Thanksgiving--Part 2

I forgot to blog that yesterday we had our Thanksgiving celebration with Grandma and Grandpa T. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, but it was kind of nice not having to snap pictures. Bennett ate more turkey, cranberries, and tried squash, which he seemed to like. Great Grandma T and Uncle Denny were there. Before we went home, we also went to visit Aunt Shirley, who was going to come but was unable because of her back pain. She is suffering from cancer and truly appreciated the food we brought and her time with Bennett. But I'm not sure which is worse--cramming two families into one day or having two days of celebration. Either way, it was exhausting, but we ate well and had a good time!

A Visit From Evelyn

Today, my oldest friend in the world, stopped by for quick visit on her way back home. So, Bennett and Eve had a chance to hang out again. Evelyn had fun playing with Bennett's toys, and Bennett was happy to share. They weren't quite sure what to think of each other in the beginning, but were trying to hold hands when Evelyn was eating! It was so good to see you both!

What's Cooking?

Thanksgiving Mistake :-(

Okay, so I was so not ready to blog about this last night because I was feeling horrible and guilty. But, since Bennett seems to have recovered, I am fully willing to admit my mistake. Last night for dessert, Bennett tried some chocolate pudding pie. He really liked it! I'm not even sure that 10 month olds are supposed to have chocolate, but Ryan said he saw a news story that said it was okay. Anyway, I don't know if it was the fact that he had already stuffed him belly to the brim with dinner or that he ingested too much chocolate pudding pie, but let's just say we ended up seeing that pie three times later that evening! Not fun for mom and dad, although it didn't seem to bother Bennett in the least. This morning, he devoured his pancakes, so I guess he's doing just fine, and I don't have to feel guilty anymore! But I think we'll stay away from chocolate for a while :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Bennett and I enjoyed a quiet morning together--a couple naps, play time, and a bath before we got dressed to go to Grandma and Granpa R's tonight. Our family has so much to be thankful for this year--especially the birth and continued health of our sweet boy!

Bennett wasn't quite sure what to do with his food at dinner, but quickly got the hang of it. He enjoyed turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries, bananas, and a roll. I was surprised by how much he ended up eating!


I am thankful for my family, whom I love greatly! They bring me so much joy and happiness every day.
I am thankful for my sister and her family for all the advice and help they offer! My nieces are so special, and I miss you all the time!
I am thankful for my job which I enjoy and worked so hard to get!
I am thankful for my health, even though I continue to struggle with one issue in particular. But the medication is working, and I am doing better these days.
I am thankful for my 5 days of vacation :-)
I am also extremely thankful for my massage coming up on Monday--it is much needed!!
I feel so fortunate for all that I have. I have been blessed in my life and hope you have a great deal to be thankful for, as well. Thanksgiving wishes from our family to yours!!

Please Vote!

I am trying to decide what Bennett should wear for Christmas Day and his 1 year pictures. You can choose from one of the outfits below. Ryan likes the black sweater, but Bennett's outfit for our Christmas picture is a red argyle sweater. I like the black one, too, because it's a v-neck and you don't see that often for baby sweaters. But I also like the blue one because the colors are different and the pants are too cute. Help me decide and vote for which one you like!!

Credit Card Issues Continue

Okay, so I thought I had taken care of everything related to the stolen credit card number. Well--not quite. I received my bill yesterday and looked at the total. I knew I had spent some money on clothes but not $1200 worth. As I took a closer look, I noticed a charge for $917 from Office Depot! The good thing now is that the total amount of purchases made fraudulently is over $1200 and is now considered a felony, so I am praying that this is the mistake it's going to take to really get the police in gear. Please send good thoughts my way as I continue to push and work hard to resolve this issue.

My New Trick

Bennett has been learning a lot lately--waving bye-bye, clapping, standing, climbing stairs and this new noise!

