Thanksgiving and Santa Arrives by Helicopter!

You don't need a play by play of our Turkey Day dinner - but here's a few pictures. Everything was delicious (if I do say so myself) and we had a really nice time with our little family.

By the way, no mashed potatoes - they were the last thing to make and once we realized how much food we had, we decided to skip them.

Megan loved the turkey and couldn't get enough green beans. Ryan - well, he's continuing his hunger strike and pretty much ate cereal.

I don't know if I'll do an all "from scratch" Thanksgiving again. It was a lot of work - but worth it!

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Today we went to see Santa! He arrived at the Roger Williams Zoo in a helicopter! It wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be, so we were able to see most of what was happening. The red helicopter circled around a few times and then landed in the parking lot. Santa hopped out as everyone cheered! I did get some video of the helicopter circling, but for some reason, as I was trying to hold Ryan up, keep Megan happy, AND videotape - I didn't get any video of the helicopter landing or Santa getting out! Bummmer!

It did remind me of one of my favorite Christmas memories though. My Dad played Santa one year - AND he flew the helicopter too! As long as I could remember, my Dad was a helicopter pilot for Rocky Mountain Helicopters in Provo, Utah. We went to the RMH Christmas Party every year - and Santa always arrived in style in one of the helicopters. The best part? The helicopter rides afterwards!

Anyway...one year, my Dad was asked to fly into the State Training School in American Fork, Utah, DRESSED as Santa Claus. I think I was about 9 or 10 years old then. My Mom drove us kids up there to watch him land the helicopter and then greet the kids at the school, most of whom were mentally retarded or disabled in some way. I remember getting all choked up when I saw how excited these kids were to see him. (Can you believe that I remember that?) They all ran to him and couldn't wait to sit on his lap. That definitely has to be my favorite Christmas memory - it had nothing to do with any gift I got, but just seeing the joy that people can bring to others.

So...unfortunately, all you can see here is the helicopter circling. I blew it somehow on Santa's grand entrance - so maybe my Dad will be the only one who appreciates it, here you go! :) (Here's hoping that Santa will make a grand entrance via helicopter another time so I can redeem myself on the video!)

Good Night Kisses

I was sitting on the couch. Megan was in the chair. Ryan was on the floor in front of Meg and Dad was standing. It was time for Megan to go to bed.

Dad: Megan, kisses for Ryan.

(Cutest little kiss between bro and sis...)

Dad: Kisses for Daddy

(Sweet kiss for Dad)

Dad: Kisses for Mommy

Megan: (holds her hand to her mouth) Mah! (and blows me a kiss!)

How do I rate? Hmmm....

PS - Dad did get her down from the chair and asked her to come over to kiss me - what does she do? She holds out the had she kissed and blew for me! Fresh Girl!

Overheard at 6:30 am

Megan was crying. She woke up early and was probably cold or something...usually she lays back down and goes back to sleep for a little while. She was only crying for about 2-3 minutes when we heard from Ryan...

MEGAN! GO TO SWEEP!

Being Grateful

Just so you don't think that all I do is complain...here's a few things I'm thankful for right now. :)

I'm grateful for my new Pampered Chef Silicone Pastry Mat. LOVE that it's so easy to clean up after kneading the French Bread! (So worth the price after not having anything for so long!)

I'm grateful for my Mom who taught me how to make bread - from scratch - BEFORE bread machines!

I'm grateful for a little boy who can be so sweet and loves to watch me cook. I'm grateful for his questions ALL the time - because I know that he has a sharp mind and loves to learn.

I'm grateful for a little girl who loves to dance - to whatever music I have playing. (Peter Gabriel is also great cooking music in addition to cleaning!)

I'm sure there's more...but I'll leave some for later. :)

Just need to vent a little

Since I'm almost positive that most of Ric's family doesn't visit our blog, I'm relatively safe in posting this here. Even if they do - I'm not worried about what I have to say. I know that Ric feels the same way, but won't say it. So here goes...this will probably be random and thrown together just so you know.

