We got the hell out of dodge

So being sick and never sleeping and performing as the resident cow for the past year was really wearing on my sanity. You probably couldn't tell that from my last post though. So cheery as always, right? Anyways, my parents picked up on my impending trip to Crazytown and offered for the kids and I to come to Alabama instead! Which sounded like a FABULOUS alternative. I actually cried while my dad did a Santa voice on the phone with the offer. And I think that might have confused him a bit because he told Santa to scram and came on like, "Hello? Are you there? Do you understand what's going on?" Yes, I am just OVERWHELMED BY LOVE and can't make words right now. As much as I hated to leave Steve home for Thanksgiving, we both knew the trip would be good for everyone. So we loaded up and headed to the airport the next day for our flight down to Atlanta.

The last time Will flew, he was 5 months old, I think. A much easier, much more potato-y-er age than 10 months. He wanted nothing to do with anything that I brought. We ended up standing in the back with the flight attendant most of the time.

My mom picked us up at the airport and immediately took the kids to the bathroom. Bliss! We then drove just outside of Atlanta to a pickup truck and camo-packed Chick-fil-A where I got to go to the bathroom by myself and felt for a moment that I was on some sort of vacation. I mean, technically I was, but I feel like maybe life is hitting new lows when going to a CFA bathroom alone qualifies as a vacation.

I thought we had a while to go before we had to buy Will his own meal at a restaurant, but at the rate he requests chicken and bread, it appears I might be wrong.
We eventually made it home (about 4 hours south of Atlanta) but I lost my voice completely along the way. My throat didn't even feel scratchy! Just all of a sudden it started cutting out while I was talking to my mama in the car. And then sure enough it was completely gone. And it stayed gone for a solid 3 days. Let me tell you how hard it is to parent with no voice. I was mostly clapping like a seal or snapping my fingers and waiting on them to notice me before I could whisper yell and correct any behavior. Very frustrating. My mom told me on the way down that the other half of my Christmas present was that she and my dad put the crib in their room and they would be getting up with Will during the night while we were visiting. And I could sleep. By myself. With no baby. No breastfeeding. What. A. Gift. I honestly can't even think about it without getting choked up. Because it's not a gift you can just go buy at a store and be done with. It was a solid week of getting really crappy sleep and then getting up and "performing" all day. Big kids requested swing pushes and a million books and snacks and then cooking Thanksgiving dinner and hosting my four other siblings at the house, a football get together, etc. It was definitely the most meaningful gift I have ever received and I doubt anything can ever top it. I feel so undeserving of something as big as that, but I am so grateful to my mama (and dad) for giving it to me anyway. I like to think that one day when I'm logging a solid 8 hours a night, I can offer something like that to my kids. (Thank you, Mama. You really recharged my battery.)

The kids got straight to work watering flowers (and dirt) and digging up my mom's flower beds out front. If they weren't digging out front or having races, they were swinging nonstop on the swingset in the backyard.

A break for Sonic, of course

A quick stop to see Pops at work

completely fascinated by a door he can sit down at and still see out of- not a normal thing when you live on the second floor

My younger brother and his wife (and dog!) arrived a day after we did, late at night. And he was still up bright and early at 6:30 to play and read books with the kids. I was thoroughly impressed. His baby is due in January and I think he will make a great dad!

constructing something complex

who knows what all she's writing about us over there

He did special voices and everything!

he has no clue what he's doing

some pre-Thanksgiving artwork

this man child is the only reason I know Steve- incredible, isn't it?

Molly is his BFF because he spoils the snot outta her and is always up for a full body contact hug. Molly is a powerful hugger. Some would say a body slammer, but I think she just thinks she's loving you extra hard. (Oof)

Alabama in late November- trees kinda sorta changing, clothes out on the line, shoes (and pants) are optional

Will and Griffin- the dog with endless energy

Trix yogurt- not sure I'll ever get him back on regular ol' Greek

Just for one day I want her hair. (Ok, I'm kidding. I want it forever.)

