So much to be thankful for...

Making a Thanksgiving Turkey of our own....and Joshua's initiation with markers. Yikes!

Digging for treasure in Nana's cupboard...

If this isn't the most gorgeous girl you've ever seen, I don't know who is!

Fast asleep in the car (toolbox in hand....just in case)!

Decorating Nana and Pap's HUGE Christmas tree.

Decorating our not-near-as-huge Christmas tree!

That surely is a lot of pictures...but it's been a while since we posted, so I suppose that's fair.

My favorite thing about the Thanksgiving season is that we all finally slow down long enough to be thankful, and most of us make a point to share our gratitude with others. I'm generally good for a really super sappy post at Thanksgiving, and I'm not sure I'll deliver this year. But it doesn't mean I'm any less thankful this year. I think it was very clear to me, while surrounded with people who we love and who love us dearly at the Thanksgiving table, that we are so incredibly blessed. God has been so good to us...with a list of things for which I'm grateful that could take all the space I'm allowed here. And so, for my husband, my precious son, our parents, my sister and brother-in-law and amazing neice, our grandparents and extended families, I am so thankful and I love you all dearly. I'm also thankful for my wonderful friends--- you know, the ones who check in on us here, who pray for us, who think of us, who transcend miles and time and complications to be our friends. We are so thankful for you, too. And for my mom's sweet potatoes and filling balls that filled my tummy so warmly and so deliciously, I am also VERY thankful. If I could be half the cook my mom is, I'd be so happy! Something to aspire to, I suppose.

We got to Lewistown on Wednesday afternoon and settled in for a nice long stay. It was jam packed with visiting, most notably with Libby, Zig and Brooke. I hope you enjoy the picture of her that I included above. And I really hope Libby doesn't care that I stole her thunder to post it on their site, but I can't stop staring at it. Brooke is so sweet....and I just love her to bits. I can't wait to see her personality develop and to hear her giggle. She's working so hard at it.....it'll be soon, I can just tell. We got to visit with Pappy Ray and Pappy Fred and Freda too, which was quite fun.

Wednesday evening we got a phone call from Butch and Rhonda announcing that they'd just found out that Stacie and Noah are expecting this summer! Congratulations, you guys! I wanted to do jumping jacks, I was so excited for them. We're praying for a safe, healthy and happy pregnancy for them. They'll be amazing parents....I just know it. The thought of the Richard clan expanding is so much fun!

Thursday we all helped mom cook dinner the best we could and we ALL helped to eat it! Yummy doesn't even come close to describing it! Friday was an at-home day with the famous turkey and waffle dinner on Friday evening. It's always a highlight (especially for Libby!). We decorated mom and dad's tree in the evening and had a great time doing that. All too quickly, it was Saturday morning and we were packing up to come home. We tackled the inside Christmas decorations and Jason finished the outside last evening. Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, we're full speed ahead into the Christmas season here. I just love the house at Christmas time...the lights, the tree, the anticipation of the memories we'll make with Joshua now that he's starting to grasp the concept of Christmas.

I missed my Gram a whole lot this Thanksgiving, and I think we were all feeling the same way. We talked about her quite a bit and remembered her very warmly. It was really strange, because Gram's dementia had her slowly slipping away from us for a good number of years and she hasn't really been a part of Thanksgiving for quite some time, but her absence was palpable this year to me. I just remember so many Thanksgivings that we spent together in her kitchen preparing the meal. And as I stirred the gravy and worked with the sweet potatoes to help Mom, the memories of Gram giving me a "job to do" were very clear. I miss her so much and wish she would have had the opportunity to know Joshua and enjoy him more. But everytime I hear his little giggle (the Ernie one), I can hear Gram laughing with us too. And as I watch my mom be the same kind of wonderful grandmother to Joshua and Brooke as Gram was to us, and I witness the connection that Judy has with Joshua as well, I am so grateful that he will have those same kinds of memories with his grandmas. What a lucky little boy he is.

So, enjoy the pictures and my rambling thoughts for today. We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and that all the things that you have to be grateful for were front and center in your lives this holiday.

Human Marshmallows...

The team buses making their way to the stadium. We were parked right beside Porter Rd which made for great access to seeing the team. I caught a great peek at JoePa sitting in the front seat!

Steph and I at our tailgate. This was in the beginning of my "rationing" of layers!

Jason and Ian "warming up" with a few...

