Thanksgiving, Round I

Luke was handing out good-bye hugs

Luke persuaded cousin Thomas
to read him a story

Luke enjoyed showing Nanny his toys.

Thomas and LeeEllen

Luke loves Cynthia because she
feeds him dessert!

Paul carving the turkey

Paul's bird turned out great!

We hosted our first Thanksgiving for my family on Thursday. Everything turned out great! Paul recently bought a smoker and we made great use of it over the holidays. The turkey was so good...very moist and tender. We did the turkey, green beans and sweet potatoes. Everyone else brought sides and dessert. We had a great time eating and visting with everyone. Luke was wonderful. As usual, it took him a few minutes to warm up to everyone but when he did he was crazy!!! We were very tired when everyone left but we managed to bring all the Christmas decorations out of storage.

I worked on Friday so Paul and Luke hung out. They met Nana and Pop for breakfast. Little did I know Paul had been planning on a Black Friday purchase for me. We got a new high efficiency washer and dryer! I had no idea. Paul, Luke and Pop installed it while I was at work. Much to Paul's dismay I did not go in the laundry room at all on Friday. I finally found them Saturday morning. I was so surprised and excited! It never crossed my mind he would do something like that. Merry Christmas to me!

First "Real" Hair Cut

Luke was not too sure about this.

He started to get warmed up to it
by the end.

Well, we finally got Luke a proper hair cut. After a few attempts at doing it ourselves I finally decided enough was enough! The only way Paul could get Luke to let him cut his hair was if he got to suck it all up in the dust buster. After our last attempt Luke looked like he belonged in Dumb and Dumber! After eating Mexican one night we walked down to a Great Clips to see if they could help us out. Luke did great! I held him while he got his hair cut and it did not seem to bother him too much. Of course, I was sad when I realized his sweet curls were gone. It is actually already starting to grow back. Looks like we will be making regular trips to the barber shop now.

Titans Game!

Go Titans!

Paul got to enjoy a great Titans game yesterday! Jon has season tickets so Paul was able to go. They had a great time! All we heard all afternoon was about how much fun they had and how hot it was. It was unusually hot this weekend. I know this will be the last of the warm days for awhile so I was glad Paul got to enjoy it in such a fun way. Considering both our college teams lost this weekend it was nice for Paul to witness a Titans victory first hand.

Luke and I went to church Sunday morning then enjoyed long naps when we got home. We had a late lunch and watched the game before heading out to do some errands. Paul actually beat us home. It is hard to believe another weekend is in the books!

Filling Our Boxes

Can you pick Luke out of these scarecrows?

Picking out toys and gifts

Paul and I have enjoyed making shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child for several years. This year we took Luke along to help us. We headed to our new local Dollar General to do our shopping. There was virtually no one in the store since we went so early. Luke had fun helping us pick out toys and books to go in the boxes. We also picked up some hygiene and food items. Hopefully we will teach Luke how important it is to give to others.

Christmas in November???

You betcha!!! Paul has been wanting to do some Christmas decorating since before Halloween. Since we are hosting Thanksgiving at our house, I have tried to put him off. We finally settled on a compromise and put up Luke's tree. Luke loved helping with the ornaments. He likes to point out the different ones and say what they are. He also likes to see the lights turn on and off. We have also been reading some Christmas books. His favorite one so far is one I had when I was a little girl. It is called The Sweet Smell of Christmas. Surprisingly the scratch-n-sniff is still going strong after 30+ years!

Luke's attention span is getting much longer now. He will sit in your lap while you read him a fairly long story now. Gone are the days of one to two word per page books. Life with our little fella just gets better and better!

We noticed this weekend that Luke was chewing on his hands a lot. I tried to catch a few glances when he was laughing and sure enough he has one of his 2-year molars in and another one has broken through. I have heard horror stories about getting molars. I guess Luke is handling it pretty well considering we did not even know he had one!

Fun Afternoon

Eli, Bella, Sophia and Luke.

I was off last Thursday. Luke and I met the Brewers at the park to walk. It turned out to be a beautiful, warm November day. After walking we all came back to our house for lunch. I made taco soup and brownies. All the kids liked it! After lunch they all played together. It was so cute. We tried our hardest to get all 4 kids to look at the camera. After several attempts I gave up! We hope to have another playdate soon!

Excellent Weekend

The only picture we have of ourselves

Hanne and Rico

The guys played lots of horseshoes!

So we are back from an excellent weekend! Our weekend was everything we hoped it would be. We all stayed up late Friday night. The guys hung out downstairs playing pool and all the girls enjoyed talking non-stop until 1:30 in the morning! It was later than any of us had been up in a long time. Well, except for Katherine, considering she has a 6-month old! Once again we did not take many pictures. There were 4 couples there and I think we have pictures of 3 people...how does that happen?

Saturday morning we got up and cooked a big breakfast. The girls headed to the outlet mall. It was absolutely crazy!!! I do not see how there is a recession. There were no parking places. We ended up parking behind the mall where employees park. I got so frustrated with most of the stores that I walked in and right back out. There was usually a 30-minute wait to check out! Not worth it to me.