On Wednesday evening, my older brother and younger sister arrived. Or as we like to call it, "fresh meat."

Notice the tower is taller and more elaborate than ever. Still can't get enough books. Bless his heart, he read them a million.

Turkey Day!!! We had a turkey the same weight as Will. We all agreed that Will has his weight proportioned much nicer than the turkey. A bit easier to carry around. It was the best turkey I think I've ever had, and I'm not a huge turkey fan. But this was great. Will wholeheartedly endorsed this meal by having two slices of turkey, two servings of stuffing, some peas, mashed potatoes, a roll, and a yogurt. I don't know how his stomach didn't just explode after the last bite but I've never seen him happier. We got him down from his highchair and he just rolled around and laughed and smiled at everyone. If this is the key to a happy Will, then our grocery bill just got a lot higher. *gulp*

Also worth noting- Will was completely weaned by Thanksgiving Day. A modern-day miracle indeed! I have a lot of thoughts on that but will save them for later. So SO happy to be DONEZO.

Holidays are no excuse to slack off on yard work, of course. Sam watered while this random neighborhood kitty acted unimpressed.

Black Friday came and I had big plans. My best friend from high school picked me up at 9 (what can I say, we like to get an early start) and we headed to CFA for coffee and then the Christian Mission for bargains. We used to hit up the Christian Mission all the time in high school for various costumes for school projects and also just for clothes to wear because we were poor and bored and had time to browse the endless racks of stinky clothes. This time though, we laughed our way through the ladies section, stopping to comment on how great this dress would have been for this class. We didn't pick anything up for ourselves this time. We did find quite a few good children's deals and I bought a China doll that I could have sworn was mine anyway but could not get confirmation from my mother on whether or not my actual doll had been donated or not. I bought it anyway. For $2.50 I was gonna have my memory secure. If I find mine in the attic, I'll just donate the duplicate right on back.

My mom, the kids, and I hit up Lowes to look at Christmas decorations and attempt to get some 99 cent poinsettias. No luck with the flowers, but the kids had a big time looking at everything!

Will enjoys this "no-shoes required" lifestyle. Might be why he hasn't really been bothered to walk yet....

Brittany and Haley came over later to run out some energy in the backyard with the kids. They *love* her. Pretty sure they are more careful and treat Haley nicer than they do Will.

Hello Kitty was a Christian Mission Black Friday find- and such a hit!

fair-skinned babes!

Night Two of Thanksgiving dinner. My final sibling arrived Friday evening and joined us for first leftovers. His wife is pregnant too and had schoolwork to finish (they live in Idaho) so he made the trip alone.

Oof.

Saturday was my sister-in-law's baby shower. Two of my aunts were able to come down and some of my mama's friends that I've known forever were there so it was really nice to catch up and talk with everybody.

Molly was SO EXCITED to attend this shower. This is her first real "girls only" event and I think she thought she might burst waiting for it to arrive. When she realized that it was mostly a bunch of ladies sitting around talking and eating, she seemed a little less than enthused to be there but some waffles and orange juice cheered her right up. I gave her my phone to take a few pictures too. Upon reviewing them later, it appears she had the camera set to time lapse, so there are tons of one second videos that will really make you sick if you aren't holding onto something while watching. She captured a lot, and in a very creative and bold way. Ahem.

Later that afternoon was the Iron Bowl. I can't remember the last time I got to watch it live but the kids made sure that 2016 wasn't that time either. Watching football to Molly is "bohring" so she, Will, my mom, and I hightailed it to Hobby Lobby to look for Advent candles. Or kill time. Something like that. Auburn ended up losing anyway. The lone Alabama fan was a very gracious winner. I guess when you're used to winning all the time, you get good at winning graciously. Every Auburn fan hopes for that "miracle" year where they can possibly upset Bama but it rarely happens. And when it does, I don't think we are the most gracious winners. lolz War Eagle anyway!

the whole gang (minus Steve and Celia, my brother's wife)

Will loves his Hodgie!

