Happy Halloween!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to you!



Yesterday evening my son presented me with a Valentine he made at day care and said it was for my "happy birthday."  His misspeaking reminded me of in college when my roommate L would always misspeak "Happy Valentine's Day" and instead say "Happy Thanksgiving!"  She even made me a "Happy Thanksgiving" Valentine card, which I still have packed away in my memory box.  Her vocal slip was so funny and sweet, but as I think back on it she had it right.  Valentine's day is about reminding people how much you care about them and being thankful for them being in your life.  The flowers and chocolates are just a little icing on the cake.



What is your favorite Valentine's Day memory?  Mine is the year my husband sent me a dozen long stem red noses, yeah noses...as in red clown noses.  They were hilariously awesome and I loved them so much.  I sill have them packed away in my memory box too!  I guess I am just a sentimental fool like that.  

Thankful

I am thankful we already put up the Christmas tree and will not have to do that this weekend like we usually do.

I am thankful that we can afford to give Ian a really fun Christmas with plenty of presents to open Christmas morning.

I am thankful for all the help cleaning up after yesterday's big feast.

I am thankful that I don't feel like I HAVE to get up at the butt-crack of dawn on Black Friday to get good deals on gifts.

I am thankful for online shopping and handmade gifts so I can enjoy the holidays instead of stressing out in stores and having a panic attack in the middle of the toy aisle. 

Thank you for following along in my five days of being thankful.  I hope that you have had an amazing Thanksgiving week.

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful that my family is coming to us today!

I am thankful for the amazing meal we are going to eat today.

I am thankful there are pumpkin desserts in my future (my favorite!)

I am thankful for the traditions I cam pass down to my son for the holidays.

I am thankful for you!

Thankful

I am thankful that I live in a country where I can be free to believe in what I want to believe in and will not be jailed, beaten or killed for doing so. 

I am thankful to have the freedom to say and write my opinion.

I am thankful for the right to vote for the people I feel will better the future of this country.

I am thankful for being a mom, and having the most amazing honor of shaping a little person's life.

I am thankful for being a wife and being one part of a partnership that makes us both better everyday.

Thankful

I am thankful for my friends, and for their support and love.

I am thankful that I live in a time and place where keeping in touch with those that mean something to me is just a click or dial away. 

I am so thankful for my dear friends Sarah, Beth, Isabella, and Kerry's healthy pregnancies and for the little babies they are bringing into the world. 

I am thankful for my little pug babies and the snuggles they bring to my life.

I am thankful to have people who care enough about me and what I say to read this blog.

Thankful

This week I am going to dedicate my posts to things I am thankful for.  Five thanks on each of five days this week.

I am thankful for my family and most especially for my little miracle, Ian. 

I am thankful my family is mostly healthy, happy enough, and safe.

I am thankful that, while Chris and I do not enjoy 100% perfect health, we have amazing insurance that does not leave us worried about how we will get by with our medical bills and prescriptions (like the insulin that keeps my husband alive.)

I give thanks that my son is growing up happy, healthy, safe, and he will never have to know the day to day suffering that happens is so many countries.

I am thankful for the roof over my head and that we can afford the mortgage payment each month.

Tree time

Yeah, that's right! We put our Christmas tree up today. What of it?

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

We went trick or treating with our friends Dan, Chantel and their daughter Isabelle.  It was Isabelle's first time trick or treating (she is a year younger than Ian.)  They had a blast.  We had a tag along as we went house to house...the neighborhood cat, Zooey.  I am beginning to think of her as the block mascot, she is always running down to visit when she sees you outside. In the lower right of this collage is a picture of Ian and Polly; she runs his day care. 



Ian loved knocking on doors and was really disappointed when people were waiting for him.  He kept saying "I want to knock knock."  Also, he kept mispronouncing "thank you" as "can I have more?"  I was so embarrassed but I don't blame him when his dad kept joking around about taking all the candy. The neighbors on our block were so good to the kids!




The aftermath was a sugared up little devil, who had a blast on Halloween. He even enjoyed seeing the costumes of kids that came to the house after we got back home. 




The last little nugget is a video of Ian saying thank you to his great uncle and aunt, Jim and Grace for the cool card and stickers.  He loves playing with stickers!

Weekend Review

We had a very busy weekend of Halloween activities.  We went out shopping to the Halloween store in town and Ian picked out some fun dress up stuff, which he tried out with his buddy Isabelle.  Ian kept saying the funny glasses were like daddy, which I still can't stop giggling about.



Chris' mom came to watch Ian so Chris and I could attend our friend's Halloween party.  Ian and his grandma had a lot of fun hanging out while Chris and I got all dressed up as a cowboy and Cleopatra for the party.  Our friends hosting the party went as a Greek goddess and Maverick from Top Gun.  My favorite part of the party was playing Apples to Apples for the first time, which was a blast. 



On Sunday we took the kids to the pumpkin patch to pick out one last pumpkin to carve before Halloween.  We traipsed around in the cold and picked out pumpkins and then carved them up.  The kids helped with the scooping while the moms did all the cutting.  Meanwhile, the dads watched hockey on both the TV and computer (men!) while minding the kids.



It was a fun weekend, and I am so happy that Chris' mom came so we could go to the party.  It was a lot more fun than we imagined and we are both really happy we could go. 

Happy Halloween!

Merry Christmas 2010

Six Word Saturday

Christmas tree time! Let's get decorating!!!

Thankful

There are so many things for which I am thankful.  In honor of the big day of thanks, here is my list of some of the things I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving:

Being a mom to such an amazing little man.  Ian makes my life complete and his silly personality can brighten even may darkest days.

My partner, my love, my best friend Chris.  

My parents and in-laws who always love and support us through this life.

That my husband and I are employed and have wonderful benefits.  There are times, when work related things suck, that I forget to be thankful for being lucky enough to have a paycheck and excellent insurance coverage. 

That we have a house we can afford, and it is full of all the things that make a house a home.  Our possessions may not be the best of the best but we have all we need and then some.

My loved ones and myself are all healthy and mostly happy.  Not everyone can be happy all the time, but we have more happy than sad and I am so thankful for that.

My dear friends, in real like and in the Internet world...although I find that friendship is friendship no matter how it is gorged.  I am so thankful to have such a vast and interesting support group in my life.  You guys make me so thankful every day.

I am thankful for this blog, and those who take the time to read what I write.  Thank you for taking the time to share a little part of my world.


My hopes to you and your family, that this Thanksgiving weekend is full of delicious food, lots of family & friends, and save travels.  Happy Thanksgiving!

NaBloPoMo

I have decided to try and take part in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) this year.  It is actually one of the things on my Life List too so I will get to check off another item there too.

My biggest goal beyond just posting everyday is to get my writing mojo back.  Lately my posting has been few and far between and I really want to change that.  Hopefully, the motivation to post daily will help to bring out some stories I might have buried otherwise.  Also, I want to post my first video blog this month.

So I have a big month ahead.  I hope you will pop in a see what I come up with along the way.

To get started:



We took Ian out for his first time trick or treating last night.  He threw a huge fit when it came time to put on his costume.  A screaming, kicking, crying fit.

We bribed him with a peanut butter cup to get him out the door.  It works like a charm.

It only took getting candy at one house for him to get the idea of what was going on.  After that Ian would take the treat and check it out before putting it in his bucket.

When we got home it was a sugar free for all. Chris had to hide the candy to make him stop begging for more.  It's hiding in the plate cabinet if you care for some.  I feel like I can tell you this because Ian can't read and won't catch me offering up his bounty online.

It was a pretty good Halloween.