So this is how it went down...

Thanksgiving went really well.  I had fun decorating and kept it simple.  The turkey came out well and the sides were delicious as were the desserts.  My sister Missy made a lot of the sides and the famous peanut butter pie so between my cooking and hers and Linda's goodies we had a TON of food.

In the midst of getting everything together my sweet children came to me and were so proud that they had dressed themselves.  One thing I have learned in my almost 5 years of parenting is you have to let some things go.  So they donned sponge bob shirts and too big sweats and mismatched socks.  It didn't make for a family portrait but it did provide my favorite pictures from thanksgiving.  These kids crack me up.

Jared googled "how to carve a turkey" and it went well.  Incidentally, I googled everything I wasn't sure how to do and called my sister in law Kim who was SO helpful. 
Jared had to remove the boys from the table once and talk to them but other than that the kids table did well and it was fun to hear them giggle together. 

My first big holiday is over and now we move onto Christmas Eve.  :)

Let the games begin

The baking and chopping has begun.  Tomorrow I host my first Thanksgiving.  I have been fine and not too stressed about it but last night I kind of "hit a wall".  I told Jared to help talk me off the ledge.  I started with what if the turkey is so disgusting we can't even eat it?  Jared, who always knows what to say to his crazy wife said...."It will be funny and we'll have a story to tell".  He's right.  Everyone has one of THOSE stories.  I don't want one but it may come along with this holiday hosting gig.

I've prepped all that I can and plan to finish my Pioneer Woman mashed potatoes this evening along with a couple of pies.  Oh yeah and then there's the dreaded turkey.  Why does the turkey freak me out????  I am going to have nightmares about turkey's attacking.  Ugh.  Oh well.  At this time on Friday it will all be a memory.  A good one I hope.  :)

Last night at 10:30 I decided I would feel better if I got all the dishes, pots, pans ready and labeled them.  My recipes are printed.  Lists are made.  This all brings comfort to this rookie.
Apple Sauce Done!

Baby bathed!

Cheerios spilled!
This happened this morning as I was trying to get things done.  Alex picked up the box upside down and most of the box spilled. After a shared moment of shocked silence we both just sat on the floor and laughed and laughed.  Addie failing to find the humor just parked her self in the middle of them and had a feast.  It was like Christmas for her.  
This was when Alex thought she had a great idea and joined her.  I'd like to be able to say I had JUST cleaned the floors so it wasn't that gross BUT I hadn't and it was that gross.  :)


Happy Thanksgiving.  I am thankful for all the moments that make up this crazy life.  God is good.

Ahh, the irony.  As I am typing that last line Alex and Eli knocked down my glass vase that was filled with cranberries.  The vase shattered and cranberries rolled all over the floor.  It wasn't funny like the cheerios, due to the fact that I had been asking them to get off the table for the past 10 minutes.  Oh well, still thankful, just a bit annoyed.  :)

  

Decorating Nani and Papa's Tree

Last year the boys joined in on the tradition of decorating Nani and Papa's tree and in previous years I think my niece & nephew, Amanda & Andrew did it. This year we headed there to do it again.  The boys loved it.  Addie had fun too.

I love this picture of Eli and Papa.

Thanksgiving Printable & Fine Motor

One of the main things we are currently working on with the boys is fine motor.  For the most part it needs to be incorporated into their play in ways they don't even realize.  Play-doh for instance is great at working the muscles needed to improve fine motor skills.  We also have wrung out sponges from one side of a dog dish to the other (left to right).  Pinched clothes pins open to attach to the side of a container.  All very effective and they are just having fun.
 

A couple of weeks ago I printed these Thanksgivng worksheets from Homeschool Creations to go with our books on Thanksgiving from the library. They loved them and I am hoping to get to them even more this week.  There are puzzles and tracing sheets, size sorts and a few other fun activities. They are really cute.

One thing one of the teachers I spoke with who work with children that are behind in fine motor mentioned was to cut down their pencils or crayons so that it forces them to use mainly their two fingers in order to hold it properly.  It worked for Eli below but you'll see Alex persisted and managed to still hold it incorrectly.  We are working on that but again if it becomes stressful I can kiss this fine motor work goodbye.


You gotta love the messy hot chocolate faces. :)  Hot chocolate has become almost a daily thing around here since the weather turned a bit colder.



Even picking up these cards is improving fine motor due to the way he has to grasp them to pick them up off the table.


While I have been aware of some of these fine motor activities some of them are new to me  and I'd like to start a little series of posts about them that will help keep me accountable to working on this diligently.  Hopefully I will get to that after Thanksgiving.  Check out the links to Homeschool Creations.  Seriously, GREAT printables.