Thankful Thursday

I decided to join my sister's Thankful Thursday post this as I am so grateful for the health of my son! Last night, after I fed him, I was rubbing his head and hair. I noticed that the whole left side of his head was squishy. We called urgent care immediately and all the lines were busy. So, we impatiently waited for the nurse to call back. After a long talk with Ryan, we set up an appointment for this morning. Ryan called after dropping him off at daycare and was very concerned. So I decided to meet them at the clinic, too. The doctor believes that Bennett fell and hit his head, which caused bleeding (a hematoma). It is quite large, which concerned the doctor but it has not grown in size--hopefully that means it has stopped bleeding. Ryan and I are not parents that hover, and Bennett has taken his share of spills already, but he is also learning how to sit down when he starts to tip and lean down sideways. But it causes you to second guess every decision you've made so far--should we let him fall or should we catch him every time? But we are so thankful that our little boy is going to be okay. What a scare!

Winter Wear

Bennett was looking so darn cute this morning--I took the opportunity to snap a few photos! He now knows how to wave bye-bye (for real) and he was waving before he left for daycare this morning. When Ryan took him to the clinic (more in the above post), a little girl said, "Look! Santa Claus!"

Captain Adorable

My New Trick

In addition to the standing and cruising, Bennet has now learned how to climb the stairs--without me knowing! Last Sunday, I took him downstairs and put him at the base of the steps, right outside our laundry room. I put in a load, turned around, and there he was--on the second step. So, I put him back on the floor and ran to grab the video camera to capture this moment! You are getting to be such a big boy!

10 Months Old!

Yesterday, Bennett turned 10 months old! His first birthday is coming WAY too quickly! He is standing on everything, he sort of waves good bye, and claps his hands. He has 6 teeth--4 on the top and 2 on the bottom. He weighs in at about 17 pounds. He smiles and laughs all the time and continues to have such sweet nature about him. And he loves to flirt--he'll flash all the ladies his beautiful smile! It is so amazing to see how much he has changed. We love you!!

Pajama Day!

Bennett and I were committed to doing nothing today. We were going to lounge in our jammies all day and just relax. In the meantime, I had a spark of creativity. I remembered reading Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton recently. We received this book from one of my students when Bennett was born. So, we pulled out the camera and rewrote the words. Here is, Pajama Day! Writtend and photographed by Kim and Bennett. Enjoy!

The sun is up. It's getting late (in the afternoon).

Let's get ready to celebrate!

It's pajama day!

Stand in the bottoms. Put on the top (or try to).

Get yourself ready to pajama--dee-bop. It's pajama day!

Some are old and some are new.
Some are red with reindeer, too.

Some are ours. Some are not.

Some are borrowed from the only cousins I've got!

It's pajama day!

Oooo, yes.

It's pajama day!

Some are for playing in the Tupperware.
Some are for playing in the frig with the cold, cold air.

Some are for tantrums when mommy says no.
Some are for naps that are an hour or so.

Pajammy on the phone. Pajammy on the floor.

Everybody's wearing them for playing some more.

Crawling over mama in one big line.
Wearing our pajamas and looking so fine.

It's pajama time!

Bring out the toys. Make a big mess.

There's no need to even get dressed!

It's pajama day!

Yes, yes.

It's pajama day!

Yes, yes.

Have fun. Smile a ton!

Nightly Ritual

After getting into jammies and brushing his teeth, Bennett gets to turn on and choose the color of his constellation turtle. In the dark, it lights up in green, blue, or amber and puts stars in the shape of the constellations on his ceiling. It has become our ritual before bed to let him play with it and choose the color he wants for the night. Instead of slapping at it, sometimes he uses his mouth to make his choice :-)

Congratulations, Daddy!

This morning, Ryan left a little after 4 a.m. to cross state lines in hopes of getting his big buck for the season. He woke me up a little before 7 with a phone call telling me he had shot a good one--his first buck for the year. It's not as big as he originally thought, but he tells me "it's a nice one." The tines are tall--that's about all I know. I was very excited to see all the remains in bags in the back of his truck. Bennett was playing the decapitated head and horns. I guess that's the life when living with a hunter.

