Thanksgiving Happenings!

This has been a busy but wonderful week. Originally we were going to head to Utah for Thanksgiving but ended up going to my parents. Next year I think we'll host Chris's family and see if that simplifies everything PLUS I enjoy cooking (most the time.)

At my parents house we included both sides of the family so we had a pretty good turnout. I made homemade stuffing & it was sooooo good. From scratch is definately the way to go for Thanksgiving. I made hats for the little kids but not everyone wore them.....my boys had no choice. Jaden was a pilgrim & Landon was an indian. I realized that I didn't do very good on taking pictures so I don't have a lot to show from the day but we all had fun visiting & of course eating. My grandma made the most fabulous yams...I didn't even know I liked yams.

That night a few of us came back to our house to spend the night so that we could hit the sales early. So 4 am the next morning me, Jenna, my mom, & Melanie (Jeff's girlfriend) headed to Walmart. I didn't realize the 24 hour walmarts are open all night so when we got there I panicked when there was no line & ditched the girls because I had my eye on the motorized Jeeps. There were only 6 boy jeeps & at the end had to fight for mine but I got it. Wahooo!!! I have to say this was the craziest year I've ever shopped & I honestly was stuck in the store & wasn't able to hook up with anyone else for quiet a while. After walmart was toy r' us, office depot, & fred meyer. After that a nap would have been nice but my cousin got married so we went to all the wedding festivities. I snuck a nap in between everything.

Saturday was TWILIGHT. I think they did a great job. I never got totally into the books but did enjoy them. It resparked my interest though & I think that I need to read the 4th book.

So this week was seriously a blur because there was so much going on so I'm sure I missed something.

A funny story...I darkened my hair & today at church my friend Hillary came & told me she'd went into my class & they were all talking about my hair & wondered how I had did it. They all came to the conclusion that I must have used a marker. So cute; I hope they don't go home & use markers on their hair. I might have some angry parents.

Clarification

In case you missed it my Romney Beer is ROOT beer. I doubt that he'd endorse any other type of beer:) Chris mentioned today that he thought people thought that I had actual beer. Nope...just the delicous taste of CAFFEINE FREE root beer.

Underweight & sleeping solutions

So we are a little late on our well child checkups so Landon had his 9 month yesterday...about 3 weeks late. You can imagine my surprise when the Doctor is worried about his weight, not overweight but underweight. To view his little body you can go to my prior post http://ourmurphylife.blogspot.com/2008/10/cutie-pie.html At his last well child check I could tell that it had been charted wrong (their still on paper, crazy huh) because they had his weight at 60% & heighth at 20%. I didn't worry about it because I knew it was wrong. I thought he was about equal in both. Well Landon has lost weight since that last appointment & is 20% for weight & 60% for heighth. The doctor has suggested I bottle feed more & do less nursing to make sure he's getting the calories he needs. He has a follow up appointment in one month to make sure he's put on weight. I'm going to have to chunk this little guy up. I honestly thought he was chunky enough until Jenna told me a couple of weeks ago that he was really skinny. I guess I was blind to my sons weight problem:) He's 20 lbs right now & we'll keep on counting.

Jaden has been a great little sleeper until this last month & I haven't been able to pinpoint the problem. He also struggles once he goes to bed to stay in bed so we decided to try something different. We let Jaden keep his lamp on & read books until he's tired but he has to go to bed at 8pm. We've done this for 3 nights & it's worked like a charm. The mess in the morning....not so wonderful.

Don't Envy Me

A couple months ago I was in a conversation with my VT Ginger about politics & the election. Then she mentioned that she had seen us at the rally that Mitt Romney had came to & had tried to grab us so that they could take us around but we had quickly left at the end because the boys needed to go to bed. We continued to talk about Mitt Romney because her husband accompanied him on the campaign trail & I had a lot of questions. It was fun to get a little more information about inside the campaign.

A couple of weeks ago Jinger then went on to tell me about "Romney Beer" & that they had a few in their garage that they save for Special People. Well guess what, I'M ONE OF THOSE SPECIAL PEOPLE. Today she brought me over not one, but two.

