Thanksgiving Part 2

After the Thanksgiving Day 5K we headed over to Joe and Angie's, as they hosted the big event! There was a delicious spread of all the Thanksgiving fixing's. It was such a beautiful day, we were even able to spend some time outdoors. It was just an all around relaxing day. Thanks Joe and Angie for hosting a great Thanksgiving meal!

Joe and Angie..." The Hosts"

Roy and his Mom, Tanya. That turkey dinner was way too good!

Sarah, Maddy, Jackie and John reading books

Jeremy and Teresa hanging out

Sarah, Jackie and myself. Jackie really enjoyed her first Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving Part 1

Thanksgiving Day started out for us with the Thanksgiving Day 5K! We decided to run off our Turkey Dinner before we actually ate it. The weather was beautiful and it was evident by the turnout for the race. John's brother, Joe, and dog, Wrigley, even joined us. We had to walk the first mile in order for the people to spread out a bit, but after that it was race on! We think we once again won the unofficial stroller race :)

John and Jackie getting ready for the race to begin. Jackie was all bundled up and her hat kept falling in her face...but at least she was warm!
Doesn't she look determined to beat all the other strollers competing!?!?
John stretching out before the race. Jackie and myself posing for a mother-daughter moment.

Happy Thanksgiving

Random Pictures

Jackie and Uncle Roy...Uncle Roy has come a long way with Jackie. He used to be scared to even hold her, now he's practically an expert and even changed her diaper while he and Aunt Sarah were babysitting. Sarah and Roy stopped by last weekend for awhile and we snapped this picture!

All bundled up and ready to go out for breakfast. Jackie looked like a pink and blue marshmallow in her warm clothes.

I found this picture on my camera of Wrigley and Jackie. Aunt Angie and Uncle Joe babysat on Sunday evening and must have taken this shot. Wrigley and Jackie get along pretty well...she loves to watch him and Wrigley loves to give her kisses.

Today we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and played outside on the deck for awhile.

Here is Jackie cruising around the patio furniture.

Here she found a dead leaf and was checking it out before putting it in her mouth.

Happy to be climbing up the stairs!

Happy Retirement Mom!

My Mom officially retires on November 30th, but because of Thanksgiving...her last day will be on Wednesday! Today they are throwing her a retirement party and we are so bummed we aren't able to be there. She has been the Food Service Director/Head Cook at the Nashua-Plainfield Schools for ...well, EVER! My mom actually started working at the school when my Grandma(my mom's mom) retired....I was in grade school at the time. She since moved into the high school building and managed all 4 of the schools. My mom is one heck of a cook to be able to plan and cook for hundreds of students every day! And the meals...they are GOOD, trust me...I've eaten them many, many times. My mom is such a hard, dedicated worker and I know she will be missed by her co-workers at the school. She SOOO deserves this. We are so excited for her to relax and enjoy spending time traveling around with Dad to see all 11 of their grandchildren :)

Happy Retirement Mom! We Love You!

Staying Home

After Jackie was born and we made it through the first 2-3 months of madness, the last thing I could really stand to do was stay home all day without leaving the house. So, I made it a point to do something each day. We'd go to the store to pick up one thing, go for a walk, drive around town...basically anything so I wouldn't have to be couped up in the house all day, even if we were only out and about for a half hour. I would almost get anxious if I didn't have something going on one day. I would just make something up to do or try to make up an errand to run....trust me, the people at Target practically know me by my first name! I've been known to go there 3 to 4 times a week. Sometimes I go to a different Target to mix it up a bit.

Well, today my family and friends...all I want to do is stay home! It took awhile, but I have finally gotten to a point where I actually have things going on during the day. Playgroups, Mom's groups, story hour, lunch dates, errands I actually HAD to run, etc. I think it's finally caught up with me and now I'm just going to enjoy a day of lounging around and doing a few little projects at home. It sounds weird, but I'm excited to finally feel this way.

Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy your weekend :)

35 Days

I stopped by Michael's today and as I was perusing through the isles, I saw this huge sign with a countdown to Christmas. 35 Days! After I made it through the wrapping paper, tinsel, tree decorations, etc, etc ...I suddenly thought back to when we were in Spain around Christmas time a couple years ago. We actually left Madrid, to come home, on Christmas Eve. What was funny is there you never once saw a sign with a countdown to Christmas. There wasn't all the commercialization of the Holidays like it is here. In fact, the only reason you really knew that Christmas was near was because once in awhile you would hear a musician play "Jingle Bells" while waiting for the train.

