Thanksgiving Part II

On Friday and Saturday of last week we celebrated Thanksgiving with Josh's side of the family.  Genevieve, Joe, Laura, and Harvey made the long trek to visit with us and to enjoy Mary Jane's delicious meals.  (I think she should open a restaurant!)  Michael and Harvey bonded over Thomas the Train, even though their mothers didn't approve of all the television time. : ) We did manage to get them outside, though, so that we could take advantage of a beautiful afternoon at Granddad's park.  Michael really enjoyed this big swing in the picture above.  (I can't stand pushing him in it because it is so heavy.  He always wants to go HIGHER! and FASTER!)  Thankfully, his Granddad stepped up to the challenge.  Josh was just as thankful as me, it seems.  On Saturday morning there was a lovely article about Josh's mother, which was a wonderful surprise for Genevieve and Joe.  Check out the "Star" if you get a chance.  Josh is the cute baby, sitting on his beautiful mother's lap.  

What a day.

What a day we've had!  The painter showed up with his crew this morning, I was still in my pajamas.  (Classy.)  The painter is a free spirited- kind of guy, who will randomly show up for an estimate or to start (and complete) a job.  He does a fantastic job.  We just have different mindsets.  I'm a little bit on the wanting to know the schedule side of things. I knew that at some point this week, Michael and I would be given the boot out of the house for the majority of the day.  I just was not sure as to which day this would occur.  

And so....Today was the day.  

Michael and I began our day with a walk around the park loop, which was hotter than hot. (Why do I torture myself so?) Michael was a complete doll, though, with his ride in the jogging stroller.  We then went to the playground, where I sat my big butt down while he played in the sand with some other children.  After playing in the sandbox, we did a little grocery shopping and headed home.  

Michael and I were curious about the paint job, so we went upstairs to check on the progress. As is turned out I'm glad I did because the baby's room was accidentally painted the WRONG color.  : ( (Taupe, it's supposed to be blue.)  So, I calmly walked back downstairs with Michael and got him situated, so that I could go back upstairs to let the crew member know that the color was not right.  I can't stand doing things like that... confrontation is not my strong suit.  It was really no big deal, and the situation was handled just fine.  

At this point, I knew that a nap for Michael was going to be impossible since most of the second floor is being painted and other crew members were going to be coming in and out the rest of the afternoon. As a result we did what do every day: hit the swimming pool!  (Poor, poor Michael.)  This was our longest stretch at the pool this summer, we stayed from one until five.  Michael actually got so tired at the pool, that he laid a towel out on the concrete because he wanted a spot to rest. I was at a loss as to what to do with the nap situation.  We could have gone to either set of grandparent's, but I really doubted that he would go to sleep easily at either house.  Just walking in the door of Michael and Mary Jane's or my parents' home makes Michael quiver with excitement.  

Michael went to bed easily this evening. Not one complaint.  

Our house is in shambles because I'm tired from today and Josh is working late.  I feel like it's pointless to clean the house right now with all this traffic from the painting crew.  They will be here all day tomorrow, too.  

The paint colors are FAB-U-LOUS, which makes all this chaos worth it in the long run. Michael's room is a taupe, the baby's room is blue (love this blue!!), and our bedroom is a greenish-blue.  I can't wait to clean and get the house put back together this weekend and early next week.  It's going to take some time, but it's such a relief to have the painting almost complete.  

Someone's Ready for the Beach!

Michael and I went to the park this morning for a walk around the trail and for morning play time. He was such a sweetheart on our walk. I pushed him in the jogging stroller, and he was (surprisingly) quiet and contemplative throughout the walk. At one point, we saw three men mowing the soccer fields, and he asked, "Why is everyone mowing the grass today, Mommy?" He also took note of the debris from yesterday's storm. The leaves, sticks, and pine cones littered the trail; and he just couldn't understand why. : ) It's been awhile since I have taken him for a walk in the jogging stroller, and honestly I am floored with his patience. It's awesome! We'll have to start going more often, now that he isn't so antsy!! (That behavior must have been a two year old thing...that, and bribery now works!)



Once we finished the walk, we went directly to the play ground. As I was pushing Michael on the swings a cute mom walked over and began to push her daughter on the swing beside Michael. We started to chat a little bit, usually I'm shy about starting up conversations with other moms. As it turns out, I'm SO GLAD that I spoke with her! She lives on the same street as Michael and Mary Jane AND (get this...) she's a runner and a teacher and she has a child and she wants to have another baby! It's about time! Now I know two people who run in town!! Hurray!! Of course, I didn't have a pen with me to give her my name and number, but she said that she and her daughter would stop by sometime. (Maybe I scared her off!!)

Our town is not the easiest town to make new friends. When we moved to our neighborhood I thought that it would be so easy to meet new people, but it hasn't been. While our neighbors are incredibly nice and considerate, we don't have children the same age and they aren't outside a whole lot. I have made a great friend around the corner, though, and we run together quite a bit. (Except, not now because of the pregnancy...) This new girl and I were commenting on how difficult it is to meet people in town or to become close friends with neighbors, when you're teaching. Yes, I could join a Mom's Club for the summer months, but I guess for whatever reason I'm reluctant.

