Note: Thanksgiving = Turkey

"Hey, Mom! Look at that blow up goose on their lawn!"
"It's a turkey sweetie."

"Mmm, this chicken is good!"
"It's turkey honey."

Upon seeing the bones after the carving:
"Mom, did that used to be a dinosaur?"
"No, Hales. It used to be a turkey."
"Oh. Right."

We may be well past the holiday before Hayley associates Thanksgiving with not only the right bird, but the correct animal in general. One that hasn't been extinct for millions of years.

It was a fun holiday anyway, especially with this Little Turkey.

Although it's getting to be a joke to call him a "Little" anything. Jackson had a doctor's appointment the day before Thanksgiving, and weighed in at 15 lbs 7 oz. That's the 75th percentile, up from the 19th percentile at his last visit! The doctor was surprised, but not concerned, since his length matched his height at 25 inches and 76th percentile.

I don't care how much you grow Jackson, you'll still be my little boy for ever and ever, even when you're big(ger)!

So Thankful

Some of you have been posting every day with something you are thankful for. And while I'm really not that disciplined to post every day, I've really enjoyed your posts. And it's gotten me thinking about things that I am thankful for.

I'm thankful for my family. My mom, dad, both sisters, and most of the extended family all live within a half hour drive of us. Sometimes I think I take this for granted. I'm so glad that my kids know and love their grandparents, and even their great grandma. I'm thankful for my sisters, both of which I also consider friends.

I'm thankful for my husband. I tell him all the time that we would have never been friends in high school, so it's a good thing we didn't meet then. I'm so proud of his work ethic and what an amazing dad he is. He's able to be home with our kids for three days during the week, and you can tell it in the bonds he has with our kids.

I'm thankful for my two wonderful children. Happy, healthy (for the most part), cute, fun to hang out with, go to bed and stay asleep fairly easily. And funny and sassy. At least Hayley is. And I'm sure Jackson will hold his own.

I'm thankful for a job that I like most days, and truly love some days. It's so nice to do something that I love, that I know that I am good at (sorry, but it's true) and get paid to do it. Plus the kiddos crack me up, and I get to work with a team of gals that are some of my favorite people.

I'm thankful for the internet. And blogging. And Facebook. Let me explain. People, in person, sometimes make me nervous. Especially people that I haven't seen in a while, or don't know very well. I feel like I constantly flub up what I want to say, and look dumb. There are lots of old friends and new friends that I feel like I've gotten to know much better from glimsping into their lives through their posts. So, I guess really I'm thankful for friends, old and new.

And a few more random things I'm thankful for:
Curling irons, Diet Coke, Rolaids, compressed air (flat tire last night), preschool, a potty trained kid, cell phones, seat belts, Tylenol, heat, central air, Snapfish, hand-me-downs, Miche bags, hoodies, electricity (power went out last night), Mulan, microwaves, Nuk binkies, makeup, hot showers, Disneyland, a paid-off car, flashlights, toliet paper, band-aids, a warm bed, a home, my country, the Pledge of Allegiance, soldiers, Thanksgiving, hugs, kisses, and cuddles.

Who could ask for more?

So thankful for a wonderful life that I love to live every day.

For My Teacher Friends

This is a piece of writing I found in a teacher book titled Rainbows, Head Lice, and Pea Green Tile. Teachers, you'll relate to this. And parents, I hope you are not offended by this. If you are offended, then quit doing your kid's work. :)

The Note I Never Sent

To the Father of Martin Ambrose

Dear Mr. Ambrose,

Congratulations on the lovely job you did

With Martin's science project.

Your tree cross-section was accurate

And the root system was structurally correct.

Enclosed you will find Martin's version of the project.

I had him do it at school today.

It's not quite as detailed as yours

But it's very good.

You'll be happy to know

Martin earned a B.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Lester

That's Just the Way I Roll

He's been doing this for about a month now. Little Boy is not fond of being on his tummy. He'll either plunk his face down in the blanket and cry, or immediately flip over, as shown here. As you'll see, he's quick. That's why this is the first time I've gotten it on video.

In case you didn't notice, Little Boy ain't so little anymore. He's getting to be a pretty big chunk of baby! Hayley was never as much of a chub as this one is. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. His rolls are darling, both on his little body, and the ones from his tummy to his back.

