Thanksgiving!

It was hard to go back to work today coming off of a very good Thanksgiving weekend! I took the day off on Wednesday and spent the entire day home playing with my 2 favorite little boys. A few months ago, the idea of me, alone, against the two of them, for an entire day... it made me break out in hives, but somewhere along the way we have gotten into our groove, Henry has gotten easier to hold with one arm, John Dickson has, dare I say, passed the terrible twos stage, and our days are fabulorific. (Its my blog, I'll make up words if I want to).

Aaaanyway, when Adam (or "Adam" as John Dickson likes to call him) got home from work, we made our way down to Columbia for dinner with my family. The next morning we got up before 7, fixed our Thanksgiving contributions, showered, and got out the door - on time! Ahhhh the beauty of grandparents and their amazing help.

We spent the day at Lake Wateree with all of Adam's family, playing darts, horseshoes, corn hole and Wii, followed by watching the sun set on a boat - John Dickson was in heaven! He even got to drive the boat - what a big boy! Adam's grandma, Bobbie, was on my team for the games, and she spent half the time snuggling our younger munchkin and the other half kicking everybody's tails in darts and Wii. It was quite impressive! Anyway, the food was all amazing and we had a great time.

Henry was so excited, he passed out.

When we got back that night, we went next door for Henry to see his awesome godparents, Betsy & Brandon, and have dessert part II. I nearly popped. Henry was a grumpus - it was a good hour past his bedtime, but I swear Brandon is like the baby whisperer. He should probably be glad they don't live close by.

Adam and I consider ourselves brave, but on Thursday night, we braved the unthinkable - Toys R Us on Black Friday. That, my friends, is how much we love our kids. The line went entirely around the parking lot, wrapped around the store, and then went pretty much all the way out to Columbiana Drive. After the store opened, it took us an hour just to get inside. When we left 2.5 hours after it opened, there was still a line outside of people waiting to get in. The line to pay snaked through half the store. Not only did we not expect to get what we wanted - we didn't expect the store to have any merchandise AT ALL, but somehow we left with what we went for. Mission accomplished.

On Saturday morning we went to Costco to get our Christmas tree. We didn't see the trees outside, so we went on in and did a little shopping. When we checked out, we found out we had to pay for the tree inside, so we did and went outside to pick it out. Then we realized why we didn't see the trees - there were 4. 1, 2, 3, 4. And they were all wrapped up. It wasn't quite the tree buying experience we had envisioned, but we selected the fattest one and threw her in the truck. John Dickson insisted that we point the rear view mirror down so that he could look at the tree in the back of the truck as we drove. Now, at Halloween, we are all about a Charlie Brown pumpkin. At Christmas, Charlie Brown isn't quite what we were going for, but its grown on us (not literally...). As our ornament collection is still young, our tree doesn't look quite as bare when it is so small, and I thought that FINALLY I would have a properly lit tree. It turns out 700 lights just isnt enough for any size tree. Note to self: must buy more lights. And perhaps a fire extinguisher.

I'd say John Dickson loves his Christmas tree - he left to go to Winston Salem for 5 nights (holy cow!!!) and when I told him I would miss him, he replied "I gonna miss my Christmas tree." Oh well, I'd much prefer that to him having separation anxiety - he does love his grandparents! In the meantime, Henry is eating up being an only child, and our house is insanely quiet. We do miss our little boy!!!!

Putt Putt, Colossus and BBQ Suckers

Sunday afternoon was absolutely beautiful and so we loaded up and headed out for some perusing at Toys R Us and some fun at Frankies Fun Park. I can barely keep my eyes open, so you'll have to settle for the highlights:

We went to Toys R Us to get some ideas for what John Dickson might want for Christmas, but once we got there, I realized I did not want him to see what we had already planned on getting him, so as we walked in, I told Adam we were going to avoid B-U-Z-Z. No lie, before I could get the words out of my mouth, John Dickson said "That's Buzz right there!!" Fortunately, it was a big banner and not the awesome 1000 function bilingual U-Command Buzz.

John Dickson played his first real game of putt putt. He did all 18 holes and he is actually incredibly good. He has a hard time once he gets close to the hole, but his first drive (hit? putt?) is pretty incredible, and I do not exaggerate - he almost got a hole in one. Clearly he got his putt putt skills from his mom. He and Adam played while I toted Henry around, and every once in a while when Adam would hit the ball, John Dickson would chase it, stop it, and then carry it to the hole. It. was. hilarious. I forgot the camera.

