They Still Delight...

For all intents and purposes, my girls are Big Kids.  They dress themselves.  They can buckle and un-buckle their car seats.  They go to school.  They are learning to read really proficiently.  They do math “just for fun”.

Much of this Big Kid stuff is welcome, and oh-so-awesome.  But I am so very grateful for the little glimpses I still get of their not-so-Big-Kid selves.

On Thursday morning, I let the girls watch as much of the Thanksgiving parade as they wanted.  This is the only time in their short lives they’ve been allowed to sit idly in front of the TV, and it was something they’d been looking forward to since last Thanksgiving.  It was the first thing they said when they woke up on Thursday, “Mommy!  We get to watch the parade!”  And they were some kind of disappointed they had to wait until 9am for it to start.

I watched the parade over their shoulders as I worked in the kitchen to continue to get things ready for our big Thanksgiving lunch.  They recognized some of the balloons from last year, and they were tickled to hear their first few Christmas tunes of the year.

We had a fun Thanksgiving day…we entertained friends for lunch, and then we had some glorious “quiet time” that afternoon.  We rounded out the day with some crafting, and everyone was actually excited to have leftovers for supper.

At bedtime, it occurred to me we should read the Curious George parade story.  In the story, they don’t call out Macy’s by name, but it’s not a big stretch to see the story is loosely set in the Big Apple.

At my suggestion, the girls SQUEALED with excitement.  (And my heart smiled big with pleasure.)

Baby A RAN to find the yellow Curious George book.  She first raced into the reading room, and then downstairs to scour the bookcase in the den.  She came bounding back upstairs, so excited to read about Curious George’s adventures in the very parade they’d seen on TV that morning.

I know one day my babies won’t delight in having Mommy read books to them.  I sure am thankful that today, they still do.  

Crafts, Food, and Fun with Friends

We celebrated Thanksgiving this year with M&C's family.

It made the day feel very special -- definitely like a holiday -- to be together.  It was such a fun day, filled with crafts...and food...and great friends.

These pictures sum up most of the day...

First, we snacked:

A bountiful snack for the kiddos!

I kept laughing to myself at our "vegetarian" turkey!

The "pre-meal" meal...veggie tray, celery stuffed with olive spread, and a spicy cheeseball posing as a pumpkin.

Then, we crafted:

"Thankful Trees" made from the kiddos' handprints...Moms and Dads helped write what everyone was thankful for on the leaves.

Pilgrim hats were a bigger hit with some than others.  Sitting on the couch was met with mixed reviews, too, as you can see A is about to bolt.

Fellowship with friends:

I love the expressions that tell the story of these sweet four!

[Oddly, I didn't take pictures of the actual meal...but it was a feast!!!  Turkey, the yummiest stuffing (even though I don't generally consider myself a stuffing fan, it was GOOD!), candied sweet potatoes (oh, my!), creamy mashed potatoes (yes, two potatoes...and we needed them both!), cheesy creamed spinach, cranberry sauce...punctuated by pumpkin cheesecake and apple crisp.  We had all the traditional tastes covered, and then some.  It was fantastic!!!]

I am so thankful for our family...for our health...for the many things we have...and sharing those things with dear friends makes life so much sweeter.

Teaching the Meaning of the Thanksgiving Holiday

Last year, when our girls were just shy of three, we talked a lot about Thanksgiving being a time to give thanks for those things we value.  

 On Thanksgiving morning, I cut out a tree from construction paper, and green, yellow, orange, and red leaves.  I asked the girls what things they were thankful for, and I wrote one thing on each leaf.  I let them glue the leaves on the tree.  It was a really fun activity, and I know it will make me smile to look back at some of the things they cited…like puzzles, and the neighbor’s dog.

This year, I wanted to introduce some history into their understanding.  B and I went to the bookstore on Saturday in search of a good book.  We actually bought two…one Curious George book (he’s just so hard to resist!), and this really great book from Scholastic.

Although it’s pretty lengthy, we’ve read this book a couple of times already.  The girls can talk a little bit about the Pilgrims coming to America on the Mayflower.  They understand that there was nothing here when the Pilgrims arrived, and that the American Indians helped the Pilgrims learn things about the land.

I love that we can now begin to connect the dots about some of the images we associate with the holiday…and of course that’s going to fuel some heavy-duty crafting over the next couple of weeks.

I love this Mayflower craft…

…these Pilgrim hats…

...these cornucopias…

…and there are so many turkeys to choose from, I’m sure we’ll make several.