P.S. No fair making fun of my "baby talk".

The Time Had Come

Just like with Hayley, when I started nursing Jackson, my baby weight started to fall off. To the tune of about 25 pounds in about six weeks. But then, just like with Hayley, the weight loss seemed to flatline there. It was then that I knew the time had come.

The time, my friends, for this:

I joined on Halloween. (Not the smartest cookie, eh?) So, in my first week, I had a major holiday, two days of Parent Teacher Conferences, an outing to Olive Garden, and a massive shake from Iceberg.

To my amazement, I still lost 2.2 pounds.

So, I decided for this last week to really give it my all. I journaled religiously, stayed in my points most days, drank my milk, took my vitamin, etc.

The results?

2.6 pounds.

My thoughts on that? What the heck?! Followed by a high points Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks that I'd been craving all week. Followed by the realization of how much better I'd actually felt for the last week. Followed by the realization that this is why they call it a lifestyle change. It's not all about the number all the time.

So why am I posting about this? Because now I know that other people know. Because just you knowing will help me keep me on track. And because checking in here will hopefully keep me more accountable. And because being at my goal weight was one of my goals to attain before I die. And I'd prefer sooner, rather than later.

I've added a sidebar to track my progress. :)

Wish me luck!

The Tiger and the Mouse

While the title of this post may sound like one of those stories that teach a life lesson, it's not. Really, it's just what the kids were for Halloween. Enjoy!

I was on track this year for Halloween, so I also dressed up on Friday. All of the 4th grade teachers were fairies.

Here we are, in all our glory! The amazing makeup was courtesy of Tiffany, and the wig was Suzanne's idea, because I'm all about a day of skipping doing my hair!

Well Aware (Tagged... Maybe)

While I'm well aware that the Heather that Hayley JW tagged may not be me, I'm doing this post on "The Fives" anyway, 'cause it looked fun.

Five things I don't leave the house without:

1. diaper bag (I learned my lesson with Hayley that if I leave without it, there will be mess!)
2. something cool to pull out of the bag for Hayley when she gets restless
3. shoes
4. keys
5. cell phone

Five cartoons I watched when I was younger:

1. Jem and the Hollagrams
2. The Smurfs
3. Maya the Bee
4. Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers
5. Saved by the Bell (Technically not a cartoon, but it was on Saturday mornings...)

Five things that terrify me:

1. Something bad happening to one of my kids
2. Something bad happening to my husband
3. Something bad happening to one of my parents
4. Something bad happening to one of my sisters
5. Scary movies

Five things I dislike that everyone else seems to like:

1. Scrapbooking
2. Cycling
3. Onions
4. Peppers
5. Flying

Five things I want to do before I die:

1. Get to my goal weight (sometime before I am dead...)
2. Be totally debt free (car, house, everything)
3. Visit family in the Netherlands
4. Go to Paris with Jeremy
5. Have an annual pass to Disneyland

Five people I tag:

1. Mel
2. Kimi
3. heather
4. Kelley
5. Jen

Do Me a Favor

Just know that if you say these things, this is what teachers will be thinking about you, even as we continue to smile.

"So what exactly do you do all day that I have to help my child with work at home?"
(Hello, that's part of your job as a parent! Feel free to come in and see what I do all day! Even better, feel free to come in and do what I do all day.)

"We don't really believe in homework in our family."
(Well, we believe in it here at school. Please support what we do, especially when we are trying to teach your child important concepts and responsibility in the process.)

"Well, I never learned that and I turned out just fine."
(That's a matter of opinion. Please don't give your child an "out" so they don't have to work hard.)

However, feel free to say these:

"Thanks for all you do."

"What can I do to help my child?"

"I appreciate you."

"My child likes coming to your class."

"You're very organized."

Can you tell it was Parent Teacher Conferences this week? Hence the lack of Halloween posting as of yet. It's coming, I promise.

Worth the Wait

Finally getting these smiles on camera,

was seriously worth the wait!

He Just Loves Me!

Any of you who know Hayley probably know that she can be a total crack up. She makes me laugh because rarely will she say about her baby brother, "I love him." It's always "He loves me!" or "He just loves me so much!"

After the last picture above, she said, "He just loves me so much that he started crying!" Yes, I'm sure that was it. It had nothing to do with the overbearing bear hug!