John Dickson wanted to see the "little cars" and so I took him over to Road Course. I totally forgot they had 2 seater go carts, and so of course we had to ride. He rode once with me and once with Adam, and it was pretty funny to watch. You couldn't see John Dickson over the steering wheel or over the back of the go cart, so really, you could only see him when they passed by and the view was directly from the side. John Dickson waved every time he went around.

We tried a little experiment on Sunday - instead of candy everytime John Dickson went to the potty, he got one big candy at the end of the day. By the time we got back from Frankies, we were all pretty hungry and John Dickson had a big plate of chicken, peas and baked beans. He finished it all and then he wanted his Tootsie Roll Pop. He earned it and we let him have it. Halfway through, he said he wanted more food. We gave him more beans and more chicken. He alternated sucker, beans, chicken, sucker, beans, chicken. He then proceeded to dip his sucker in BBQ sauce as he ate it. He finished everything. We gagged a little.

John Dickson's appetite has been in full force lately. He has been eating dinner and then eating again later when we eat. We try to eat together, but it doesn't always happen. When he eats his second dinner, it is usually cold vegetables, if that tells you how hungry he has been. He also went to CiCis the other night and polished off 5 pieces of pizza (crust included) and a breadstick. The boys had Thanksgiving dinner at school today and John Dickson chowed down. Adam headed back to work and then I went to get Henry all situated back in his class. When I came back to tell John Dickson bye, the rest of his class was starting to get settled in for naps, and John Dickson was still eating. I forgot the camera.

Speaking of outrageous appetites, I was FLOORED today when the pediatrician told me Henry needed to pack on the LBs. She actually said we need to just watch him to make sure he is getting enough to eat and make sure he doesn't drop in percentile. He weighed in at 15 lbs 15.5 oz today (60 somethingth percentile) and his length was 26 inches (77th percentile). Both had been in the upper 80s/lower 90s. His big ole noggin was the 98th percentile. Everything checked out well, but Henry did have goopy eyes (thats an adjective, right?) and the pediatrician thought it might be an early sign of pink eye. We later found out that another kid in his class has pink eye, so it very well may be. Last time Henry got vaccines, he had a record 7.5 hr stretch of sleep, and we are hoping for a repeat performance this time. He's at 4 and counting.

John Dickson was pretty wound up tonight and did not want to go to bed. As soon as we closed his door, he started screaming for Adam to bring him Colossus (action figure). Adam went in to give it to him, and when he opened the door, John Dickson was holding Colossus and just burst into laughter. The student becomes the master.

Tomorrow we are off on our way to Thanksgiving festivities. We are bringing a dip that you put on graham crackers. They may all be crushed thanks to someone riding the box of graham crackers like a horsey.

Never a dull moment. The camera is packed.

A Friday Afternoon Funny

Amanda will probably really not appreciate me posting this, but I laugh every time I read this and find it extremely blog-appropriate.

Questions

There's no rhyme or reason to this post, and its not "going anywhere." It's just things running through my mind at the moment.

Why does my child straddle the toilet and pretend it is a ride?

Why does Lazy, as we call her, now avoid the handicapped parking spot, now opting for the closer spot of the non-spot in front of daycare? Next week she's going to drive through the doors and park outside the class.

Who told Lazy it was ok to send her 2 year old to school with a bag of Cool Ranch Doritoes for breakfast?

Why does my child think everyone should be named "Uncle Jason?"

Why shouldn't I send a bowl of Williams Sonoma cranberry relish to the daycare Thanksgiving and pretend it is my own?

What exactly makes Bojangles sweet tea soooo delicious?

What exactly does John Dickson do in his "Happy Feet" soccer time that makes the instructor say he is very advanced for his age? (Bragging? Yes.)

Why does my sister want to "beat Santa" in the gift giving to my children?

Why exactly is staying up the entire night of Thanksgiving a tradition for me? I could think of better ones...

When I send extra clothes with my husband to daycare, why do I find toddler underwear in Henry's cubby?

How many prenatal vitamins has my husband given the dog?

If my dad knows my birthday, why do I have to call him every year and sing happy birthday to myself?

Will I scar my children by continuing to sing a song about a dog who gets run over by a truck and subsequently eaten by a dog?

And then I found a $5 bill!

Wordless Wednesday

The John Dickson Friday Afternoons

My way of saying, I forgot something.

