Haul out the holly....

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas..... The boxes and bins are out, the holiday tunes are pumping and we are doing our best to spread some holiday cheer around this house! Nate and Grant could not be more excited about the tree and the stockings and decorations! Now if we could just get them to stop turning the lights on the tree 'on and off, on and off, on and off'!

Thanksgiving 2006

We have had a full house for the past few days! In fact it's been so busy I have been terrible about taking alot of photos! I am just hoping that all of you who visited took lots of good ones and are planning on sending them to me! This year we had a totally 'unsupervised' Thanksgiving!!! Scott and I hosted for the first time without a parent to help, advise, cook, etc... Since this was a 'Snow Year' for Thanksgiving, and the grandparents both had other commitments, we decided we would host a Southern Thanksgiving! Scott's brothers Cam and Burke and sister Mackenzie, my sister Nancy and her boyfriend Clint, and our friends the Gatlins from Charlotte with their 3 little boys! It was a great group and quite an experience to be in charge and realize the fate of Thanksgiving was in our hands! To help ease the stress, I did order a deep-fried turkey, southern style, locally! (I wasn't about to burn our house down trying to fry it ourselves!) I wanted everyone coming from the Northwest to experience a true southern Thanksgiving Turkey! It definitely took the stress off and allowed me to focus on all the other trimmings! Mackenzie and I spent days ahead of time preparing potatoes, salads, pies, casseroles etc... The spread was magnificent! And this Thanksgiving was especially monumental... we pulled out our china and crystal that has been sitting in boxes as we have moved from place to place! This is it's first appearance in 7 1/2 years!!! We've always been invited somewhere for Thanksgiving so we've just never had a chance to properly use it! It was a moment! After we stuffed ourselves full, we headed down to our local park that puts on a fantastic light show, then returned to stuff ourselves again with pie, cakes and cookies! Let's just say I am detoxing this week! We have to be in our swimsuits in a matter of weeks for a holiday vacation! All of these leftovers aren't helping! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Turkey Time!

Aunt Mackenzie was Grant's special visitor at his class 'feast'!
Here is Scott and Nate following the Thanksgiving Program
We have been running around like a bunch of turkeys with our heads cut off!There has been so much Thanksgiving activity and wonderful family visits which is great, but it means I let other things go, like this blog! So here is the latest! Nate's Thanksgiving program was last week at school and he did a great job singing and reciting their gratitude songs and poems! He was right on the front row and as the program wore one we could see he was getting a little fidgety and much to our dismay he started picking his nose!! Scott and I started laughing and sinking lower and lower in our chairs! I guess it's one of those classic parenting moments everyone must endure- The inability to control your child's behavior while on stage!!! Grant and Nate both had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast at school and we were so glad that Aunt Mackenzie arrived in town for it! Aunt Mackenzie didn't realize what she was signing up for by arriving early! She and I baked, cooked, organized, baked some more and got our Thanksgiving preparation underway! See the next post to read all about our Thanksgiving Day!

Here comes Santa Claus!

The boys LOVE to take baths in my jacuzzi tub and beg every night for me to 'fill it to the top'! I squeezed some new bubbles in last night and before I knew it they had multiplied into huge snowdrifts of bubbles! But the boys were so delighted! Nate taught Grant how to say 'ho ho ho' and to pretend that they were Santa! Never a dull moment here!

Her name was Lola....

We were so happy to have Lola Fely come for a visit for an entire week! She is a celebrity around here to my kids and seriously I could ask Nate if he would rather go to Disneyland or stay home with Fely and he would, hands-down, choose to stay home with Lola Fely every time! I definitely took the backseat all week to her- she was the top pick for the person to read stories, the person to tie shoes, the person to make PB&J and the person to take naps with! But I didn't mind the break to be quite honest! Fely helped me tackle tons of projects and Fely and the boys whipped up all sorts of goodies for my freezer for the upcoming holidays. Grant even helped make his first batch of cookies! When the kids finally agreed to leave the house, we showed Fely around historic Old Salem and even introduced her to her first Naked Burrito at Qdoba, or as my children affectionately call it 'Doba'! We were all so sad to see her go!

Cha-Cha-Changes....