The most entertainment we had all weekend was playing with baby Hanne. She is absolutely the best baby I have ever been around. She is so sweet and cuddly. I never heard her cry! She only whimpered a few times. She did not care who held her; she would just smile and coo the whole time!

We laughed about how much things have changed since we took our first trip together in 2004. We were all up and ready to leave by 8 this morning. Baylor and Ryan needed to get back to pick up their little one early so we all decided to leave. We were home by noon!

Luke had a great weekend, too. He had a playdate with Emma, enjoyed playing outside and learning new words. Since we have been home today he has said cheese, tea and "Abbie". We aren't sure who Abbie is but he obviously likes her!

Anxiously Waiting

Are they ready yet?!?!

What if I look from back here?!?!

We are going on our annual couples weekend to Gatlinburg tomorrow. Paul and I start anxiously awaiting this weekend in July! It is so nice to get away with good friends. We usually eat a lot, sleep a lot shop and stay up late in to the night talking and talking. At least, that is what the girls do! They guys is a different story that involves lots of pool and sports watching among other things. All 4 couples are taking a 1/2 day off tomorrow so we will actually get to east Tennessee in time for supper out! Usually it is fairly late when we all make it up there.

I decided to make some cookies for us to enjoy this weekend. Luke helped me measure the ingredients and got a kick out of the hand mixer. We couldn't wait for them to get done and thought if we watched them bake that might somehow speed the process along!

Update on Luke's girlfriend situation.... Apparently yesterday she was not very happy with Luke and bit him on the hand! Now, it is school policy to not reveal who did the biting. The little girl's dad got there to pick her up right after it happened so he knew the whole story. The mother felt so bad she called my cell phone while I was on my way to pick Luke up to apologize! Since Luke and Rylee have been together for so long we wonder if they are growing tired of each other! The teachers said they separated them yesterday because they had been bickering all day....oh goodness! They are not even two years old yet!

Paul and I had a talk with Luke about being nice to his friends and not to bother them. Rylee's parents had a similiar talk with her as well. The teachers reported they had a much better day today and played well together. Yay!

Nana, Grandpa and Nonna are splitting Luke duties this weekend. We know he will have as much, if not more fun than we will! Happy Weekend!

Trick-Or-Treat

Oops....Nonna cut Paul's head off!

Which way to the candy?!?!

Luke was excited about his chips!

Making the rounds...

Last night was a lot of fun! We were not sure how Luke would like trick-or-treating. We decided to just take him to a few houses in our neighborhood and to go see some friends up the street. By the end of it he was definitely getting the hang of it! He liked picking goodies out of the treat bags. He never really said trick-or-treat until we got home and answered the door for trick-or-treaters at our house. We let him have a piece of candy but it got stuck in his teeth and he wanted it out!

Nonna came to go trick-or-treating with us and to take pictures. I think we have 50 pictures from last night! Of course, Luke would never look at the camera until after it had already taken. We enjoyed some white chicken chili when we got back. We had about 40 little ghosts and goblins that came knocking on our door. That was a pretty good turnout. We also enjoyed at Tennessee win last night!

Pumpkin Carving

The finished products!

Luke cleaning out his own little pumpkin

Luke liked helping

Ewww....slimy!

Last night we carved some pumpkins. Luke watched me clean one of them out and then we couldn't get him away from them! He wanted to get all of the stuff out of them and put it in the trash can. I bought one of those pumpkin carving kits with the templates to follow. I was so excited because my dad used to do these amazing pumpkins every year. Of course, he did them free-hand with a jigsaw, but hey, I was trying! I got a little over zealous with my carving tool and did not follow the pattern correctly....my pumpkin ended up with a big hole for one of his eyes! Paul and Luke fared much better on their little pumpkin. I think they both turned out cute, though!

We lit them and put them on the front porch last night. We sat outside for awhile since it was so nice. Luke kept pointing to the moon so we taught him to say "moon". It comes out more like "mooo", but we know what he is saying! Today is Luke's Halloween party at school. I plan to be there for it. It is so nice to be off this week to participate in all of these activities!!!

Kitty's Birthday

Kitty opening her present

Luke and Grandpa

Jon and Kitty having a serious
discussion over bbq!

Friday, Kitty will celebrate her 94th birthday!!! What an amazing lady! We decided to get together tonight to have supper. We went to Jacky Billy's in Gallatin which is an institution there. I had actually never been. It was really good. They were very short staffed tonight so we were there forever! Uncle Jon surprised Kitty by joining us. We did not tell her he was coming in case he was not able to make it at the last minute. She was so excited to see him. We had a good time seeing each other for an impromptu dinner. Kitty is still remarkably sharp and does not miss much! She drives herself to get her hair done and enjoys friends, family and going to church. What a blessing she is to all of us!

Scarecrows!

Luke and me with our new friend

Here's his nose Nana!

He really did not want to pose
for pictures...

Nana and I took Luke to see the Scarecrow exhibit at Cheekwood this morning. Luke loves scarecrows so I thought it would be neat for us to go. There were 65 different ones to see! Some of them were so creative! There were scarecrows made out of plastic bottles, music memorabilia and sheet metal. They were awarded prizes in different categories. It was really cool. Luke loved getting to touch them and point out their eyes and noses.