I struck a great deal for hot yoga - 90 minutes in a room heated to 85 degrees. I pretty much love it. I've been a couple of times now and the first time John Dickson really wanted to play with my yoga mat. The second time, he was very confused.

After yoga on Saturday, I ran into Whole Foods to grab a bell pepper to make tacos. When I came home, John Dickson ran over to look in my bag. I told him it was just a bell pepper and I took it out to show it to him. He insisted on looking in the bag himself, and then he looked back up at me and, almost hurt, said "Mommy finish it all up?"

Yogaaaaa, baby. Not yogurt.

The John Dickson Fridays

It's been a while... let's begin, shall we?

Henry was in his entertainer the other night and John Dickson was truly trying to play with him. There are buttons on the entertainer that have animals on them and they say the animals name, makes the sound, etc. I prompted John Dickson to teach Henry about the animals, and instead of starting to make animal sounds like I expected, he took Henry's hand and gently helped him press all of the buttons. I kid you not. We did not even have to intervene on Henry's behalf - he was doing it that gently. I maybe cried. A little. Maybe.

John Dickson is crazy excited about Christmas, and he doesn't even fully understand the concept yet. Someone (daycare we think?) told him about Christmas trees, and this weekend he has been desperate to "get a christmas tree in my home." We keep telling him they are not for sale yet, and he nods knowingly and says "I get Christmas tree... in a minute." We took the kiddos to the mall yesterday, where, by the way, there was a slight mix up in which there were no size 2 diapers in the diaper bag. Henry sported a size 5. Roll with it. John Dickson loves secrets and often asks me to tell him a secret. So, yesterday, I told him I had a secret for him. And then I whispered in his ear that Santa was at the mall. And then he screamed "SANTA'S AT THE MALL DADDY!!!!!!!!!" Note to self and to readers: do not trust John Dickson with a real secret.

Aaaanyhoo, turns out they let kids just go visit with Santa - no photographing required. So we convince John Dickson to go see the jolly guy by telling him he needs to tell Santa that he wants a Buzz and a Woody (The toy story dolls, not the college experience... dirty dirty minds - you know who you are). So, in true John Dickson form, John Dickson marches right up to him, Santa says "hey little guy!" and John Dickson says "Buzz and Woody!"

Santa gave John Dickson a little wish list card to take with him, and then...

Santa: "You need to come back for pictures before the lines start getting long, so sister will be happy"
Me, in my head: "Did he just say sister?"
Santa: "Right? Where'd your husband go?"
Me, in my head: "I dont know where I got sister from... how does he know my husband is impatient?"
Santa, to John Dickson: "Here you go buddy, take another one for Sissy"

Seriously. Henry, over there with Adam, wearing all blue. Seriously.

It took us a few minutes to leave the Santa area of the mall, because John Dickson thought he was getting a Buzz and a Woody right then and there. When I started trying to explain the elves making his toys in the North Pole, he sort of gave me the funny smile that he smiles when he has no idea what is going on.

So the pack n play is still in our room next to our bed, because well, Henry still sleeps there. We have been fighting John Dickson for months now to stay out of it. The other night I was feeding Henry and John Dickson wanted to get in. I told him no - he listened. I went to go put Henry in his crib, where he spends the first hour long portion of the night and when I came back, surprise surprise, John Dickson in the pack n play. He also likes to straddle the entertainer and make it turn so that it is his own personal carousel. Anyhoo, I told him sternly to get out, right now. He looked at me, pointed to the door and said, with authority "Go feed Henry Mama!!!"

On Saturday afternoon, John Dickson let me rock him to sleep for a nap. I cried a little. Maybe. A little.

Yes Please!

Can someone please pass Henry's rolls?







Can you believe how fat this baby is?!? He goes in for his 4 month check up on the 23rd and we'll know the stats, but I have the feeling he weighs about 35 lbs and is in the 4,847th percentile. I guess we will see. At any rate, The Hen, The Hennis, Henry Bear, Henry, whatever you want to call him, is 4 months old today.

Henry is a rolling machine now and loves to lay on his back, thrash his arms and legs wildly and roll back and forth. He's very talkative these days, and he still remains in the 2 member club "People Who Like Mom's Singing."

Henry is taking 5 ounces every 3-4 hours, and continues to wake up at least every 3 hours at night. Last night he got up 8 times. It's why he's so... what was the term Karin used to describe him... roly poly.

