Double your Turkey, Double your Fun

This year we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving twice, on both Thursday and Friday. On Thursday we ate with our friends the Mons and the Bernards. Everything was super delish and we had a lot of fun spending the day with great friends.

Here is Harrison getting every last bit of his ice cream. That's my kind of kid.

Maddie loves attention from anyone and everyone, but she was especially enthralled with Mariah

The Bernard Clan, minus James and Grace

Ryan attempted to feed Maddie some mashed potatoes but she didn't know what to do with them...we should probably start with a little rice cereal

Robyn (the hostess with the mostess), being coached by her hubby, Tyler, on how to shake it on "Dance Dance Revolution"

She's a fast learner

On Friday we celebrated with the Roses, the Beestons, and the Giles family. Once again the food was fabulous and the company was wonderful.

Liz (the other hostess with the mostess, front and center) put on a great party. Here is everyone shortly after devouring dinner

Little George turned 7 months old today and he's already learned how to "drive" his little car, the smarty-pants. How cute is that?

Ed and Scott made the paper Thanksgiving turkey. We all wrote what we were Thankful for on the feathers and then guessed who had written what. It really got us into the spirit of the holiday (even though it was technically the day after Thanksgiving)

Maddie and the Beestons-she's once again loving all the attention

Isaac, once again, loving all the pie

It was a great holiday weekend that has reminded me once again how blessed we are to be here in Iowa with so many wonderful friends who have become our family away from home and who make the holidays so memorable. Thank you all!

All Kinds of Animals

Ryan had the day off because of Thanksgiving break so we decided to bundle the kids up and head to the Omaha Zoo. It was pretty chilly outside when we first got there, but luckily there were plenty of animals to see indoors, and it warmed up a little by the early afternoon.

All bundled up at the beginning of the trip.

It's hard to tell, but that is an enormous boa constrictor behind Ryan.

They have an amazing rain forest exhibit (notice the parrots behind Isaac). It took me back to the time I spent in Ecuador--it felt the same, looked the same, and even smelled the same!

Isaac inside the butterfly exhibit--there were hundreds (maybe even thousands) of beautiful butterflies!

I think even Maddie appreciated them.

This kid sure thought he was something else while he was walking around instead of riding in the stroller. He kept saying "nino grande! (big boy)" over and over.

Best $1.29 we spent all day--these Cheetos kept Isaac from melting down on the 2-hour car ride home.

Sunday Morning Bed Head

"Here ya go, Maddie"

Like many toddlers, Isaac struggles with sharing, so yesterday when he decided to share his toys with Maddie, I thought I better document it. First, he started with a couple of his favorites--his airplane and Spanish-singing Care Bear. Then he decided to take out every toy in his toy basket. As he mounted them next to her one by one, he would say "Heee-ya go, Maddie" ("here you go, Maddie"--and yes, he has finally started calling her "Maddie", as opposed to "Mammie").

"Heee-ya go, Maddie--airplane."

"Heee-ya go, Maddie--blocks."

"Heee-ya go, Maddie--libros (books)."

As you might imagine, all the toys occupied her for quite some time.

Best Week(end) Ever!

Kandis has been one of my BFFs since we met as missionaries in the Dominican Republic. She has always been there for me, supporting me in everything I do. She was even in cahoots with Ryan when he popped the question. Here are some pics as proof. He funded the project but I think she did all the work--pretty fancy, huh?Have we aged or what? But enough about us, more about Kandis...

This past weekend she came for a visit--now that is true friendship--taking a vacation to the Midwest in November. She said that "visiting Iowa" is on her list of things to do before she dies, so I'm glad I could help her fulfill that dream.

We were able to catch up on each other's lives, go to the movie, take a day trip to Nauvoo (to see some of our church's historical sights), and eat way too much. Thank you Kandis!!! I tried to convince her to stay and be my nanny but I couldn't compete with the bank she makes as a CPA. She was great with the kids and they both loved having her here. So did I. We can't wait to see you again next month!