Congratulations on your deer, Daddy!

My New Favorite Toys

As you can see, Bennett has taken a liking to the remote control! He loves to play with all the buttons and see them light up. I even found him a toy remote for a stocking stuffer so he can play with all the buttons he likes and not muting or turning off the T.V. He has also become obsessed with the telephone--he dialed 3 rows of numbers last night--not sure who he was trying to call. Maybe his cousins :-) His last favorite of the moment is his tube of bacitracin cream--not sure why. But if it keeps him from screaming when we're changing his diaper or clothes, who am I to argue??

Another Birthday--Come and Gone

My sister keep reminding to enjoy the fact that I am still in my twenties--not for much longer! This year, I did not turn 38 like some of my student predicted. Instead, I turned 29 so the big 30 is just 363 days away. Thursday was the official day. It started off great. One of my students and his little brother spent hours the night before making me birthday pictures and a book. It was so sweet I needed to share the story with you--

Your birthday . . . by a six year old
On Nov. 6 its your bithday!
You got up and ate breakfes.
Then pepele came over!
It was lunch time!
The food was good!
It was cake time!
Bennet ate a piece.
The cake was so good that . . .
It was present time!
You got good presents!
It was time to go. :-(
Bennet burped.
The end.

The kids were so excited and were all telling me happy birthday and giving me hugs. They were ecstatic to hear my name on the announcements! Then, we have been playing book fair bingo at school. Each morning they announce 5 book titles. 1st prize was $50 to spend at the book fair--my colleague across the hall won that. But we were playing for 2nd prize--$30. Wouldn't you know--we got bingo that morning so I ran to the phone to call the LMC. Sadly, someone had already won 2nd prize. We were pretty excited until we found that out! The day had gone very well, despite being sugared up on the brownies I shared with them. But after school, the day started to take a turn. I spoke with another teacher about one of my students--all I can say is that is may not be good. I never made it upstairs to grab some pizza before conferences started. Unfortunately, my first conference was late and all my 20 minute breaks disappeared. So, I never ate after my lunch, and by 6, my hands were starting to shake and my head was starting to pound. My last conference left around 8, and boy was I relieved that I didn't throw up during that last one--I was not feeling well at all! When I arrived home, not ready to celebrate at all, my sister in law and her boyfriend were there to drop off my gifts and birthday cheesecake--which we have been enjoying (but certainly not that night) . . .

My little boy was waiting up to give me his card. I did manage to read that, but didn't even have the strength to put him to bed. I curled up on the couch, felt like crud, and was barely able to talk to my big sis who had called to send along her birthday wishes. I went to bed and had to start the day over.

Friday night, Ryan and I got away to go have dinner. We went to a small Italian restaurant and it was quite a different experience. I decided I was in the mood to try something new--I settled on the osso bucco. It was a pork shank glazed in a tomato sauce surrounded by rice mixed with red peppers and pumpkin. Totally not something I would ever order, but it was very good! I enjoyed a wonderful glass of wine with it and had a great time alone with my husband. We ran a few errands before returning home to find our little boy wide awake! I finally got around to opening my gifts. Thanks to everyone for all the cards and gifts I received! I got everything on my list--

three new books--two by Nicholas Sparks and one by Janet Evanovich, which I have started already. I was in the mood for a good laugh! I got a gift certificate for my favorite spa, and I can't wait to set up a massage with Diana very soon!!!! I also got the Leona Lewis CD and a new gold chain. All in all, it was a great birthday, and it was fun that it last two days instead of one.

I've Been Tagged

I was tagged by Merranda. Here are the rules:
1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up. Ok, here it goes. . .

~ I broke my nose 2 (possibly 3) times when I was a kid--all gymnastics related accidents. I had surgery when I was 14 years old and I continue to have work done to straighten it out.

~ I played with Barbies until I was like 12 or 13 years old!

~ I have been rear-ended 4 times.

