Adventures with Ned

This weekend we had a very special visitor at our house. Ned, the bear from pre-school, came home with Hunter. Ned came with a luggage back packed with clothing, his birth certificate and a journal for us to keep track of all of our adventures. Hunter loved being able to finally bring Ned home.

As soon as we got home, Hunter took Ned out of his suitcase. He noticed he was wearing a Twins t-shirt. Hunter practically sprinted to his room to find his new Joe Mauer shirt. He put it on so they could match. How cute is that? Then, Hunter proceeded to give Ned a tour of our house, including his two favorite rooms, the toy room and his bedroom.

That night, Ned met Grandma Julie. She came over to spend time with the boys so I could have a night out! Hunter fell asleep with Ned on the couch, but as soon as I opened the door he popped up!

So, we got Hunter and Ned ready for bed. Jammies on, followed by a good-night snack, then we went and brushed our teeth. Ned even came with his own toothbrush. How fun!

After getting the pearly whites clean, we headed to Hunter's room for a good-night story and Bible story. Well, lucky for us, Hunter also brought home a book buddy from school. It was Franklin (pictured above). He came with two stories where he was the main star. So, we read a Franklin book. Pictured above are Franklin, Willy, Hunter, Lamby, Ned, and BumbleBumble. Talk about a full bed! But, they snuggled in tight and slept all night long.

The next day, Grandpa Al came over to play while I had a chiro appointment and did a little shopping. We didn't do much that day, just the usual-cleaning, playing, etc. We headed to bed early in hopes of going to the cities in the morning for a birthday party.

Unfortunately, I didn't want to risk going to the cities based on the road conditions. But, I quickly planned a fun day. Something to get us out of the house.

We met Grandma Connie, Grandpa Neal and Auntie Melissa at Pizza Ranch for lunch. Hunter was concerned that Ned would get cold outside and that we should find a jacket for him. That was not packed in his suitcase. Quick! Think fast! I went to Brody's closet and came across an old Halloween costume. Perfect! It was a little big, but it kept Ned warm (at this point I was beginning to feel like I had a third child). We enjoyed pizza and cheese sticks then headed out to Grandpa and Grandma's house.

Brody fell asleep on the way out to their house. When we got there I went inside to put him down. Then, we brought in our winter clothes and let them warm up for a few minutes. Then, we hit the hill to take Ned sledding. Talk about fun! But, it was very cold. Ned only lasted one run. He and Hunter went down, but Ned got white-washed so we figured he should go inside. Melissa, Hunter and I continued to sled until we couldn't take the cold anymore.

Check out Ned and Hunter at the bottom of the hill. I had to go and rescue them. Talk about deep snow! I felt like I was going to get stuck. We spent the rest of the afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa's and played Wii and Legos. We didn't do much after getting home, but Hunter made sure that Ned got ready for bed and slept close to him once again.

On Sunday, we got up to go to Sunday School and church. Check out my three boys in the backseat! Yes, Hunter made sure that we got Ned buckled. Safety first! Hunter and Ned had a great time at S.S. Hunter's teacher even told me that Ned sat still and when they were coloring asked the teacher if Ned could have a crayon to color with too.

After church, Grandma Connie and Grandpa Neal came over for lunch. Then they raked the snow off our roof. Ned stayed inside with me. We thought he might get too cold. While they were outside, Ned and I enjoyed a cat nap on the couch. :)

That night, Hunter wanted to make banana chocolate chip muffins for breakfast the next day. So, he and Ned helped me measure things out. They were both great helpers.

Happy to help! Hopefully this attitude stays around for a long time.

The next morning we enjoyed the muffins they made for breakfast. They were delicious. We didn't do much that day. Grandpa Al came over to play for awhile and we watched a Thomas movie. Pretty laid back.

Today, Ned had to go back to school and get ready for his next visit to someone else's home. Hunter was pretty sad about it and hugged Ned for quite awhile before packing him back in his suitcase. Hunter told me that at school today, his teacher read our journal entries and showed the pictures to his classmates. Hunter told me that he told his teacher that he didn't want Ned to leave and asked if he could bring him home again. She reminded Hunter that he needed to share Ned with everyone. He still wasn't thrilled with this response, but I think has come to accept it.

Now this gives you a glimpse into a busy weekend in our home. It was kind of fun having Ned around because it helped us keep track of our day to day activities. Something we don't usually take the time to do. Thanks for the fun and adventures Ned! You are more than welcome in our home anytime you want.