Two Jacks...back where it all began!

What a game! Let's first get the celebration out of the way......WE WON THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP!! Watching Penn State handily beat Michigan State (what we all thought would be a much tougher game than it ended up being), was a great ending to a really fun PSU season.

Every day last week, the temperature forecasts dropped by 2 degrees. By the time Saturday morning rolled around, they were calling for highs of 25 degrees with a brisk wind and snow. And, just when you hope the forecasters are going to be completely wrong, they hit it right on the nose. It was frigid....with winds that went right through you, and measurable snow on the ground an in the stadium. It was a test of a true PSU fan! As we got settled in at our tailgate, we heard on the radio that it was the coldest football game at Beaver Stadium in 20 years. We had a wonderful day. We were set up in a fantastic spot right off of Porter Rd. I think we got lucky because there weren't too many idiots who were there as early as we were, but it made for quick ins and outs, which means a lot when you're trying to get home. We quickly got our crock pot going to heat up the soup---- the saving grace of the day. You can't believe how great "hot chwicken soup" (as Joshua calls it) tastes when you're slowly freezing to death. Stephanie came by to visit with us- always a highlight of a day at Penn State. And then, Lindsay and Ian made their way up to the stadium from their rented apartment on Allen Street. We laughed a lot, reminisced a bit, and ate some soup and hamburgers before packing up to get in to the stadium.

A highlight for me was that we were a little later going into the stadium than usual. As we came through our gate, there came Joe Paterno on the golf cart from the media room making his way to the press box for the game. We were close enough to touch. He's a legend and an icon and I just thought it was so cool to be that close. He was going fast, and my fingers were far too numb to have been nimble enough to snap a picture, so you'll just have to believe that I'm not fibbing about this. Besides, there are witnesses...

Now, for the comical part. The only way that I can tell you how COLD we were is to tell you what I was wearing. You know that episode of Friends where Joey comes in wearing everything Chandler owns? "Hi, my name's Chandler. Could I BE wearing anymore clothes?" (It's the commando episode.) Well, that was me. A human marshmallow. Keep track if you wish, but this is what I was wearing (all at the same time!)...and I was STILL cold.

Feet: regular thick socks, thermal socks rated for up to 30 below zero, insulated boots (purchased especially for the occasion by my very intelligent husband) rated to 40 below zero.

Legs: under armor leggings, long underwear, jeans. (It's good that I've recently worked on losing weight.....7.5 pounds down in case anyone wonders....or else I wouldn't have had a prayer of buttoning my jeans with the extra layers on. Thank goodness for small miracles.

Top: (this is a riot) under armor turtleneck, long underwear shirt, turtleneck, regular heavy sweatshirt, hooded sweatshirt, heavy fleece.

Hands: Three pairs of gloves with hand warmers in each of them. Extra hand warmers added at half time when the first started to wear off.

Head: Heavy winter hat AND ear band, scarf tightly wrapped around my face to keep the wind from hitting it.

Seriously....this is how I was dressed. And I was still cold. But it was a great day at PSU that we'll remember for a very long time. Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Happy Friday!

Wearing my hat that I had laying out for the PSU game tomorrow...

And here are the bear slippers. Joshua was using a big spoon to stir up his goldfish while I cooked dinner the other night.

Well, the flurries are flying here today. And it's downright cold outside! Joshua and I are enjoying a day at home together today. Grandma is going to be coming down tomorrow instead of today so that Jason and I can go to the last Penn State game of the season.

We've had quite a busy day already. Joshua was up at the crack of dawn, but we skipped out on Kiwanis. Straight out of bed he wanted to color, so we came downstairs and did a few pages in his coloring book before working on a pancake for breakfast. Then we headed out to pick up some chicken noodle soup for tomorrow's tailgate. You wouldn't think it would be hard to find chicken noodle soup, but it was. Luckily, I came home with 5 quarts to warm our insides tomorrow at the game. Then we hit the grocery store for the inevitable things I forgot when I was there on Wednesday. Then it was off to the shoe store for a new pair of sneakers. I swear, Joshua's feet must be growing insanely fast because shoes that were OK the other day were being shoved onto his little feet this morning. I'm sorry to announce that his new sneakers have lights, but they were the only leather ones there and were actually the least obnoxious of the kids sneakers to pick from. I try to tel lmyself that he'll only really wear them for 6 months or less. If he likes them, I'll live.