Just in case anyone forgot - holidays are designed to bring families together. Especially Thanksgiving! What is more important than being grateful for your family and showing them that you are grateful! In fact, can one day a year be TOO much to ask to spend time together? It's not even ONE full day! Just a couple of hours to eat and visit!

It's NOT an inconvenience to cook for just 2 more - we're going to have so many leftovers that it wouldn't matter anyway! The whole point is to GET TOGETHER AS A FAMILY!

On November 1st, we started making plans with Ric's family for Thanksgiving. We found out that Ric's cousin Scott and his family would be with his in-laws for dinner in the afternoon and would be visiting his mom later in the day. Not a big deal, we'd just do our own thing and visit later for dessert so we could see everyone. TWO DAYS AGO (AFTER I had gone shopping for everything to make our own dinner,) we got an email from Scott's mom saying that plans had changed and that dinner was now at 2:00 pm at her house. This is the way it ALWAYS is - I should be used to it, but it still frustrates the HECK (Yes, I said HECK!) out of me every time!

We are not changing our plans at this late date to accommodate them, which will mean that IF we go over to visit, we'll probably miss Scott, Christine and their kids since they'll be on the way to the in-laws. On another note, if we DID decide to go over at 2:00, first, it would be in the middle of naps, and we probably wouldn't be eating until 4:30 anyway because again, that's the way it ALWAYS is.

About 3 weeks ago, Ric also called his sister Stacey to see what plans she and her husband had for Thanksgiving. Since we knew that we wouldn't be at Aunt Jan's until later, we wanted to have them over. (Stacey doesn't cook.) The kids adore Stacey and have only seen/met Tom once or maybe twice at the most, so it would have been nice to see their Aunt and Uncle for a little while. We hadn't heard back from Stacey, so Ric emailed her a couple days ago, and this was her reply...

Actually, Tom and I made reservations because we hadn't heard from you. We thought you might have been invited to Jan's so we went ahead and made reservations before there weren't any tables left.

Ummm...last time I checked, phones and email do connect to Warwick from Pawtucket! And what's this about "because we hadn't heard from you crap?" Whatever...

It makes me so sad that Ric's family just fell apart when his Mom died almost 4 years ago. No one wants to get together anymore unless they are practically forced to do so. We're the ones that have to initiate and plan everything. It's exhausting and frankly, makes us feel as if they really don't want to see us, spend time with the kids, etc. If that's the case, then just tell us!

Please don't take it (or us) for granted that we are going to be in Rhode Island forever. There may come a time when we'll just be gone, and it will be too late.

OK...I'm done. I've said what I needed to say. Now it's time to make the pie. :)

What's Going On?

Tons, and then again, not so much. Just some random tidbits from our crazy lives.

*I'm almost 40. As a result, things are starting to fall apart, as in things in my body. I just found out today that I have "multiple small movable gall stones" and that I need to have my gallbladder out. I also had my teeth cleaned today. The metal fillings I've had in my mouth for so long aren't working anymore - meaning there's some decay under 4 of them! That means I have to have them replaced, etc. *sigh* I'm not looking forward to THAT! Also, I have a heel spur in my right foot - it's been causing some significant pain. Thank goodness for Dr. Scholl's and Cortisone shots!

*Child-proofing has been kicked up a notch. Ryan can now move any chair he wants to climb up to get anything he wants. The other day he decided to make toast by himself. He put the toast in the toaster oven, turned it on (WAY on!) and left it. I didn't realize he did it until I'm smelling toast in the other room. Yesterday, he found one of those single dose Benadryl thingys. He found a way to open it and downed the pink stuff. Unfortunately, it didn't knock him out! (DARN!) So... we're double checking to make sure that nothing else can be accidentally "found."

*Megan has also turned in to a climber/dare-devil. She's fearless and will climb up on anything. The other day, Ric found her standing on top of the cover for the piano keys. Oh boy!

*We took the kids to Target today to have their pictures taken. Not for Christmas, but because Ryan is almost 3-years old. Ryan was so handsome in a white shirt, black pants, and red tie. Megan was just gorgeous in a pink dress. Can't wait to get them back to show you!

