Happy Thanksgiving!

I might be a Christmas-aholic.  Every year on the day I put away the Christmas decorations and turn off the Christmas music, I start counting down until Christmas again.  This year is especially exciting because the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is so long!

I was so excited this morning that I jumped out of bed, turned on the Christmas music, and put up all our decorations after I dragged myself out of bed at 6:30, made some coffee, and finally felt human again, I was actually pretty excited to go Black Friday shopping even though that nasty cold snuck back up on me and I'm not feeling tip-top.  Fortunately, the Christmas season is pushing any phlemy-sniffly-icky feelings out and replacing them with sniffly-warm-happy-winter feelings (sort of).

This year, my Christmas shopping is almost done (online... which I never imagined would be as fun as going to actual stores... until I had a one-year-old an the thought of Christmas shopping with her in tow made me shudder), so I will fill my Christmas season baking, card-sending, and wrapping.  Amongst other things like visiting NYC, picking out a tree, and attending holiday festivities.

My type-A personality loves making lists around the holiday season, and as a heads up to my loyal readers, blog posting will probably make the list, though might be considerably lower than, say, watching Elf or eating cookie dough.  SO.... hang in there, posts might be few and far between, but you're probably busy with your own lists anyway...

We've already been busy the past week or so...

We went to NH because after all the busy-ness before the holidays, I needed a little break.

Then, this week, Bob has been home hanging with us and having Mommy-fantasy-camp.  (Which is actually nothing like my normal days, especially since MiniM.E. has been napping like a champ- she might be a little under the weather too- and we've just been doing fun things and skipping the not so fun things like laundry and grocery shopping.)

There's the occasional melt-down that comes from changing up our schedule

Really, we've been having fun and keeping busy...

petting the kitties

watching the squirrels

looking out the window

playing with toys

going for wagon rides

climbing at the park

sliding at the park

just being cute (actually, refusing a jacket)

stroller walks at the Spa Park

carrying monkeys around

and playing precariously on benches

And yesterday we went to our friends' house for Thanksgiving dinner.  It was nice that even if we weren't celebrating with our actual family, we had our "second family" to spend the holiday with.

bringing our mess of toys to another house

examining the wine cork after smelling it

watching football

...after dinner, MiniM.E. was pretty much done...

and almost fell asleep on the floor

This weekend we're kicking off Christmas with our 2nd annual trip to NYC.  And I thought going to New York with a two-month old was challenging... this is a whole new ball game!

I'm just hoping she doesn't cry so much this year that Santa refuses to hold her...

Enjoying the Last Week of Summer

For a lot of families, this week is it.  The last week of summer.  Better cram in all the last minute summer fun you can muster!  For some families, school's already started and the coming weekend is the last hurrah.

Fortunately, having a 10 month old means that as long as the weather's nice, I'll call it summer for as many more weeks as Mother Nature allows.

MiniM.E. and I have been spending as much time outside as possible.  Not so much because I want to be outside all the time.... though the slathering on of sunscreen, fighting to put on shoes, washing the dirt out of clothes and the little creases on tiny sticky hands, and sitting in the ant-ridden grass are all things I greatly enjoy... but mostly because MiniM.E. can point to things she wants.  And she almost always wants "out".  Who's brilliant idea was it to teach the kid to point, anyway?

It's actually gotten a lot better in the past week or so because she LOVES to walk (holding on to our hands of course).  So it's been less sitting in the grass and playing with dirt, acorns, bugs and garbage, and more walking from here to there.  It's a darn good thing MiniM.E. is on the upper end of the height spectrum and I'm not a very tall person or I'd probably be developing a permanent stoop.

But, enough with the commentary, here are some photos of MiniM.E. enjoying the weather.

Seemingly safe place to leave a baby for a photo op.

Until she started climbing it.

And I had to move to a place where I could grab her if necessary.

So happy!

Thinking about how happy she just was.

Yay! Wagon ride!

While we are enjoying the nice weather, it has been especially nice that for the past few days its been a bit cooler.  I might have a hankering for a little fall.  The other day on our morning walk we had to wear pants AND long sleeves!

Here's a flower for you!

Looks like we'll have a few more hot days, but I'm looking forward to the cooler ones.... and apple picking... and pumpkins... and apple cider... and Halloween... and Thanksgiving...