Tomorrow's the big game. Every time I walk past the coat closet or my closet upstairs, I add something else to the pile to put on in the morning. I'm putting my entire faith into Under Armor...this will be the first true test for me. Highs are being forecasted at 28 degrees tomorrow....that's the HIGH....so it's going to be a frigid day at Happy Valley. But as nuts as this sounds, I'm so excited about being there for this game that I just about can't contain myself. Hopefully I'm still feeling as optimistic after a few hours in the cold.

I'll report on that as soon as my fingers are thawed enough to type. It might be Monday or Tuesday...

Yummy...CAKE!

The reward for eating your dinner like a big boy........? CAKE! Jason teased me for snapping pictures of Joshua while he chowed down on dessert, but I couldn't help myself. Mostly he just ate the Cool Whip on top of the cake, but showed moments of mastery with his fork when he managed to get BOTH cake and "cream" at the same time. Joshua earned his reward after downing an entire plate full of pot roast with potatoes and carrots. Music class must have really worked up quite an appetite! Having a difficult eater really makes you thankful for the times when it's not a fight to finish dinner.

Music class was fun as always. Many of the kids in the class (all older than Joshua) are starting to get the potty training thing down. I'm sort of hoping that Joshua gets inspired to get on the stick too. But as it stands now, our discussions about using the potty are quite short. "Joshua, let's try to go on the potty." "Nope." And there we are....a stalemate.

The highlight of music class last night was that Joshua's fascination with bears and bear hunting was rewarded when Miss Anne found out how much he loved bears. She came into music class with a giant sized Smokey the Bear to sit next to Joshua. He was amazed. The people who run these music classes are such special people---- they really love music, and they really love children. Despite the fact that there are probably 100 children who come in and out of those classes on Monday evenings, the teachers know the kids all by name and remember the things they like. It makes for a fun time for all.

That's about it for today. I'll see if I can't catch those bear slippers for you tonight.

Waterlogged and Puddles of Tears

Where should I begin about this weekend? I don't have pictures, because quite frankly, they wouldn't be pretty...not even a little bit.

Friday was a very busy, but very fun day with Joshua. We did more things than I can possibly write about. Suffice it to say that there wasn't any grass growing under our feet. We had our carpets cleaned at the house in the morning, and the sloshing of water under your feet as you walked around was pretty unenjoyable. So we got out of the house as much as possible to go to places where the floors were dry. We ate some "pizza pizza pizza" (as Joshua calls it) for supper and finally the rugs were dry enough to walk on without splashing.

Saturday morning we got up and got ready for a very chilly, wet day at PSU. That's the understatement of the decade. Now, I don't think I need to defend how big of a PSU fan I really am...most people who would be reading these little tidbits of life in the Dugan household know that we take PSU football pretty seriously. We don't miss games without good cause, and we aren't fair-weathered fans. But this was a little ridiculous. It poured pretty much the entire time we were there, except for a few "teaser" moments where you thought..."Oh, thank goodness." And then the drops got bigger. Water was dripping off of the people in front of you to the point where it layed in your lap. I was sitting next to a middle-school aged girl who very much enjoyed the "Boom Boom Clap" music that they play at the stadium, and when she did the "Boom Boom" part on her legs, it sprayed me in the face. That's just the kind of day it was. The good news was that we had a lot of fun catching up with Bill and Staci, and they seemed to enjoy themselves. The best part of the day (in my opinion) was a good, home cooked lasagna supper at home when we were back, dried off and attempting to thaw out. There's no place like home. Especially when you have dry pants on.

Sunday's game plan was for me to head to Lewistown for my cousin Kacy's baby shower and to leave Joshua for some special time with Daddy. Joshua did not approve. When I was getting ready to leave, he started with the hysterics. This is never a good sign. Jason and I both agreed that maybe it was best to take him with me. For the most part, it was a good call. He was really well beheaved in the car on the way there and at the baby shower itself. (It helped that he was getting to eat junk food---- he was especially fond of the "green muffins" (cupcakes) and chips.) However, when it came time to come home, he wasn't on the same page as I was. He began whimpering at McClure and was in a full-out hysterical scream, complete with high pitched squeals that will peel the paint off your car until we pulled into our driveway. For anyone wondering, that's about an hour of all out wailing. He did slow down for one two-three minute stretch when I started explaining the wonder of Santa Claus to him. We sang a few Christmas songs to keep his interest, and then he went back to his business. He only choked once, which is a victory. I kept thinking that maybe he'd cry himself to sleep--- which didn't happen. Not even close. And people wonder why "cry it out" wasn't an option for his sleep training issues. My nerves were shot until I got home. And it continued once we got there. Nothing suited him...everything turned into a tantrum...it was wonderful. He went to bed early and slept until 7:30 this morning (unreal by Joshua's standards), so I'm guessing he was just overtired, overstimulated, and sick of riding in the car. Me too. But we did get to see Brooke, Libby, my mom and dad, and other special family members at the party, so I was thankful for that chance. I did get to hold Brooke for a few quick minutes, but not long enough to suit me. I just can't get enough of her!