Henry loooooooooves bath time and is a splashing fool!! He's gonna be a water bug, just like his Nana. Did you know my mom got a medal in the Jr Olympics for swimming? You learn something new everyday.

Henry continues to love his seahorse, and has actually started going to sleep like a big boy all by himself with it.

Henry's going to be a big cousin in April to a sweet baby GIRL!!!!!! We cant wait to meet little Emma and her giant headbands.

He's our roly poly cuddle bug and he's 4 months old!!!

A Final Note

I know, I know, Halloween is pretty over, but we still have a pumpkin on our porch, and I want my kids to be able to scroll through the blog that I am sure will by then be an obsolete form of communication and know what their childhoods were like. So, in the spirit of full disclosure, I thought John Dickson should know just how tricky he thought he was.



Any idea what is going on here?

That's John Dickson and his plastic pumpkin of candy, hiding under his blanket, or what he likes to think of as his "invisibility cloak" - (did I get that right? I don't do Harry Potter). Anyhoo, if you look carefully, you can see a lollipop stick poking out from under the blanket.

Halloween- The Compulsory Narrative

For some reason my wife insists on pointing out when I guest-write, so I guess I should note that this is an "Adam Blog:"

For the big spooky day, Granna and Papa came to visit (as well as Aunt Lauren and Uncle Jared who came up the night before) and spent some quality time with the two little dudes. Much fun was had and laughs were shared, a masterful dino-pumpkin was even carved, but John Dickson was ready to get to his bidness.

What is his bidness you ask? His bidness is candy. The church we go to here in Piedmont was having a huge Trunk or Treat event that me and the little man decided to hit up. The church grounds were replete with bouncy houses, fire trucks, face painting, hayrides, and the big money item....candy. After (literally) a 45 minute line we entered the car "neighborhood" where Spidey hit up every person for a treat. We got about halfway through when he noticed the taktors pulling the hay rides, and from that point on we were Taktor or Bust. We abandoned our quest to fill the plastic pumpkin (much to my dismay) and got onto the hayride. John Dickson loved it and got really excited to tell me what color the tractor was. A lot.

After debarking the tractor we stumbled upon the magical world of face painting. John Dickson had not yet discovered the joys of the facial arts, but it is not something he will soon forget. He got his very own spider (what else would a Spider Man get?) and, to be truthful, had no idea what was going on until I took him home and showed it to him in the mirror. After that though, he was entranced. He probably stood on the bathroom counter for about 10 minutes studying his awesome new face. Needless to say, we were less than thrilled when it came off in the bath.

The final event of Trunk or Treat were the two massive fire trucks. John Dickson is a fire truck fiend and was over the moon sitting in the seats and playing with the hats. We obviously had to get on both because fire trucks vary quite greatly from one to the next. Or so John Dickson would have me believe.

As a final note, it's entirely possibly I am now addicted to candy.

Halloween - Part John Dickson

An Adam Post:

Moving at spider speed....
Daddy and John Dickson on the hay ride
John Dickson next to the masterfully carved dino-pumpkin.
We let him pick this year and Adam carved it freehand, masterfully.
Ready to get rid of some pumpkin seeds

A little web-slinging to get the party started.

Happy Birthday Aunt Erin!!

Happy Birthday Aunt Erin - Take 1


Aaaand Take 2

Halloween - Part Henry

A quick preview into Henry's first Halloween - no, I didn't forget our firstborn, but lets face it, their Halloweens were very different, and blogger only lets me posts 5 pictures at a time. John Dickson will have his own post(s).

Aunt La La and Uncle Jared came up Saturday night to play and spend the night, so of course they were there Halloween morning! Aunt La La refused to be photographed.



He's gonna make a good dad.

Granna and Papa swung by later that morning for a super scary Halloween brunch. And by super scary, I mean that I made deviled eggs. And also that BiLo's cinnamon rolls were a tad questionable.

This is a GREAT picture -



Granna with her little chicken** -



Wait, where was Henry? He's sad you did not recognize him...



He's right here of course!



**A chicken is not to be confused with a gamecock

"Whats up, John Dickson?"

Ever wonder what is going on in a 2 year old's mind? I had to convince John Dickson to let me record his ramblings by telling him we were making a movie, which is why at the end of the first video, he says "how about a commercial?" Grab a bag of popcorn - this could take a while.





And no one believes us that he never stops talking when he's at home...