We're Making a List....

AFter all Santa Claus IS coming to town soon. So what do you do if you can't actually write your list? You craft one, of course! Sophia and Francesca tackled a stack of catalogs and circulars with scissors. (When cutting is an Olympic sport they will definitely be contenders!) They cut out pictures of things they like and then glued them onto paper to mail to Santa.

This will definitely be long-distance contact only. Not one of my little ones would get the least bit close to the Santa at the Ritz-Carlton this weekend. He even tried candy cane bribery -- but no dice.

Hopefully he reads his mail!

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Here we are at our (very) little Thanksgiving celebration. Crockpot turkey breast, purchased sides and my desserts after a regular old Thursday in the office. Sophia wore her hat all day because she said she she was feeling "hip hop". Francesca is wearing the latest medal Daddy won and tossed into the toy box. (Note to race directors: No more medals. We'd rather have a $5.00 gift card to Starbucks than another medal.)

Sophia made "hand turkeys" as placecards and practiced and practiced the prayer she learned at school. They all had fun eating in the dining room and were especially pleased that we ended our Charlie Brown Thanksgiving with a special after-bath viewing of the REAL Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for my little family. Even on the most trying days -- I really am thankful!

Look Ma! No Hands!

So I turn around tonight while I am fixing dinner and see Gabriella very quietly -- and very seriously -- practicing standing up. Not by leaning against things, of course. But by coming straight up from the floor. And she did it over and over and over again. And the more we clapped, the harder she smiled.

Walking can't be far behind.....

I've Been Craftin'

Not bloggin' -- so forgive me! I attended a baby shower today and these are the cute little candy bags I stamped.

I also made a "Book of Firsts" for the Mother-to-be with a Lil' Davis album and BG Sweet Pea Jack Papers.

Now we seem to be dealing with our next round of illness -- stuffiness for all 3 that is interfering with sleep. AAArgh -- it's going to be a long winter....

It's Fall, Y'All....

It is definitely chillier in the morning and at night and our yard is LOADED with leaves! The girls and I created a pile of them perfect for jumping...

This past week we survived a nasty stomach virus that zipped through the girls and Mommy and Nessa yet miraculously avoided Joe!

All's well with everyone now. We're taking advantage of "outside" days when we have them. And of course we're all still on the edge of our seats waiting for the Holiday Schedule at work. We ar emostly just assuming now that Thanksgiving Day will be a normal work day for everyone who is usually in on Thursday. Sure would be nice to know, though.

The downside to tonight is I am at work. The upside is the Eagles play MONDAY night so no football show -- I'll be home by 12:15 am or so -- hooray! (Monday Night weeks are eclipsed only by the BYE week!)

Talking Turkey

Actual conversation in the car today.

Sophia: "These people need to take down the spider webs and the punpkins. Next up is Thanksgiving. Mommy, are we having turkey on Thanksgiving?"

Me: "Well, dear. Thanksgiving is always a regular work day for Mommy because people expect to watch Action News 365 days of the year. So I usually get home too late to cook a turkey."

Sophia: "I guess we'll have to have ham."

We have been able to skip all of the other Thanksgivings of her life because she was blissfully unaware of it. But this preschool thing has exposed her to concepts I hadn't even considered!

It's not Thanksgiving, but it is Election Night, so I am headed back to the salt mine for another late one. Someone get the coffee started before the kids are up and the 9 a-m meeting begins on Wednesday.....

It's All About Me!

Isn't it always??? No, actually just today. Because it's my birthday.

The day started with Sophia bringing her face to my side of the bed and asking "Are you excited it's your birthday?" Excited, no honey, not really. But having a birthday is better than the alternative!

Joe and the girls shopped together. They gave me a fleece from the Lilly Pulitzer store (they all love going there together). I also got the new Sheryl Crow CD and the new Candace Bushnell novel. And this morning they went out and brought home a Pumpkin Spice Latte and a piece of banana bread.

Then I got to open the box from family. My SIL Lori did an awesome job with goodies. A beautiful sweater and then a truckload of scrapbooking and stamping supplies. And every bit of it MATCHED! The supplies and the sweater. Really, really great.

Mom and Andra checked in from their beach chairs in Miami. All's well there. And then I headed to work for the nearly all-night Action News marathon. We're airing the Eagles game tonight followed by "Grey's Anatomy" and then we have the News and THEN our football show. Could be a 3:00 am kind of a day. Fingers crossed that baby gives me a break early in the AM.

So here's a picture of me with Stinkerbell -- thanks to Hillary for making sure there are photos of me with my children!

And thanks to Sophia for telling me that 4 + 1 is almost as many old as she is!

So now I'm in love with an appliance...

Here's my new heart throb. 23 cubic feet of gorgeous. Stainless steel outside and a whole lotta space inside! Who knew how happy it would make me to open the door of the refrigerator and be tickled pink because it's so darn bright in there? That and the way wide things fit across the interior shelves. OOOh.

I am also so pleased that everything in the fridge is at my waist level or above. It makes it so easy to find things without bending down to the ground all the time for the crisper bins or the lost condiments in the bottom shelf on the door.

And the freezer is very roomy and not hard to use on the bottom. It seems like I open the top about 500 times and the freezer about 3.

All that and the other fridge is out in the garage handling overflow.

I guess as you get older it really is the little things...

Next up : the range with warming drawer that is sitting in its box as a tease in the garage. The electrician needs to update the connection in the kitchen before installation. And then not too far away -- new countertops.

I hope my family doesn't expect better meals just because the room will be so much better. Takeout from Delaware Market House is still where it's at!

My Princesses....

It's all been a blur since Halloween -- but here are the Princesses in their sparkly best. They had a grand time Halloween night at Lauren's house. Francesca just wanted to go "one more place" over and over again. The trick now is to keep the candy consumption to a minimum.

November1st was Gabriella's 15 month checkup. She is 21 3/4 pounds. A really big girl. She had two regular vaccines and a flu shot. That left her grumbly. But dinner afterwards at McNally's had the gang smiling. Mommy, too. Nothing like a couple of Harp and a GBS to take the edge off a day with the kids....