We're beginning to gear up for the last PSU weekend of the year. It's supposed to be 38 degrees (the HIGH), but at this point the forecast is for dry conditions. It's probably the biggest game of the year with the Big Ten championship on the line, so it'll be an exciting day in Happy Valley. The best part is that Lindsay and Ian are going to be with us for the day. We're planning a good tailgate just for them. Something tells me that this will be reminiscent of the games we used to go to as students at PSU....hopefully our 30-something bones can take the cold like we used to. Maybe I'll just make soup for the crockpot and that'll help. (Nope...we aren't as tough as we used to be!)

Pictures soon, I promise. We have some very adorable bear slippers to show off, so hopefully I can catch a picture of those for you. They're perfect for Bear Hunting...one of Joshua's favorite activities.

Silly!

This is how Joshua dressed yesterday afternoon when we went outside to get the mail out of the mailbox. He giggled all the way down the driveway...and so did I. I suppose he was just as warm in this bundle as he would have been with his coat on.

Tomorrow is one of my favorite kinds of days...one where I'll be at home with Joshua. We're having the carpets cleaned, so it'll be a challenging day of occupying ourselves on the wood floors and keeping off the carpets. But I think I'm up for it.

I'll post if I can. If not, happy weekend to all!

Running behind and hitting every red light...

Last night was our next to last music class for the "semester". And it hit me as I was rushing home to pick Joshua up that the whole experience was a pretty accurate analogy of the motherhood-career struggle that seems to go on in our family life every day. I'm sure that this experience is only the tip of the iceberg as far as balance goes, and I'm also sure that many of my experienced mommy friends can give me a little coaching on handling all of this. But here's how it went.

Mondays are a bit crazed for us. Joshua's music class starts right at 5:30. And since these music classes are 30 minutes jam packed with singing, followed by 30 more minutes for another group of anxious small people, there's not much room for being late. The carpet squares wait for no one. And, Bonnie leaves early on Mondays which means I have to stay at the office until 5:00 to close down. So yesterday, at 4:57 the phone rang. It was an involved situation...so I didn't leave the office until 5:04. 4 minutes...what's the big deal? Well, then I hit every single red light between here and home. There are about 5 (maybe 6). My normal 11-12 minute ride took longer than that. At 5:20, I pulled into the driveway. And then I had to go to the bathroom. Really wasn't time for that, but it had to be done or else I wouldn't have made it through "Had a Mule His Name was Jack". We loaded into the car at 5:22 and rushed back to music class. Hit every red light one more time. We made it...by the skin of our teeth. And we had a blast at music class! Joshua sang like a champ, played the drums and bounced his ball like a pro. Miss Margot even commented that he really has a knack for keeping the beat of the music on his drum. He smiled so proudly that she had complimented him.

So, what's the point, right? Well...it would probably be easier to bag music class, save the stress on Monday afternoons and just go home and make dinner for our family. But this juggling act that's called parenthood doesn't often take the easy road. And the decision I've made to be a career woman, and a business owner at that, doesn't mesh easily with the desire I have and the commitment I've made to be a hands-on Mommy. But I do know this--- throughout the past two years, I've realized that in all of the commotion, the lists, the getting up early to get dinner started before Joshua awakes, the balancing with Jason of "you-do-this-while-I-do-this", the sheer exhaustion at the end of the day that comes with being chief executive officer at work and chief diaper changer at home, I wouldn't have it any other way. There have been sacrifices along the way---- I choose which meetings I attend based on the merit of the agenda. I've made some people mad with my choices not to leave Joshua overnight because I value that time as a family more than I do a trip away with my fellow agents. There have been business consequences and maybe I've fallen a few steps as the person who will always "go along" and "do what I'm told". And that's OK. I've just learned that keeping this little boy smiling, and his Daddy and I seeing as eye-to-eye as two parents can, is more important than anything else.