So you'll see my special collection in an enclosed case that only special people can see. HaHa....I'll let you touch them if you are very careful.

what shouldn't be

Chris has been working out of town these last couple of nights which has made for some interesting times. First off, at night time I like to have a little noise so I sometimes have the TV on as I clean or do whatever project that I am working on. Last night the TV was on TLC....I didn't think very much about it until I started having the strangest dreams last night. I had 6 babies in a very messy house. My life was crazy & I couldn't focus on anything; babies included because of my unorganized home. Thankfully I had a helper in my dream & took my many instructions on how to bathe & feed the babies. I can remember that my home was so disorganized that I walked aimlessly around my house trying to figure out where to start. When I woke up this morning I tried to figure out where the dream came from. I narrowed it down to "Jon & Kate plus 8" and "Little People, Big World." In the first show I always wonder how they do it & stay sane. I struggle with just my one baby. In the 2nd show I also wonder how they do it...how do the live in such disorganization. Apparantely my mind combined both of the things that I'm not sure I could handle & gave me a dream of WHAT SHOULDN'T BE.

This week we've been working on random projects that keep piling up. Since we've moved in I've left the play room walls blank lacking inspiration of what should go on the walls. Well I decided that Jaden should get to decide...it is where he plays. Jaden created some masterpieces that I'm sure will be worth LOTS in the future. I'm taking orders now:)

9 months....oh my!!!

I feel like I still have a little baby & it's probably because Landon is still very attached & is content being with me all the time. I'm not baby hungry for another yet & hopefully he'll be my baby for the next year & a half or so:)

I just think he's the cutest little thing & LOVE his dimples. I tickle him constantly because he has the an adorable laugh & of course his dimples come out. We love you little guy!!!

Moving Forward

I hope to make this an uplifting & non-offensive post. I've heard some interesting opinions post election that I wanted to share. It's so important that our country moves forward & that we unite.

1. I never watch The View but it seems like there is tidbits of their show replayed on some of the news shows because of their extreme differences regarding political views. It seems like the Co-Hosts on the view (minus Elizabeth) aren't huge Bush Supporters & have some very negative things to say about him (again, I never watch so I'm relying on the news for this portrayal.) As I caught 5 minutes the other day Barbara Walters said something very interesting. She said that when the Clinton Administration left the White House they left in anger & cut phone lines, made a mess of the White House & made a difficult transition for the Bush Administration to come in. She mentioned this because she was impressed how gracious President Bush has been to invite the Obama family to come & visit so that the girls are comfortable when they move in. I didn't give it a lot of thought until Barbara mentioned this but THIS IS IMPORTANT. We don't want President-Elect Obama to have to have a long transition. He needs to be able to take action immediately & not miss a step & how wonderful (so far) that President Bush is helping him to do this.

2. A caller called one of the radio programs the other day & made a comment that helped me realize I was wrong in my thinking. He said "I don't want Obama to fail." Failure means that our economy continues to struggle, jobs continue to be lost, distrust & anger will surround our country. We should hope & pray that he succeeds & put aside our personal differences. I was originally wrong....we need to support him & hope that he takes our country in the direction that we need to go.

3. This may be the most controversial issue that we saw this election. The initiative in California to define the definition of marriage (I'm not listing the proposition for fear of google searchers.) I hope that those disappointed in the results can realize that it wasn't an anti-gay initiative but an intiative to define that marriage is between a man and a women. I hope that this issue & anger can be laid to rest so that we can come together & support one another. I hope that those who did support this proposition did so for the right reason & not because of hatred & intolerance. The beauty of our electoral system is that it was put to a vote by the people & the people have spoken. I can't think of anything more fair then that.

The LOVE war

Anyone experience the love war???? Jaden & I have the love war daily. We argue who loves each other more. I figure that this is an ok argument to have. I love it when he comes up to me & in the sweetest voice says "I love you mommy."

Yesterday I recieved a phone call from the school district informing me that he does qualify for pre-school. I was surpised how sad I was...not that he is behind in a couple of areas but that his journey of school will now never end. They said that his speech is behind (I knew this already) & that he doesn't follow instructions. I didn't mention that this wasn't a result of comprehension but of STUBBORNESS. This boy does things how he wants to do them & no other way. The good news is that he is just slightly behind & not way behind. That was a fear of mine.

After I got the phone call I glanced at him eating his lunch & my heart ached. My little boy is growing so fast. I started picturing him on the school bus which they do provide. I'm struggling to know if I can do this. What if someone bully's him on the school bus? What if he misses me? So many thoughts. I'm sure I'll be following him in my car on his first day to make sure he is ok. J takes a lot of my time but he has such a sweet heart & he makes it easy on MOST days. I was worried how'd he feel about it & he can't wait. He wants to go right now. They still are evaluating the tests to determine how many days he'll go, what elementary school, ect. I'll be having a meeting with them shortly.

