thanksgiving - at school

i got to spend some special time with just thing 1 at his school for a thanksgiving dinner. 

the lil guy made my day by asking me to come sit by him at the kid table instead of on the chairs for the parents. 

then he made my week by asking for another scoop of the "[sweet] potatoes with sugar on top," especially since he didn't know i was the one who brought that.

this was a goofy laugh...  he caught a little of the infectious excitement of an abnormal school day  :)

thanksgiving - at home

although we missed our families on the actual holiday, we had our own little turkey dinner. 

kinda nice to fix and eat it in our jammies - maybe we'll make this our tradition!

while the turkey was baking, we tried roasting pumpkins for the first time.  we followed these instructions, and would highly recommend the custardy pie recipe.  thanks, troy & youngin!  mmmmm.

thing 2

thanks aunt kafifi for the super cute skirt.  someone looks like such a big girl in it!

this is her new favorite "peep-a-boo" spot.

illinois - part 2

part 2 = back and forth, from here to there and everywhere! 

saw lots of people, but took too few pictures as seems to always be the case... 

lunch (and playtime!) at laura's -

omelets for breakfast a la uncle nate -  

back to the woods in time to watch a little buck in the drive -

(and regret that the season opens in the morning...) 

thing 1's first hunting trip w/papaw -

a little decorating/emptying boxes project with mom -

(now, why can't i get going on these sorts of projects at my own house?!?)

an early thanksgiving dinner at papa & gram's -

daddy with a cutie pie:

 and, daddy with a little boy who fell asleep on his mama's lap while asking for more jello:

sadly, we didn't take any pictures of the cousins playing together. 

happily, we all survived the family photo session.

ahhhh.  so good to see our families and spend time together.  miss you all.

illinois - part 1

it's one of those places i never knew i'd miss until i left. 

a few complaints:

• chicago deciding elections
• cold winters
• hot summers
• humidity

now that i think about it, none of them have been fixed.  but, there's a new appreciation for humidity and temperature differences.  we have been plowing through chapstick and lotion 'round here!  we moved here in spring, and it was warm.  summer was HOT, and now it's still warm.  winter, anyone?

we were back last week, and totally enjoyed:

• corn harvest
• sprouting wheat fields
• 4-wheeling
• family
• outlet mall shopping
• friends

now, on to the pictures that you've been so patiently waiting for.  (or not?)

girl trip to the spicery tea room in tuscola, and then shopping at the outlet mall -

four-wheeling at the farm -

 

my tractor lovin' munchkins -

sunday morning serenade -

boo.  time to say g'bye to the leetlest seester and the beegest brother.

the trip continues, but you're gonna hafta wait for the next post to see any more pictures. 

(our pumpkin pie is ready!)

happy thanksgiving!

i know i've been totally MIA lately, but i just wanted to wish you all a very happy thanksgiving!  hope your day is wonderful, and that you all get to enjoy time with family and friends.  we're really looking forward to some family time and maybe a project or 2!  well, actually, i think it's probably just me that's looking forward to doing a project. *wink*

we've been super busy (and sick), which is why i haven't done many posts lately.  but!  that means i have lots to share now.  here's hoping i can find some time in the near future to tell you what we've been up to!

eat lots, and hope you have some super comfy naps!

fall fun

we totally enjoyed what was probably the last nice saturday of the year.  got a few things done, and watched 2 lively little things play in the leaves.  and nope, we didn't rake them up - just in case there's another nice day.

scrapbooking

since thing 2 is now more than 1 1/2 yrs old, i've been really wanting to start her baby album before i forget everything!  i scribble little notes and stuff mementos in a box, but they're in no particular order.  the poor box has been overflowing for a while now, so i was excited to see a last minute crop get scheduled at a local shop last week (and have it fit with our schedule).

this is what i settled on doing at the crop, after looking briefly at pinterest on friday afternoon for ideas. (this one, this one, this one, and this one were my favorites.) i wanted something with plenty of space to note the month's events, and i can easily add more squares to this one as necessary. 

i love scrapbooking, but it takes a ton TON of time.  i made title pages for thing 1's book in a similar manner, and liked the process - a more elaborate title page with simpler pages of lots of pictures following. 

the other ladies were very curious about my project because they each worked on holiday cards or some scrapbook masterpiece, and i was chopping away like mad making 12 of the same page (1 for each month).  1 lady worked on a 2 page spread that had 1 picture on each page, and she didn't quite finish!  maybe someday i'll want to do that, but right now i'm in "git-er-done" mode!

so, the plan is to add notes and a picture to each month's title page, and then be able to quickly (this is a relative term, here, people!) fill pages between with pictures from the corresponding month.  now, to get those sorted and ordered!

why do i enjoy blogging?