So, our last Manic Monday of the fall season is next week. But music class signups for the spring semester start in a few weeks. And we'll proudly be on the list. Because Joshua wants to. And I wouldn't miss the smile on his face when he emerges from the tent during "No Bears Out Tonight" for all the tea in China. Or all the insurance in Lewisburg.

Joshua giving Bear some loving this morning. He kept saying "Bear, I love you so much."

Singing...

Well, all these weeks of music class may be paying off. Joshua seems to have caught the singing bug. (Of course, Mommy's very excited!)

Friday evening, Joshua started singing Happy Birthday during dinner. I might note that it was not anyone's birthday in our family, but the mood struck him. He was using his high chair tray as his pretend cake, and then started singing (in a very monotone voice, I might add) "Happy Birthday to Yooooooooooooooooooou. Happy Birthday to Yooooooooooooou." Then he'd say "OK, blow candles out," which was quickly followed with "OK, eat cake now." Jason and I nearly collapsed in tears when this little exchange went on:

Joshua: Sings birthday song. Did the Yoooooooooooooou thing about 4 times.

Jason: "I don't want to have any more birthdays buddy."

Joshua: "Oh come on Daddy. You can do it. Sure you can!"

He's 2.

Then, as if all of this singing wasn't enough fun, he about had me cracking up during church yesterday morning. I usually hold him when we sing hymns during church and ordinarily he'll be messing up my hair or turning the pages in the hymnal making it next to impossible for me to sing. Or he'll have his face pressed up right next to mine which makes me giggle. But yesterday, he was singing along with me. It was more like humming, again in that very monotone voice, but he was singing nonetheless.

I'm hoping that he'll be able to hone these skills a bit into a real Richard singing voice. Do you suppose it's too much to expect him to learn a part in the Christmas medley by Christmas Eve?

We're back on the drops...

Stripping down after supper. I have no earthly clue why. But it was funny! He's starting to get a little meat on those bones...and I mean a little.

"Helping" Mommy make a grocery list. It's now scribbled all over and needs to be transcribed before I can go shopping this weekend.

My poor little buddy has a cold...again. So, we're back on the Ocean Drops again. Interestingly enough, what would normally be a very bad sleeping night wasn't so bad. I heard from Joshua around 11:30 and then not again until 6. It may have been aided a bit by the half dose of Tylenol I gave him when he felt warm last evening. It's nothing serious- just a sniffly nose and those glazed over eyes that are a tell-tale sign of not feeling so hot.

The best part of last evening was that, in Joshua's new found ability to blow his nose, he tends to do it at random times. I've learned to have a tissue pretty handy, but I wasn't quick enough last night. After his bath he started to blow his nose without a Kleenex nearby and then decided to use my t-shirt as his tissue. Not good. Luckily for me it wasn't a very successful blow, so the damage was minimal. These are the things they don't tell you about when you talk about parenthood. You may become a human Kleenex. I'll be sure to share that with others if I'm ever asked for input about what to look forward to.



This morning's "thankful" leaf was awarded to Bear. I knew that one was coming one of these days. He proudly used the glue stick and stuck Bear on that tree very proudly. I'm really enjoying this little project. It's so fun to see how Joshua's mind is spinning when he picks something to be thankful for each morning. I got so excited about the project this morning that I completed the leaf addition and neglected to brush Joshua's teeth. Hey...you can't be perfect, right? Good thing Grandma said she'd take care of that for us after breakfast. So today I'm thankful for Grandma and all of her help!

Oh...and one more thing I've failed to mention over the past few days. If you're ever web browsing, check out the very cool new web video I have on my State Farm microsite. If you're ever missing me, all you have to do is go to http://www.megandugan.com/ and there I'll be in all my glory. It might take a second to load. Let me know if you have any comments...but only if they're nice. Just kidding...I can take it either way.

Happy weekend everyone! We've got another crazy one. Joshua will have a special day with Nana and Pap tomorrow while Jason and I are at a board meeting during the day. Then we'll have some hot dogs and sauerkraut while we watch PSU beat Iowa (they BETTER!) with mom and dad at our house. Sunday will be crammed with all of the catch-up housework, pre-cooking, laundry, shopping, etc I can squeeze into the after-church hours. These kinds of weekends are NOT my favorite--- they're the kind where on Monday I still feel a week behind schedule for not having had the opportunity to relax, regroup and reorganize for the next week. But we'll live. We just might not have a spic and span house or clean socks. I guess those are the sacrifices you have to make sometimes.