Well things have certainly started changing around here.... a few days ago the boys and I took a little hike with a few friends and admired the beautiful changing leaves here in the Carolinas. Nate and Grant both made it the entire .8 mile loop of leaf strewn paths and rocky inclines. It was a beautiful way to see the Fall colors! (Afterwards Nate said he doesn't like hiking so much because it makes him thirsty and very, very tired!) Then we were off for a visit to Hilton Head Island where we met up with Scott's Dad Larry and his wife Rusty who were there attending a medical conference! Boy had the beach changed since we were last there! The water was a little chillier and the temperatures were just a little bit nippier and not exactly bathing suit weather! But we still had a grand time exploring the island by bike and doing the things we don't do often enough when we are there b/c we are always playing in the sand! The boys loved being carted around in their little carrier by Grandpa! They cuddled into each other the whole time and Nate would point things out to Grant as they rode along... it was adorable. I hope this friendship lasts forever! But with boys... it could change at any moment! We'll just enjoy it while we can!

Trick-or-Treat

Hooray it's finally Halloween! Nate has been so confused the past few days as to when the real holiday would occur since we have celebrated it so many times! We've attended a playgroup Halloween party, pre-school party, church trunk or treat and a neighborhood Halloween party! When I told him on Halloween morning that today was the 'big day' he looked at me and said, "No mommy... we already did Halloween'! But, he humored me, and put on that costume one more time as I bribed him with the fact that today was the day he would get lots of candy and get to ring people's doorbells! Off we went to pre-school for what would be our last and final Halloween party! In the afternoon the boys napped and caught a second wind by dinner time and once again put on their costumes for the big night! 'Cowboy Nate' and 'Engineer Grant' had a great time ringing doorbells (Grant kept chanting 'ding dong' every time he'd approach a door), collecting their candy, and riding on the neighborhood hayride!

The most eventful part of the night though was when Scott was arriving home from work and drove by our neighbors house only to see that one of their halloween luminaries on their front walkway had toppled over and lit their bushes and pine straw on fire in front of their house! This was Scott's big heroic moment- he stopped his car and interrupted our neighbors dinner to tell them they needed a hose and fast! Maybe he should have dressed up as a fireman this year?!

Catching the Halloween Spirit!

Things have been so busy the past few days as we've been getting ready for Halloween! We were so lucky to have Scott's Mom here for a visit! We kept her busy with Halloween preparations, pre-school parties, a church 'trunk or treat', a visit to the Science Museum, several visits to Sonic (so she could get her fix of her favorite cherry limeade), and of course trick-or- treating! Our Halloween prep began over the weekend... The boys had a grand time decorating their Halloween cupcakes, carving pumpkins with Dad (the artist in the family who refuses to use 'one of those kits'!), and of course sneaking candy when we weren't looking! Nate kept asking every day... 'now is it Halloween Mommy??'. We have officially decided that having 3 adults at Halloween time is the way to go! It made things so much easier! We're taking reservations for next year already... anyone interested? The benefits are great- unlimited candy and sticky kisses from Nate and Grant!

Horsin' Around

For playgroup we visited a great little farm and pumpkin patch where the kids could ride a pony, climb towers of hay, make fall crafts, play in the pumpkin patch and much more. It was Grant's first ride ever on a pony and he loved it! He didn't want to get off!

A Modern Cowboy

Nate has finally decided that he will be a cowboy for Halloween. So, to seal the deal(before he changed his mind again), I brought home a pair of real cowboy boots for him! He has not stopped wearing them since. (And he took them with him to bed the first night)! I literally have had to negotiate with him when we go to pre-school and the park and places where cowboy boots just aren't practical, to put on different shoes. My favorite moment was when he was riding his scooter with them on and it just made me laugh... who needs a horse when you've got a scooter? Yee-Haw!

We've come full circle...

I dressed Grant yesterday and kept looking at him all morning thinking something was so familiar about his look. Then I figured it out, that shirt had history.... it was the same shirt that Nate wore to come and meet Grant at the hospital for the first time when he was born! We have truly come full circle! But the craziest part of all, is that no longer do I have a baby and a toddler... but now I have a dynamic, trouble-making duo!! Nate and Grant are quite the team!

"Who broke my window"?!?