*I've lost my voice. Since about Saturday night, I've sounded like I'm croaking. Good thing it wasn't last week when I still had classes! We're off for Thanksgiving Week, so I can recover by not talking (yeah right!)

*In just ONE day, I won two blog contests! Woo Hoo! The first one is all of the Madagascar Toys from McDonalds all in one set - can you say stocking stuffers? :) (Thanks McMommy!) And the second one is a book called America at Home, which will feature a picture of the kids on the dust cover! (Thanks Emily!) Too cool! I don't win these things, so it was fun to see them both in one day!

*Thanksgiving is just the 4 of us this year. We had invited Ric's sister and Brother-in-Law, but they decided to make reservations at a restaurant somewhere else instead. We are planning to get together with Ric's cousin Scott and his family, and Aunt Jan & Arlene. But that's not until later in the day.

*Thanksgiving this year is completely from scratch. Since I'm not cooking for a ton of people, it should be fun to do. The turkey is "brining" as we speak. I've made cornbread and I will be making French bread for the homemade stuffing. (Which really won't be stuffed inside since it's just a turkey breast.) I'm making the rolls, the potatoes will be boiled and mashed. And we'll have a Mascarpone Hazlenut Crunch Chocolate Cake and homemade pumpkin pie for dessert. No...I won't be mashing the pumpkin...that's from a can! (Anyone out there wish you had made reservations at The Levett's? hehe)

*The closer we get to Ryan's birthday on Monday, the more I'm convinced that he's not going to make it.

*On the other hand, Megan is just getting sweeter and sweeter every day. She's got the funnest personality, and is quite the tiny dancer! Whenever music id playing (most of the time here,) she's bopping around - even in her car seat - so cute!

I guess that's it for now! :) Enjoy the random pictures!

PS - the kids on the couch with Ryan and Megan are Dave & Maria Chace's kids, Ethan and Sydney. This past weekend was the first time we were able to get together with them (from PA) since we've all had our kids. Dave is Ric's best friend (was his best man at our wedding too.) Also...Ethan is just a few weeks older than Ryan - HE made it to 3, maybe there's hope!

I Did a Dumb Thing

I put my brand new bra in the dryer. (Actually it was Ric, but more about that later.) The result was that the underwire on one side came out! I cannot find anywhere on this thing HOW it escaped! There are no holes, no open seams, no nothing! Believe me - I've been checking everywhere!

It's really my fault. I've been putting my bras in the dryer for a long time since they were nursing bras and pretty much like sports bras. Plus, I knew I wouldn't have them forever, so I didn't really care. Now that the nursing bras are all gone (Yipppeeeee!) I purchased a few new ones. (Thinking I need more though....Santa?) So since I didn't tell Ric to take them out, he changed the wash into the dryer and there you go.

But now, after only wearing it a few times, the underwire on the right side is gone - I have it, just have to get it back inside the bra - I can't be lopsided you know! I guess I'll keep looking for an opening, and if I can't find it? I'll MAKE an opening and stitch it back up. These things aren't cheap you know! (Plus it's so pretty - not that anyone sees them - and this one is "especially designed to minimize back fat overhang" - Woo Hoo!) Who knew there was such a thing?

Apparently we're doing something wrong

This is the window in the kids room. That hole in the window was the result of Ryan banging his head into it because he didn't want to take a nap. (Just a bump on his head, no cuts or anything - thank goodness!)

Apparently, we're doing something wrong with our almost 3 year old son. I'm at a loss right now...

(Unfortunately, even though we weren't planning anything big, now we have to replace a window instead of have a birthday party. Not that he'll understand...)

Rate increase for the USPS in January

I have learned at work that there will be another rate increase for shipping packages on January 18, 2009. This does not affect the price of stamps, only for packages. For more information, follow this link: 2009 USPS rates .
Ship anything and everything you can before that date in order to save money and make sure you use the Priority Mail flat-rate boxes when you can.