~ My favorite candles are Partylite. I have a ginger pumpkin one burning right now.

~ I recently bought 3 new pairs of shoes.

~I love white wine!

I know the directions say to tag 6 people, but I can only tag Kelly--it is so sad! I only have 3 bloggie friends, and 2 of them have been tagged already!

Current Issues

Although I'm still waiting for my sister to share her ideas on my previous Current Issues post, I've decided to try again.

1. My current issue is gas prices. Don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful that the price is dropping, but doesn't it make you wonder why, just a month or two ago, we were paying over $4.00 per gallon. So, why is it dropping almost every other day--what is so different now? Was it really necessary for us to be paying $4.00?

2. This was a topic on the radio the other morning--how old is too old to trick-or-treat? Last night, we had really polite kids come to our door--some that were older. On the radio, they were saying that some girl went to a door, on her cell phone, and just held out her bag. That's ridiculous! I think that as long as they are dressed up (appropriately!), polite, and not causing any trouble, teenagers should be allowed to trick-or-treat. I remember when I was younger, I went trick-or-treating with a friend and her brother. Things were going fine until we ran into some older kids who came after us and were trying to take our candy. It was very scary! That's my only concern with high school kids being out. What are your thoughts or experiences?

Happy Halloween!

Our Halloween began by lounging around the house, taking a trip to our favorite store, Target, and then we headed off to our last physical therapy appointment. Kim said Bennett's neck is looking great and he's doing a lot of really good things with his movements so she is not worried about him at all. After a trip to a local teacher store and some supper which was frequently interrupted by trick-or-treaters, we got Bennett into his little green monster costume and started snapping pictures.

Our little neighbor friend, Brinlee, came over in her strawberry costume--so adorable! Then, we went to see our next door neighbors who gave Bennett a Ryan Braun bobble head. We walked through the yard to our other neighbors and got a nice little bag of candy, made especially for Bennett (and his parents :-) Then, we piled into the car and headed over to grandma and grandpa's.

Since he can't have candy, grandma and grandpa bought some strawberry/apple and banana puffs--yum! Grandma put some in a bowl and Bennett continued to dump them all over the floor! He ate them all up, so at least he knows how to pick up when rahe makes a mess! He also received a little talking spider, a Halloween picture frame, and a book. While we were there, many kids came to the door. Bennett was helping grandma give out candy. He seemed very interested and curious about all the costumes he saw! We again packed up and headed over to Grandma and Grandpa R's.

Bennett was having a blast with all their decorations and magazines! From grandma, grandpa, Jake, and aunts Kelly and Kristin, he got several books, a new outfit and sweatshirt, a plush pumpkin, a new highchair toy, and some baby food. Aunt Heather sent us a new pair of cool shorts and a card.


Poor Bennett had a long and very exciting day! He was wore out by the end of the evening! Thanks to everyone for the gifts and clothes and cards you gave us for Bennett's very first Halloween!

A Day To Myself

We did not have school on Thursday and Friday. With Ryan in the woods, I dropped Bennett off at daycare (not feeling guilty at all :-) and planned a whole day for myself. I started with a shopping trip to the mall. I didn't buy anything, but it was nice just wandering around. Next, I headed off to the salon to get my haircut. After that, I went to a local spa and had my very first facial--let me tell you, if I had more money, I would make sure I went every 6 weeks! It was so relaxing and my skin looked awesome (after I put on my makeup!). I make a quick trip home to fix my hair, which had been all wrapped up in a towel. I headed out to favorite restaurant to meet my friend, Brooke, for an early supper. We hadn't talked in a while, and it was nice to see her and catch up. By now, you'd think my day was over--but not yet! Finally, I headed downtown to meet up with some colleagues for a going away evening of fun. A few drinks, a comedy show, and good conversation completed my day. I didn't arrive home until 12:45--I can't remember the last time I was out that late (besides the 2:00 am when big sis was home!). The next day, I had so much fun playing with Bennett. I love him dearly, but it was so nice to have a whole day to myself!