Sparkly Ponies and Other Discoveries

I am not going to start this post by complaining about the weather, but seriously, coldness and frigid rain, I am so, so, so done with you!  Luckily, mother nature agrees and, at least for the next couple days, we can get outside.  Cue the chorus--HALLELUJAH!  Tomorrow you'll find me at the playground.

Here is a recap of our activities for the last several days:

Wherever we went, it was bundle-up time.  New discovery: Charlotte HATES mittens.  She finds them seriously offensive and a sign of awful parenting.  To her it's like, how dare you put those things on me??!?  Given her love of continuous eating, I think she thinks those pesky mittens really get in the way.

Mitten free is the way to be!

On one of several trips to Target over the past week, Cate was determined to spend the remaining $17 of her birthday money on new pink, sparkly shoes.  I know, I know, her birthday was forever ago, but originally she spent some cash on her most wanted item this summer--popsicles.  Then she wanted flip flops but try finding those come August/September.  Then we sort of forgot about it until her preschool friend showed up with the shoes that she must, must have, like now, mooooooooom!  

We agreed to spend the balance of her cash on the pink sparklies so off we went to get them at Tar-jay. Long story short, we were rolling around the store with pink shoes in the cart when we passed the toy aisle and Cate laid her eyes on a wall of My Little Ponies.  She looked at me and said "I don't want to buy these, I want to buy those."  Those were sparkly ponies and they have now taken up residence in Cate's jewelry box.  Her favorite one?  Pinkie Pie--I swear I did not make that name up.  She's holding old Pinkie in the shot below. 

"My little pony, my little pony..." You know you watched it when you were little!

We have played with every toy in our house.  I got desperate a few days ago and, after looking in the garage, discovered a tub of balls, like the kind you'd find in a ball pit.  The balls were a big hit and I let the girls rummage through the tub and toss/roll them around the living room.  Soon plastic items dominated all floor space.

Not pictured: me waving a white flag.

Today I caved and took the girls to lunch at Nordstrom.  Have you ever eaten there?  Best $28 lunch date of my life.

Yummy food--check!  Happy kids--check!  Content mama--check, check, checkitty check!