Ric

Today's Public Service Announcement:

CHECK YOUR BANK ACCOUNTS ONLINE EVERY DAY!

Sorry for shouting. :) But you'll be glad that you did.

I usually check every other day or so (if not every day) to see what has cleared and make sure that nothing bounces. (Since we're not "rollin' in the dough" over here, I have to keep on top of it so we don't get into trouble!)

Anyway, I noticed a debit charge on my account for .18 - yep - eighteen cents! Hmmmm....

I called the 800# attached to the charge and it wasn't a valid number. Soooo...immediately, I called the bank. When the customer service gal took a look, it was a charge that originated in Fort Worth, Texas. The name of the company was just "GFDL 8007640847 TX" next to the charge. We canceled my debit card and I'll go to the bank to dispute the .18 as well as order a new debit card.

After doing some research online, there are a TON of posts just in the past few days of similar things happening to people's accounts. SO....check your bank account and cancel your debit/credit cards if there's something suspicious! You won't be sorry! (Can you imagine how much money someone could collect if they did this to millions of people?)

Happy Monday!

One-Year Portraits

I've said it before - Megan is just SO FREAKIN' CUTE! (Yes, I know I'm just a little biased...)

Just to prove it - here are the portraits we had taken when she turned One. (Took us long enough to pick them up!)


We had Gene Hutnak do them for us - he always does such a fabulous job! After the first of the year, we'll go back for a family portrait to replace the one that we had taken before Megan was born!

With so many great pictures of her, it was really hard to choose which one we would have printed on canvas to match Ryan's 1 year portrait. But the the one we chose ended up showing so much personality.

And here's how they look on the wall together above the fireplace.

(Our wedding portrait was "demoted" to another wall. :) )

Bathing Beauties

We only had one chance to go into a pool when we were in Florida. Even then, it was "COLD" for Florida natives - a whole 78 degrees! The kids didn't care!

Pink Pigs!

Just another "only in Florida" site.

Saturday is a Special Day...

...it's the day we get ready for Sunnnnnn-day! (If you grew up in LDS Primary, I'm sure you're singing the rest of the song!)

So I went outside this morning to pick up the paper. When I came back into the house I was hit with the smell of dirty diapers! WHOA! That was the motivation I needed to crank up the Peter Gabriel (my standard cleaning music) and clean! With the kids be-bopping all over, we jumped into it!

Ryan is old enough that he has a special job now - he cleans the glass tables in the living room. (Especially since his hands are all over them!) He does a pretty good job, and LOVES to squirt the Windex!


Megan's job is the Swiffer. Once in a while she gets some dust!

BUT, she's expecially good at picking up! She'll sit down and pick up everything you tell her to - and she takes it VERY seriously. If Ryan takes something out that she just put in, watch out!

They don't last long...but every little bit helps! At least the living room is clean and the stinky trash is out. Hopefully, it doesn't smell as nasty. Anyone want to come over for a smell test? :)




(You know...once you start blogging - everything in your life turns into a blog post. How strange is that? You would think that I'd at least think to myself that no one really wants to know about that...oh well...if you're reading, you're gettin' it anyway! :))

I Weally Wuv You

Overheard today as I was brushing my teeth...

Ryan: (Sitting on the edge of the tub) I weawy wuv you Mom. (Yes, he said Mom, not Mommy)

Mom: I really love you too Ryan! (trying not to choke on the toothpaste because he was being so cute!)

Ryan: (after about a 20 second pause) Can we play a game now?

They learn to manipulate at such an early age! hehe (Kind of makes these "terrific Three's" we're experiencing right now worth it! Kind of...)

Now...HERE's something funny!

Check out my business website.

G-Wiz!

Early in our planning to go to Florida this month, we had planned to spend a few days at Disney. After thinking about it, researching the cost, and thinking some more, we decided to wait until the kids were older so that they'd enjoy it (and remember it) more! Unfortunately, we had already booked our flights to Orlando, rather than Tampa, but it wasn't too much of an inconvenience since we were able to drive quickly to Lakeland to see Ric's sister.

