#1: Mommy the bulldozer on my backpack is supposed to light up! For the record- it isn't Me: Oh yeah #1? Who told you that? #1: My brain.
Nism:
NO! Wonder where she picked that up...
This is one of her favorite books. At the end there are two birds with egg flaps- one says "yes" and one says "no" to answer whether you want to read the book again. Apparently she wanted one to permanently say her new favorite word.
So nice. We combined dinner with our friends the Petersons and their parents. I don't think I ever want to have to cook Thanksgiving dinner all by myself- the dishes, the stress, and the workload just aren't worth it. Anyways, we did two turkeys this year- two different brines and two different cooking methods. In retrospect, I've decided that the type of brine you use doesn't really matter. The brine recipes we used were vastly different, but we ended up not really being able to tell which was which. If you are interested in brining a turkey, I suggest you use the cheapest recipe- fancy herbs and spices need not apply. Also I think next year we'll try to brine for longer than 24 hours to see if that influences the taste even more. Don't get me wrong, the turkeys tasted divine and I will never not brine again. I'm just curious to see if there would be a change with a 48 hour marinade. I've also decided that rotisserie turkey is the way to go- no more roasting turkeys in the oven. One day I'll try deep-fried turkey and see if that's any better, but by using the rotisserie you get such an even brown and it was a little more juicy in my opinion.
Quinn's mom made the most wonderful rolls, side dishes, and pies- lemon cream and pear- in addition to my pumpkin and french silk. It reminded me of food that you can only get from someone who has had a lot of experience cooking. I hope by the time I'm a grandma, I can cook that well. Also I learned that Boston Market has the best sweet potato casserole. I shouldn't write about this right before dinner because now our meal is going to feel substandard. Anyways, good food and good company made for a wonderful holiday. The rotisserie turkey is on the left, roasted on the right.
Running Update
A few weeks ago I went running with a friend. My knee began hurting as soon as I started running, but I didn't want to be a wuss and back out on my friend, so I stubbornly kept running. After a little while the pain went away and I got close to a 2 mile stretch. After I went home and complained about my knee to S, I figured it would go away by morning. I was so wrong. It took several weeks, a knee brace, a doctor's visit and some meds for my knee to finally get to the point where I didn't have immediate pain when I started to run. I've since started running again, but my mileage has gone down quite a bit and my knee still feels less than 100% sometimes. Hopefully it'll work itself out- I'd love to do a 5K this summer if possible.
Christmas Celebrations
A week ago we went with some friends to an event called "Lunch with Santa". We got to ride on a historic train and eat lunch while Santa conversed with the kids. This is the first time the kids and I have ridden a train- S did so on his mission in Russia. It was a very happy, fun event made better by good friends to share it with. #1 was excited to be on the train and a little less so about Santa. Perhaps part of the reason has to do with the fact that he doesn't know what he wants for Christmas besides a puppy.
After the train ride there was a small town parade with LOADS of free candy given away. I think #1 spent most of his time picking up candy instead of looking at the procession. I think we got more candy from this parade than we did at Halloween. When the parade was done there was a little indoor activity nearby where we decorated cookies and warmed up with hot chocolate and apple cider. He's just not so sure about this. N wasn't as cautious...never is. #1's favorite part was when an elf took to hiding behind the seats and popping up to scare you.
Waiting for the parade- don't they look happy? Yes, this is the same Halloween basket I made him use for the Easter egg hunt. I'm a lazy mom. Baby N chowing down on a candy cane. Eating cookies after the parade. I wish we could have entered a contest for worst hat hair. It seriously looked liked a bird's nest.
Hunting for reindeer
As if our Saturday wasn't busy enough, I decided to take #1 out to a local reindeer farm to pick up some extra Christmas presents. It was very quaint and #1 had a lot of fun. I tried to keep up with him by jumping on the hay bales, but my knee brace didn't help much. It was bitterly cold, but a definite stop for next year.
It's also a Christmas tree farm.
Oh yeah, and there were a bunch of these guys too. :)
S Update
S is doing great as far as school goes. We hit a little hiccup this past week with a possible delay in getting the prelim done. There were some stats class requirements that S apparently needed to fulfill to proceed onto his prelim and it almost looked for a while like S might have an extra year tagged onto his program. Luckily he's demonstrated his competence when it comes to stats by publishing some articles already and just being the brainiac that he is. We're pretty sure that he'll score an exemption, and if he doesn't then we'll be here longer than we thought. Here's hoping there's a master plan to all of this and we'll hit the job market at just the right time.
Whew! I'm tired! Well, that's our life in a nutshell. We've been enjoying our pre-Christmas celebrations and look forward to leaving town in a week! Merry Christmas everyone!
Qualities: Has diligence and motivation to learn and grow. Can get along with most anyone and has a happy, easygoing countenance. Is happiest when remodeling her surrounding.
Accomplishments: Can say "mama", "dada", and "uh oh". Loves to walk, dance, clap, wave, and causes trouble wherever she goes. Has moved on to regular foods and even eats enchiladas. Has grown hair long enough to be put into pineapple ponytails.
Personal Interests: People, baths, pulling books off the shelves, eating Christmas ornaments, toilet paper, stairs, being chased, and just being on the move. Life is not complete without emptying the nearest baby wipe container. Hates being left out and is consistently trying to keep up with her brother's latest escapades.
Apologies if you are offended by the hand positioning. She seems to favor her middle finger like her oldest brother. We're still working on how to correct that.