Today wins an award for one of my most trying parenting days to date. I've never really thought of my children as mischevious or curious.. but I guess when bored... children can change their minds! It started with an early morning church meeting held at my home. My children were very restless and would not be entertained by the video and snacks I had bribed them with. Instead, they took to wandering around the house and getting into trouble. First, when it was a little too quiet, I found them both slathering Cucumber Melon lotion all over each other in the guest bathroom. Then, shortly after that, I found Nate in my bedroom spraying Febreze all over my shower glass, jacuzzi tub, bed and anything else he could find! Finally the meeting ended and I took my terribly bored children out to the garage to get them into the car and go do something interesting for the day! While I rounded up shoes and snacks and packed my diaper bag, the boys played nicely in the garage like they always do with their little bikes and toys. I loaded everyone in and went to pull out and all of a sudden screamed! My side rear mirror was shattered!! I stopped the car, turned around to Nate and said "How did my mirror break Nate?". Without hesitation, he replied..."Grant did it Mom. He jumped up on the car and HIT it with an orange golf club!" First I had to process the fact that Nate had just told a lie (which hasn't happened this blatantly before), and then I had to figure out how a PLASTIC orange golf club, laying on my garage floor, had really shattered my mirror! Nate had to have been swinging very hard in order to do it! When I asked Nate again what was the 'right answer' to the question.. he changed his story and said "Well... maybe it was Nate.". (Needless to say, we had a time out, not for the broken glass, but for the lie he so quickly told!) But as he talked to his Dad on the phone tonight before bed about it I heard him say "Yes Daddy, Grant broke Mommy's mirror!". Clearly not a repentant child! What am I going to do with these boys? I fear this is only the beginning of sport equipment vandalism! What a DAY!

Old Salem

Monday we had a visit from Aunt Nancy who lives in Durham (about an hour away). She had the day off and came to spend it with us! We took her on a little field trip to Old Salem, the historic part of town where the Moravian people settled many years ago. It is a fascinating little area and reminds me alot of Williamsburg. They have an old fashioned toy and candy shop that the kids love (they each chose a whistle pop lollipop as their treat) and a fantastic bakery that still cooks most of their breads in the original oven. We ordered cinnamon rolls to go and had them for breakfast the next morning! And boy did morning come earlier for Nancy than she had planned! Nate was tapping on her shoulder at 6:45am to tell her that the sun was up and it was time to play! I was just glad he wasn't tapping on my shoulder! We love it when Aunt Nancy comes to visit!!

S'mores anyone??

Last weekend we were supposed to go camping on a Ward Family campout. The boys were very excited about it... Nate even got to pickout his own sleeping bag at the sporting goods store which he was very proud of. Well, the weather turned cold the night before we were supposed to go and rain was expected overnight, so being the princess camper that I am and was raised to be, we decided it was better to stay home! Well I had purchased all our supplies, including the s'mores ingredients, so that night we had microwaved s'mores for dessert and read 'Curious George goes camping'! Not the same as roasting them over a fire... but quite delicious I might add! Nate didn't like them once they were melted... he liked to eat the raw ingredients.. marshmallows, chocolate bar and graham cracker in their natural state!

October already????

Coming back from the beach and realizing that it is already October has been quite a shock for me! I barely have the Halloween decorations up and already I feel like it's time to stock up on pumpkin pie filling and get out my Christmas boxes! Why does this time of year always seem to go so quickly?! We are making the most of October and are already in full swing for Halloween. I've put out the decor and made my first batch of Pumpkin bread! We've checked out our Halloween books from the library and already had one night of Nate too scared to go to bed from reading a story with a ghost in it (it was a friendly ghost)! Nate has been struggling with the all-important decision of 'what to be for halloween' and changes his mind everyday. We'll keep you posted on his progress as the holiday nears! I'm discovering how complicated Halloween can be now that I have a child who actually has an opinion!! The boys have been wearing their new spider pj's that Grandma 'BG' gave them practically every night! When I told Nate they were in the wash he actually went to the laundry room and was ready to fish them right out of the dirty clothes basket regardless! Like I said...we are going to make the most of October!!

Why we love living in the south...