One of my younger brothers (and wife and dog) left Sunday morning and my older brother and little sister left Sunday afternoon. Sam was absolutely devastated by this. He lost his soccer pal, racing buddy, reading partner. All of my brothers were playing with Sam, but he took to Daniel for some reason and was especially sad when he left. So my dad busted out the riding mower for some leaf removal and let the kids take turns driving!

But you know I can't reach the pedal, Clark.

That evening we loaded up the suburban and took the kids to see Mr. Trawick's lights- a Christmas tradition since I was little. Sam and Molly were tired (gee, probably from waking up at 5:30 every morning) and thus, quite grumpy and underwhelmed by the drive thru light display that was a staple of my childhood (INGRATES), but Will was thoroughly pleased by everything he saw, which absolutely delighted me. Naturally, I forgot to take his 11 month photo, so when no one was right behind us in line, my brother hopped out to help me snag this photo.

Eleven months old?! How on earth is he turning ONE in a month?! It has flown by. And yet, when I think about how much I haven't slept, it kinda seems about right that we are approaching one year. I do feel like I haven't slept in a year. So I guess I'm ok with this natural progression. He is pushing himself up into a sitting position, crawls (in his own special way), eats everything in sight (including appendages if you don't move your hand in time), fist bumps, has THE GREATEST cheese face I've ever seen, and claps when he sees something he likes. We love him despite his poor taste in sleeping habits and look forward to his first birthday!

Eventually we had to make our way back to Atlanta. Sad faces all around. Molly kept telling me on the plane that she didn't want to leave Alabama. I told her we were already in Georgia. She maintained that even so, she still didn't want to leave.

My brother was flying back to Idaho shortly after our flight was scheduled to leave, so he helped us through security and bathroom trips and watching baggage as I ran around trying to get everything done before we boarded. A huge help! I realize now that I kinda took fewer and fewer pictures as the trip wore on, and I don't think I got any of this brother with the kids. Definitely regret that. His wife is having a baby in March and I think he is well suited for fatherhood too. (My brothers with babies on the way are twins and I think they will both be great! Can't wait to see the similarities and differences in their parenting though.) Our flight was delayed by an hour, and then a bathroom door broke on the plane, so we sat there for another 20-30 minutes waiting on them to fix that. During that time, Will decided to take a massive, incredibly stinky dump. Perfect.....

Will had another poop on that flight that took out his pants. This was unfortunate because I don't carry extra clothes when traveling. Not because I enjoy being unprepared but I literally don't have the bag space or arms to carry one more thing. Clothes won't fit. So if you have an accident, you have to suffer the consequences as well. Sounds a bit harsh for an 11 month old but it was 57* when we landed so he wasn't in danger of hypothermia or anything.

Exited the plane in style, wearing nothing but a jacket and some shoes. Doesn't he look thrilled to be alive? Sam looks like he's seen some shit too, but that's because he has (literally) and Molly can't understand why everyone moves SO SLOW and to be honest, I CAN'T EITHER. IT'S BEDTIME, PEOPLE. LET'S MOVE WITH SOME PURPOSE. Steve picked us up outside and we drove straight home, bathed everyone quickly, and they were all in bed and passed out by 10. Steve and I talked til midnight (idiots!) and Will actually slept through until 6. I hesitate to even share that because I know the events leading up to the 8 hour sleep stretch make it a total fluke, but what the hell, it needs to be documented. I got 6 hours of sleep and it was pretty heavenly.