1. it makes me more aware of what's going on.  should i post about this, or this, or that?  or it is too mundane?  or should i keep that to myself?  yep, i'll keep that to myself but maybe i'll share this.  need to remember to take a picture or 2 of that.
2. i take pictures of things that i normally wouldn't.  let me just take a picture of a picture sitting on my nightstand.  oh, and i need a picture of that receipt.  seriously, though, i take random pictures of the kiddos that i probably otherwise might not take.  looking back in my digital albums, the more recent months are definitely beefier.  and i like that.
3. i have a little more adult conversation, even if it is monologue.  does that technically count as conversation?  i suppose the comments make it so it does? 
4. it prompts me to try new things - like recipes, projects, and ideas.  dunno why, but maybe it's just more fun to share new experiences with someone else?  it's also inspiration to see new things posted on other blogs.
5. it connects me with other people that i might not otherwise keep in touch with. 
6. it's a journal of day-to-day things that i can refer to if i ever when i get caught up on photo albums again. 
7. relatives who are not-so-near seem to enjoy the kidlet updates, and i like to share them. 
8. i love your comments
9. there's no schedule.  i can spout off when the urge strikes, and keep quiet when it doesn't.  of course, then i just have excess pressure in my head.  so, usually, i write up a quick post.
10. surely there's a 10th reason?  hmmm.  since i'm no longer working employed for pay, blogging helps me keep up with some technology.  i can still type, and can still navigate the internet.  i'm getting a little toooo efficient at dishwasher-and-laundry-turn-around-time, so it's good to spread myself in other directions.

schlotzsky's, take 2.

when we can eat an inexpensive meal out, we usually do! 

especially here, because it's one of daddy's faves. 

kid's meals are .99 on tuesday evenings anyway, and we had a buy one/get one for the bigger kids:

if mama wouldn't have been so thirsty for a coke, we could've come in under $10!  still, though, it's nifty to save more than you pay once in a while.

plus, do you see that survey on the bottom? we've got a couple of these babies recently, so i think i foresee another schlotzsky's outing in our future. 

i guess we'll save it for another week, though.  it'll be nice to eat at home on this chilly evening.

7am:
mommy, what's that a picture of?

oh, that's a picture of mommy's belly and daddy when baby sister was still inside.

oh (thoughtful face), ok.



12:30pm (aka, "quiet/rest" time):
mommy, my baby was in your belly?

(oh please don't ask me if you were in my belly because i have a kinda big lump in my throat right now.  there are so many important things to get across to you, and i need to find the right words.  EEK!)  yes.

and then she came out like this (wild explosion gesture)? 

yep, pretty much.

oh.  that's nunny, mommy.  hee hee.

(whew, but thinking hard because i know this convo will happen again sometime.)

12:35pm:
mommy, was my baby in your belly?

(uh, oh.  i needed a little more time, son.)  yes.

oh.

yes, and when she came out she got to be your baby then, too.

oh.  that's nice.  i like my baby.

do you remember when she was sooo little and a tiny baby?

i don't want to talk about that right now.  i'm trying to sleep.  (grin)

ok.  night, night then. 

later: 
obviously, got some thinking to do before this cutie asks more questions.  he seems to understand that he was born in korea, but i know he can't grasp it all yet. hopefully we'll have the right words to tell the story when he wants to know more.

hope you're having a thought-provoking day too!

llama llama red pajama

pretty sure we all have this one memorized by now.  in fact, if you have the pleasure of speaking to thing 1 on the phone, he will recite his favorite parts to you in rapid succession.  i do have to say, it's one of the better books "we" have picked as favorites. 

since it's become so familiar, the latest renditions might look something like this: