Happy Birthday to Me!

Today was a busy day preparing food for Thanksgiving but we did manage to celebrate and have a great day. I got lots of phone calls from friends and family and fun presents. Mike started the day with a wonderful surprise breakfast of french toast - my favorite - and ended the night with a very nice mushy card. Dusti brought me some more of the fabulous pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Those are such a treat. I had a favorite dinner and topped it off with a huge slice of coconut cake (six layers of cake with custard between each filling, whipped cream frosting and toasted coconut adorned on the edges - man o man was that good!) It was a very good day and I am one lucky totally blessed girl!

A week in review

It started last Sunday with a wonderful birthday breakfast with friends. Jodi, Heather and I all have November birthdays so a group of six friends shared a very yummy breakfast. I received green tangerines gift cards that I promptly took advantage of to get a ribbon holder I have been wanted for a long time. Shelley and the kids arrived late Saturday night for a visit and she watched the kids while I was at my birthday breakfast. We went to the Galleria to meet up with her brother from Marysville and let me just say that the mall on a weekend day is not a good idea. While I worked on the gift for Nathan's coach, Laura sat and kept me company and she asked to play with the eyelets and I am convinced there is some hard wiring thing that makes certain people match things by color. I just had to take a picture of what she did with her drawing and putting the colored eyelets just so on the matching colored parts of her drawing. I am amazed by this kind of stuff because it is what I have done my whole life! So anyway, I did finish Nathan's coach gift for his end of the season soccer party. It was so fun to see the kids one last time all together. They really had fun playing soccer. The funniest thing about the bobble head trophies is that the kids actually thought they were like models of themselves - saying 'look at his hair it looks just like me and look at me smiling'. Just too cute!

Monday was fairly low key, just some running around and school for Nathan. I took a sewing class in the evening to help me with my pajama Christmas gifts. It was fun to get out and sew again.

Tuesday was Nathan's first parent teacher conference. I wasn't surprised by anything she said he needs work on - the most notable is that he does not consistently exert his best effort - no kidding! He is doing well and she enjoys having him in class so that was nice to hear. She did comment that she doesn't quite have him figured out yet and she is not always sure when he is joking but lets a smile crack every now and then and we talked about how Nathan gets his sarcastic humor from his daddy! Uncle Ken stopped by to visit dad while he was doing our yard work and it was good to see him. I just had to share the picture of Laura sweeping in her little Nemo shirt. I then got to go out for another birthday meal with friends. This time we went to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. The food was amazing. I had not been in a few years and I don't remember the food being that wonderful. I had the nicest night out I have had in a long while. The friends were good, the food was good and the dessert was really good. Dusti made me her famous (okay maybe only to me, Annie and Laura) pumpkin cupcakes. OMG - I am telling you I could eat dangerous amounts of them at one time. They were soooo good! I am one lucky girl to have such good friends!

Wednesday was just a busy house day. I snapped the cute little moment of Nathan 'reading' to Laura and Noah.

Thursday is Nathan's sharing day at school and every week he seems to want to bring some new lego creation. He got these really cool sets for his birthday that are three in one things where you can make three different things and we are going through them one by one. We are known in his class as the lego king and lego queen. It sure does take me back to my childhood where I would have to put together my brother Joey's lego sets.

Friday was a really busy day. Nathan had to be at school at 8:30 as opposed to 12 noon for the fall feast for his kindergarten class and my mom was sweet enough to come over and stay with Laura and Noah so I could help. Nathan had recently asked the teacher if his mom was ever going to come to his class so this was just in time. It was something he has been talking about for weeks. The morning class were the pilgrims and the afternoon class the indians. Nathan's indian name was 'Lightning War'. The kids were so darn cute dressed up in their pilgrim and Indian costumes. They had prepared food earlier in the week. They were told they didn't have to eat everything but had to at least try it all. They had mini corn muffins, beef jerky, chicken stew, pumpkin pie and apple juice. Nathan had a classmate birthday party in the evening so it was a late night. Once I figure out how to get the photos out of my phone I will post pics of his costume.

It was a full week and this weekend will be laundry, laundry and more laundry with some house cleaning and Thanksgiving prep thrown in. If I am brave enough maybe a trip to see the new Disney movie Bolt.

Superstar Soccer

Nathan has really enjoyed playing soccer. His team is the Superstars and he is just having a ball. This is the second time he got to play goalie, which is his favorite. He is not concerned with winning or losing - 'it is just about having fun mom'. I am glad he is coming out of his shell more and enjoying things for the pure enjoyment of them. He is just growing up way too fast for this mommy!

Happy Birthday Bup!

This was the night we celebrated my mom's birthday. The kids had movie night and I got some shots of Noah in the cutest hat I have ever seen. My mom and dad's neighbor made this for a baby shower gift and I just think it is the cutest!

The candy sort

This is something I thought Nathan would do but it is the work of Laura. Since Halloween she keeps taking her candy out to look at and keeps sorting it into piles she wants to eat first, second with which meals and so on. She is quite serious about her sweets. Into and out of the bucket they go. Thank goodness my friend Keri sent out a message about sending candy to the troops because I was not sure how I was going to get them to part with all that candy!

Happy Halloween!

Chris, Joni, Jaylyn and Jayce made the trip up to trick or treat with us. I just love seeing them and the kids always have a blast together. The night started a little rocky with Nathan not wanting to wear his costume. I mean really I paid I don't even want to say how much for the stinkin' costume, satchel and whip to make my life stress free this Halloween and he doesn't want to wear it!?! This from the kid who dresses up in costumes every single pickin' day and today of all days when you are supposed to wear a costume he doesn't want to?!! Well, after severe threatening he put it on and they were off. They didn't go to that many houses but they sure did get a lot of candy. They wanted to get back home so they could pass candy out. They were so cute setting up chairs and waiting by the door. We had a great dinner with great friends and we love them so much. It was a fun night the kids keep talking about daily, we want to go trick or treating again with Jaylyn and Jayce.

Big Brother Love

My two boys! Nathan is really coming into the big brother to Noah thing. He is always wanted to show me how he can hold him and tries to lift him and carry him every chance he can. Just a couple of cute boys to me!

Last minute pumpkin patch run

Don't try to go to the pumpkin patch two days before Halloween because you won't find any pumpkins. Well, I shouldn't say that because you will find very large, very rotten ones! This was another soccer practice day so we had Matt with us and Laura just ran around trying to do all the things the boys were doing. They were running around so fast I can't believe I got any pictures. I was able to get one of the new little pumpkin/fall hairclip I made Laura. I am officially obsessed with making felt hairclips by the way.

Big Sister, Baby Brother

My dear friend Shelley found the baby brother shirt for Noah and I think it is just adorable. The big sister shirt is the special shirt we got Laura for the day Noah was born. I had to bribe her with serious candy for these shots and I am so glad I have them. She is more like a little mother than a big sister but she has big love for little Noah. I can't even count the number of times she kisses him and checks on him and just smothers him with love and affection. The way she says, Noah, Noah, Noah in a breathy shaking her head from side to side voice will have to be captured on video soon so I have it always. I just love these pictures of them and will treasure them always.

Swirls

I am fascinated with the swirls of hair Noah has. I have never seen more than one swirl before and I am determined to find out what more than one means - probably more cowlicks! I just love the way his little baby soft hair swirls!

Soccer practice day

Just a few shots from a soccer practice day. Laura getting her water for the park. Nathan in his special yellow socks with the biggest grin on his face. Nathan with his school friend Matthew, who we bring home from school with us and take to practice and my sweet little blue eyed boy hanging out in the grass. Nathan loves soccer practice days!