Sorry for the Blog-Log

I am way backlogged with blogging. Blog-logged. Like the Navy patent mary janes from Land's End I tried my darnedest to order for Kate for Christmas. Now that Holiday Fair is over (we sold OUT of ornaments!), I'm no longer laid up on the couch nauseous and exhausted (I call October "The Lost Month") and the holidays are done and picked up and swept out to the curb, I am updating all our Fall happenings.

We did do stuff, even though you couldn't tell it by the blog. Most of it is for me to remember a sequence of events (like which family we celebrated Christmas with the year before, what Nancy looked like at her 2nd Birthday, and yes, I really did homeschool Kate and have the pictures to prove it.) I'm hoping I can just list the links to the new posts and you can click on them and browse as you have time. My plan is to start with Christmas stuff and post in order of events, so those will be posted individually soon. Happy New Year!

5th Annual Sky Top Trip

Ryan's 30th Birthday

Children's Museum Visit

Halloween x 4

Homecoming in Clemson

Thanksgiving

Fall Smatterings

Thanksgiving is My Favorite

I love waking up and watching the cheezy Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, I love to anticipate eating all the yummy food and then actually eating all the yummy food. But most of all, I love that after the meal, there is nothing, or anything. We used to go to a field and play roll the bat or football, but now that we are all older, we sit around, drink coffee and talk. We can go to a movie if we want, with family members we never usually go to the movies with, or we can take a nap, or all of that.

There are no presents to open or birthday candles to blow out, and more often than not, no one has to work the next day so we can be as lazy as we want for as long as we feel like it.

I know, I know. Thanksgiving's not really about eating and being lazy. It's about the first meal the Puritans shared with the Natives here in America. I'm thankful for the journey that was made across a cold, unfriendly sea, and the country that was established 150 some-odd years later and continues to work all the kinks out. I am thankful I have the freedom to worship any way I feel led. But I'm also skeptical of how it all really went down 320 years ago. How accurate are the stories we are taught in school? So I'll just celebrate it in my simpleton way with casseroles and Scattergories and a good long nap - I can be just as thankful for those things.

Coloring and watching the parade. Strange it was not that long ago that I could lay on my stomach...

I think we only had to take 2 pictures to get a decent shot. This is also one of those moments that everyone kind of bemoans, but it's really worth it to capture how everyone looks each year. Isn't it so fun to look back on old pictures?

The Grands with Kate, Nancy and Spencer.

We went for a Turkey Day park outing. Nancy rides her tricycle better than Kate ever could, especially considering I never had to teach her how to. I think she's the more athletic of the two and wonder what it will look like to have an athletic girl. I do not understand them.

This fall, because we didn't have enough to do, we decided to begin tackling teaching Kate how to ride her bike without training wheels. I was amazed at how quickly she caught on. Hopefully come summertime, I can push Nancy and the baby in the stroller while Kate wheels her way around the track. That sounds like bliss.

Fancy Nancies

In September (that's right, two months before the one we're in now) I took the girls to a Fancy Nancy party at a Chick Fil A here on Haywood Road. We are big fans of the Fancy Nancy books, which came out right around the same time our Nancy was born.

It was 2 hours full of fun girl things to do, complete with glitter stickers on a placemat, coloring, rhine-stoning flatware, lemonade from real teacups and saucers, a yummy nugget lunch with fresh fruit, and parfaits for dessert! There were other, better moms than me who dressed up as well. I must confess I have given away every single one of my bridesmaids dresses to Goodwill (no offense, girls. And I thought my little gold number you all could wear over and over?!?!) So the only "fancy" things I had to wear were real clothes, which I did not want to get all chicken-nuggety. I had fun with the girls. Sometimes it just takes getting out of the house an away from my "list" to sit and enjoy them. They are doing another one the end of November, if anyone wants to join us!

Hyped up on her 3rd round of lemonade.

Nancy was terrified by the cow.

Happenings Since We Last Spoke

Just a sampling of the glorious monotony of our life as a family:

How can a little one go from this....

....to this? Overnight?

In order to make the crib to big-girl bed transition, we had to give Nancy Kate's bed frame and mattress. We did not have a bed for Kate, so for about a month she slept on her mattress on the floor. Both mattresses were old, probably 30 years and 20 years, respectively. Once we bought the bunk beds, we tossed the mattresses. The dog claimed one for herself for the day.

Bunk bed arrival, and a photo for proof of how they helped Ryan cram it into the truck, just in case...

Some dear out of town friends invited us to a family birthday party in October. My friend on the left and I have been friends for 22 years. We are both expecting our 3rd babies this 2010 year.

Nancy enjoying a milk & peanut free cupcake.

Do you think it's time for me to potty train N?

Saturday morning breakfast in front of the tv, scones, I think.

Yeah, leaves! Ryan did not get a picture of the girls jumping straight off the top of the slide into the leaves, skipping the slide altogether.

Um, supposed to be 6 individual scones. I have no idea what I did. The fam still ate them, though.

