:  G&G H

Seriously, I can't get enough of that cute little backside!

The view of the front is just as adorable!

Mini Erik

Poor Mason, his little legs couldn't keep up with the big kids.

Next stop:  G&G C

We went to our old neighborhood for dinner with the neighbors and an evening of trick-or-treating.  We did it a little differently this year:  Erik brought his trailer, a couple bales of straw and we hooked it up to Tim's tractor.  So we had a hay wagon chauffeur service to take us to all of the houses.  It was fantastic!

Michael and Taylor were Storm Troopers from Star Wars.

The annual Halloween picture of Michael and Kade.  Can't believe how big these 2 are getting!

Pre Halloween Preparations

I took so many pictures of Halloween this year, it has to be split into 2 posts!  It was so much fun this year because both of the boys were fully involved and loving it!

Pumpkin Carving 

(or in the boys case, drawing all over the pumpkin and themselves).

Judging by that reaction, I don't think "surgeon" is in Kade's future.

Mason, on the other hand, couldn't get enough of the guts!

Hanging out with Grandpa Ranger, the pumpkins and an ice cold beverage in a pumpkin cup.  Life is good for Mr. Mason!

He didn't even try but he looks a lot like the ghost pumpkin!

Goldy and a ghost

Kade's class Halloween costume parade

All of Kade's classmates!

No words.

My 2 newest, most favorite pictures of the boys.  I can't decide which picture I love more!!

Just can't get enough of these 2 little munchkins….