From The Normans: Four Days of Thanks

We enjoy our nice quiet four day Thanksgiving weekend around here. We cook. We get rid of some leaves. We do some house projects. We do some on-line shopping. We stay in our PJ's all day. We hang out with each other and relax and play and really just enjoy having some time together. We had a nice Thanksgiving weekend.

We discussed things we're thankful for. Dexter is thankful for Daddy, and also for space ships. Erin is thankful for her entire family, Buddy included. I am mostly thankful for chocolate and pumpkin pie. And olives. And I can't remember what Daddy is thankful for. Me, I am sure... Dexter did discuss what he is NOT thankful for - namely, Erin crying and generally being a big old pain in the butt sometimes. Which, me, too. Me, too, Dex.

The kids had cranberry sauce and olives and pickles for dinner. And pie. Lots of pie. We decided that next year we should skip the turkey entirely and just make sides. We warmed up mashed potatoes in the crock pot, made stuffing on the stove, and made corn bread in the morning. Oh, and gravy from a jar. So we didn't have the last 30 minute mad cramming of stuff in to the oven. I just tossed the green bean casserole in after the turkey came out. I made chocolate pie on Tuesday night, and pumpkin pie on Wednesday afternoon with the help of the kids (awesome at licking beaters and eating brown sugar, those two). John made potatoes Wed night while I was sleeping, as I went to bed at 7:30. So Thursday was good. The kids never left their PJ's - they played outside in them after dinner, with no coats, because the weather was so perfect.

Friday I took the kids to Longwood to take some Christmas pictures for our family calendar. It was us and about half the population of the world, I think. That place is too crowded this time of year for my taste. Saturday I went in to Newark to ride some bikes (and buy one! Should be here Wednesday) while John and the kids put up the Christmas lights. Sunday I finally sat the kids down for a few minutes to watch the Thanksgiving Day parade. They were enthralled. I suppose we should watch some more of it some time.

Now we're back to school, and play group, and PT, and swim team practice, and all that other stuff. Missing our little four day weekend. We should do that more often.

Apparently wearing fuzzy PJ's and moose slippers all days makes this little girl tired...

Happy PJ'd kids after Thanksgiving dinner in our back yard

Fast skeleton. She is OBSESSED with these PJ's. She has two pair and she'd wear them every day if they stayed clean.

Cool wreath in the Bird House tree house, and child who looks at least 12 years old.

Dex was a trooper and totally game for taking pictures at every tree we saw. Erin... a little less so.

Now looks to be like 32 years old. STOP GROWING, KID.

Still chases the water. Still giggles when doing so. I do believe he is faster than the water now.

Still watches the bubbles. They still make her giggle.

This week's shower...

Dex was actually really displeased with his wet head.

Saturday snuggling. About the only time he lets her do this is when he is too distracted by the video on his IPad to care.

On Sunday Dexter emptied his piggy bank and went to the local dollar store, where he purchased two presents for Erin, one present for Daddy, and four presents for himself. Which he is anticipating forgetting about by the time Christmas rolls around. He was SO EXCITED to be shopping and paying for things with his own money. So cute.

The Wall of Thanksgiving, courtesy of the children

Dex drew the Thanksgiving story. Here is the Mayflower, with a picture of a ship now just for comparison.

Here's the Mayflower sailing across the ocean

Here's the Mayflower landing in Mass. The brown dots getting off the boat are Pilgrims. The orange dots are Indians.

It was apparently a very hard and snowy winter for both brown and orange dots alike.

And here's a picture of the Pilgrim's houses, with a table and a Thanksgiving feast in the middle.

I am thankful for my dad because he likes to play with me. I am thankful for space ships (and the people who build them) because I like space. I am thankful for my teacher because she always teaches the class the right thing. I am thankful for a lot of things.

Erin is a little turkey. That's pretty accurate.

Erin colored this one all on her own. She really did an excellent job.

For the first time ever, John put up the Christmas lights all on his own. With special "assistance" from the children, who mostly just fought over the rocking chair.