Another Great MN Getaway

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving in MN with my family.  Pictures will tell most of the story in this post.

If you remember, on our last trip to MN, my mom pulled out the teepee that my sister and I played in as kids.  When we arrived last Wednesday, it was set up for Sara, and she ran straight to it.  She spent a good portion of the weekend playing with various items in her teepee.  Grandpa Todd got in it a few times, too, but not quite as easily as Sara did.

 On Thanksgiving, we had fourteen people over for dinner.  It was fun to celebrate with a big crowd, including my Grandma Lou, my cousin Emily, my aunt Jane, friends Larry and Linda, and neighbors Wes and Lucille.  It was sort of an eclectic group, which made the day entertaining, exciting, and one for which to be thankful.  Sara was so glad to see her Auntie again.

 My mom will probably scold me for posting this picture, but I think it's cute.  She was frantically getting the last of the Thanksgiving dinner on the table (though she was not nearly as frazzled as she's pretending to be here).  The food was excellent, of course.

This is a picture my mom took of Sara on Thanksgiving.  I have no idea what the face means.  We could probably have a good caption contest.  Anyway, it made me laugh, so I had to post.  (If you're wondering, Sara did wear the same smocked dress last year.  It was long on her then, but paired perfectly with some leggings this year.)

 Todd carved the turkey with skill.  Looking at these pictures now makes me hungry...

 On Black Friday, my mom, Todd, and I headed out to find some deals.  However, we went about three to four hours after most stores opened and of course didn't have luck finding any of the hot items we wanted.  I wasn't too disappointed ... I saved a lot of money!  Later in the day, we went to an indoor park and Sara went nuts.  She wore herself (and her daddy) out running, climbing, and sliding.

 Melissa, Todd, and Mom made excellent spectators at the park.  I love these three. Not sure where Grandma Lou was hiding when I took this picture.

 After the park, we went to a nearby mall where Sara and I took a ride on the holiday train.  Sara was in heaven.

  During our visit, we also had an early birthday party for Sara.  She received a piano, a train set, and a princess outfit.  All items were a big hit.  It takes a special girl to love a train set and a princess outfit at the same time and place.

 Sara's party also included pizza and her first-ever (but certainly not last) viewing of the Griswolds in Christmas Vacation.  My family always watches this movie right after Thanksgiving to kick off the Christmas season.  And we always laugh so hard, as if we're hearing every joke for the first time.  Seriously, who doesn't love the Griswolds?

 As always, Sara spent plenty of time behind the drums with Grandpa Todd.  She's getting pretty good!  She asked multiple times throughout the weekend to go downstairs to play "dums", and of course Grandpa Todd never said no.

We got home yesterday evening after two uneventful flights.  We were expecting huge crowds, problematic security lines, pat-downs, you name it.  However, on the way there and back, we had pleasant experiences and made it home without anyone seeing us naked through a special machine.  That's saying something. 

Now we're looking forward to December.  We have many fun things in store in the coming weeks, none more important than Sara's 2nd birthday!  Plenty of posts to come about birthday, holiday, and the rest of our life in between.

Thankful

I can't believe we've made it to Thanksgiving 2010!  Over the summer, as my principal and I were working tirelessly in an attempt to be at least mostly ready to go when the doors opened for students, we had many a conversation about how great it would feel to get to this point.  It does, indeed.  Tomorrow is the last day of our very short week, and I am ever so thankful ... for the break, for the season, and for the stamina that amazingly enough has carried me this far.  Truly, I'm so thankful for my job, and not just because I have one (though for that I am very thankful), but because I have a job I really, really wanted, and one that I just love.  I still pinch myself on the mornings I'm awake enough to do so when I drive into the parking lot at school.

Tonight I'm also thankful for our upcoming MN trip.  We're headed north for Turkey Day.  It's been since August, which feels like forever, and I just can't wait to step foot back on the homeland.  I'm so thankful we can go and enjoy a long weekend with family.  I'm also thankful that, for the very last time, Sara qualifies as an airplane lap-sitter, and therefore didn't require the purchase of a third ticket.  (That said, I'll be thankful when she gets her own seat, space, etc., etc.)