Now don't get me wrong, I really do love the Holidays here. There is just something about the festiveness of everything that makes me feel like I'm in a big happy bubble. It all starts with Thanksgiving...the delicious feast and always a long weekend! Then as soon as December arrives, you blink and it's already Christmas. The family gatherings, lots of excited kids, and of course more good food. Sure, there can be a lot to do, to prepare for, to shop...and some can get completely stressed about the whole thing. In fact, I've already seen plenty of "crazies" out there while doing a little shopping myself. As it gets closer to Christmas...more and more "crazies" come out. Now back to the Spain thing...I wonder if people there get as crazy and stressed about the Holidays? Since there isn't all the "hoopla" staring at them in the face 24/7, starting the day after Halloween?

I know one thing is for sure. I've decided a long time ago that getting all worked up about things that are supposed to be a happy time, just isn't worth it and definitely not the point! I vow to make every Holiday Season as stress free as possible. I do what I can and if it doesn't get done, life goes on. I try to always give more than I get. And, I always try to smile at the "crazies," to give them at least one second of a break from their madness!

On Top Of...

...Spaghetti, all covered with cheese. I lost my poor meatball, when somebody sneezed. It rolled off the table, and onto the floor. And then my poor meatball, rolled right out the door.


Okay, so Jackie's first spaghetti experience didn't go quite like that...but that song was stuck in my head for some reason. Last night I gave her a tray of spaghetti and she ate it like no body's business.

Here she is all ready for her first spaghetti meal. She even has the SuperBaby shirt on! That is actually my old tshirt, with a clip in the back to keep it on. One of the mom's in my playgroup gave me that idea. When her kids are having something really messy to eat, she gives them an old grown-up tshirt to wear. That way they are pretty much covered and won't make a mess of the clothes they have on...and don't have to freeze just sitting in a diaper/undies. Plus, they feel cool wearing a "big" person tshirt.
She gobbled her tray full of spaghetti right up. I guess she liked it!

The Weekend (Bullet point style)

*We ended up taking the Corolla in to get the brakes looked at this weekend. Apparently John's driving in stop and go traffic on the way home from work has put some wear and tear on it. It's all fixed up now with some brand-spankin' new front brake pads!

*Saturday I came home to John playing kickball with a bunch of the neighbor kids in the cul de sac. He and the other boy were designated captains and got to pick their teammates. Jackie and I watched from the dining room window.

*Sunday the 9 yr old neighbor girl came over twice to see if Jackie could play. The first time Jackie was napping, so we had to send her away. She came back though and we ended up all going for a walk to the park. It was nice to have a designated stroller pusher. She is such a sweet, social girl and just talked and talked the whole walk. It was a hoot!

*Sunday we spent about 3 hours at church, between my RCIA class and Mass....we are feeling extra Holy today. I might add during Mass, Jackie decided it would be fun to do raspberries with her mouth pretty much the whole hour. She proceeded to spit on me and the little boy sitting next to me. Oh yea, and she also showed the people behind us how she can do Patty Cake and So Big! Let's just say it was another fine performance by our little bundle of joy!

Patty-Cake and SO Big

Here is Jackie's rendition of Patty cake and showing us she's "So Big." I think it's cute how she claps her wrist instead of her hands. Please excuse the avocado and goldfish cracker mess on the tray :)>

How'd They Do That??

Now, you all know that John and I come from large families. John's a little bigger than mine, but both have lots of siblings, nieces and nephews, etc. Yesterday I had a taste of what it would be like to have 9 kids in one household....and I don't know how our parents did it every day!

I hosted MOYC playgroup at my house yesterday. This included nine kids between the ages of 0-4 yrs old and five moms. Now granted, our parents didn't have kids all the same age, all at once every day. And, when it's your own kids, it's probably a little different. Plus, there was the trying to entertain factor involved. So even though it's not quite as comparable...I still feel like I got a little taste of it anyway.