So...instead of Disney, I started to check out what was around the Sarasota Area for kids and found this GREAT hands-on science museum called G-Wiz. It was PERFECT! I think that if the kids were just a little older, they would have enjoyed the "science" behind everything, but it was still a great place for them to play for a few hours. Even better, since they are both still under 3 years old (for a few more weeks anyway) they were FREE! Yippeee!

Here are a few pictures of their adventures - and the cutest video of Megan wanting to spin around more and more!

What happens when you can't sleep

For me...I play around on the computer, catch up on blogs, mess around with Facebook, etc.

Check this out. I had no idea that Picasa could do this for my pictures! I've uploaded the original, then the cropped and tinted version.

Cool, huh? I'm sure I'll be playing around with this for a while!

(Like I need anything else to take up my time!)

ps - isn't she just a cutie? :)

Suckers!

Yes, I know it's 5:00 pm.

No, we haven't had dinner yet.

Just nominate me for Mom of the year! :)

So hard to catch up!

So we got back just over a week ago, and I'm STILL trying to catch up! It didn't help that yesterday I spent all day in bed! I felt like I had a vice grip on my stomach and side! Chills and fever, nauseous, and in pain.

Ric happened to mention all the symptoms to a friend and she said it sounded like a gall bladder attack! Just what I need! It's actually happened once before, and I thought it was something I ate, but this time I couldn't pinpoint one thing that I ate the day before that could have done this!

Anyway...so now I've been searching the symptoms, and it looks like I may need to visit Dr. Smith. :( Yipppeeeee!

I'm just about ready to go to school and hand out more mid term failing reports. This is the part that I don't like, but if my students don't do their homework, they don't pass the class, so it has to be done! (This isn't high school anymore - where even if you didn't do anything you weren't 'left behind!')

*sigh* Unfortunately, since the Florida trip, midterms, and getting sick, my Stamping Business has really suffered! Hopefully soon, I'll pull it all back together! Cross your fingers! :)

(I STILL need to post more Florida stuff, chat about Ryan's first visit to Primary, and other things....soon!)

Veteran's Day at Dad's grave marker

Ryan and I took a trip down to Exeter RI at the Vet's Cemetery to find Dad's Grave maker this morning. It was quite windy and cold out while we were there.  Ryan doesn't quite "get it" that this is Pappy's new home, but at least he knew that we were visiting Pappy on this special day.  Next time we'll bring a photo and a flag to insert.

Ric

Vacation over, back to work

For those of you that didn't know, I've been off from work on a scheduled vacation for a little over two weeks. I will say that I really didn't miss going to work at all and I find that it's more relaxing to have two weeks off in a row for vacation. Today is my last day and I'm looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow for a few reasons.

The first is that although I know it's been very helpful to Marni to have me around for her to get caught up and even get ahead in some instances, it's been exhausting for me to be "Daddy" every day. It's one job and responsibility that Marni does far better than I do and she's better at the day-to-day routine with the kids than I am...I admit it (publicly) that she is the better candidate when it comes to parenting. It would have been nice to get some work done around the house, yard and garage completed and ready for the bitter cold weather, but that doesn't happen with two kids following you around at all times and places. Besides, it was more important that Marnell get caught up on teaching and her business than me playing in the garage with stuff.

The other reason is that while I was off from work, we got new POS terminals installed at my office and I'm anxsious to see how much faster they are.  I hear that they're wonderful and cut out a lot of wasted time waiting for things to connect and print when waiting on customers.

I will say that the highlite of the vacation was the trip to FL although it too was stressful and exhausting in its own aspects. I love being down in FL and would like to go back sometime next year to visit whatever family we have living there.  Now that we know that kids and hotels don't mix well, we'll try to stay with family when it allows, or bring a "nanny" with us to keep the kids busy and less destructive.

One fanstastic thing about FL and traveling was that we borrowed a Garmin GPS unit to help us get around.  What a fantastic thing to have especially when in a place that you don't know the routes very well. Just type in your destination and it speaks to you from every step along the way. Looking for lunch? Just tell the GPS where you want eat (by name or area or type of food) and it points the way. Santa has been warned in advance for our Christmas gift. :-)

Ric

We're Home!