Here is the reason we love living in the south. We can go to the beach in the fall and enjoy 80 degree temperatures, warm ocean water, and still manage to get a little tan while the rest of the east coast is pulling out their sweaters and coats. The more I live here the more I am just not sure I could put up with bundling my kids up to go out every day in the fall and winter. I've done my fair share of living in cold temperatures, and I'll be the first to say I love the fall leaves changing along the merritt parkway in CT, or the first snowfall in Utah that singals it's time for ski season or the scenic Charles River in Boston in October when it's time for the Head of the Charles crew races.... but life with kids is just so enjoyable when we can still dig in the sand and play at the park for most of the year! Don't get me wrong... I'm still very much a northeast girl (though I don't say it outloud here in the south b/c they still call the civil war the 'war of northern aggression' if you ask a local)!!

A fall beach trip...

We spent last weekend in Hilton Head with my Mom and Aunt Alice. I took the boys for an extended weekend and we had a ball! The weather was perfect, we had the beach to ourselves and we enjoyed seeing my Grandparents and visiting with Mom and Aunt Alice. I was a little hesitant to make the 5 hour car trip on my own with the 2 boys. Scott wasn't able to go so I left him at home with my 'honey-do' list and set off on the trip alone armed with the new Curious George DVD, several snacks, surprise toys and a cooler full of juice boxes and string cheese. I'm not going to lie... the trip had it's challenges. First there was the police officer that pulled us over 10 minutes into our trip for expired tabs (despite the fact that we'd just bought the car!). Nate was so thrilled to see him and though I do teach my children to get excited about law enforcement... I just didn't share the same enthusiasm at that moment. Then there was the raisin incident. I had handed Nate a box of yogurt raisins and a few moments later I heard this little voice.."Mommy, I put a raisin in my nose!". I just had to laugh! I spent quite a few occasions on the side of the road during the trip... but all in all it was worth it to have the time at the beach and to see family! And coming home to a sparkling clean house and all my 'to-dos' checked off by my sweet and amazing husband was just icing on the cake! I should leave him home more often :)

Please don't GO!

I finally snapped a photo of a scene that occurs every morning at our house! Grant- standing at the doorway with his shoes, crying and holding onto Scott as he tries to leave for work! It is the saddest and cutest thing... all at the same time. He has learned how to say 'where daddy?' and will walk around for at least an hour after Scott leaves asking himself that question. He loves his daddy!

Back to School!

I'm a little late with these photos b/c for some reason this site wasn't uploading my photos properly. Nate started preschool last week and Grant started his 'mom's morning out' program on the same day! They were both so excited to go! Nate has changed so much since last year. He used to cling to my leg and fuss when we arrived at school. Now he runs ahead of me and doesn't look back! It breaks my heart every time! He loves his teacher, 'Ms. Patty'. We ran into her yesterday at Costco and he asked me "Why does my teacher go to Costco Mommy??". I explained to him that even teachers need to eat and that they have their own families!

He couldn't believe it!

"Sunny days, chasing the clouds away".....

We can tell you how to get to Sesame Street.... 8 long hours in the car driving through tropical storm Ernesto, fighting with the navigation system (which Scott named 'Mom' by the end of the trip),listening to Backyardigans and Baby MacDonald over and over again on the DVD player, and stopping at two outlet malls along the way! Our Labor Day trip to Philadelphia was quite an adventure! But, we had a fantastic visit with family in the city of 'brotherly love' despite the rain. My sister Whitney, her husband Tyler and their cute little baby Andrew hosted us for the weekend. My Mom and brother Chris drove down from CT and Scott's brother Burke is in med school there and joined the fun as well! Since we couldn't escape the rain, we headed indoors our first day there to the Reading Terminal which is like the Pike Place Market (in Seattle) but indoors. There we tasted every PA delicacy you can imagine! Philly Cheese steaks, Bennetts famous ice cream, and Amish homemade cinnamon rolls. It was such a cultural experience! When the rain did finally stop coming down, we managed to slip in a few hours at Sesame Place so the kids could finally meet Elmo and all their favorite characters in person! Our road trip is best summed up by Nate (who loves to listen and repeat the navigation system instructions to us) when he said towards the end of our trip "Not ANOTHER 'slight right turn' ahead!!!" You gotta love road trips!!