what tomorrow are we going

Em and Roo ask at least once a day "what tomorrow are we going?"

Because there's always something to look forward to...

...the Christmas stroll that included a parade and tons of neat kid-sized activities.

...errands with Daddy (and 5 Sesame Street dolls shoved into pockets)

...outings with Mama to get new shoes

...impromptu side trips to the Disney store for secret presents and a special Mrs. Potts ornament that just wear you out

... enough extra time before school to drive around the kitchen 3 or 4 times.

on parade

The girls got all dressed up for the costume parade at school the Thursday before Halloween.

Em kept us guessing on her outfit. She changed her mind every day of October, sometimes twice. But Cinderella won out.

Roo was even tougher. She said she'd only wear a hat as a costume. I finally heard her say she'd be a doctor, so I grabbed a doctor outfit quickly. Which she then refused to wear.

The day of the parade, she agreed to the coat only.

They were so excited to be on parade. But, forgot to factor in that a parade has an audience. Once they stepped out the doors and saw the masses, freak outs ensued.

Still mad and freaking out after the parade during the photo ops. Awesome.

Things got lots better as the fall festival kicked into gear. Also, everyone changed out of their costumes. Except Em.

On the way out the door, Em stopped at her friend's princess lunchbox and gasped, "Mama! It's all my family!"

Christmas comes but twice a year

J and I had a system worked out for Thanksgiving morning. The parade was top priority for me and not so much for him. There was a lot of cooking and meal prep to be done. And, of course, Rowdy Girl wrangling. The plan was for me to take first shift in the kitchen while J watched the girls and kept them out of mischief. Then, we would swap duties and the girls and I could watch the Macy's parade together.

What really happened is that the girls wanted to be everywhere I was. And everywhere that Mammaw was. J used the long-time coping strategy that is channel 42. The Disney channel.

So, they settled down with him, in the master bedroom, watching The Mouse and I scrambled to meet my parade deadline.

Finishing up, I came back to our bedroom to find J fast asleep, Em playing with office supplies in his desk and Roo quietly occupied in our closet.

With. Her. Christmas. Presents.

Yep, she found the dollhouse I'd hidden and was blissfully playing house.

No going back.

We pulled it all out and handed it over to 2 very happy little girls.

At least it was gifted on a major holiday.

Hip Hop. They Don't Stop. First a Parade. Then a Photo Op.

Today was the preschool fall festival. Which commenced with the classes marching in a costume parade.
(We opted for tights with the bunny suit today, as panties peeking out seemed a smidge inappropriate at a Lutheran preschool.)

All was going well until Em spotted us standing along the parade route. After breaking out of line and running to her Daddy, she agreed to finish the parade if he went along.



Once the parade was over, we helped Em and Roo change into their play clothes and said goodbye. They had a full agenda of fun and games planned... pumpkin patch, rotating rooms for carnival games, crafts, stories, snacks, and then, early release at noon.
Because, who wants a class full of hyped up, carnival crazed 3 year olds after 12pm?

photo-op after the parade
once again... Em spotted us in the crowd and abandoned ship...
... much to the bafflement of the rest of her class.