Is It Spring Yet!?

Winter has just begun and I feel like the little kid in the back of the car that screams, "are we there yet?! How about now!?" I am dying for Spring and it literally JUST turned cold!! It's going to be a VERY long winter!

Cabin Fever seems to have arrived early this year! The boys and I are already climbing the walls! Tonight, I took them to Toys R Us just to let them play in a warm environment....some place other than our living room or basement!

They had a blast! It reminded me of the scene from the movie BIG where they're running all over the toy store, right before the solo of 'Heart and Soul' on the huge floor piano!? Anyhow, they went nuts! THEN.....
It was time to go home! HOLY Cow! What a fiasco!
What I detest more than anything about winter....is the time it takes to get all the coats, hats and gloves...on and off, between your destination and the car! GRRRRrrrr..... :)
What feels like an eternity later, the kids are finally buckled in and we are ready to go! We live about a mile from Toys R Us, so the heater barely warmed up and we were home...such a production!

The temperature according to my dashboard was 26 degrees!! EEEEEeeek! :/
BURRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...................

Family back in Vegas and California, I know you are laughing your tails off right now...and wishing I could hear your "I told you so's" trust me, I get it now!!
Never miss home more than in the winter time! Not to mention, it's when all the big holidays are!!

Today, Austin asked me where Santa Claus lives.

I'm sure this seems like a reasonable question to most people...but it caught me by surprise since we have never discussed Santa Claus before. He's only 3...so this will really be the first year he'll even really understand presents! I had no idea he even knew the words 'Santa Claus!'

I've always been on the fence about Santa. I mean, technically it's a lie, and sort of hypocritical to teach our children not to lie...then turn around and tell one right after the other...Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy...I have a hard time with it.
I much prefer the explanation my Grandma offered me as a child, when I asked her if Santa was real.

She said, Yes....there was once a St. Nicholas, and every year...on Jesus's Birthday he would go around delivering gifts to people.... he would leave them on their doorsteps. We honor his memory with Santa Claus....which has obviously been blown way out of proportion to the original Saint!
Chimneys, flying reindeer...c'mon! Do we think our kids are dummies!?
Half the time they only pretend to believe so they don't let their parents down, and they wouldn't want to risk losing their presents, of course! :)

I don't know!
I would hate to be the one who has the kid, that ruins it for all the rest...so I suppose I'll jump off the bridge too!?!

"the North Pole, Sweetie!" .....I told him.