Two-Fer...

Today's a two-fer...please don't miss my exciting post below about my proud placement on the Thankful tree this morning.

But something just occurred to me. And when that happens, I generally feel better about writing it down for all of my favorite people who so loyally check in on my favorite little guy to read. I just got back from a few appointments to look at houses, and on the way back I made a quick stop at Walmart to pick up soda for the office. We don't survive long around here without Diet Pepsi. On my travels through the store I also got Joshua some big boy undershirts. Just in the past 24 hours, the largest size onesies you can buy no longer fit him. It's like his torso is extra long or something, but the poor little thing is getting squished into a onesie that's clearly too small. And so, my big revelation for the moment is that my baby isn't a baby anymore...he's a big boy. With big boy undershirts. It really shouldn't make me sad, but it kind of does. Next it'll be big boy underwear (now THAT I'm looking forward to) and then nursery school and before I know it, he'll be going off to Penn State to start his football scholarship. This is horrible.

While I love this stage that we're in right now--- the talking, the learning, the unceasing personality that spills from Joshua, I have to admit that I miss the squishy, sweet little bundle of blue that he used to be. And I know what you're all thinking.......look out.........she's getting "the itch" for another one. Maybe I am. But we're not in a hurry about that. All in God's time.

Mommy made the tree!

I made it. I got a mention this morning when I asked Joshua what he'd like to be thankful for today. If I'm being 100% truthful, he said, "Daddy and Mommy". I told him that Daddy already had a leaf on his thankful tree, so he said "OK, then Mommy". And so, my orange leaf was proudly glued to the tree this morning before I left for my meeting. I feel so relieved.

We had a few special leftover Trick or Treaters at our house last night. It was so much fun to see a beautiful princess Jessica and a very adorable Elmo Alexis. The stomach bug hit their house last week, so we had reserved some treats just for them to come and pick up. Joshua really seemed to have fun with them and was quite the talker, giving Tracy a very detailed show and tell of just about everything in our house. It's feast or famine with him...he's either glued to our legs and silent or jabbering away without even slowing down. There's not much middle ground.

I'll work on some pictures tonight if the opportunity presents itself.

Voting...

I have a few quick little updates here but haven't managed pictures today yet. I'll have to see what I can come up with this evening or tomorrow.

Yesterday's cutest moment came at the polling place when we went to vote. Joshua was up early, so we thought we'd go right away in the morning in case it was super crowded. I figured there weren't going to be too many people in Milton who wanted to cast their vote at 7:30...so we gave it a shot. I was in line, with Joshua right behind me and Jason behind him. We had a few people in front of us. So, after I signed in and got my little electronic voting card, Joshua put his little nose up over the edge of the table and said, as sweet as could be, "I want vote please." I thought the election workers were going to flip. So he helped me to vote and then wore his "Future Voter" sticker the rest of the day with great pride. Where in the world would he have come up with that?

I should probably update you about the Thankful tree as well. Yesterday's leaf was for "Aunt Libby" and this morning was for "Uncle Zig". I think it's quite funny that everyone EXCEPT Mommy is getting a mention in the list of things for which our little man is thankful. I keep holding out hope that I'll get glued to the tree eventually. I'll do my best to exercise some patience, but we all know that's not my best quality.

Thankful...

So, the fascination with Joshua's doctor kit continues at our house. No sooner was breakfast finished than he had his stethoscope around his neck and was checking into things. I am very hopeful for a prosperous career...with college scholarships granted.

I also wanted to share a little project Joshua and I are working on now that it's officially November. We started talking on Saturday about what it means to be "thankful" for something. Try explaining that in 2 year old terminology. But we managed, and I think he's starting to grasp the concept. Of all the responsibilities we have as parents, I feel really strongly about teaching Joshua to be a grateful, thankful little person. I want him to appreciate the things he has and the opportunities he has and the nice things that are done for him. He doesn't have to look far for things to be thankful for, that's for sure. He has been showered with so much love, and we're so grateful for that. As I look back on my childhood, I think that was something my parents did an excellent job of (among many other things that I marvel at now that I'm having to direct the same results!). I always knew to be grateful because they taught me to be. So I figure, there's no time like the present to start working on this with Joshua. So, we've decided that we're going to make a "Thankful Tree" during November. Each day, he'll pick something he's thankful for and he'll get to glue a leaf onto his tree with that person/thing on it. So far he's been thankful for "Daddy" (a great choice) on Sunday and "tractor rides" today. A picture of our masterpiece follows. We'll see how this goes...but so far we're having fun. Mostly he loves the glue and getting his fingers sticky.