We enjoyed lunch at the Pineapple Room on the grounds of the gardens which was really good! Luke was so well behaved all morning. I can't imagine taking many toddlers to a "frilly" restaurant but he did great! Luke fell asleep just as we were getting home this afternoon. He enjoyed a nice long nap (and so did I). It was a great day!

Cookies!!!

Hmm...don't know about this!

I look mean here--really, I am trying to keep Luke
from getting out of my lap

Luke discovered pretty quickly
that the dough is good!

Luke really enjoyed cutting out the shapes.

Last night we made Halloween cookies. Lauren gave Luke some cookie cutters in Halloween shapes so we had to make some! Luke liked trying to roll the dough out and pick out the different shapes to make. We added sprinkles to some of them. I must admit they were pretty yummy straight from the oven! Luke had more than enough. We were afraid he would get a tummy ache!

So Close!

Luke was all fired up in the game!

Paul was keeping his fingers crossed!

Saturday afternoon we watched the UT - Bama game. Like most people we thought Alabama would run away with it. We were pleasantly surprised to see UT hanging with them. The last few minutes were so exciting! I even got the video camera out in anticipation of a celebratory dance from Paul. But, alas, the game winning field goal was blocked and Paul fumed the rest of the night. It really did not matter to me; although there isn't much I like better than seeing Alabama loose!

I wish the Auburn game had been half as exciting. Since I have been sick I have been going to bed early. Saturday night was no exception! Auburn has really been disappointing the past few games. I would not mind so much except they started the season off so well.

Today kicked off my official staycation. When this term became popular this summer I hated it! But, now that I have a week of staycation staring me in the face it is not so bad! I have been losing my vacation time at work so I decided to take a week off. Paul is not able to take off so I am just going to do some of those things that have been on my to-do list forever. I did go to a walk-in clinic this morning to figure out why my cold has been lingering so long. Turns out I have a baterial infection that required three prescriptions! Good grief...I should definitely feel better after all of that!

Memory Walk

Laura and Mr. Morris

Luke was entertained with Cheerios

Really? I should have taken the
ear warmer off for the picture!

This past Saturday Luke and I were so proud to be a part of the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk. Laura's dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's last year and she organized a team for the walk. Virginia and I were happy to participate! Laura did a great job--our team was 1st runner up in the rookie category for fundraising! Great job Laura!

The walk was in Centennial Park. It was a cloudy dreary morning but the sun peaked out every once in a while. It was great to see so many supporters of this great cause.

Just Like Daddy

Luke always likes to do what Paul is doing. When Paul cut the grass last week Luke stayed outside watching him for most of the time. Every time Paul would come toward him Luke would wave so hard. The lawnmower definitely captures Luke's attention. He stood sill a lot longer than normal!

One Tired Little Guy

I have been battling a cold since the Sunday after our hayride. I have virtually lost my voice and have coughed and coughed. Last Tuesday when I was off Luke stayed home with me. He was so good! I did not feel like doing a whole lot. We did get out and do a few errands. I was talking on the phone and he was playing at my feet. When I got off the phone I realized he had fallen asleep just like this! I picked him up and put him in bed where he slept for two hours. Luckily that gave me time to take a nap, too!

The rest of the week consisted of going to work and trying to get well. Mom and I also went to see Steel Magnolias at TPAC with Virginia and her mother. It was very good! I was so afraid that I would have a coughing fit during the show but thanks to an abundant supply of cough drops by Mom and Virginia I survived!

Luke had a couple of eventful happenings last week. I guess he officially has a girlfriend now. He and Rylee have been together since they were infants at His Kids. When it closed they both stayed at the same babysitter and now they are at Good Shepherd together. The teachers tell me they hold hands on the playground and Rylee likes to wake Luke up from his nap. When one of them is not at school the other is lost. It is pretty cute.

I also got two calls in one day last week from Luke's school. The first was to tell me had been bitten by another student and it had broken the skin! Of course the teachers did not know what had happened to provoke the bite but they said Luke was ok. Since that time the child has bitten some other children and has been moved to another room. Later, that same day the director called me again. Luke had fallen on the playground and skinned his chin and nose! When I picked him up it looked like he had been in a fight! The teachers say nothing really seems to phase him. He will cry for a minute and then be back to playing.

Hayride

Virginia and Laura enjoying the chili

Angela and Jake--
he is so cute!

We were all bundled up on the hayride

Brock, Cynthia and Sophia

Hunter's 1st hayride!

Lauren, Faith and Tasha

The kiddos are ready!

Despite the chilly temperatures we had a great time Saturday night! We had to do our hayride on the road since the farm was so muddy from all of the rain. I do not think anyone minded though. When we got back from our ride everyone was ready for some hot chili! Paul did a great job making it. It was almost all eaten! There were some yummy desserts including my favorite, s'mores! With so many little ones the night did not go on too long. I laughed and said once you have kids your idea of a "late night" is drastically different! We will keep hosting our bonfire every fall as long as people continue to come and enjoy themselves!