So that was our Thanksgiving saga. It was a whirlwind but it was also super relaxing and fun! I'm not up for air travel anytime soon, but I do look forward to our next trip south. Now Steve is picking up our sad little Charlie Brown Christmas tree so we can have some Christmas in our house for the next two weeks, then we'll pack it all up and drive to Philly, then Steve will drive to Minnesota! Hard to believe it's all happening so fast. I've prepared by making last minute Christmas cards and writing this blog post! Really contributing to this move. What can I say, I'm a team player! Team Documenting Memories, that is.

How every job I've ever had has prepared me for my job now

I have worked a slew of odd jobs in my pre-kids life, and as I was picking up nine million books/breaking down PCS boxes/letting someone hork up a big hunk of sandwich in my hands recently, I realized that maybe I had all of those jobs for a REASON. Reason being- to prepare me to do this job. Now, nothing, and I mean nothing could have fully prepared me for this motherhood gig. How could someone ever convey to me that I would love these little people more than anything yet also have the intense desire to dropkick them over the moon sometimes? Exactly. Impossible. So now I will go about recapping all of my various odd jobs throughout junior high/high school/college and you can marvel at how this much talent resides in my sweatpants-wearing body.

Pre-highschool:
- babysitter - One might think this would play the biggest role in preparing me for motherhood, but I think it might have given me lots of unrealistic expectations. It's easy to play exciting games/feed everyone ice cream/skip bathtime when the kids aren't yours and you get to leave and never come back if you don't want to.

- screenprint shop helper - My dad opened up his own screenprint and embroidery shop before I turned 15, and since he was still working another job during the day, he got his business up and running at night and on the weekends. In our garage. Which doesn't mean we weren't legit, because we totally were. My mom even took us up to the county office and got us special exception letters allowing us to work as child laborers after school. Mom? Do you remember this? All of the details are fuzzy, but I can still see the garage set up like this as if it were yesterday! This prepared me for motherhood how? Well I was in charge of catching the freshly printed tshirts as they came off the oven conveyer belt and folding them. And while I am a horribly sloppy tshirt folder (just ask Steve) (and my Dad), I can most certainly get the job done. My dad might have also taught me a thing or two about taking a risk, persevering, making sure a job gets done right, working hard, etc. You know, just a couple dozen life lessons or so that I hope to teach my children.

High school:
- lifeguard - I worked a few summers at the local YMCA as a lifeguard and swim instructor. In addition to having the best tan of my life (Mama Jenn now scoffs at my lack of overall SPF protection!!), I also herded multiple children through the motions of learning how to swim. Or at least negotiating with them to stick their delicate faces in the water and blow some bubbles. Funny side story- my little brother worked at the Y's front desk while I was a lifeguard (I think almost everyone in my family worked there at some point). Some irate mother came up to the front desk and filed a complaint about me because she watched me throw her baby off the diving board. I don't know if the chain-length fence somehow obstructed her view, but I "gently tossed" her child into another lifeguard's waiting hands (it was essentially a pass off) so that her sissy child didn't have to repeat my class again. Anyways! She had no idea that the guy she was complaining to at the front desk was my brother, so obviously her complaint went no further and I never got in trouble. And her whiny kid didn't repeat my class! Huzzah! (My extreme patience with children is already apparent, huh?) This job prepared me for children by way of never worrying about drenching mine over the head with a cup of water in the bathtub. I don't want my children having irrational fears about having their faces wet. I will also most likely be the parent that stays for the entirety of their swim lessons and watches through the fence with a white-knuckled grip because some idiot high schooler has my baby's life in their less-than-capable hands!

- gift wrapper/assembler/employee at a home interiors store - I don't even remember how I got this job, but somehow I ended up employed by an interior designer and working at her shop. I learned how to nicely wrap gifts (you would never guess this if you received a gift from me these days), assembled every lamp you could dream of, disposed of boxes and packaging like a boss, and tried to find some spot on the overcrowded shelves for the thing I had just opened. I like to think this job prepared me for my life, in that a big portion of my job now is unpacking boxes, reassembling our stuff, and disposing of packaging. The only difference is that no one pays me for this now.

