The descent begins.

As my husband begins a few days of choice deer hunting, I can feel the polliwog's cold has taken root and is affecting my own immune system. The little guy was out of commission last weekend and the first part of this week, and so it's really not surprising that I'm next in line. He has a tendency to sneeze everywhere at the worst possible times, such as directly into my mouth when I pick him up...

It's amazing to me sometimes how much motherhood has risen the bar for what it takes to actually gross me out. Human feces? No problem, dealt with that three times before 10 a.m. Vomit? Been there, done that. Blood? A little more disturbing, yes, but not gross. Another person's snot? I just can't even dedicate energy to getting disgusted by that, really. None of these are a stranger's bodily fluids, which appears to make a huge difference, oddly enough.

Still, when it's my own nasal passages at stake and I can feel the general grumpitude set in, preventative measures are needed. So, we'll head to the store this morning for the usual cold rations of orange juice and some form of decongestant, and hope these aid me in maintaining some form of functionality for the next couple days until the height of mucus production has passed. At least I should be better by next week for the actual holiday, which is nice.

The usual suspects.

Here are the guests at the bug's 5th birthday party, post-climbing wall, splash playground, and cupcake attack:

She climbed higher than anyone else on the climbing wall, and although she didn't even notice at the time, I was proud of her. Here are a few shots of Spidergirl in action:

The white line is the one-story mark; she got her feet just above it before she came back down. We are DEFINITELY taking her there again on a non-weekend-busy day, and I'm going to climb with her:

And here is a (slightly damp and probably fuzzy) shot of the splash playground, where they all ran themselves silly and soaked us by pulling on ropes tied to firehoses:

Particular time was spent on the pirate slide, which the bug and her friends definitely enjoyed:

The party was at the local recreation center, and the staff were great with the kids, friendly and patient, even when all seven of them had to wait in line for almost half an hour before getting to the climbing wall. Go team Montessori kids, is what I have to say about that--they were very well-behaved (to a practically miraculous level) in spite of the initial wait to climb. They had a blast! It was a really great birthday, according to the bug, who is currently using one of her multiple art-supply gifts while I type.

The polliwog also attended but besides eating Pirate Booty had little to contribute, as Matt kept him home through nap, which ended after the party started. Then we made the executive decision not to let him into the pool, as I could be responsible for seven bug-aged kids, or one polliwog, and the ratio of polliwog-to-adult would not have changed if Matt had joined me in the pool. He didn't mind at all and seemed to enjoy watching the older kids splash around, having spent many hours watching the bug's swim lessons from a similar perspective.

I am having some difficulty believing the bug is actually five, but I'll get there. It doesn't seem like a real number yet but she's certainly ready for it.

Today's amazing artist story.

Just in case you need some of your faith restored in humanity:

Public Concert, Private Music

You might just tear up right in your office.

All Hallow's Eve

It has been a glorious few weeks of fall here, and the kids are really starting to enjoy each other's company which is a joy to watch. Even if the boy is often a "ruiner" when it comes to Lego towers and train tracks, he's a pretty great brother in a pile of leaves:

I'll blog more about the angst-filled month of October shortly, but let's begin with a few "blizzard" shots from last Wednesday and Thursday, and the polliwog's discovery that it is awfully hard to toddle in snow:

His mood quickly improved upon being removed from the waist-high drifts by his dad, though:

In other recent child-oriented news, we all survived Halloween! And our little Tinkerbell and farmer had a blast.

There was a neighborhood parade which both children enjoyed, one walking and the other riding in style in the wagon. Then in the evening the bug ran from door to door to door while the polliwog rode in the wagon (pulled by me) and waved from the sidewalk, thus ensuring the bug got extra treats, as in, "and one for your cute little brother." This resulted in us covering approximately four blocks before her pumpkin was filled to bursting and we returned home for the evening.

And can I just say Daylight Savings Time came on a much-needed night of extra sleep? What were all your little ones for Halloween? (Do tell, in the comments field, and link to pictures if you've got any to share!)