And as for the Curious George book?  It’s much more light-hearted, of course.  Part of it talks about watching a big parade.  Would you believe I’m going to let the girls watch a bit of TV this Thanksgiving?  As long as they understand it’s a once-a-year occurrence, I think we’ll be OK.  ;)

And of course we'll continue to talk about the things we're thankful for.  Who knows...we might even fashion a new tree.

I'm so very thankful for my baby girls, and for the opportunity to celebrate holidays together as a family of four.

Super 7 Saturday

(Like Fab 5 Friday, plus a couple!)

Super...fabulous…no matter how I say it, it’s been a pretty great week.

1) We had a very rainy first-part-of-the-week, which just seems to call for finger paint. The girls had a great time, and [KNOCK ON WOOD!], they’ve done so well the past couple of times, containing their mess. I love seeing their different techniques, too. B tends to use a little bit of paint to go a long way, while A globs it up so thick it takes all day to dry. You’d think they’d been to different schools of art, or something.

2) The skies dried up by Wednesday, just in time for the start of Daddy’s Thanksgiving vacation. We bundled up and went to the zoo…and had the place almost to ourselves! We literally didn’t see another family for the first 45 minutes we were there. We mostly hung out with the giraffes and elephants, and they put on quite a show for us. It was really neat to feel that connection with those gorgeous animals.

3) Thursday we enjoyed our first Thanksgiving as just the four of us. It was a pretty special day. We sat at the dining room table together (no high chairs!), and the girls enjoyed quite a feast. The weather was perfect that afternoon for a long walk together, and we ended the day with a sampling of Mommy’s pumpkin cheesecake. (The girls are officially in love, I’m afraid. The first words out of B’s mouth on Friday morning involved “dessert”…HA!)

4) Friday morning the girls helped me make Chex Mix. They were very patient, taking turns measuring the ingredients and dumping them in the bowl. And they were super excited to enjoy the fruits of their labor as a snack.

5) Friday afternoon, Hubby and I put up the outside Christmas lights while the girls napped. They both were all giggles to spy the wreath on the front door (which they could see from upstairs when they got up). Their faces were priceless when we came home from the grocery store at dusk and saw our bushes aglow. Baby A cracked me up when she said, “I’ll just stand right here while you make a picture.” She must really have been taken, as she’s not usually one to volunteer to pose for the camera!

6) My babies are growing up, and I notice it in some of the most everyday ways sometimes…Baby B is quite the master at covering her mouth before she sneezes, and then she’ll say, “I covered my mouth!” And I just noticed how proficiently Baby A is going down the stairs, one foot on each step, just like a grown-up!

7) The girls never cease to amaze me…every day…with what they know and what they remember. As we were pulling into the zoo, B said, “You need to get a ticket to park.” I have no idea how (or why!) she remembered that minute detail from our one trip, almost two months ago, but she was right! And as we were walking on Thursday afternoon, a very large cat crossed our path about a block ahead of us. Baby A squealed that she saw a puppy. “I think that’s a kitty cat,” I told her. “Oh! I got confused!” she laughed. Seriously...too cute.

So thankful this week…and always…for my super, fabulous, awesome blessings.

Every Day is Thanksgiving

...when you're a parent.


I am so thankful for my multiple blessings, today and always.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration!

A Bit About Me, November Edition

My birthday is February 23rd, and on the 23rd of each month, I’ve taken to posting a little something random about me. As this is Thanksgiving Eve, I thought I’d keep with a holiday theme…

29) For some reason I don’t seem to have a lot of distinctive memories from Thanksgiving when I was growing up...

...save one year, when I was five or six. My grandmother, who was visiting from the next state over, introduced me to the idea of the wishbone. We waited a day or two to let it dry, and then she and I set to break it, understanding that the one who got the larger half would have her wish granted. She got the bigger piece, and I was disappointed I wouldn’t get my wish…for her never to have to go home. [The mind of a five-year old, huh?!]

I also remember my great aunt, the girls’ Aunt GG, telling me a story every year about a turkey in the woods who was scared for his safety. I didn’t think a thing about it when I was little, but as I got older, I had to laugh that she’d risk telling such a “scary” story to a little kid! [Love you, Aunt GG!]

30) It’s Wednesday evening as I type this, waiting to take my pumpkin cheesecake out of the oven…which reminds me…two of my prized possessions are pie-related.