I'm thankful that Desperate Housewives in on hiatus for a few weeks.  I almost can't take the ridiculous drama anymore.  That's saying something.  I'm thankful for DSW's clearance section.  It's amazing.  I'm thankful that I've gotten most of my Christmas shopping done and most of the decorations up around the house.  I'm also thankful that I won't be the one who has to climb the ladder to hang the outside lights (Why would I start now?  Steve's practically got it down to a science).  I'm thankful that Target takes 5 cents off my bill for every reusable bag I bring with me and use on a shopping trip.  It's not much, but it's enough incentive to make me do my part (and save a few nickels here and there).  I'm thankful that my college girlfriends voted on a Chicago trip for January.  I'm already planning my outfits.  I'm thankful for the girls' weekend I just had with Sara when Steve was visiting friends in Des Moines.  We shopped, we baked, we watched Charlie Brown Thanksgiving ... precious moments.  I am so, so thankful that Christmas Carols are back on the radio.  I know they irritate some, but definitely not me.  I'm thankful that, while Sara didn't completely enjoy having Christmas pictures taken, she looked happy in at least three or four.  I'm thankful that I don't have to put this one on the card:

I'm thankful those pants don't feel as tight as they look (and when I'm in a normal position, they don't look that tight, either.  Thankfully.).  Yikes.

I'm thankful for so many things in my life - the trivial, the mundane, and the truly important.  Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

In Case You're Keeping Score

Last night when Sara decided she was done with dinner, she grabbed a handful of her food and threw it all over the floor.  Steve and I were both immediately on her case.  We took her out of her chair and told her she'd need to clean up her mess.  Simple lesson, right?  Not so much.  Tears ensued.  Sobbing, in fact.  Sara absolutely could not believe that she was going to be reduced to picking food up off the floor.  She cried, begged, and pleaded to be picked up and removed from the scene of the crime.  It was finally decided that if she refused to pick up her mess, she would need to go to bed.  Steve went and put her in bed, and then a few minutes later went back to ask if she was ready to clean up her mess.  She wasn't. 

A short while later, Steve went and had another chat with Sara.  This time, apparently, she was ready to face her consequence.  Standing in the kitchen, I saw Sara come running from her room straight to the mess at her chair.  She began rapidly picking up bits of her meal and walking them to the trash can.  She did so with spunk; there was no reluctance in her performance whatsoever.  Oh, my word.  I was filled with unequivocal and immeasurable pride.  I thought my heart would absolutely burst.

About this same time, as Sara was in the throes of dutifully cleaning her mess, I noticed Steve walk over to the box of donut holes that I purchased in an unforgivable moment of weakness at the grocery store over the weekend.  Sara was not far behind him.  He looked over at me and said, "I might have used a bargaining tool."

Kid = 1 ... Parents = 0

Homework

This weekend, Sara had her first homework assignment. She was sent home from school with a blank turkey, and the directions were to decorate it creatively -- no crayons or markers. Arts and crafts materials do not abound in our home, but I did manage to pull together a few items for use on this assignment: penne noodles, macaroni noodles, party confetti, and an array of old buttons that I always keep but never use.

 Sara enjoyed working on her homework project.  In fact, when her turkey was finished, she used up the rest of her supplies on a blank piece of paper.

 In action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0wSS5xr-d0

And the final product:

Growing up, I remember spending lots of time working on some sort of craft project with my mom and sister, especially during the long summer days.  I'm so excited for Sara to share the arts & crafts love.  With any luck (it won't take much) her talent in this area will outweigh mine!

Play Day

 

 

Words on a Wednesday

Even though I've posted lots of pictures recently (and I've been a on Wordless Wednesday kick), I realized it's been a while since I've filled you in on what we've been up to lately.  At the moment, Steve is in bed sick.  He rarely gets sick, but he's taking a beating tonight.  I hope it's short-lived.

Last Tuesday, Sara became the proud new owner of ear tubes.  The worst part of the day - and I knew it would be - was the fact that she couldn't eat or drink before the procedure.  We woke her up about 5:15, and by the time they took her into the operating room at 7:30, she was very irritated with the fact that none of her cries for food or drink had been heard.  After she came out of surgery, we were warned to let her just drink a couple sips of juice to make sure she wasn't going to have an adverse reaction to the anesthesia.  I had to laugh at this request; did they really think that my poor, starving, neglected, deprived child was going to take one or two sips of juice and then hand the cup back over?  No way, no how.  She managed to chug a good 8-10 ounces of juice within a minute or two, and luckily she kept it all down.  By the time we got home from the hospital, it was pouring rain, and the storm kept up all day long.  It was the perfect day to lay low.  Sara took a long nap, I made homemade chicken soup, we watched movies, and just relaxed.  By mid-afternoon, we could already see a difference in the way Sara was feeling.  It's amazing how quickly those little tubes go to work.  It was definitely the right decision to go ahead and have them put in her ears. 

On Saturday we were pumped for the Iowa State v. Nebraska game.  After our big win at UT a couple weeks ago, we were confident that we'd beat Nebraska at home.  It was not to be.  After a hard-fought game, it ended in a tie.  OT started with a Husker TD, followed by a Cyclone TD, which nearly caused our little house to be filled with more excitement than its walls can handle.  However, in a moment of stupid decision making, the Cyclones went for the 2-point conversion; the pass was short and it was intercepted.  End of the game.  31-30.  So disappointing.  Steve and I had a conversation about the fact that the season is just so much easier when the Cyclones are downright awful and have no chance of victory, because then at least we can't have our hearts broken.  Colorado is next week ... should be an opportunity for redemption.

