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Why is it that the color of candy that I like the best is always the one that is represented the least? My life is HARD. If we're talking little-kid candy (you know, the only kind worth eating), I almost always prefer the reds and the pinks. But the other day when Chuck surprised me with a bag of flavored Tootsie Rolls, I was shocked (SHOCKED I tell you) at the lack of representation by my favorites.
For proof, I give you this simulated graph (and no, it being simulated does NOT take away from its validity). Notice the dearth of pinks. Tragedy.
P.S. Maybe some of you out there actually like the lime runts? Or the yellow and green Skittles? Maybe you'd be interested in a trade? All my green and yellow candies for your red and pinks?
This is our second year having a friend Thanksgiving, but our very first as hosts. (Not that family aren't friends, but you know.) At first I was nervous about hosting. I mean, doesn't the host provide the turkey? I've never done that before (you know, like I've never mowed a lawn). But then I invoked the power of the "People dumber than I have done this," and all was well. That's when the fun began: all that planning! Who was coming, what would we cook, where would everyone sit, where would the food go, what crafts MUST be made...so many lists and diagrams and I LOVE IT ALL. It's the most excited about Thanksgiving I've been in a long time.
P.S. I haven't seen the usual glut of Thanksgiving posts on Facebook this year. Here's one for you: I am extremely thankful to not live in Buffalo right now. I can't get over those pictures of all that snow.
Remember when I watched some friends' kids back in June just because I wanted time away from my own kids at some future date? Well, that future date was earlier this week. Through some miracle of scheduling, Chuck and I were able to get out of town Saturday at 5. By some anti-miracle, I forgot my camera.
What did we do? We got dinner locally, and then drove to Cacapon State Park in West Virginia. We stayed in the lodge there and just had a nice night. We woke up and took a run together. (Remember that we're running the Christmas Story Run in just over two weeks? Chuck's training for it, and let's just say that I got to run at our race pace.) After breakfast we headed to nearby Berkeley Springs. We walked around town, shopping at antique stores and boutiques. It was awesome. Then we headed to our next destination, Bedford Springs (with a stop at Everett, PA on the way). This hotel was so fancy, we couldn't even park our own car. Whoa. That evening we enjoyed the room, had dinner, and then swam in the indoor pool.
Monday morning the weather was terrible (wet and cold). I ran inside, and then Chuck and I stayed in our warm, dry room until almost noon. It. Was. Amazing. We grabbed lunch and then, because the weather was still pretty bad, we took a driving tour of covered bridges. By then the rain was gone, so we went back to town for some shopping. After that, we played two games of bowling. Sweet. Then back to the hotel for dinner. And a false fire alarm at 11 p.m.
Tuesday morning was still cold, but snowy! I could run outside! We hung out in the room for a bit and then went back to town for lunch. After that we headed home with one stop at some outlets. Man, I really HATE clothes shopping. We were early enough to drop off our stuff at home, unpack, and get Bruno before we picked up the kids, almost exactly 72 hours later. I wish I could say that I was thrilled to see the kids and cuddled them all evening, whilst they obeyed everything I asked them to do. But no. I was tired. They were tired. It wasn't the worst night we've had, but not the best.
But getting away is always worth it. Always. I can't wait for the day when Rhett and Ollie are old enough to watch themselves. Let's hope that we raise boys responsible enough for that. And if not, I'm sure Natalie won't mind taking my boys again, right?!
I'm sure I've discussed this before, but man, sometimes (most of the time), being an adult is soooo lame. And one of the biggest, most-overrated parts of being an adult is homeownership. Don't get me wrong; I'm not about to sell my house an move into a rental. But sometimes (most of the time), I just wish we had never bought a house. I feel like Chuck and I end up making bad choices when it comes to repairs. Putting in the window well caused floods when we get tons of rain, the porch has bits of paint that are chipped already, the refaced cabinets are peeling in one spot. UGH. And the latest: our basement shower. I'm still pretty worked up over the whole thing, but let's just say that I won't be purchasing any more home improvement Groupons/Livingsocials/whatever. However, I will say that the shower looks better. Too bad I'm afraid to actually use it.
BEFORE
AFTER (as if I needed to say it)
We think (hope) most of our problems in that shower are due to the humidity. There's a fan in the room, but it doesn't do enough. So we bought a small dehumidifier and hope that will help. Also, because that shower is super tiny and we have a standard shower curtain (which therefore is always really folded), I'm going to cut it in half so the moisture doesn't just hang out in all the creases. And then hopefully we won't have to do this again in five years.
Poor Rhett was sooo excited to try on his suit and just couldn't imagine why the sleeves came to his elbows! Poor growing boy.
Rhett, in tears: Mom...what's happening with my suit???
I don't even remember what I did to deserve this...
Ollie: When you turn into a nice mom, then we can have balloons and new balls.
I guess I probably didn't give him balloons or new balls.
Looking at picture of me when I was seven...
Ollie: Why do you look different? I mean, why do you have a different face?
Clearly not understanding how it works...
Ollie: What if on your first birthday you turned 65?
Clearly not understanding how it works, part two...
Ollie: When I turn two, I will get the slide back.
After getting a whiff of a very smelly diaper...
Me: Ugh, Ollie you stink!
Ollie: That's right. I'm just like a skunk!
Heard from the bedroom during quiet time...
Ollie: I'm not a ka-nig-it!
You know, like "knight" but not?
Last year we let Rhett and Ollie eat as much of the Halloween candy as they wanted on the day after Halloween. After that it was gone. We decided to do the same thing this year because we loved that they didn't know there was candy still in the house. (Because c'mon, like I would actually get rid of it, right?)
Why it was a BIG mistake: These boys are getting bigger! Bigger means a higher candy threshold. And wow, I was really impressed (in a bad way) at how much they could really eat. Or, in Ollie's case, how many things he could sample and then leave all over the table. (Gee, sound like someone last year? At least the boy is consistent.) The only real food ingested was some leftover pizza at lunch. For dinner Rhett had a main course of Starbursts, a side dish of Reese's peanut butter cup, and dessert of Kit Kat. Sounds like all the food groups! Ollie was less formal. "Oh, I want that. Now I want that. And NOW I want that." Sometimes it all went into his mouth at the same time, sometimes it was, as previously mentioned, just left on the table.
But why we'll do it again: After three later-nights and one day of total candy craziness, the boys were tired. And seeing as though Sunday marked the end of daylight saving time, it was perfect timing. The boys slept until...wait for it...6:40 a.m. EASTERN STANDARD TIME. This is 7:40 a.m. body time, people. It's nothing short of a miracle.
Last Monday we had a gorgeous day to carve pumpkins. Too bad the adult's pumpkin had already rotted on the inside before we even started! Oh well. Stupid $5 Sam's Club XL pumpkin. And then before we knew it, it was Halloween! Rhett has wanted to be a saber tooth tiger for months, and once I saw this, I thought I could do it. So I did. The shirt is a bit tight, but that's okay. The whole thing is made out fleece (except for the white sherpa), so he was plenty warm. And bless Ollie because I hit the homemade-costume jackpot with him: he wanted to be a green ghost. Done. We trunk-or-treated on Thursday night and then went around the neighborhood Friday night. I should mention that Friday was a no-school day for Rhett. We watched some Halloween shows, went to a playgroup potluck, did some quiet time, played potato stamps, and got ready for trick-or-treating. It was a pretty good day.
And yes, maybe Chuck and I got into the spirit as well. And no, we're not Velma and Shaggy, rather Daria and Trent. Check out "Daria" on Amazon. You won't be disappointed. Promise.
