You KNOW It's a Good Thanksgiving When...

the phrase "there is a testicle caught in my throat" is used at the dinner table that your mother is also sitting at.  All I can say is that it involved my sister (Lisa) who had recently eaten calamari for the first time and apparently got the words "testicle" and "tentacle" confused. Maybe it was a boy squid...dunno.  Either way, it made for a great laugh. 

We had the Thanksgiving gathering at our house again this year.  It generally consists about about 30 adults and children.  Quite the madhouse but so much fun.  Justin makes a delicious turkey, stuffing and gravy and the rest of us fill in with an array of side dishes (and of course desserts!).  
Oh and we had a new delicacy this year:

We really missed having our NY Youngers (Grandpa Jim and Aunt Amanda) here this year like we usually do.  Hopefully they will get to visit us before or around Christmas.  

There is much to be THANKFUL for this year (as always).   Healthy kids, family and friends topping the list. Job stability in a very uncertain economy is another. I've really seen a lot of folks out there struggling over the last year with the death of loved ones, loss of a job, ailing parents, sick children - and I know every day, not just on Thanksgiving, just how blessed we are.  And it is wonderful to take the day and share it with the family and all be Thankful together.

Ahhh....

Silas was giving me lots of hugs this morning at breakfast.  I hugged him back and asked:

"Why am I getting so many hugs this morning?"

His reply:  "Because I love you so much"  he said while giving me another big hug.

Whatever it is he wants, he's getting it!

Translation?

I hope that Santa has a translator that speaks / reads

1st grader!

I love the top where she says: 

"To santu clos"

And Santa resembles Last of the Mohicans meets Edward Scissorhands 

Because I have so much extra time...

I decided to start a blog specifically for my photos.  I wanted to have some place other than this blog which is really about the kids/family.  You'll find my Foto Babble here (and in the blog roll list along the left).

Early Evenings = More Togetherness

With the onset of early evenings, we are spending more time inside the house. I think I was really meant to be a bear and hibernate all winter.  This early darkness means earlier dinner, earlier bath and pajama time.  

This means we have more together time, which I love.

More time...

  ...for Ella to practice her reading with Silas and Cleo

...for lots of snuggling

and extra giggle time

(I LOVE seeing them laughing and giggling together)

and for being slightly sillier than usual.

I hate to see that Summer is gone and Autumn is flying by, but I like the more routine evenings of colder weather.  It's cozy.

School Pictures

2009 school pictures are in...

Miss Ella - 1st grade

Silas James - preschool

I'm happy with the pictures, though Ella forgot to take her jacket off and Silas appears to have some chocolate or something on his lower lip...and he looks a bit like it's painful to smile.
No picture of Mason yet. They had them taken before school started (at Freshman orientation) and I didn't know and didn't send money so we have to do a reorder...

He looks like this 99% of the time...always wearing the striped jacket and hat on his head.

Mason - 9th grade

A Silas Funny

The phone just rang and I answered:

me: Hello?
telemarketer: Hi, this is John from Yada Yada Chimney sweep company
me: Oh, no thanks, we don't have a chimney...
(hang-up)

Silas: Mama, was that Santa??

99 Piles of Junk...

99 piles of junk in my house, 99 piles of junk...sort one out, throw sh*t out...98 piles of junk in my house...

It is totally a never ending battle around here! Over the weekend I felt compelled to tackle the laundry room. The piles of junk in there had gotten out of control, making it difficult to actually DO laundry in the laundry room. There was an avalanche of junk threatening to fall on my head...



So, I pulled everything out of there, threw it all on the kitchen floor and started sorting and pitching. BAGS of candy left over from Easter and July 4th parade (tossed!), 5 purses from my various purse changes over the last year (or more...), stuff that needed dry cleaned, snacks, juices and pantry overflow, parts of Halloween costumes, on and on...

The problem is...this is the point in organizing projects that I tend to lose steam.
I see ALL this stuff scattered all over and I'm like "UGH, what have I done!?"

But I marched onward and continued sorting, tossing, sorting, tossing...sorting, tossing...

And then!

We now have a beautifully organized laundry room
that we can actually do laundry in!!

Justin worked on the hall closet the same day with similar results - feels good to have some semblance of organization in the house!

Hmmm, what can be next?

Trick or Treat

This year for Trick or Treat, we had a Pirate and a Vampirette. Mason went as himself with the scary mask that oozes blood, and took off with friends before picture time. Ella and Si had an awesome time running around with the neighborhood kids.

(Silas looks like he should be in a musical)

I was surprised that both made it almost the full 2 hours. Si and I went home just a little bit earlier than Ella and the girls.
Silas was in HEAVEN with his candy. They all did very well though and only had one piece of candy and then had fruit and yogurt for their bedtime snacks.

Silas chose a pixie stix for his piece of candy. It was is first time having one. He told me: "Mama, this is so good, it's going to be my favorite FOREVER."

Now I have to figure out a way to slowly begin getting the candy out of the house (without eating it)...