Thanksgiving 2014

This Thanksgiving was very emotional for me. Not only is there a hormonal connection (ahem, pregnant!), but the recent and continuing drama with my parents made it feel bigger, more important, something. I NEEDED it to go well. I NEEDED some normalcy. I NEEDED it to be what I wanted/hoped/wished/desired it to be. Most people know this, but Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I like that it's just a simple time to gather and be grateful. I don't dislike getting Christmas presents, of course, but sometimes it nice to have a time not devoted to any kind of gift getting.

The Thanksgivings of my childhood involved food, family, and board games. We'd stay up way late playing games at my Grandma's house (like midnight!). (And then when she got older, we began a tradition of decorating her house for her in the afternoon after the meal.) Thanksgivings were an All Day Affair, with mom and I arriving at Grandma Mattison's house early, like 9am. (My dad was always up north hunting and thus not present.) We'd walk in and shout "Happy Thanksgiving!" to whatever family was already there, stomping off the snow and making a boots pile near the door. My uncles would watch tv and my mom and aunts would be prepping and talking in the other room, which left lots of time for my cousins and I to play/and or watch the parade before the lunch-time meal. We'd eat lunch, maybe watch some more tv (football), and then play games. So, in my head, that's what Thanksgiving is supposed to look like.

Since Seth and I started hosting Thanksgiving (when we got married), that's how I've wanted the day to be--all day affair with lots of game playing. It's never quite worked out that way for a variety of reasons, and I'm working on being ok with that. This year, it felt like this was as important as having oxygen. I had to have it work well and like my memories that I couldn't hardly think about it without dissolving into a sobbing mess. It was a bit much, even I can admit that, but I couldn't help the tears!

The day went great. Not exactly as my childhood ones did, but good nonetheless. And that's ok. The best part was later in the day, with Seth at the piano playing some Name That Tune, Austin and I dancing, Kim taking a video and others singing/talking/laughing around us. It was one of those moments out of a movie, where time seems to stand still and you can look around and have a sense that you're outside of your body/outside of time, watching the scene happen. It was awesome. It's a moment that I'll forever treasure and which will continue to serve as a reminder that change is fine, change is good, and that Thanksgiving can still be an awesome holiday, even if it isn't an all day affair and doesn't involve playing board games all evening.

Our day started as is Our Thanksgiving Normal... Watching the parade on the couch. The weather was nice enough that the boys requested to go outside several times which worked well because Seth could be more productive and I could take in more of the parade without them interrupting me. Once the parade was over, we got ready and then Rory and Kim/David arrived. Rory brought some veggies and dip which was perfect since we weren't eating until like 5pm. We hung out outside, with the chimenea burning, the boys playing, and some veggies and olives to tide us over.

We went around the dinner table sharing the thing we're most thankful for from the past year and that's not something I did as a kid, but something I love and look forward to. I've taken to have everyone write their thing down so I put them in my scrapbook. Such a wonderful way to preserve memories! After the meal, we took the annual picture and hung out together. It didn't seem like anyone else wanted to play board games and so that didn't happen at all that day. I was kind of ok with that because we played some in August on vacation, so I'd recently had a chance to laugh and play games, though I still hope for games next year. I don't think Spencer/Cheryl and Kim/David left until like after 10, which was AWESOME in my opinion. That's one of my favorite things about the day--it being a long day together.

Anyways, all in all, it was a very good day. I'm thankful for this family to have accepted me and all my quirks and for a husband who works very hard to make this holiday as special for me as he can. Here are the few pictures I took from Thanksgiving:

watching the parade with Momma..

a pretty small gathering compared to most years

a few things to snack on...

enjoying the great weather

Annual Spofford Picture, Thanksgiving 2014

On a crafting/blogging/sharing note, I decided to make Thanksgiving a longer holiday season, longer than just the day. I feel like we spend so much time working to make Christmas a month long and not just a single day, and I wanted to do something similar for Thanksgiving. And especially since December tends to be all about Getting, I wanted to spend November Being Grateful for things we already have. So, each day (or as often as we could remember to do it!), we'd take a strip of paper and ask the boys what they were thankful for. Austin did most of the giving us answers and some days were more meaningful than others, but whatever he said, we wrote down and added to our paper chain. The chain grew one circle per day and was the full length of the mantle by the time we were done. Here are some pictures of our Gratefulness Paper Chain:

the whole, completed chain

"My family--Momma, Daddy, Austin, Graham, and Georgia"

"paper"

"Rescue Bots" and "America's Funniest Videos"

And Baby #3 is...

Just like with the Graham Pregnancy, we decided to do a bunch of Old Wives Tales things to see what they had to say about this third and final pregnancy. Not because we believe in them, really, but it's just kinda fun. There's never another time in our lives that we get to do these, so we feel like we better take advantage now!