Kate dancing, Nancy being her graceful self.

Nancy likes to sing. A lot.

And she likes to dance. Wait for it....

A Mermaid and a Princess Dancer

This year I think the girls put on their Halloween costumes 3 different times. Once to trick or treat at a nursing home down the street (and every time we pass it, 2 months later, Nancy yells "THAT'S the place where we got some candy and gave hugs!!!!" She yells everything.), once to Boo in the Zoo, and once, OH, scratch that: 4 times. Once more for Trunk or Treat at church and finally the big, underwhelming rainy event of Halloween night.

I was crazy enough to think that we could go to the Clemson Homecoming game as a family during the day and make it back home to change the girls and go trick or treating that night. We did it, but I was the one that ended up having a meltdown by the end of the day.

Luckily, any leftover candy could be sent to school with Kate for the troops overseas. I think I sent about 4 pounds with her.

Our first year doing Boo in the Zoo. Kids loved it, but big yawn-fest for Ryan and me. We won't tell the kids it's kinda lame, they'll figure it out soon enough.

Did I mention there were no animals out at the zoo? We were at the zoo, but the animals were tucked away like celebrities at a large public event....maybe so we wouldn't feed them candy?

At Trunk or Treat, about to go down the slide. I had just gotten back from a Children's Ministry related trip to Charleston, and was so tired and felt so sick. This evening was quite a blur for me. I think everyone enjoyed it, though.

One of the "booths". Yes, Ryan is in there with the kids playing Twister.

Not much has changed for Nancy in the past year. She may be bigger, but she's still a candy fiend.

Cohen, the cutest dalmation ever.

At first glance it looks like Kate's giving the finger to Halloween, this being the 4th time she's had to be a mermaid in 10 days. But upon closer observation she's about to jump up and shout out "all the single ladies...."

Homecoming Game 2009

October 31st was Clemson's Homecoming game. My folks got tickets for our whole family and we tailgated together and went to (part) of the game - it started pouring just before kickoff. We made it through the first quarter, and walked back to the car and headed home to trick or treat.

This was the first time we'd all been to a game together since I was there 10 years ago. It was really fun for me, and also the first time our family of 4 had all been to a game together. The kids did great, had a blast, and we can't wait for more times like this!

Kickoff, Go Tigers!

Little brother Ray gives our seats a thumbs up. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Family tailgate.

The parade down to the stadium.

Listening to the band in the amphitheatre. Nancy wanted to close her ears. I could just squeeze her, and often do.

My Brave Trip to the Children's Museum

The Children's Museum opened up this summer in Greenville, a long-awaited opening for me. I was very excited about having one in town, but soon realized that Kate is in school all day, when would we all go together?! Fall break, of course. So one gray October Thursday, I took myself, my two girls and our free passes (thanks Emily!!) and we had a great time. I was most impressed, of course, with myself, for making it through the 2 hour event without vomiting, spontaneously napping, or craving a giant chicken drumstick.

We have since returned again to the museum with our cousins, and it was even more fun and we stayed for even longer. 3 hours, and we didn't even do everything there was to do. Thankful for the town we live in and the opportunities we have here.

Grocery shopping. You could pick out your groceries, and even scan them to check out. The bakery has a spot where you can decorate a "cake" (magnetic tiered things with plastic piping and rosettes), and a meat department and produce. The kids love it, but for me, it's about as much fun as the real thing. Actually less so, because the kids call the shots here.

Kate checking Nancy out. I think she bought all dairy products.

The construction zone, they both liked it more than I thought they would.

Lite Brite, Professional Baseball Style. (ahem, steroids.)

The farm spot is for kids under 5. It had some cute stuff, but mostly Nancy just went down the slide. This is also the spot you would come if you are a nursing mother. They literally have a stall with rocking chairs for you to sit in, right beside the hens laying eggs and across from the cow milking exhibit. I think this was a joke the one man on the Museum board wanted to play. How he pulled it off, I don't know.

Jack and the Beanstalk in Fairy Tale exhibit.

Cinderella's carriage; Nancy was the evil stepmother.

Dining at the table of Beauty and the Beast.

Ryan Turns 30!

Ryan turned 30 on October 2, and the beginning of us being the same age for 58 days. We had a fun steak dinner on the porch on his birthday, and I was so proud of myself for cooking, since I had not cooked much because all food makes me nauseous. The next weekend we reserved a shelter at the park and grilled and had friends come and play and visit. I hope I did him right by his big day, even though he is very easy to please. I felt pretty guilty about feeling sick all the time and not having the energy to "do it up right", like I threatened to before I got pregnant. Luckily we'll have many more birthdays to do it up.

Here's a mini-quasi-public shout out to my man to say I love you, and you are the best thing to me on this earth. I'll bring it at next year's birthday.

Kate and all her friends were just dying to stick their faces in this ginourmous cake.

The birthday boy and "Nanners".

Our nephew, Spencer!

Daddy's annual birthday carrot cake. And 30 candles, of course.

Happy Birthday!!