Two or so weeks ago was my brother-in-law's birthday...John was celebrating his 30th with family and friends in Vegas. Joe and I had originally planned to leave the kids at home with a sitter and join in the adult festivities, but with all of the travel and change we've been through this year, we decided just stay home. We already had the baby sitter booked (our sweet family friend, and now surrogate Grammy on the East Coast, Cindy McAlpin), so Joe and I decided to stay home in Charlotte but take advantage of a weekend away from home and the kids. We went really, really far...8 whole miles down the road to stay at John and Anna's house in their guest room while they were away in Vegas=). It really sounds silly, I know, but it was just perfect. We didn't have to do the whole hotel thing and eat every meal out, but we still managed to get away and have a nice kid-free, romantic weekend "away." Not so romantic...we went to our first NASCAR race that Saturday night. We met up with some friends and their brand new fifth-wheel trailer and occupied a prime spot in the Lowe's Motor Speedway infield. What an experience!!!....Redneck paradise. I thought I would hate it...I LOVED every minute of it. First tractor wagon rides, now infield at the NASCAR race...we are becoming true Southerners, for sure!
When we got home at the end of our weekend "away," we came home to find Ellie in the same princess dress we'd left her in two and a half days earlier. It was the one way I could think of distracting her when we left, and it was Cindy's way of keeping Ellie pleasant throughout most of her time in charge. Once E gets one of those dresses on, it is WORSE than pulling teeth to get it off of her. The princess dresses are pretty much banned from my house...they live at Auntie Noni's house...and this is not because I am evil; rather, it is because I refuse to let my child attend school dressed at Sleeping Beauty...I'm thinking it might be somewhat of a distraction for the other kids in her class.
Miss Cindy is the most amazing woman and surrogate Grammy for my little ones. She made homemade applesauce while she was here for my diarrhea-ridden children, she left homemade soup in our crock-pot fresh made for Joe upon our return home, she brought coloring books, stickers, pumpkins, toys, sewing projects...anything and everything with which to entertain and spoil the Borchard family. Apparently, she and Ellie had decorated pumpkins with neon stickers over the weekend, but as soon as I walked in the door, Ellie decided that those stickers would look really cool plastered all over our faces. See above pictures.
Halloween ended up being a great night for our family and a great way for me to relax after my test. Anna cooked a great meal, Ellie and Charlie were darling in their angel and devil costumes, and the whopping three houses we went trick-or-treating at were welcoming and ready for us with lots of chocolate for Miss Eleanor. We really should've gone to more houses, I know, but #1) it was raining, #2) Charlie got bored, and #3) Charlie was just getting over the H1N1 flu, while Ellie was having her worst night with it, herself. Kids are such troupers, though. There's not a living soul who could convince me to don a red flannel head-to-toe body suit while fighting a fever. 