- weight loss clinic - Again, I don't even know how I came to work at this place, but I was a consultant at some weight loss clinic and I never knew what I was doing half the time. I started because I was interested in a nutrition degree for college, but this place was the furthest thing from nutrition. It promoted their shake mixes and a special diet of horrible things like celery and no cheese or peanut butter. We all had to try the diet so we could empathize with clients and I think I made it to Day 2 before I lunged at the jar of peanut butter with A Very Big Spoon and my crazy eyes. (Luckily I was quite skinny in high school and no one ever knew I cheated.) This job prepared me for motherhood by... hmm. This one's a toughie. Well, I am no weight loss guru (OBVIOUSLY), but I have lost all of my baby weight through non-fad diets, so I'd like to think that job helped me to steer clear of starving myself to fit into a certain size.

- library - Working at the library, re-shelving books, hustling sleeping homeless people out of the chairs- this all helped prepare me for this.

This mess in Sam's room is VERY mild..

College:
- Sonic - At this particularly pleasant job, I learned many valuable life lessons. I will share a few of them here. Ahem.

1. Don't be rude to food service employees.
2. Don't be rude to food service employees that are all wise-ass college students.
3. Don't be rude to food service employees that are all wise-ass college students and then send your food order back into a building where you cannot see what is being done to the food you are planning to consume.
4. Just never send your food back. Ever.
5. Three cents is not actually a tip.

I also learned how to respond to 80 different requests at once, while delivering drinks and food on roller skates. I like to think this helped me with motherhood because people are still demanding 80 things from me at once, only this time I am tripping on toy cars and sippy cups, which might actually be more dangerous for me now than roller skates.

- The Cake House - This, my friends, is my Cinderella sob story. This JOB. I thought it was such a step up from Sonic. This place made beautiful cakes and it was in this gorgeous old house and they also served the cutest little lunch menu! They had original solid wood floors, glass plates and cute cups, pretty silverware, cloth napkins, and big flowy white tablecloths. They hired me to be the help. I thought I had it made. Until I learned that I was responsible for: washing every dish that was ever used (there was, I kid you not, NO DISHWASHER in this ancient house)- this included not only all the lunch dishes/silverware/cups, but also everything needed to make multiple cakes a day. I usually had to wait tables while also plating food in the kitchen and then switch out the laundry because OH YEAH- CLOTH NAPKINS AND BIG, FLOWY TABLECLOTHS. After washing and drying and ironing all the napkins and tablecloths, I got to wash more dishes and then sweep and mop those big gorgeous hardwoods. At least when I worked at Sonic they gave me a free meal during my shift (and mopped the floors with a hose and squeegee). This lady turned out to be a bit stingy. Come on, I'm a poor college student! (It's cool. When she wasn't looking, I'd swipe a spoonful of icing. YUM.) This job prepared me for motherhood in some of the most obvious ways. And I still try to eat while no one is looking (but only out of fear that I'll have to share).

- BBQ place - I had this job while I was at Auburn, and it was the reason I rarely got to go to football games. I always smelled like I had just come from a bonfire and the owner was equally stingy with giving out a free meal like the cake lady. Although when she did, I greatly appreciated it. This job taught me a lot about putting in hours when I didn't really want to, and also that food tastes better when someone else makes it for you. I guess this is why my kids still demand I make their meals. That, and they can't reach the counter yet.

- Pharmacy - I worked at a pharmacy in a grocery store while still in school at Auburn because it was better pay than the BBQ place, and the whole added bonus of not smelling like burning wood when I came home from work. I worked at the Auburn University pharmacies after graduating (Steve graduated a year after me, so I worked while he finished up) and while that was an equally enlightening experience, I got the most applicable motherhood-knowledge from the pharmacy inside the grocery store. My take-away from the pharmacy- your child's medicine only takes 3 seconds to make and 10 seconds for the pharmacist to OK. So unless there is a line out the door, my prescription for my sick child should never take 3 hours to prepare. I also know how insurance works and I am definitely that annoying lady trying to tell that college kid how to do her job. ("Just let me come back there and see if you're still using the same system. I can probably figure it out faster.") <-- kidding... it's been awhile since I've done that.


