Turkey Soup!

My mom and I made the annual turkey soup today. First we boil the turkey bones, aka carcass. Then the rest is a big family secret! It basically involves turkey, alphabet noodles, tons of veggies, baked beans, potatoes (white and sweet) and one rutabaga and one parsnip! I have no idea how the last two things affect the huge pot of soup, but my Grandmom always put them in, so we do too! Then the secret part is to add stuffing and coleslaw and other Thanksgiving leftovers! It really winds up being more of a stew than a soup, but it is one of my favorite things to eat! I cannot wait to make this with my daughter some day!

Window Fun!

Justin was so cute today playing in the window. He kept hiding behind the curtain and wrapping it around his head! He was so full of himself and it was so cute! There is nothing better than a happy kid - and Justin is such a happy kid! I love his smile and his laugh. It is impossible not to be happy when he is happy!

Justin laughingtrying to hidepeek-a-boo

Then Justin climbed up on the couch to get his brother Brian. Brian was pretending to be asleep and Justin didn't quite know what to think of it. I thought about it for a second and then realized that I don't think he has ever seen anyone actually asleep. He must have been a little confused seeing Brian just lying there with his eyes closed. He was cautious at first and then thought it was funny!

trying to figure it outlaughing at Brian

Black Friday!

One of my favorite days of the year!!! Yep, I am the crazy lady at the stores at 4 am! And yes, I waited over an hour in line at three different stores to get discounts. I am proud of it an had a great time. I was also able to complete my Christmas shopping! I made my rounds to five different stores, three were really crowded and two were not so bad. I was home by 9 am!

I also went out at night too. There were some stores having discounts after 6 pm, I had to hit those sales too!

Turkey Day 2008!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and have so much to be thankful for! I started cooking early in the morning and the big boys all went to the local football game around 10:30. Then they came home, and I was still cooking and preparing. All the boys then went to Brian's brother's house for a few appetizers. My mom came over to help me finish the cooking, I need her to make the gravy! To be fair she did make the green bean casserole too! We had a nice dinner and Justin surprised me by eating a ton of turkey meat! Go Justin! I really hope that there is a cute little girl sitting at our table next Thanksgiving!!!

Sean's Feast

To be fair, it worked out well that I got to go into Sean's classroom today. His class had their feast today and I was in charge of the craft. We made a fake turkey dinner on paper plates. There was a small hole cut out of the paper plate and a paper wheel attached to the back. We wrote numbers backward from 6 on the plate in half-hour increments. On the top of the plate it said, "When do we eat?" This was Sean could turn the wheel as the day went on and keep a count down until turkey time!

After that they had popcorn, turkey shaped cookies and juice. They kids loved their snacks and had a great time!

Baking and Shaking!

Today I was able to go into Brian's school and help out in his classroom. They were making treats for their Thanksgiving day feast tomorrow! They made corn muffins, pumpkin cranberry muffins, butter, and applesauce. I was on the butter station. The kids added heavy cream to glass jars, and just shook them. I cannot believe I never did that as a kid.The cream became thicker and thicker and got harder and harder to shake. Then, all of a sudden, it turned into a hard lump of butter!

Truly amazing. The kids were so excited. Of course there were a few goofy kids who shook too hard and smacked themselves in the head. But all in all, they were pretty well behaved. Oh, there was this one girl in a purple shirt. When it was her turn to shake, she shook so hard that her face turned the color of her shirt. I don' have to tell you that she was the hit of the afternoon in second grade!

Playground Fun!

I had my camera at the playground to show it to a friend today and ended up getting some cute shots of Justin! He was so funny just running around and playing in his own world. I don't think he even knew I was there for a few minutes!

Baltimore - Go Ravens!

We had so much fun at the Ravens game today!!! They beat the Eagles 36-7! Normally we root for the Eagles being so close to Philly, but when they are playing the Ravens, well, you know! When your nephew is the starting QB team loyalties fly out the window! It was a cold day, but not unbearable. I think that was because it wasn't too windy. We were all the way at the top of the stadium, only one row from the top! We got our tickets from one of the Eagles' coaches and I guess they don't reserve good seats for Eagles fans!

We did get side line passes to go on the field before the game during warm-ups. It is amazing to see first-hand the size of these guys. I read the stats on TV and understand that they are big guys, but standing there a few feet from them is a different story! The boys got to see the down marker, sit on the Eagles' bench, and each got an official Eagles football!