1. The Chinese Predictor chart said BOY twice. Both when I entered my information and when I looked at the chart myself, it said we are having a third boy. The chart has said Boy three pregnancies in a row, now! It's actually a boy in a sea of pink, if you look at the chart. A SEA! Like 6 girl spaces each direction.

2. Baking soda test. You cover the bottom of something with a bit of baking soda and if it fizzes when you pee on it, it's a boy. If it doesn't react, it's a girl. Sorry if it's TMI, but this predicted BOY. (This was correct for me with Graham.)

3. The Pendant Test is where you simply hold a pendant over the mom's hand or belly and if it swings in a circular motion, it's a girl. If it swings straight back and forth, it's a boy. I did it both over my hand and over my belly and both times it was very clearly swinging in a straight line, so BOY. (This was correct for me with Graham.)

4. The hairline test was pretty clear with Austin and Graham, because Austin doesn't have a point in the back of his hairline. And while Graham sorta does have a point, it's off to the side and not centrally located. But I guess since there is a point, I'll say this predicted GIRL. There are some articles that say the hairline has to be of an opposite sex child, but since you don't know what you're carrying (presumably) when you do this test, that seems stupid impossible.

Three out of four Old Wives Tales say our next baby will be a BOY.

So, without further ado... Baby #3 is...

Looks like Georgia and I will be seriously outnumbered around here!

showing the baby boy parts 

Our healthy Baby Boy #3!

C4K Chili Cook-Off

Austin had his first school function of the year! Christ 4 Kids had a Chili Cook-Off and performance this week. Enjoy a few pictures from the event:

Graham messing with these balloons...

We got a seat at a front table and then when the performance was about to begin, parents flooded in front of us. It was like a sitcom. We couldn't stop laughing!

He's quite the little performer and made eye contact with me several times while I was taking pictures and a small video.

Cowboy Austin

Here's a short video of a portion of one of the songs they sang: http://youtu.be/IugsbSWW_LM

A&G Visit the Dentist

Until the boys have their "real teeth," they'll be going to the dentist once a year, and that happens to be in the fall (as if our Octobers aren't full enough!?). Graham went for his first visit on a Tuesday while Austin was in school. And then Austin (and Seth) went on Halloween during our Staycation/Things-To-Do Day together as a family. They both did great and neither have cavities. Graham did bite down too hard on Julie's finger, but other than that was really good about his appointment. Love Dental Depot!

when he first saw the train going around the room..

He opened right up for Julie! Later, he got a little restless so she gave him the suction to hang onto.

waiting for Dr. Nunnelly and watching trains

Dr. Nunnelly said everything looked great and then he got to pick a toy from the toy chest!

And once outside, we played with the big train!

On Friday, it was Austin's turn to have his teeth checked watch trains.

lol. Don't dare tell me he isn't his father's son!

Julie let him hold the suction too, and Dr. Nunnelly said everything looked great!

And then he played with train table while we waited for Seth to finish up his appointment.

And back outside to play with trains before going home for lunch.

In case you're wondering, Seth's teeth are great too. Although, Dr. Nunnelly suggests (AGAIN) getting those wisdom teeth removed! ha!

2 and 4 Year Visits

We had quite the Halloween! The day started off with IHOP and then we went straight to MCNT for the boys' 2 and 4 year well visits. I had heard that the 4 year visit was particularly long/grueling, so wanted to have Seth there to help. And since we've cancelled any family vacations we might have taken, we decided to have him take random days off for long weekend staycations. So this worked out perfectly!

Here's Austin's visit:
weight: 38.6lbs; 72%
height: 40 inches; 42%
BMI: 17; 86%

I find his weight/BMI odd. He does not seem like a pudgy/heavy kid to me, but he's near the top for those, but short, so doesn't that mean he's short and fat? lol. I'm just kidding. He seems perfectly healthy and well-sized. I just find those percentiles puzzling!

I'm proud of how well he gets up and stands there with hands by his side.

We practice this often at home. So proud.

He's getting blood pressure taken and watching the numbers.

After a brief talk with the doctor, we had to go into the hall for a vision test and then down the hall for a hearing test. (He's not wearing pants because he was about to get 4 shots and it seemed like teasing him to put them on and take right back off again.) Dr. McColm always gives gloves and "flavor sticks" (flavored tongue depressors) for entertainment, so that's why he's got a purple glove on.

For the vision test, she pointed to a bunch of different shapes and Austin had to tell her what they were. First both eyes and then just the left and just the right. One shape was a "+" and when asked, he had no idea. It never occurred to me that he wouldn't know what it was. How funny!