And since I can't figure out how to end this post in a way that DOESN'T sound like the conclusion to a research paper, here is an old picture of Steve and me from college at a (my first) military ball.

Steve is rocking that ROTC pickle suit like a boss. He is so good-looking. War Eagle. I miss him. And my lack of eye bags. The End.

Why do just a Thanksgiving recap when I can tell you about my entire week

• Went on a girls' day out on Tuesday. Naturally I only thought to take a picture of the food. To be fair though, it was really good food. Knocked out a bunch of Christmas shopping and then hit up the commissary child-free. Mamas, you know how good my day was!

I'd cut a btch for a breakfast burrito from Sonic (good taste- I have it), but this cheesy eggy hammy sandwich was pretty good too. Late lunch at a beef and leaf was amazing as well. I love all the sides!

• Sam really wanted to help me prep for the Thanksgiving meals. I was making cracker mix ("crack" for short), and he wanted to help stir. He'd graze the top of it with the spoon, then pick out 8 pieces to sample until I took the bowl away.

We later took the crack to a friend's house for Thanksgiving dinner and noticed Sam didn't even bother using his hands and just STUCK HIS ENTIRE FACE in the bowl. Ahhh yes, I couldn't be more proud of the manners we are instilling.

• Our first Thanksgiving meal was celebrated around lunchtime with lots of Army friends from our apartment complex. There was a TON of food and it was all amazing. I sampled a bit of everything and didn't have a single thing that wasn't delicious. And even if I did, I was eating so fast in order to continue refereeing kids that it wouldn't have mattered.

The spread, Molly, her confused face, and her boot twin (aka Dada aka Sofia), and one of the spicy turkeys I made (pre-shred).

• Overall, I think Thanksgiving food tastes better when someone else makes it (Mom and Dad) and when you can wear your stretchy pants at the dinner table without judgement. I opted for stretchy jeans and then mostly ate food that other people made. (Compromises.) We attended dinner at another friend's house later in the evening and I took zero pictures there. There were fewer people in attendance and the kids were fully contained, so I was quite busy eating everything in sight and not taking pictures. Overall, I ended up making 2 spicy turkeys, glazed carrots (brown sugar and butta' mmm), butter and garlic bread, garlic chicken puff bites, cracker mix, fudge, and knock you naked brownies. It was a most delicious Thanksgiving and while I really missed my family back home, I'm so very thankful to spend the holiday with Steve this year.
• I had my first Korea blate yesterday! Noel (who reeeeeeally needs to blog more often) was here in Korea visiting her husband, who just so happens to be stationed right down the road from where we're stationed. They needed some Christmas card photos, and I was more than happy to help. 

• And bonus! No one died while I was driving us around! Did I mention that I got my driver's license??

• Naturally I hadn't driven in four months, it was the first snow day of the season, and I'm from south Alabama, so you do the math. It took me 20 minutes to drive home (remember: we live 2.5 miles away), but I ran a red light just to be a Korean badass. (Don't freak out, it was just a pedestrian light. And there were no pedestrians in sight. And everyone does it. I promise.) I was driving yesterday and ran over a small hunk of ice while parking and almost DIED because it sounded like I crushed a small child and punctured the back tire. (I didn't.) Steve assures me my rapid breathing and threats to never drive anywhere again were an overreaction. This winter... it might be kinda long-ish.
• And possibly the best Thanksgivukkah present of all this year- our beloved Auburn Tigers pulled out a win this morning over the always big-headed Bama. Since we don't have cable, I was reading the play-by-play via twitter updates from Auburn and CBS and the anxiety- OH THE ANXIETY! I still can't believe we won. We screamed and laughed and danced and kissed and I'm really shocked our neighbors underneath us didn't call the cops. Generally there is always a lot of racket coming from our apartment, but this was overkill at 9am, even for us. 