So...We're having a great day. The walk and the play time were wonderful! And, the gazpacho that we made is going to be DELICIOUS in a few hours!! Yummy!! Michael helped make it today. He was the taste tester.

Time to go for a trial run on the treadmill... I haven't run once this week! It'll be a pure delight, I'm sure. : ( Eleven (actually, maybe twelve or thirteen...) weeks to go, right?

Not Sure Who to be More Proud of:

Josh for figuring out a system to give this kid help with the tricycle OR Michael for FINALLY taking interest in riding his tricycle!  Typically, Michael peddles a foot or two and then decides that riding a tricycle is too hard and decides to push it up and down the side walk.  Josh has been riding his new bike a little bit this week and so Michael's interest in the tricycle has been sparked.  (Thank goodness!)  

We had a lovely day.  Michael and I met my girlfriend, Nikki, and her two kiddos at the park. After playing for awhile we had a picnic lunch with a good friend of Nikki's and her little guy.  We then ran into some very friendly faces, who just finished up with swimming lessons.  Then it was time for the pool to open, so we all went swimming with our rascals!  Michael enjoyed the pool time with our friends.  What a great way to spend a summer afternoon!  

One of my brothers, Clay, commented that Michael and I go to the pool "just about everyday!"  He's right.  We do.  When you've packed on twenty extra lbs, the pool feels heavenly on a hot summer day.  Plus, Michael naps so well on pool days.  How, I love those quiet two hours in the afternoon.  Doesn't he look wiped out in the picture below?!?!  : ) 

GRAND: It Is!!

Spring break is coming to an end, but what an end it has been!!

Here's a re-cap of the past three days:

Thursday was a great day. Josh, Michael, and I all had separate dinner/evening plans. Josh is playing in an "over 30" basketball league. All of his games are on Tues/Thurs evenings. His team won on Thursday night and he was even able to get out of bed without too much pain on Friday morning. Michael went with my parents and his Aunt Patty to dinner. From what I hear, he was well behaved and enjoyed the night away from his mom and dad. I had the best deal of all--dinner with my girlfriends. Carrie, Nikki, Amy, and I went out to one of our favorite restaurants. The meal was delicious, but just being able to spend some time with my dear friends was wonderful. They love me so much that they stood around with me to watch the end of the WVU/Xavier bball game.

Friday, Michael and I packed up and headed to Grandma Rose's house for the night. We got to her house just in time for lunch. We had a yummy meal with my Aunt Doris. After lunch, we went back to Grandma's house for a visit. My parents were along for the trip, as well, so I was able to take an incredibly long afternoon nap. Michael worked outside with my dad. He did not nap. : )

This morning, Michael and I played with the Lego's and cars at Grandma's house. We went out to lunch with Grandma. The meal was delicious and very fattening. : ( (I had a few too many fries, I'm afraid!!) Michael and I then headed home so that we could get to the park in time for the grand opening of the new playground!! Josh left work for a little bit so that he could be there for the grand opening, too. We enjoyed playing together for an hour or more as a family. (Michael is really missing his dad these days.)

Tomorrow will be a low-key-nap day, as we are back to school on Monday. Too bad. : )

Making himself at home.

The first time we went to the library, Michael wouldn't touch the books.

A few trips later?

Now, he refuses to leave them on the shelves. They all belong in our basket, in fact.

Surprisingly, he picks out some good ones this way. Maybe I oughta try it? Forget recommendations, best seller lists, book club lists; a pretty cover and a good size will suffice.

I'm really enjoying Here if you Nee me. You should check it out if you get a chance...remember the library is FREE. How awesome is that??

Crisp and Cool.

Directly after nap time, we took Michael B to the park. The weather was just gorgeous today.

One of his favorite pieces of playground equipment are the swings. Today he decided that he would give "flying" a whirl. Enlarge the photo (by clicking on it), and you will see what I'm blogging about. Josh and I were in complete **shock** that our little Reuben Feffer actually did something so DARING. I was actually kind of proud him...maybe he'll be to break free from the "follow the rules" and "worry as much as possible" mold that he comes from.

I doubt it, though, this evening he needed to sleep in his crib because he woke up at the bottom of his bed after his nap this afternoon. Waking up in that direction made him think that he could fall out, which was why he requested the crib. I know how his mind works because my mind tends to work that way, as well. Talking it out didn't work this evening. He knew what he wanted.





*** Who's Ruben Feffer, you ask? ***

Here's a blurb from Wikipedia..."An insurance actuary who's afraid of risk, Ruben Feffer (Ben Stiller) makes a living analyzing risk for insurance purposes, but finds his wife (Messing) cheating on him on their honeymoon with a French scuba instructor (Azaria). Distraught, he gets involved in a risky romance with an extroverted former classmate (Aniston), only to find his wife desperate to rekindle their marriage."