Reflecting

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time to reflect on all that we are grateful for & to spend time with those that we love. As I was thinking about our past Thanksgivings I remember Jaden's first one. I think that it was my favorite in my married life for several reasons. First, I had my first child & second, it's the first & only Thanksgiving I've ever hosted. After I had a little one I felt like a little family & I wanted to make sure Jaden's first Thanksgiving was a special one. Traditionaly we've spent Thanksgiving with Chris's family and we've eaten at a Restaurant....it definately makes the day less stressful & lets me prep for the Sales.

On J's first Thanksgiving I really wanted to host. I wanted to make a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, pies, all of it. So we invited all of his family to come to our home. This was also our first year in our old house which made me even more excited.

On Thanksgiving day his brother & family ended up staying in Seattle but we still had a special day with yummy food (we smoked a turkey, try it, it is the best). That morning Jaden's little girlfriend Emma (pictured at top) came over with her mom, dad, & grandpa from Japan. I really enjoyed meeting June's (my friends) Dad. He was so in awe of everything & it made me appreciate it all the more. They didn't join of for dinner but spent some time visiting. Notice Emma's cute little poncho...they really got into the spirit.

We had another couple over, Chris sister Tara & her son Anthony & Chris' mom so it was small compared to what I grew up with but very fun. Outside had a fresh layer of snow & it was beautiful to see. I gave Jaden just a little bit of mashed potatoes because he was so young & it gave him a tummy ache. We had pushed his high chair next to the table so that he got to take it all in.

At 5am I hit the stores the next day & met up with June. Her dad had decided he really wanted to check out how crazy us American's are so he shopped with us too. It was so fun to watch him take it all in. He had a blast & even did some of his own shopping.

Last Thanksgiving was special too. I'm grateful that after years of not going to Thanksgiving on my side of the family that this year we did. This was my grandpas last Thanksgiving with us. There were 99 (I think this # is right) that gathered in my grandparents home. All 99 of us were either children, grandchildren, or great grandchildren of them plus spouses. This is how large their family is & how close they are. All their children were there & I think only a couple of grandchildren were missing. The Hendricks Family is soooo fun & we spent the rest of the afternoon laughing & sharing stories & it was wonderful.

Just today I'm thankful for the following:
-A baby that slept until 5 am (6 am if you don't consider the time change.)
-That we get to vote & that we live in free country.
-That Jaden is perfect with directions & told me exactly how to get to Walmart today. This gives me comfort that if anyone ever took him & they didn't get too far that'd he find his way home.
-That my husband provides for our family & scored a BIG one today.
-That I didn't wonder how I was going to pay for our groceries & that I even could afford to Jaden a special surprise.
-That I have a mamma van that gets me where I need to go & that I don't worry about getting stranded (I did almost lose my keys at the store though...that could have made for a bad day.)
-I'm going to turn this negative into a positive=Chris is working out of town these next two weeks & when he's gone I have more time. I have a few extra things these two weeks so i'm grateful for extra time.
-When we arrive home I was welcomed to a very toasty home. It's freezing outside so this is a wonderful thing.
-For all of our friends & family. This time of year is so wonderful to get together & share traditions.

I'm sure as Thanksgiving approaches I'll continue to reflect on all that I'm grateful for. Maybe late tonight if I like what the news tells me:)

P.S....if you are wonderfing why the pictures are kind of funny & not clear. I haven't found the CD to our scanner since we've moved & I didn't keep the electronic file so these are a picture of a picture. I'm grateful I found a way to improvise.

FYI

If you wonder why none of you are getting comments from me I just want you to know I'm trying. My internet is being a pain & lets me write the comment but then I go to post & it goes crazy. After writing 6 comments tonight & none posting I decided I better give up or bads words will be coming out of my mouth. There are some super cute halloween outfits to comment on, strong opinions which I agree 100% with, and to you Lori because I about died laughing at Richards post....I now know a new side of you & you are so much fun!!! We need to play:)

pumpkin & lego

We had such a fun evening celebrating Halloween. Landon was so cute as a Pumpkin. Poor little guys costume was a hand-me-down from Jaden. I loved his little dimples & even captured some of his new teeth. He was so good & kicked his legs the whole time while we pushed him around in his stroller. We went to Snake River Landing around 4pm & then went around our neighborhood. Can I just say I LOVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. We are still getting to know people & it's huge but the perfect place for Trick or Treating.

Jaden got MANY comments about his costume & by the end of the night he told EVERYONE that he made it. I guess he helped. Some of the homes in our neighborhood went all out & he was excited to see what each one had. He scored at one home when they gave him TWO big candy bars. On our way home he ran into one of his best little buddies Jordan & they were so excited to show each other their loot. Kids are so cute!!! Both boys were ready to go to bed...it was an adventerous night.