Finally Better...Now on to the New Year!

Well, I think we're finally recovering from the very nasty head cold that Matt and I were inflicted with last week. We were truly down and out for a full week with major head congestion. I just can't believe we were so ill with so few symptoms, but it was really just a head cold. And TONS of snot!

Anyway, after being very slow and uninteresting for the kids all week, we did manage to get out on Saturday morning and go over to the nearby Udvar-Hazy Museum, which is part of the National Air and Space Museum in D.C. It was an excellent follow-up for John's space lessons he's been doing at school and the museum itself is interesting and huge. Lots of room for the kids to wander and roam a bit, while we looked at a few things and everyone seemed to enjoy getting out of the house. I forget how close by this activity is to us and it really is a great resource.

Now it's Monday again and I'm finally trying to get back on track after the holidays and last week's sickness. I feel like my new year is just now beginning, while everyone else has been going for almost 2 weeks now! I'm behind on just about everything - laundry, cleaning, thank you notes, and even some work. I did manage to clean the bathrooms today, and hope to get to the floors later.

We got out early this morning for a Target run, per John's request. He decided to take some money out of his piggy bank to go and buy a train or two. So, since we didn't have pending plans, and I'm always willing to put off my housework, we headed out to Target. We counted his money pile first, he had $13.03 in his bag. I traded out his coins for my dollars for ease of the transaction. And he went straight to the Thomas the Tank Engine section of Target. After much careful deliberation, he selected two vehicles to purchase, Diesel 10 and Alfie. Diesel 10 is one that he has been wanting to get for quite some time now, so he is very pleased now to have it in his collection. And Alfie is a construction type vehicle (an excavator, I believe), so that's also a good addition. I'm proud of the way he decided which ones to buy. He could have brought a lot more money (he has quite the piggy bank), or nagged me for more money once he realized how much things were going to cost, but he didn't. He asked how much each thing was, and what he would be able to afford with the money he had in his bag. Then once his decision was made, he stuck to it through the rest of our shopping and was pleased with his purchase afterwards. I was very proud of his big-kid approach to the process and I believe he is too.

And much to my surprise, Kara didn't fuss a bit about John getting something from the store and nothing for her! She was happy to hold onto the container of goldfish crackers and didn't seem to notice that she wasn't getting a new toy. I know that won't happen many more times!

The week ahead holds a few busy days for us - swimming twice for John, Little Bits class for Kara, gymnastics for John, a doctor's appointment for John, and topped off with a yoga class for me. Should keep us all busy during what looks to be a bitterly cold week. I'm sure more adventures and stories will pop up this week, and I'll be sure to share them soon!