Food, Sugar, Sleep

Food, sugar, more food, more sugar, some sleep…followed by some leftovers, and then hit repeat.  This is probably all the description you need to guess that it’s Thanksgiving time.  Food is certainly a nice part of Thanksgiving, but it’s also great to have several days off to spend with the family.  We’ll be making the long, arduous, and significant trek…braving the immense holiday traffic, to my Grandma’s house a full ten minutes away :)   

The itinerary for the time off will hopefully include some fun activities, putting up remaining the Christmas decorations, and having some fun around the house.  I wish I could say sleeping in late was on the agenda, but that never happens.  The inevitable chores and small projects will undoubtedly keep the time off practical and deliver a dose of reality, but hopefully those can be minimized.

Getting ready for the
Sounders Game!!!

After Turkey Day, Karen is deciding to brave the Black Friday shopping.  I hope her helmet, shoulder pads, and other protective gear provide ample defense against the hoard of anxious, ravenous, and unforgiving shoppers.  I’ve witnessed the mob in action before, and I’m more than happy to kick back and relax at home with my little buddy Corwin.  Sydney is going to participate in the madness with Karen this year, so we’ll see what she looks like when she returns home.

While I could sit here and rattle off all of the traditional things I am thankful for (friends, family, health, etc.), I’d like to assume you already know all of those and just highlight the few other things that I thankful for:

*The bad weather…believe it or not, the bad weather prevents some of the outside house projects from being done, opening up time for more fun activities  

*The Sounders…who are one win away from being in the MLS cup

*Sydney’s reading…who can now read bedtime stories to her brother at night

 *Corwin’s sleeping…who now can sleep through the night (even if he gets up 20 minutes too early each day)

*Corwin’s vocabulary…he’s adding new words on a regular basis (and no swear words yet either, ha ha!)

*Although Sydney may accessorize Corwin with princess attire, he still enjoys playing with trucks and soccer balls

*Sydney’s card-game skills…she can beat me at Uno, without even having to cheat

*My changed hearing (or likely increased tolerance)…I am becoming more accustomed to Sydney’s off-key singing

*Coffee (nothing more needs to be said)

*Karen’s ability to realize how funny, witty, handsome, and modest her husband is

As you can see from the pictures, the arrival of Thanksgiving has also meant the preparations and decorations for Christmas!  I’m sure there’s plenty more I could share, but rather than drone on to the two or three of you that may actually see this, I’ll instead wish you a Thanksgiving filled with fun, family, friends, pie, turkey, potatoes, and gravy!!!

Sydney's school assignment...
disguise the turkey so
he doesn't get eaten!

The kids watching Mary Poppins...
always a classic!

Happy Halloween!!!

An absence of protein and an abundance of sugar and calories can only mean one thing, it's Trick or Treat'n time!!!

It was certainly a much difference experience being in a new neighborhood.  Our experience over the past 7 years in Sudden Valley was to wait for our 'one' neighbor kid to show up.  It was the same thing every year, but for some reason it didn't stop Karen from buying three big bags of candy.  I think that was her excuse for going into her own sugar-coma.  "Oh, look at all this leftover candy we have."  Premeditated I tell ya!  But this year, in our new place, we were literally swarmed with trick or treaters.  We finally decided to leave a bowl of candy out so that we could take the kids around the neighborhood ourselves.  Of course, when we got back it was totally empty, and I hope it wasn't empty so long that people considered egging our house or performing some other sinister act.  Many of the neighbors had good treats, and one even had a hot-chocolate stand, dishing out small cups of tasty goodness along with glow sticks and glow bracelets (not a cheap endeavor, but very cool on a cold night).

Sydney decided to wear her Elsa costume.  She acquired the costume a few weeks ago and has paraded it through the house on several occasions.  We saw about four other Elsa's in the neighborhood, and being sincerely 'not' biased, she was by far the best.  Sydney's little buddy Evelyn also joined us for the sugar collection process.

Corwin also had a fantastic time.  Being two years old and not really understanding the Halloween concept too much, he did not offer much resistance to being placed in an Olaf costume (Elsa's snowman sidekick).  Now that he's got one year under his belt, I think next year Karen will not get away with making him an accessory.  He'll undoubtedly want to pick out his own costume.  By the end of the night, Corwin was on a mission.  He would walk up and knock on the door, and when it opened he would actually say "trick or treat," or at least his version of it.  While we really haven't exposed him to much candy, we did actually give him a couple of pieces of candy last night.  He was so excited to try them, and with no big surprise he liked them immensely.

We all had a great time, and with our first Halloween completed in a new setting I'm sure we'll be well prepared for next year.

 We hope everyone else enjoyed

Halloween!!!