The time change on Sunday was so nice.  I love to "fall back" and gain an hour.  This week has been flying by, a good kind of busy.  At school we are preparing for our building's dedication ceremony, which will be Monday evening.  We are expecting upwards of 600 people, and the program will include performances by our band, orchestra, pop choir, student speakers, cheerleaders, and so on.  It should be a very exciting, memorable evening.

Speaking of Monday, I believe it is also the day Christmas carols will begin for the season on the radio.  It's absolutely my favorite time of the year!  In my free time, I'm doing lots of thinking about Christmas shopping.  I was telling my mom that many items I plan to buy this year can be (or have to be) purchased online.  It's easy and convenient, but I so enjoy the old-fashioned store-to-store shopping, also.  I'll have to do some of both.  Today Steve e-mailed me from work to tell me he purchased tickets for the Neiman Marcus Adolphus Children's Holiday Parade.  Steve used to work the event when he worked at Children's, and he always said it was such a neat day.  I know Sara will just love it, and I'm so glad Steve thought ahead to plan this fun day for our family during the holiday season.

Sara's accomplishments lately include spelling her name, counting, and telling on herself.  Steve taught her to say, "S-A-R-A, Sara!"  She's really good at the A-R-A part and is so proud of herself when she says it to us.  The other day she was playing with the magnets on the fridge, and I heard her counting them, which was something I hadn't heard before.  She made it to six!  I was so impressed, and also relieved to know that she is learning something at her school.  Not that I doubted it, but ... well, maybe I doubted it a little.  The latest and greatest thing that makes me laugh the most is that Sara talks about herself in third-person, and isn't ashamed to tell on herself.  For example, she made a huge mess of cereal in my car (which throws Steve into some crazy OCD tizzy, but oddly doesn't bother me at all), and when she got in the car this morning she said, "Sara mess.  Sara mess."  She also broke one of her books, and when she sees it she says, "Broke, Sara."  One day she'll learn to insert someone else's name, I suppose.

Next weekend Steve will be in Iowa visiting some college friends, and the following weekend we'll be in MN for Thanksgiving.  Can't wait!  My college girlfriends are working on planning a winter gathering, hopefully in Chicago in January.  We decided that we need to get together, hit the town, and celebrate as we all turn 30.  The other day on the radio, I heard Tim McGraw's "In My Next Thirty Years," and I thought about the fact that, when it came out, he seemed so old (ha) and 30 seemed so far away (ha, ha).  Now it's on the horizon.  AND ... a month from tomorrow, I'll have a two-year-old.  Oh, my.  What a precious, perfect (except also totally imperfect) time in my life!

Goodnight, friends.

Never Say Never

I've never been a big fan of the t-shirts that attempt to send a message of some sort, usually because they are obnoxious.  Especially working in a school where I see them all the time, I've long wondered why people buy their kids t-shirts that say things like I'm not listening to you and other such unflattering phrases.  (I do realize that sometimes kids shop on their own, with their own money, and purchase items their parents wouldn't buy ... I did it, too.  I'm just a little more sensible (offended?) in my old age, I guess.)  All that said, I swore my child would never wear rude, in-your-face, message t-shirts if I had any say in the matter.  I'm sure you know there this is going: Sara does sometimes wear message T's.  But they aren't rude or offensive, in my opinion anyway.  Gma B bought her this one that I can truly, proudly stand behind:

Everyone is Thankful for Me!

And on the morning this photo was snapped, Sara was thankful for the donut holes her daddy went out and bought especially for her.  What are you thankful for today, this week, this season?

Rule Breaker

I tend to be a rule follower.  I guess it's just in my nature.  While I'm an advocate for rule following, my sweet daughter has been recently involved in the art of rule breaking. It's delightful and refreshing and, dare I say, acceptable.  Case in point: yesterday evening, Sara and Steve ran into Target to pick up a few items.  As an aside, they are usually a deadly combination in Target because when Sara points to something she wants, Steve buys it (within reason, of course, but she never leaves empty-handed, which I guess should be its own discussion altogether).  Anyway, among their purchases yesterday was a new pair of winter pajamas for Sara ... a practical purchase.  But of all the pj's for sale at Target, look at the pair she chose:

That's right: boys' pj's with Thomas, Percy, and James all over them.  She was so excited to show them to me when I got home, and was so proud to put them on before bed last night.  Just look at her checking herself out in the mirror while brushing her teeth. 

Rule Breaker.  Rebel with a Cause.  Out to Shatter Glass Ceilings.  My Girl.

Wordless Wednesday