I have a corning ware pie plate that was my mom’s. I don’t remember her making many pies, but she made the meanest batch of fudge, and she always poured it into that plate. Just the thought makes my mouth water!

And I have my afore-mentioned grandmother’s aluminum pie taker (I guess you call it). She used to make The Most Wonderful Apple Pie. She often brought one for me when she’d come to visit (and a pecan pie for my dad). It’s a great memory…and a handy-dandy tool that I use on occasion when I take a pie somewhere.

What Would a Turkey Do...

…if he didn’t have plans for Thanksgiving?

I’m guessing he’d hightail it to Canada!

And I sure wish we could join him. I’m picturing a beautiful snow lodge with fireplaces, fountains of hot chocolate, and stacks of books, just waiting to be devoured.

...but if travelling to Canada were possible, then we’d actually just hop in the car to Sweet Home Alabama.

Alas, travelling with little ones is not easy, though, and we’ve opted to do it only once during the larger holiday season. Thus, we’ll be staying put for Turkey Day.

While we’ve been on our own for Christmas several years, it dawned on me that this is the first time we’ll be away from family for Thanksgiving. Over the past 15 years or so, our family hasn’t followed any kind of Turkey Day rituals, but we’ve always been together in some form or fashion.

So…in the absence of ritual and being just the four of us…what’s our little family to do?

I debated a number of different game plans, but I think I’ve settled on a few things.

Wednesday we’ll go to the zoo. I wouldn’t want to brave the Big City traffic on Thursday or Friday, but I think that will be a great family treat to kick off our vacation time together.

Thursday – despite the hubby’s encouragement to “make something different” since he says he’s not a big fan of turkey – I’m going to cook a relatively traditional meal…at least including turkey and homemade cranberry sauce. We’ll do baked sweet potatoes (no casseroles for this girl!), and steamed asparagus (not sure if the pilgrims would approve of that one, though).

And I’ll make my semi-famous pumpkin cheesecake. I started making that a few years ago, and it’s been a keeper. The girls have never had it, but my hunch is that they’ll be fans.

The big ta-da for me is that we’re going to sit at the dining room table for our main meal. I’ve been laughing to myself that the girls probably don’t realize that table is actually for eating…as we’ve never done so since they were born!

I hope between the turkey and cheesecake and table arrangements, the girls will recognize the day as a special one. I also want to spend some time talking about things we’re thankful for. I hope the girls will cooperate for some craft time…in my mind I’d love to make a “thankful tree”, writing the things we’re thankful for on the leaves. What fun it would be to repeat that, year after year.

On Friday I have plans to make Chex Mix. My grandparents used to make the most wonderful concoction of snack mix this time of year, but this will be the first time I try my luck. I think I’ll enlist the girls’ help to dump the cereals together…and I may even get crazy and let them mix it up with their hands.

Saturday is GAME DAY in our world…Alabama versus Auburn…the day the entire state of Alabama stands still for four hours for the rivalry that determines bragging rights for the next 364 days.

Hubby and I will DVR the game in order to watch it uninterrupted after the girls are in bed, but we’ll all don our jerseys for the first half the of the day. And of course the second half of the day will be spent avoiding all outside contact in order not to accidentally learn the score.

No matter what the agenda, I know we’ll enjoy the family time together. And no matter the turkey, the trimmings, or even the outcome of the football game (did I just write that???), we’ll be thankful for so many blessings.

Thanksgiving, per A & B

Our girls aren’t quite old enough to make a craft display of things for which they’re thankful…but if they could enumerate, I have a pretty good idea of what they might say…

1) Mommy and Daddy…for endless hugs, kisses, tickles, and cuddles.


2) Sasha the Kitty Cat…for being the sweetest furry sister ever, and for giving us a great example after which to model our “meow!”


3) The telephone…so we can talk to Aunt GG and Granddaddy.


4) Our friends…we talk about “Kate and Spencer” and “Mattie and Ava” all the time!


5) Our comfy blankies…for keeping us warm and signaling when it’s time for bed.


6) Our baby dolls…who wait for us dutifully to give them hugs and kisses, and don’t mind being carried around in our red bucket.


7) Our favorite songs…we love to dance and sing!


8) Books…we love when Mommy reads to us, and we like to “read” to ourselves and each other, too.


9) Our favorite foods…blueberries, pineapple, zucchini, avocado, oatmeal (or “eamoat”, as we call it), and French toast on Sunday mornings…just to name a few.


10) Each other.



We are so blessed!!!