After the game, we waited around to see Joe. He signed a ton of autographs - a lot of them for Brian and Sean! It was so neat to be in the players' parking lot and see them all leave in their awesome cars!

before the game

sitting on the players' bench
the view from our seats SeanBrianSean giving his Dad a dirty lookthe seats emptied out
when it was clear the Eagles lostJoe making a passJoe running with the ballBrian and Sean with Joe after the game

Playing Dumb

Don't you wish your kids would do their "tricks" on cue like a dog? Our dog will sit, shake, lay down, hide his face, and speak on command. He does even better when he gets a treat dangled in front of him. He doesn't care who is watching or how many people or watching. He doesn't care if Grandmom stopped by on a special trip just to see the new trick. He does the tricks faithfully and without question.

Sadly, not the same can be said for children. They learn a new song in school and suddenly forget the words around their Grandparents. They wave bye-bye for the first time and you brag to your neighbor. Then the kid deliberately holds his arms down by his side when you ask him to wave. They learn a new word and when asked to speak, only crickets can be heard in the background.

It is so fun to be a parent and have your kid do something you are so proud of. Unfortunately, you cannot get your kid to perform on cue. Dog treats have no effect and bribery only works sometimes. So, what is a parent to do? I say have a video tape handy and play it back when friends and family are around!!!

First Snow

We have had a few flurries here and there over the past few weeks. I am sure that the first sight of white flakes falling from the sky had children everywhere searching for boots and sleds. My kids think that when they see flurries that it means inches upon inches to frolic in. Nope, not the case here. Not yet anyway! This morning we got a little more than flurries but not enough to even call a coating. I did get a few good pictures - with just minutes to spare. After I went back in the house the sun came out and the snow melted right before my eyes. Glad my timing was spot on. Well, this time anyway. Still loving my camera and having so much fun with it! I don't know if the pictures are big enough here, but you can actually see the specific flakes in some photos.

melted snow

M&M Fun!

Justin, for once, ate a pretty good lunch today. So, I decided to reward him with a few M&Ms. He loves them and will do just about anything for chocolate. He had fun playing with them on the high chair tray, but it wasn't long before they all disappeared!

making his selection

a few too many at once?funny boysilly facesthe boys taught him this

Philly at Sunset

I feel so removed from the city where we live, but I guess these pictures prove that we are a suburb of Philadelphia. I took these pictures on a small bridge within walking distance of our house. It was really cold and the wind was piercing coming off the river, but I like how the pictures turned out. Next time, I have to get there a bit sooner, I missed the really bright colors of the sunset.

Sleeping Like A Baby

Justin fell asleep in the car today. I carried him into the house and put him in the chair. He was obviously still tired, and try as he might, he could not stay awake! His eyes were just a little too heavy. My Mom and I stood there and watching his eyes blink slower and slower. It was so cute to watch him fall asleep. There is nothing cuter than a sleeping kid!

still putting up a fight

fast asleep
so cute!

End of soccer, lots more football

Brian had his last soccer game today and then won 4-0. The last time they played this team it ended in a tie, so it was great for the kids to get a win! And a win on the last game of the season is great too! Brian played a great game, but no goals. He ended the season with two goals. I am so proud of how hard he worked and how hard he tried - every practice and every game it gave it his all!

Joe and the Ravens did not have as good of a game. They played the Giants, and were really not expected to win. They lost 30-10 and had a better second half than first. Joe was 20/33 for 164 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. One of the interceptions was not his fault though! We are going to the game next Sunday - Ravens vs. Eagles in Baltimore! So excited!

Got Heat?

Okay, so I had to break down and turn the heat on a little over a week ago. It pains me to pay those ever increasing utility bills! But we woke up one morning and the boys thought is was so neat that they could see their breath in the living room! Sean said, "Cool Mom! I can usually only do this outside!" So, that was my clue that it might be time to get the temperature in the house above 50 degrees!

Well, ever since then, Justin has been obsessed with the heat registers. He waits until he hears the heat come on and then runs to sit by the vent. He laughs as the warm air blows his hair all about. Maybe this is another clue for me that the boy needs a haircut! His favorite one is in the kitchen and he moves the stools under the counter out of the way to get a good seat! I was babysitting Macie today and she tried to steal a bit of his warm air - he was not having any of that and definitely let her know it!!!

happy baby

letting Macie know to back off
blowing hair

Baby No

This is how things have gone lately with Justin - can you guess what his favorite word is?

Me - Are you ready for bed?
Justin - No

Me - It's time for dinner.
Justin - No

Me - Do you want to got outside?
Justin - No

Me - Do you want a snack?
Justin - No

Me - Let's put your shoes on.
Justin - No

Me - Come here so I can change you.
Justin - No

Me - Do you want to play cars?
Justin - No

Me - Do you want your milk`?
Justin - No

Me - Do you want a lollipop?
Justin - yummmmmm!

Miscellaneous Pictures

Just trying out some camera settings and trying to figure out how to use some advanced options that I have been overlooking for years. It was just so easy to put everything on automatic and snap pictures, now I want more!!! What do you think?