PS  I just checked out the one for kindergarten age and there are a few clothes pin activities. I plan to try these tomorrow.

  

Ah, the busyness.

This week we are finally well but that just means there is LOTS of catching up to do.  My closet, for instance, is very "Sanford & Son".  I have managed to keep it very organized the ENTIRE year we have lived here and last week if fell apart COMPLETELY.  I actually told Jared last night that my closet is looking very "Becky" again.  This goes for my front room closet too.

OK now that my messy confessions are over I am mainly posting because my sweet Mother in Law, Carol...HI MOM!...keeps telling me that I need to post again and she is here watching my kids so I can breathe a little.  I cannot disappoint a loyal reader so here is a random post and maybe I'll even find a couple of pictures to throw in for good measure.

I am hosting Thanksgiving for 11 and am making my first turkey.  I figure I am 35 and I have been married for 9 years in March so it is time to suck it up and give it a go. So all of this means I have a busy week ahead.  Add to that a parade this weekend (YAY!) and a free photo book that has to be completed in 2 weeks, and nursery this weekend and OT appointments along with raising the kiddliewinks and you've got one busy Mama and Dad.  Other than that we are footloose and fancy free.  :)

From the outside looking in, or the opposite, actually.  (This was a rainy, windy day and the leaves looked pretty all over our porch so I decided to take a picture RIGHT as the mail woman walked up.  It was kind of funny.)

We have had to get creative in our play due to the fact that we've been a bit homebound with colds.  This is masking tape and the boys LOVED it.  They have hotwheel tracks but this was more interesting I guess.

They are doing well with real legos now.  The only challenge is keeping them off the floor so that Addie doesn't eat them.

Addie had her first oreo last week.  She LOVED it.


Jared and the boys made a really cool fort in the woods (aka Jungle) and of course had to bring home some sticks. I'll have to get the picture of the fort off of Jared's phone.  They also found a dead squirrel and when I asked Eli what he thought happened to it he said "it got attacked by a lion".  :)


Off to work on the photo book while Mom & Dad are here to help.

Winners

I haven't heard from a couple of my shutterfly winners.  Please e-mail me @ roddfam5@gmail.com so that I can respond.  I want to pass on the codes.  Thanks!


 

The Weekend

We are spending a lot of time at home this weekend trying to get well.  We all have some semblance of a cold.  Addie has had a 5 day dose of steroids and still sounds gross.  SO we cancelled our weekend commitments and we are attempting to rest.

The boys HAD to get outside for a bit because we have been cooped up on and off for about the past 3 weeks with these colds/coughs (and because steroids make Eli CRAZY!).  This is how they entertained themselves while Jared cleaned up the leaves.

Addie has been standing up a bit but ONLY on our bed for whatever reason.  Today was the first time she stood unassisted on the floor.  Apparently, contacting early on and setting up a plan was all that she needed for motivation because she has stood and is cruising furniture despite the fact that I haven't done a single exercise with her yet.  Now onto walking!
She is ALWAYS watching us to make sure we are watching her.  She is so proud when she hears the "Yay, Addie!"

The Laundry MUST go on!

Had to find humor in this moment.

Addie wanted a sippy of milk but still doesn't quite grasp the concept of tipping it up. I usually hold her for her milk, which I love, because I know it is only a matter of time before she demands her milk and which glass she'd like it in and then runs off to play. No more snuggles.

 Anyways, today I have a child who is a little under the weather and has those flu like symptoms that require a lot of underwear/pants changes therefor requiring a lot of laundry. This same child wants to be snuggled while he watches cartoons. This leaves me little time apart from him for laundry or time with Addie. Therefore the above was my solution while I threw in and folded laundry.



It is definitely a 3rd child moment. I had to laugh.

Halloween 2011

The Whole Gang.  Eli's back is in every one of my pictures.  I kind of gave up.  There were 5 families at the party last night.


My Super Heroes

Best picture of the night.  Some bachelor was giving out Mountain Dew and spicy nacho chips.  Eli walked a few steps away and said "MOM!  Isn't pop BAD!"  Nice.

Tis the Season

The boys have colds/coughs and Addie has cold/cough/ear infection/teething.  Long story, short we had to miss our Church's Fall Festival.  Bummer.  Jared still went to help and I was home with the boys making super hero masks and we carved our pumpkin.  After carving we headed outside and they had fun running around acting goofy.  We went back out after it was dark and made spooky noises.  They loved it of course.

This is Alex showing me the face he wanted on his pumpkin.  I love Eli's expression.





BTW MRI's were rescheduled due to colds.  They will be at the end of the month instead of Wednesday.