Had special Auburn orange hot chocolate to celebrate the big win.

• And I think that pretty much catches us up here, folks. Have a great week, and War Damn Eagle.

Halloween 2013 (with links to Halloween 2011 and 2012 that you will probably want to click on)

This was the kids' first time doing Halloween. For Sam's first Halloween, we just dressed him up, took some pictures, and then handed out candy at home. Last year, Steve was deployed, I dressed up the kids and took them to a FRG Halloween event (a bust), and then handed out candy at home. This year, we don't live in a place where trick-or-treating is actually A Thing, so we dressed the kids up and went to Trunk Or Treat on post.

This look of confusion and fear was a common theme throughout the evening.

Since this was a new experience for them and people were decked out in scary costumes and some folks' trunks were borderline offensive, it was hard to get these two to collect any candy for us.

More confusion - mostly over why Molly's BFF Dada (aka The Cookie Monster) (aka Sofia) has candy and she doesn't.

Sam only got happy when he saw a blackhawk fly nearby.

But who could be happy with a costume that doesn't even fit?

My mom gave me two of these Aubie costumes when Sam was a year old. In my haze, I assumed that he wore the 18-month costume when he was a year old and I had packed the 24-month costume for Korea. Had I actually LOOKED at the thing, I would have realized my mistake, but oh well. He's cute AND prepared for the flood. (Also, three years old and tiny enough to fit into size 18 month clothes..)

Isn't she the cutest squeakiest thing you've ever seen?

We somehow ran into Alabama fans (can't escape them no matter how far you travel, apparently!), but the most important person we saw there (the guy handing out the Reeses) was wearing an Auburn jacket and gave the kids extra because we are "raising them right." Thank ya kindly and a War Eagle!

As good as it gets these days... This was the best out of... six attempts? LE SIGH.

Bribed with a sucker. I love the sound of silence.

A turtleneck on a baby! Oh my goodness I do think that's a cute look. Really accentuates the whole having-a-neck thing, which wasn't even possible at this time last year.

Since the whole getting-candy-from-strangers portion of the evening did not appeal to my children, we ended up on the playground. A playground we've been to many many MANY MANY TIMES. And they proceeded to go down this little slide 42 million times like it was the latest and greatest attraction. Every other time we've been to this playground, no one has given two shits about this slide. Well. All that changed on Halloween. After we peeled these two away from the playground, we headed home and had pizza and sorted all 12 pieces of candy.

If this doesn't make you sad, I don't know what will.

The next night, we went over to a nearby apartment complex where some Americans had set up a trick-or-treat extravaganza for the kids. Except it was more like four people sitting on the sidewalk handing out candy. But don't fret, these people were handing out GOOD STUFF. Like tons and tons of Reeses. And since there were approximately eight children trick-or-treating, we ended up with more than enough Reeses to make Mama happy. I mean, poor Sam and his peanut allergy.

My dad made us our Chick-fil-A shirts and my mom sent us the to-go bags for the kids to use as candy bags. We are really hoping to somehow convince AAFES to open up Chick-fil-A's worldwide. Because, I'm sorry (I'm not sorry), no one wants to eat Burger King and Taco Bell at the PX food court when they could be eating Chick-fil-A. NO ONE. A friend even told me, "I would paint my whole body in Polynesian sauce if that would help the cause." No, we're not desperate, why do you ask?

After we got home from trick-or-treating, we sorted candy (yesssssss) and then realized that that smell had been coming from MOLLY the entire time and it wasn't just that funky Korean air. (How lovely.) So that kicked off The Weekend Of The Stomach Virus and I've been eating Reeses ever since. How was your Halloween? Do your pants still fit or have we all just decided to wear yoga pants til the spring?