"Soy un Hijo de Dios"

I have been singing "I am a Child of God" to Isaac in Spanish almost daily since he was a newborn (or at least trying to sing--I am about as tone deaf as you can be). It is a popular hymn in our church, especially among children. Just last week, he started to sing it with me. It takes a little bit of imagination to understand him (ok, a lot of imagination) and I'm not sure he understands what he's singing (in fact, I'm pretty sure he has no idea); I fear he's inherited my lack of musical talents, but I still love it.

I've been trying to get a clip of him ever since and this is the best I have been able to come up with. If you pay attention you can see him cover my mouth with his fingers when I try to help him too much with the words. And I apologize for the lack of control with the camera---he would only sing for it if he could see himself through the viewfinder. Talk about narcissistic.

This afternoon I heard him singing this song to himself in his crib after waking up from his nap. It just made my day!

Maddie at 5 Months

Here are a few pictures that we've taken of Maddie lately.

Ace Ventura in the bathtub?

Check out those piggy tales.

Another reason to love Costco: both kids can fit in the front of the cart.

She is very patient with Isaac (most of the time).

Pumpkin Cobbler

I subscribe to several different recipe blogs on my Google Reader, so when this recipe came up on 2 different blogs this week, I thought I better give it a try. I made it for a date night we had last night and it was a hit with Ryan who loves anything with pumpkin or cinnamon. It's sort of a mix between pumpkin pie and cobbler. It's a great dessert for this time of year.

Thank you Trieste and Cooking with Friends for this great recipe!

Pumpkin Pie Dessert Squares

Crust:

1/2 pkg. yellow cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 egg

Combine and spread in bottom of 9x13 pan (I used two smaller pans and decided to save one to bake later).

Filling:

2 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 lb or 2 cups pumpkin

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Mix and pour over crust.

Topping:

1/2 cake mix

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Combine with fork and sprinkle over top.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Serve topped with whipped cream or ice cream.

Very Fortunate

Yesterday I took the kids with me when I went to vote. As I entered the elementary school where I was assigned to cast my ballot, I struggled to get the double stroller through the doors because the door frame was only about 1/4 inch wider than the stroller.

"How many kids have you got in there?!" barked the woman at the voting counter.

"Just two." I replied

I get that a lot. People commenting on the close age gap between my children. The most common response I hear is, "Boy, you've sure got your hands full, now don't you?" While this is true (I literally do have my hands full most of the time), I love having my kids close together. I have never regretted it (aside from a few weeks of agony during my pregnancy with Maddie, but I wasn't exactly sane during that period of my life). I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

When it was my turn to vote, I pulled the stroller up next to the voting booth. As I was filling in the little bubbles on my ballot, another woman approached Isaac and Maddie and was talking to them. When I finished she asked me, "Now, the little boy is older than the little girl, right?"

"Yes," I replied, "By 15 months."

"Oh! My two children were 15 and a half months apart and I loved it! But that was 50 years ago!" she gushed. After pausing for a moment, she looked at me and said, "You are very fortunate."

Indeed I am.

Chocolate for Breakfast

That's what I ate. I gave Isaac fruit and yogurt (because I'm a responsible mom like that), but I kept sneaking little snack-sized Kit Kats from the trick-or-treat stash every chance I could. Pathetic, I know. I have no self-control when it comes to sweets. Even if it means stealing from my own child.

I asked my mom this morning if she used to steal my trick-or-treat candy when I was a kid, and she admitted to mowing down all my Almond Joys back in the day. I must get it from her.

Here are some pictures from the trunk-or-treat/chili dinner at our church last night.

Who would have guessed that the temperature would be in the 70s on October 31st? I sure didn't when I bought Maddie's costume last year on clearance. She was toasty warm, to say the least.

Little Georgie and Maddie were born a month apart and had identical costumes

They didn't like the idea of this photo as much as we did

Jenni made the most amazing chili I have ever tasted. I would have eaten that for breakfast if I could have.

Getting excited for more candy

Ryan started out by taking Isaac to the different trunks...

...and Maddie and I passed out candy. As you can see, she wasn't quite as excited about Halloween as I was. I'm sure she'll change her mind soon enough.

Good Bye Halloween, Bring on Thanksgiving!