For the hearing test, she inserted this thing into his ear and it would tell us whether or not his ear heard it. His left ear failed so we've been referred to an ENT. We haven't made the appointment yet.

Graham's visit:

weight: 26lbs; 23%

height: 35inches; 72% (WRONG)

BMI: 14.92; 8% (WRONG)

If you look closely at the stats, you'll see Graham measuring only 5 inches shorter than Austin. We know this isn't right. We can see when they stand next to each other that it's incorrect. Austin was measured with the thing on the wall and Graham by laying him down and measuring the paper, so something must be off with that attempt.

I love how good Dr. McColm is with the boys!

After all the tests were done, it was time for flu shots and then Austin's 4 immunizations. I held Graham and gave Seth the job of holding Austin down while she did two needles to each thigh. He screamed and bawled so hard that Graham started crying and saying "Auten hurt!" and then I was crying. (Full disclosure: I just cried reliving it by typing it.) His legs were sore the rest of the day and Seth did a lot of carrying, especially right after naps because they were extra sore from just laying around. Some ibuprofen put him right just in time for trick-or-treating, though! The good news is that he doesn't have to get any more until age 11!

Anyways, it was a full morning and despite the shots and the tests, both boys did well and only Austin's left ear is of concern. Everything else looks great.

Cute Pic Post -- October 2014

October is by far and away, our CRAZIEST month. Two birthday boys means four birthday events which doesn't even include a "party" in the typical sense! We celebrate just the four of us on their actual birthday with a cake and presents and then Nonnie & Gramps bring presents and cupcakes over another night. So each boy gets two days just for celebrating his life! :-) October also brings the typical fall things like pumpkin patches and football watching. It also brings The State Fair of Texas and Halloween. So, aside from their birthdays, it's a busy month. Add in their birthdays and Seth's trip to Canada, and our nights were b-o-o-k-e-d. I do not like having so many evening commitments per week, but it was unavoidable. The best part is that Seth took Halloween off, so we had a long weekend together as a family at the very end of the month. Even though the actual day included two Well Child Visits and two dentist appointments! ha. Not exactly "fun," but it's still nice because we're all together. Anyways, here are a few of the million miscellaneous pictures from the month.

Crazy Hair Bath Boys

They love Daddy's physical play!

Graham calls this scooter his motorcycle!

He often sits with his arms behind his head like this.

These four boys adore each other!
Love our babysitting co-op!!!

"sounds disgusting"

This came home from school and I about hyperventilated.
No lice at our house, though!

Our attic floor decided to give-way when Seth was in Canada (the first week of October), so we've been working on that project ever since. First he took everything down/out and now he's working on rebuilding the floor up there. We have lots of stuff that needs a place to be stored, and thus, we need a good solid floor that doesn't just give up when it gets tired! Thankfully, neither vehicle was damaged.

junk that's been up there for who knows how long...
that carpet remnant doesn't match anything currently in the house!

These used to be on the windows.
And they're never going back on, so we've been giving them away for craft projects

Here's our stuff that needs to be sorted/purged. Right after Seth managed to get the attic empty, Mother Nature decided to skip Fall and move right to Winter. So it's 30 degrees outside and I have zero desire to stand out there going through memories. Also, once we know if Final/Third Baby is a girl or a boy, I can figure out what to do with 1) the girl handmedowns we have from Spencer and Cheryl and 2) all my childhood toys the boys will never play with (like, I'll keep the legos and toss the Barbie stuff).

Graham kept making this expression at some show we were watching. ha!

Our McKinney friends had us over and gave the boys birthday presents. There was also some of the best cupcakes I've ever had in my life. Thanks van den Dool family!! We love getting to be a part of your lives. Thanks for loving on our boys so well. (Why did you have to move to McKinney!?)

His very own Ninja Turtle mask! (blue, OF COURSE)

Mr. Potato Head!

We go to their house so often, Graham calls this highchair "my chair."

Gramps got out some old train sets and it kept the boys entertained.
Until it was determined they were all broken beyond repair. lol.

A & E playing Rescue Bots outside for hours.

We're safe in this house with all these Ninja Turtles around!

Nonnie gave Austin this shirt.
He loves having a hood on his head and refuses to take it down.
This hood is a little small. lol!

Anyone want to buy some cute pumpkins?

Sweet Sleeping Baby.

That's his side-eye at the carwash machine whirring around the car.

Two years later, this doesn't quite fit. ha!

A few times a year, they have us bring the kids into BSF worship.
I got to sit next to these cute boys.

Miss Megan's costume was hilarious!

The Target toy catalog came and Graham has paged through it every day!

My cousin stopped by for dinner one night while he happened to be in town for work.