The Kit Kittredge Book Club

Ava and I have been members of our very own Kit Kittredge book club for awhile now. We read the chapters--sometimes together, sometimes alone--and then meet up for the book club to share and discuss and drink hot chocolate (although we usually cover the book in a sentence or two and then move on to other important stuff!) We are finishing up book three and for those of you who don't know Kit, I say get these books. The books are set during the Great Depression--talk about a reality check! Today, Kit gave all of her hard earned money to her parents to pay the electic bill and then her dad and brother surprised her by hanging lights on the Christmas tree! I love it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

These two sweet peas made a Thanksgiving card and delivered it, along with a squash they picked out just for the occasion, to our neighbor lady Miss Candy. Miss Candy is well into her 90's, maybe 4 feet tall, a bit sketchy with the English language, and adores them both! They looked so grown-up as they crossed the street on their errand all by themselves that I had to get a shot of them on their way back!

The kids were very anxious to get to Grandma's and when we arrived the boys ran off on a big adventure and the girls helped fold the napkins and here's Ava spooning the jellies into the silver dishes.

Dad with his carving knife!

Waiting.....

(When I asked Jack what he most wanted to eat, he said, "turkey and rolls and cherry pie!" and when I said what to drink? he said, "hmm....I think this year I will try some wine.")

After polishing off their piles of turkey and goodies, these two wanted to trek to the cemetary and when they got back, Jack said, "I'm still hungry!"

After a long nap for almost everybody, we were treated to a fantastic Thanksgiving program of poems, readings, and a violin performance. The girls had been whispering about this for weeks!

Here's the performers taking a final bow.

Ava worked on the placecards.

Jack the Explorer.

After nap, pre-pie walk.

Jem bundled up for Grandpa's annual fireworks and lighting show.
(I have no other pictures of her--she slept most of the day!)

The girls dancing in the Christmas lights!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Baking Day

Baking Day is the (unofficial) holiday that falls on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving at our house. The requirements are simple: no kids, yummy lunch (this year was curry chicken and egg rolls), my mom and my sister and I, hanging out. In general, Paula does the baking and I do the clean-up (and she is messy messy!) although my mom does her share of both also. We like it. A Lot. And we don't go home till just in time for dinner--which at our house is always pizza, cause that's what you're supposed to do the night before Thanksgiving!

I somehow forgot my camera so here's a shot from last year:

my itty bitty Jemma Jane who got to come to her first and only baking day, and only because her Grandma begged for her!

Thank-full.

After many weeks on the road, Ed is back right where he belongs.

Thanksgiving Vacation!

Ava gets the whole week off and while she is excited, the other two are thrilled!

She and Jack sat down and made a big to-do list of all the stuff they want to do together this week, including many things she misses while at school like Starbucks, lunch out, play dates, the library, etc. (who knew Jack's life was so exciting?!).

I let them watch cartoons this morning for a special treat while I slept in (hey, why should the kids get all the treats!) and when I finally got up they were snuggled in one chair with a pile of books, a cozy blanket, and more than a few stuffed animals. I gave them a cup of hot chocolate with a candy cane and you would have thought they'd died and gone to heaven!

Here's to a happy Thanksgiving week!

Jack is thankful for...

a lunch of pancakes (with lots of syrup and powdered sugar!) and hot chocolate

after a morning of doing this:

He also got to play with Ava and her friend. Look at his happy face! Ava said he could come do art with them and he was so excited, he said, "I won't even talk!" but I heard his little voice jabbering away!

Some Jack

We have had some really great sunny November days (for which we are all very thankful!). I went to find Jack and he was hard at work cleaning up the backyard and parking all his cars for the winter.

This morning, after singing a sweet round of Amazing Grace, he pauses for a minute and says, "that girl, Amazing Grace, must have been naughty and ran away from her parents to get lost like that."

Then later in the day he says, "did God give me to you so that when Ava was at school you would have somebody to play with?"

So I'm thankful for my playmate, it would be very lonely without him!

Thankful

One out.

Two down.

Five minutes till apple cider martini.

Ed is out to (a very nice) dinner with some Very Important Persons so we are on our own again tonight. Which means a couple things: early bed for Jem, popcorn and movie for kids, yummy drink for me. We made cider martinis a couple weeks ago for friends but we used a pre-made mix and it was a little good but mostly a little weird. But I knew the idea had potential so we tried it again and it is good. It's a little something like this (but made to taste of course):

1 part cider (I like to float some oranges and cloves in it for a bit first)

1 part vodka

1 part cranberry vodka (because we ran out of the regular!)

Shaken super cold.

Enjoy.

On the mend.

The puking has ended, the house has been sanitized, the sun is out and the windows are open (with the heater cranked up...it is November!) and Jack is back to this:

(Ava took this shot)

After not being allowed to touch each other for days, they were both so happy to play together this morning--Jemma was literally squealing!

And I found this sweet note on my pillow last night:

Mom, I know we all miss dad but tomoro he is coming back

And that is what I am most thankful for today! Ed has been gone six full days and he is getting home in the wee hours of tomorrow morning after missing (yet again!) another bout of the misery that is the flu!

Thankful

After a long night with much puking and very little sleeping, the kiddies are back in bed and I am Christmas shopping (or really just making my own Christmas list!). I found a little pick-me-up in the Christmas video at http://www.gap.com/ (it even got a smile out of limp little Jack) and I've made hotel reservations for the night I take Ava to the Nutcracker. So on this grey, germy day, I am thankful that Christmas is not only coming, the fun is already starting!

Mirror, mirror....

whose the cutest of them all?

Thankful

So my bubba hasn't really eaten in two days and after requiring lots of sister cuddles tonight, he finally wandered into the bathroom, threw up, flushed the toilet and came out with a big smile and said, "I think I threw up." I have a very serious problem with the flu but I gotta say, today I'm thankful that my little buddy is not only a cheerful sick-ey, he is also a neat and tidy one.

Whoa.

Anyone else see the resemblance?

Jem.

Me.
(with a few more pounds of chub than her. but hello pug nose!...and forehead, ears, and smile.)

Thankful

Today, I'm thankful for this goofball, cause really, who wouldn't be?

Thankful

So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I meant to do a daily post through November of all the things I am thankful for. But, in case you missed it, we are already well into November and I haven't even started! So here's to good intentions and the rest of the month....

I am thankful for this little pudge, who a year ago was just days old and making me bleary-eyed and exhausted but who today is funny and brave and independent and sleeps like a dream!

I am a more than a bit addicted to the story of Stellan, a little boy with a major heart problem, and while I know there are many many sad stories like his, I am sucked into this one because he is exactly the same age as my Jem and while he is right now undergoing a massive surgery that is potentially fatal, my Jem is doing this:
So today I am most grateful for my healthy baby girl and the fact that she thinks it is hilarious to crawl away when I pull out the camera!
(if this picture had sound, you would hear some seriously sweet giggles!)

Did you?

Trick or Treat!

Our little pink pig is showing off her new trick...blowing kisses.

At the Fall Carnival.

Lovin' on our froggy cousin.

Ava headed straight for the craft booth.

For some reason when Jack wears an eye patch, he closes the other eye too--which does not make for much fun so we took it off:

Yay!

Time to hit the streets:

First stop was Dave and Ann's for some awesome treats--popcorn, homemade caramel, glow sticks, and a box of cupcakes to-go!

We headed out with ten little trick-or-treaters this year...makes for a pretty cute bunch!

The loot! (and this is only about half of it!)

the last of October.

watching football with daddy and her new baby.

Acorn hunting

This goofball looks like some variation of this on a regular basis!