Superman, duh nuh nuh nuh!

I'm not keen on buying a toddler a Halloween costume he's going to wear once.  Honestly, I don't even like buying holiday-themed clothes because they get to wear it, what, once, twice at the most?  So when Grandma made Tyler a superhero cape for his birthday, we went with it.  Tyler, do you want to be Superman for Halloween?  Yes?  Do you know who Superman is?  No?  Do we care?  No really.

Steps to a Superman "costume" -- 

1. Buy Superman shirt

2. Buy corresponding pants

3. Put on cape

4. Slick hair with Mom's hair gel

Ta dah!  Superman!

Best part?  The shirt is just a shirt, so he's been able to wear it about a million times since Halloween.

Tyler's still too young (in my opinion) for trick-or-treating, but my church had a HUGE Fall Festival, so we went to that.  Tyler had a blast.  He couldn't do a lot of the things there, but he found a bouncy house and a bouncy obstacle course that were toddler-friendly, and we did them over.  And over.  And over some more.  

We stood in line for the ponies for about 5 seconds before realizing the line was about 45-minutes long.  So we did the hayride instead.  

We also played some games.  Love the tongue sticking out.

4th of July at Pullen Park

On Independence Day, we were decked out in our patriotic wear (well, as patriotic as we owned) and were ready to... shoot!  We forgot to make plans!  We knew we wanted to avoid festivals (9 million people in July heat?  No thank you!), and fireworks wouldn't be until nighttime, so what were we to do?  In the middle of our usual "What do you want to do?"  "I don't know, what do you want to do?" discussion, Jason thought to ask Tyler what he wanted to do.

"Playground.  Ride train!"

Looks like we have a Pullen addict on our hands, folks!

This trip went way better than a few weeks earlier with Nana and PawPaw.  I think it was at least 5 degrees cooler, and that made all the difference!  Everyone was a little more willing to be out in the sun and play before seeking shade and breeze on the train.

snack break in the shade

"Well, hellooooo, ladies."  Also, how cute is his "bee-doop" fireworks shirt?

"Who says this part of the playground is just for big kids?"

"Look, Ma.  One hand!"

Happy (belated) birthday, America!  From the all Selfs (yes, I'm in the picture, if you look in Jason's glasses)

My Birthday

This year's birthday was pretty low-key.  A few days before, the world's largest box arrived with my present from Jason -- an ornament ball wreath!  I had tried to make one over Christmas and it did not go well at all.  So, supersweet gift from my thoughtful keeps-me-sane husband!

On my big day, I got to administer state exams and then attend an IEP meeting.  Yaaaaaay.  My guys surprised me after work with flowers, a balloon, and a card.  Tyler picked them out.  At least that's what Jason said to explain the "Who's counting?" balloon.

Another year older.  Or, as Jason put it, I'm no longer in my "thirties."  He may have gotten smacked about that one!

Christmas with the Davenports

Kara and Addison couldn't come on Christmas, so they came a few weeks before.  I swear, every picture I have of Kara is reading to Tyler and Addison...

Everyone enjoyed opening presents, but I think Tyler and Addison's favorite part was playing outside on the swing set.

While Tyler napped, the girls made chocolate-covered pretzels.  Other than being a bit stingy with the sprinkles, Addison was a natural!

A few days after Christmas, the rest of the crew came to the house.  There was lots of food, lots of eating of said food, and lots and lots of present-opening (we kept it under 4 hours this time, I think!).

                                    

                         

  

Exhausted yet?  Tyler was, too, and stopped to eat a snack!

    

Teal jackets!

I've never entertained that many people (other than for a party), but Mom and Dad graciously supplied Brunswick Stew and pimiento cheese, so it was fairly easy!  I made some Christmas goodies and a Feliz Navidad feast, and we were all set!