WOW - what a trip! We still have a TON of great pictures to post, so we'll get them up in the next few days. (Not to mention the video of Ryan dancing!)

We do want to say THANK YOU to Ric's cousin Kim and her husband Frank for letting us stay with them Sunday night! It was such a huge help - especially for the kids! (Hotel rooms don't offer much in the way of "things to do!")

We really enjoyed spending time with you all!

Visiting Siesta Key Beach

The sand was like flour - so white! The water was crystal clear! We didn't spend a lot of time there, but it was fun to see the Gulf water and enjoy the fresh air!

Enjoy!

Wedding Festivities!

FINALLY! We're able to post some pictures from the wedding! Unfortuntately, only a few of the bride and groom were decent. (Camera wasn't cooperating...)

Rather than trying to narrate all the pictures, I'll just mention that DJ (Dean, Jr.) is Ric's cousin. His gorgeous bride is Stacey. We had a wonderful time! (Video of Ryan dancing will be posted when we get home.) We did have to leave a little early because it was a LONG day for the kids, but it was such a great time!

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Kollet!

What's wrong with this picture?

Only in Florida.

The Lowdown on Halloweeen

This trip just gets better and better.

First, we spent most of the day with Ric's sister Sue and her kids, TJ, Emily, and Jon. (Thom was at work.) They had a BALL playing together. Even though the kids were older, they loved playing with Ryan and Megan. We were lucky enough to get Meg to nap for a few hours, though Ryan was another story.

Now for the Halloween Trick-or-Treat details...are you ready for this?

The Thompson's live in a nice little development with lots of kids. Around 7:00 pm all the little trick-or-treaters started coming out of their houses, people parked their lawn chairs, and the festivities began. So far, Ryan was getting the idea that we were walking around the neighborhood, and Megan just followed along, though we carried her most of the time.

We were across the street and down the block about 4 houses from Sue's, knocking on the door with a bunch of other kids. As the door opened, two pit bulls rushed out around the little girl who answered it. Obviously she thought nothing of it since they were her dogs, but my first thought was "why aren't these dogs tied up?" Megan was walking up the sidewalk and one ran up to her and startled her, but then moved on. It was friendly enough and even licked Ric's hands and seemed to be happy. Until...it spotted a tiny little Pappillon on a leash at the end of the driveway.

*Of course this is my opinion, but no one who is out on Halloween night should have their dogs with them, there's just too many chances for things to go wrong.*

In a SPLIT SECOND, that little dog was in the mouth of the pit bull that just ran past us. He was shaking it around like a rag doll. The owner was screaming, and the little girl who was with her was completely hysterical. Ric was close enough that he managed (somehow) to grab the collar of the dog so it wouldn't run off with the little one. (He got scraped up in the process.) Sue went to try to calm the little girl (who was Hanna Montana, by the way, so cute!) And the owner was trying to get her dog away from the pit bull.

FINALLY, the big dogs owner came out and managed to grab his dogs, get them in the house, and close the door. He immediately turned off the lights, while neighbors called the police. From what we were hearing from other neighbors, there have been other attacks but nothing with witnesses. Well...there were TONS of witnesses this time! Unfortunately, most of them little kids who are now completely tramatized!

Anyway, we don't know the status of the little dog. When we finally left for our hotel, they were still waiting for the cops and animal patrol to show up, but the dog was wrapped in a towel and being watched by many neighbors. Poor little Hanna Montana wouldn't come back outside the rest of the night.

I have to say, both Ric and I feel SO blessed. That little puppy could have been Megan. Not 5 seconds earlier, the dog was sniffing her!

Welcome to Florida! *sigh*

We're off to Sarastota this morning and to the wedding this afternoon. Hopefully the festivities will be MUCH more tame! :)

ps - the good news about Ryan not having a nap yesterday was that he fell asleep in the car on the way back to the hotel and didn't wake up until 8:30 this morning! Woo Hoo!