Pre-school portraits

Jack had school pictures taken a month or so ago.  The studio they went through was much more expensive than the studio that Lilly's school used.  I could order 2 5x7s for $15 or order the CD with permissions to print the photo how I like for $18, so I just went with the CD.  I thought it was very expensive for 2 preschool pictures!

This is the image they gave me on the disc:

I am just going to assume that they would have cropped this had I ordered actual prints.  I am also going to assume that they were bitter that I didn't order prints from them and that is why they cut his feet off and had equal parts back drop and Jack.

Here is what I did to the picture:

He is still missing his feet but he is still very handsome and looks quite grown up.

After the baby comes next year I will have our photographer from last year take our pictures again.  Oh yeah, I am pregnant and they are 80% sure it's a girl!  Most of you who read my blog already know that information, but my sister said I needed to write it here.

Some of the pictures from last year....Jack really has changed in the past year!

Black Friday

After our pie party I geared up for Black Friday shopping.  Even though I am opposed to shopping on Thanksgiving day, I had to go where the sales were.  This is the first year I showed up to the store before it opened and stood in crazy lines.  5 of my friends joined me and we were serious shoppers.  TV's, blu-rays, video games, movies, toys, board games, everything you can think of was in one of our carts.

This is a picture my friend took from our place in line outside of Target.  If you thought we were on the back side of target in the alley by the trash cans, then you were correct.  We didn't have to wait outside for very long, but we did have to wait for an extremely long time in line to check out.  I got GREAT deals and had a lot of fun with my friends. Once we checked out my friend gave us all pie in a jar to eat in the parking lot. If you think eating pie in a jar after scoring serious deals on TVs is fun, then you would be correct!

On Saturday, Jim and I took the kids to see Rise of the Guardians.  It was a good movie, but it was a little too scary for my children. They seemed to like it all the same.

Great Holiday week, one more day off from school on Monday 

and then back to work and school for everyone.

Thanksgiving Day

We went to Mike and Jaime's house to have Thanksgiving dinner with their family (Mike is one of Jim's brothers).  My only food assignment was apple and pumpkin pie.

Jim and I also planned to host a pie party at our house that evening so I made 4 pies Thanksgiving morning. Cherry pie, apple pie, and 2 pumpkin pies.  I made all the pies which helped to make me feel like a real adult.

It was my first time making a lattice crust for the cherry pie and I was very proud.  I feel that it should be said that I used store bought crusts, and I am okay with that.  Jim practiced for Thanksgiving pie by making his own crust the Sunday before the big holiday and it exhausted him, so I knew store bought crust was the way to go.  I did use real apples that I peeled and cored myself, I thought I took a picture of my apple pie but it is no where to be found.

Before we left for Wilkes-Barre I tried to get some pictures of the children but it was just too sunny and I don't quite know how to deal with direct sunlight in photographs.

Lilly loved holding her newest cousin, Riley.  Riley is a very sweet baby and I don't think I heard her cry for the three hours we were there.

Emma age 3, Jack age 3, Lilly age 6

Lilly loves turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (jellied from a can - like her mom), rolls and pie. Jack likes no food, but that is consistent with his every day life.

Jim's grandmother was unexpectedly admitted to the hospital on Thanksgiving and since we were already in Wilkes-Barre we were all able to visit her after our lunch. Jack and Lilly were so sweet and not afraid at all. Jack walked right up to Grandma B and held out his hand for her.  I think she really loved seeing the children.  After that we drove back home to get ready for our pie party.

The pie party was a good distraction from the sadness of the afternoon. We invited some friends over and instructed everyone to bring pie!  I really love pie, it is going to be my new go to dessert.

There was another little boy at the party who looks a little like Jack.  The boys also happened to be wearing blue button down shirts which seemed to add to the confusion. I don't think their facial features are similar but from behind even I would get them confused.

Lilly and I counted 9 pies at our house.  I was too full to try all the pies, which means we need to have another pie party soon.

Jack doesn't eat pie but he loves hot chocolate.  Although he just calls it chocolate and sometimes chocolate water, which doesn't sound as appetizing.

Lilly likes pie AND hot chocolate.

I am grateful that I have such a wonderful family to share holidays with!

Thanksgiving week

The schools here have a long vacation for Thanksgiving.  The kids go to school on Monday of Thanksgiving week and then don't return until the following Tuesday a week later.  This year I was smart and I cancelled everything in advance so we could have a nice lazy week.

 The perfect way to start off the holiday season. We watched cartoons in bed, played with friends, and took the week slow, other than Thanksgiving day.

Jim was home from school and only had to work (as opposed to work AND school) so it was a slower week for him, academically speaking.

One afternoon I was taking a nap and the children were supposed to be watching cartoons. This is what I woke up to:

It took a LONG time to clean that up.  Seriously, why do people ship with packing peanuts??

Fun week!

Life of Pie

I am really excited for the movie "Life of Pi" because I loved the book and the movie looks visually stunning.  However, this post is not about that movie, but about Jim's pie.

Did you know that Jim is quite talented? One of his talents is pie making.  From scratch.  He makes his pie crust loosely following the directions of Martha Stewart.  This year Lilly and I helped him to peel, core, and cut the apples, as well as assemble ingredients on the counter for him.  We were very helpful.

This was a trial run for Thanksgiving and his pie was delicious!! The three of us ate it in it's entirety over the course of 24 hours.  Jack was not interested in pie or his dinner, so he ate nothing.

Of course because Jim is clever and not nerdy at all so he carved 3.14 into the top of the pie crust.

The pie was so good that we all (except Jack) ate it for breakfast.  I figured it was healthier than toaster strudel or sugary cereal.  It had real apples and homemade crust with no preservatives.  Maybe we should have pie every day for breakfast!

Yard work

Last weekend I was unusually involved in yard work at my house. Typically I stay in the house and don't help. Sometimes I pick tomatoes off the vine.  I occasionally cut squash off the vine and I have been known to pick some herbs, but that is the extent of my work.

However, last weekend I helped Jim and Lilly plant 200 tulip bulbs.  Jim dug the hole and then Lilly and I placed 200 bulbs in the hole, then Lilly and Jim filled the hole back up with dirt.  My part was more work than it sounds.  It is the first time I have ever planted something and I expect big returns on those bulbs!

Lilly started to comment on how I wasn't really helping with the digging but Jim shushed her and pointed out that I was helping with yard work.  He is a good man and doesn't try to make me do yard work.  It's too bad I can't say the same thing for myself and house work.

We also raked the yard again for what I believe is the third time this season, not including the time Jim mowed all the leaves.

Here are the bags of leaves at the beginning of the day, Lilly loved to use them as beds. By the end of the day we had quite a bit more.  Lilly was extremely helpful with the leaf clean up.  Jim and I filled the bags of leaves and then she dragged them to the curb for leaf pick up.

My job was to hold the bag open while Jim filled them with leaves and I have to say it exhausted me. Holding bags open is quite the work out. Or at least that is what I tell myself so I am not so sad by it all, I might need to have my iron levels checked. That was the last nice day of fall weather and it has been cold ever since.

I think the yard needs one more raking, but we might just let Jim mow the leaves and dump the clippings into his compost pile.

More phone updates...

One day (in the past two weeks, I have no idea which day), Jack woke up from his nap very early.  He was so miserable that I brought him into my bed and he fell back asleep.  He has not fallen asleep in my bed since he was an infant.  I loved every moment. I also don't know why I didn't smile in these pictures, but at least there is more proof that I was there with Jack as his mother.

One morning getting ready for school both children were happy and posed for a picture....

Another slow morning at home, Jack found Lilly's very soft and fluffy earmuffs.