We're getting really close...

...to another day like this!

And I can't wait :)

Today was bittersweet. I spent the day with my friend Laura, who said goodbye to her husband as he left for the next 5 months.
While I am days away from our reunion, she is just beginning the long journey to hers. It's hard to watch someone go through it for the first time, and remember how emotionally draining that day is.
You watch them pack, you share a bed one last night, you drop them off. And then you sniffle (or sob) your way home while the little ones in the backseat wonder what got into their mama.

So we decided to take a little excursion to Boise today to keep her mind off of saying goodbye. We had a 4, 3, 2, and 1 year old in what could only be described as a Britax car seat show.

We had four different models represented, and managed somehow to squeeze 2 double strollers in the back of the van as well. Phew! Getting those kids in and out was a mini workout in itself. Which justified the smoothie I drank, and the 44 ounce Lemon Coke that Laura's blood sugar is probably still paying the price for.

We took them to an indoor playplace called Rafiki's. It's got plenty of toys, dress-up clothes, arts & crafts, as well as a playground.
It's too bad that the rest of Boise had the same idea. It was a zoo in there since kids were out of school for the holiday. But our kids didn't mind. They had a great time.
That is until Derek, who was perfectly fine all morning long, came up, laid his head down on me, and told me he was cold.
The boy had a fever, and went from all smiles and playing to totally pathetic in the course of 5 minutes.

Great. Now I'm that mom who brought a sick kid to a playplace. I promise, he was totally fine when we left. I've never seen such a quick downturn in a kid.
I held him for the rest of our time there so he wouldn't share any more germs than he already had, and thanks to some Tylenol he perked back up.
We were able to squeeze in a few more errands before we headed out of town.
Check out my good finds from Target:

1 Christmas dress for next year, 1 long sleeved shirt, 2 sweaters, and 1 jacket. Original price total: $64, I paid $15.84.
Not bad if I do say so myself.
And obviously I do.

So now I'm just hoping that the boy is back to normal tomorrow, because we are getting really, really close to having Daddy back, and we want everyone feeling great.
Me too, because I'm fighting a little cold myself, and I need full use of my upper respiratory passages. It's not easy to make out when you can't breathe through your nose, you know.

And I plan to do a lot of that.