The bug in my tummy.

 Dani's had a rough few days.  She couldn't keep anything down yesterday, and had a low grade fever.  By midnight, her temp was about 102, and she could not sleep.  She was up, in my room just miserable, until about 4am when she finally got a few hours of sleep.  And that means, I got even less, as there was a Tommy feeding after Dani finally slept.  Welcome to the house of zombie.  The fever, slightly lower, raged on today, and she was out of sorts, exhausted, and still pukey.  No signs of a cold or anything else.  So Daddy told her yesterday that it must be a stomach bug. 

(No wonder she couldn't sleep, she was probably scared of the bug...thanks Big Man.)

 

Tonight, after she puked up her dinner, while snuggling with me, she told me that she was ready to get the bug out of her tummy.  "I just want myself to feel like myself again," she insisted.  I wrote that one down so I wouldn't forget it!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, everyone else is great.  Tommy climbed the stairs today!  He also said "ut oh, spaghetti o" mimicking Tori in his mumble speak.  Adorable!

Pole dancer. No!

Dani is always asking me to take her picture.   We did a whole shoot of emotions, "happy", "sad", "upset".  This was my favorite of the bunch.

 Big Man and I escaped for a night to attend a Halloween Party.  His costume was sooo appropriate, because we hadn't escaped together in months!

 And then I blinked, and Tori learned how to work a smartphone.  And to talk fluently, like a big kid.  Where'd my baby go?

 And this one?  If I told you she was loving first grade, you'd believe me!  All she needs is her own cell phone in this picture and you'd think she was 8.  She's not even old enough for Pre-K! 

Where the hell did my little kids go? 

 I am really hoping this is not a foreshadowing to a future career.  She loves the radiator pipes. 

There's never a dull moment here.

Silly monkey.

Tori got ahold of a fun hat tonight, and pranced around the house in it all night, even during dinner.

 

 She was quite the ham.

 She was so happy she indulged me in a photo shoot, something she usually runs from!

 This one's at the dinner table.

 She is our little ray of sunshine.

Our little Tori-nado.

Big girls.

 The girls and I took a trip to the salon today.  Dani needed to relax her re-growth, and Tori was scheduled for a bit of texturizer--just a bit of curl loosening to make it easier to comb.  They were so excited!

Dani had been to the salon once before...it was Tori's first haircut.  Dani was poised and excited.  Tori cried and wailed, quite loudly at times, every minute the stylist was near her and she was in the chair.  She did end up with a cute new haircut though!

 

And Dani had a blowout after the cut--it will never be this straight again but she loved it.  I swear, she looks about 5 years older with straight hair!

 Here's Tori's new cut.  A layered, shoulder length bob.  Cute!

Thought this was a great shot of the just-got-home energy burn.  Dani had been still and good for so long, that the instant we got home she was a little banshee!

In other news, Tori is walking around saying, "You disgust me," because I let them watch Looney Toons last night and apparently Daffy said that a few times.  Nice, huh?  Thankfully she didn't tell anyone that at the salon, but she certainly enjoys saying it.  They literally watched the show for 15 minutes....so what gives?  When I was a kid we used to watch that crap all the time and we never said crazy stuff....she has a few minutes and is telling people off?  Damn you Daffy!

North Country.

We took the kids up north on Saturday to Dave & Gail's second home.  Dani was so excited, "Why do they have two houses, mommy?  Can we get another house?"  They couldn't wait for the rain to stop so they could check out the deck.

 

 Tommy had to enjoy the deck from behind the glass doors.

 The kids got to rip and run around a different house.  Dave and Gail cooked us an awesome meal, and we had a great time.  With Wes' schedule, and all the kids, we don't get out much.  We really don't get invited too many places...probably because of the chaos we bring with us.  It was a much-needed night out.

 Little Tori didn't have a nap--by about 7pm, she lets us know she was getting ready to go home and get to sleep!

 Meanwhile, Tommy was quite excited about buttons!  Buttons on his shirt!  Perfectly chewable buttons!

I got to look at his little belly all day...adorable!

Romper room.

Lawdy, lawdy, it's chaos here!  Three kids running in different directions and one of me!  At any given time, I don't know what I'm going to discover, from the benign, like a ripped pillow, to the random puddles of fluid that can be drool, a spilled cat water bowl, or any manner of toddler secretions.

Dani and Tori are eager to "help" us feed Tommy.  They take turns at dinnertime in the seat next to him so they can dole out (and sneak bites of) his finger food.

Tori the 'nado, basically refuses to smile for the camera, so I've got to catch her by surprise, or she likes to make ridiculous faces.  Not only has her language exploded, but she's mastered the art of polite.  Give her something and you're bound to get a "thank you"; she's pretty good at "excuse me" if she burps, but still announces, "I tooted" with a smile.  If she forgets "please" when asking for something, I give her a look and get a dramatic "puh-puh-puh-pleeeease"; on the occasions that I ask her for the magic word, the answer is always "abacadabra".

The girls helped me bake brownies tonight.  Their favorite part was the licking of the mixing spoons.

Batter face!