All in all, I think the playgroup had fun and I had a great time "hosting." I made a nice rounded lunch of Mac & Cheese (the homemade kind), PB&J and grapes for all to enjoy. You could tell our house isn't quite equipped for the 3-4 yr olds. One little boy was baffled that we didn't have a play set in the backyard, and another little boy asked where all the toys in the basement were. We made due though...I let them play the keyboard(which was a riot), they did playdoh, colored, and ran around outside in the leaves.

After it was over, I found myself a little exhausted...but it was all worth it to be able to get some good social time in!

9 Months Old

Today is Jackie's 9 Month Birthday! If you look real close(or click on the picture to enlarge) at the first picture you can see her two bottom teeth. She's still working on any others. The second picture is of her new found interest in the Little People Doll House. (Thanks Aunt Teresa for hooking us up with that!) Jackie is pretty much up to her same old tricks. She has been way more interested in feeding herself finger foods lately. Which makes it much easier for dinner time! She likes to pull up to anything and then let go for a few seconds to stand by herself. She has been testing out her balance a lot lately and getting much better at the falling part. Jackie has become a pretty funny baby. She loves to laugh and make others laugh too! Church has become quite entertaining lately. She sings during the songs and will flirt with anyone in sight. Pretty much anyone in a 5 pew radius is getting a show. Other than that, she just our little girl who is growing up so fast!

Daddy's Home

When John gets home from work, Jackie gets SO excited. She pretty much laughs and screams with delight until it's time to settle down for bed. For some reason she gets the biggest kick out of one of us following her up the stairs. Not sure if it's because she is taller, or if because she thinks she is being chased. Anyway, here is a little video of what it's like when Daddy gets home.

One Month and Counting

One month and counting until our vacation to beautiful Breckenridge, CO! John and I will be leaving on Dec 11th for a ski trip with some friends. We are looking forward to this trip, as it will be a nice getaway for the two of us. Jackie will be staying home with Grandma and Grandpa Mehmen. Grandma Mehmen will be retiring at the end of this month...so I think they are looking forward to their little getaway as well!

I have been on several ski trips in the past, but it has been a couple of years since I've skied. John, on the other hand, has never really been on a ski trip before. He has skied once, but he said he had a problem with stopping. He's bound and determined to get the stopping part down on this ski trip and if not, he's at least bound and determined to sit in an outdoor hot tub and soothe his aches and pains.

And so the countdown begins.

OP Pizza

On Friday night we met up with the Bernard's to get our OP Pizza fix. For those of you who aren't aware, they possibly have the best Taco pizza around! Below are a few pics that Kati took of the kids:

Tyler and Jackie. It's hard to get two kids to look at the camera at the same time, so this is as good as it gets!
Tyler giving Jackie a kiss. He is growing up so much and is always so sweet to Jackie. He even gave her a hug and kiss goodbye.

Checkup

Jackie had her 9 month checkup yesterday. This was supposed to be her one appointment with no shots, but unfortunately it landed just in time to get the flu shot. Bad timing for her! She only cried for about .2 seconds on this one...so it wasn't so bad.

Her stats:
Height: 29.5 inches (90%)
Weight: 19lbs 13 oz (75%)

Her lingering cold ended up turning into a small ear infection. Nothing too bad, but since she's been fighting this for about 3 weeks, the doctor gave her some antibiotics to nip it in the bud.(Funny, I always thought that expression was "nip it in the butt" until I just looked it up...whoops!)

The Office

The office + Jackie = Total disaster!

Don't Forget to Vote!

Fall Colors

This past weekend was probably about "peak" time for the fall colors here. The 70+ degree weather also helped make it such a beautiful weekend. We tried to spend as much time as possible outdoors...raking, mowing, running, walking and playing with the neighbor kids. Daylight savings ended and we didn't have any crazy stories about showing up early for anything. Jackie adjusted pretty well..she's a little off schedule, but not too bad. The time change always makes me a little sad because I know cold days are just around the corner. It also means the holidays are approaching and we always look forward to spending time with family and having some vacation! Below are a few pictures of our fall colors:

Trick or Treat

Here are all of the kids from our cul de sac dressed and ready for a big night of trick or treating. It was a gorgeous night and a good time was had by all. We had a great set up of food, beverage and even a fire pit (although, we really didn't need it for warmth...but it was cozy to sit around at least). I think we figured we had approx. 75 trick or treaters. We only had 3 pieces of candy left at the end, so I guess we planned it about right.