Music class tonight. Joshua was already excited about it this morning when he was getting dressed. I'll report tomorrow if anything of note took place.

Have a great evening everyone!

C is for...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!

Cookie!!! (And candy, which Joshua has a handful of!)

Our gourmet Halloween meal........Mummy Dogs, anyone?


Inside fun once the costumes came off. Joshua (aka Skeletor) and Sydney were having a dance party while Jason played guitar for them. I just about cried laughing at them!

Pajama morning with Mommy...GREAT idea Libby!

That sure is a hodge-podge of pictures for the weekend, but it's been quite a fun few days!

Friday we celebrated Halloween with Joshua and the Bingaman family at our house. There aren't too many Trick-or-Treaters at their house, so we all decided to get together (much overdue) and let the kids enjoy the evening together. For an 18 month old and a just-two year old, they played incredibly nicely with each other. There were even some "pleases" and "thank yous" exchanged between them. We had a very fancy dinner of Mummy Dogs and homemade macaroni and cheese, which both the kids and the grown ups gobbled down. Darla made a wonderful pumpkin cake which I sent back home with her lest I ate the whole thing.


The kids did great handing out candy to the little ghosts and goblins who knocked on our door. Joshua would pick up a piece of candy, put it in their pumpkin or bag and say with a big grin, "Happy Halloweeeeeeeen". It was very cute. Sydney was on the move most of the evening, so she had a few walks with her Mommy and a few with her Daddy. When both of the kids were showing signs that they'd had enough and the flow of little people slowed down, we headed inside to let the kids play. They had a band party (Sydney is a world-champion maraca player!) and they danced for a while to Jason's guitar playing. Special thanks to Aunt Libby for Joshua's very handsome skeleton pajamas (glow-in-the-dark no less). It was the perfect time to wear them for under his Cookie Monster costume and he loved them. We can't wait to wear them again!

Saturday morning started out with a bit of a protest from Joshua about getting a haircut. He was looking pretty shaggy, but would cry at the mention of going to get a haircut. I had almost given up, thinking we were forever going to be plagued with the high pitched scream at the barber shop, until he turned around and said to Jason, "Bye Daddy. I going to get haircut at Rene's." So I looked at Jason, quickly got Joshua's sneakers on his little feet and got out the door while the getting was good. I did have to bribe him with a lollipop, but we are now trimmed up and looking mighty handsome. And he didn't cry at all. Bribery does work...and I'm not ashamed to use it.

When we got home from Rene's, Nana was waiting here for us. Pap was away on a weekend trip, and Jason was headed to Harrisburg for Key Club (acting as both of us), so Mom decided she'd come and spend some time with us. We had so much fun. We headed up to Toys R Us to look for a few Christmas things. I was amazed by the number of people who were quite obviously Christmas shopping. I'm SO not ready to get into all of that yet... I love Christmas and all it stands for, but I need a little time for Thanksgiving before I can jump full steam into Santa and trees and presents. So we left the maniacs to their toys and came home before we got gobbled up into someone's cart and wrapped and stuck under a tree.

After some lunch, Nana put Joshua down for his nap with a few good books. I did a few chores and then had some nice, quiet time to chat with Mom. It's great to do that face-to-face every once in a while. She headed home late in the afternoon and Joshua and I settled in for our night at home while Daddy was away.

Today was a pajama morning. I just couldn't get us motivated to get dressed up to go to church, so we skipped. I feel guilty, but it was nice to have a morning to get a few more chores done around the house and get moving at a slower than break-neck pace. We ran to the store for a few necessaries and then came home to meet Daddy when he got back from Harrisburg. After some lunch, Joshua is in dreamland upstairs and I'm catching up on some ironing, laundry and changing sheets on beds.

I hope you enjoyed the new pictures... We're beginning to work on a little Thanksgiving project here, so I'll have to let you in on that one tomorrow. More then.