Turkey Weekend

This Thanksgiving was kind of thrown together in the last week. We didn't have the time or money to go all the way home to family, so we decided to stay here. Matt really wanted to make his turkey again (this year was his best one ever!), so we invited a couple families over to make all the cooking worth the effort. It turned out to be quite the little party, complete with Rock Band 2 and a cornucopia of homemade goodness!

I don't have any pictures because I was busy playing hostess, but here is a video of Josh intensely focusing on his part in Rock Band. 

And here's a look at Josh's "Thankful Turkey" that we added to throughout the month. I'm so glad I have a boy who appreciates the simple luxuries of cement, acorns, and "pink drink" (aka Crystal Light).

Vanessa and Carina, this little close up is for you.

I think this was the first holiday break that we really, really appreciated. 1) Because Matt has been working hard full time, rather than being in school, which had a very flexible schedule so "breaks" were common. And 2) because for once, we had no responsibilities, prior commitments, or company the whole long weekend. Our weekends, and even weeknights, have been so busy with regular stuff that we've hardly had any just-our-family time in this house. It was so nice to just be home together that it really felt like a special holiday vacation.

Matt spent pretty much all his time entertaining the boys. He made cookies with Josh, helped him build puzzles, played outside with him, and took him on a special grocery run to Meijer where he got to ride the penny horse. (Can you believe it really only costs a penny??)

He even got Josh to try out his new big boy car seat. Here he is trying not to smile and show how awesome he feels.

We all went to pick out a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving, and started decorating it right away. Josh has been spazzing out with excitement ever since we got it, constantly wanting to buy more "oooornaments" and asking "Is it our turn for Christmas yet??" Oh dear...it's not even December yet! I hope we didn't make this Christmas season too long for him!

For me, the weekend was relaxing. After all the cooking on Wednesday and Thursday, we had plenty of leftovers, and with the help of Jet's Pizza yet again, we didn't have to cook dinner the rest of the weekend. While Matt spent every quality moment he could with his boys, I got to spend many blissful hours reading lazily by the fireplace, sleeping in late, and shopping all by myself. I know!

Whenever I try to fall asleep on the floor like this, before I can slip into unconsciousness, I feel a giggling three-year-old body snuggle up to me like a little spoon, and grab my arm to pull it around his waist just right. It is the BEST.

This little one spent the weekend practicing his speed-crawling, and the straddle splits.

"What are you laughing at, punk?"

Sunday night, we were blessed with surprisingly warm cloudy weather. So refusing to acknowledge that our vacation was coming to an end, we strapped the boys in the stroller, pulled out some flashlights, and took a walk around our extremely dark neighborhood. There were some Christmas lights up already, patches of misty rain, and lots of excavators for Josh to shine his flashlight on. We also "hunted for foxes" while we were out. It was just lovely. I will never get tired of taking walks with my family.

This is what life is all about.

Salon de Mateo

I have posts waiting in the queue, almost finished and ready to share. But this little event from last night was just too funny not to post immediately.

At almost nine months of age, my little Jude got his first haircut! He had been sporting a pretty bad "do" for a while. Matt called it a comb-over. I sometimes called it a reverse culdesac because it was longest straight down the middle coming down over his forehead. But whatever the name, it was just messy. Here are some "before" pictures for comparison.

Remember Josh at this age? Definitely not as much hair, but he developed a similar problem until I finally gave in and buzzed his at 20 months.

 Josh 9 months

12 months

16 months

20 months

Okay, back to Jude.... So Matt got out the clippers, while I held the baby and the camera. I can't decide what part of this video I like better -- Jude constantly trying to see the clippers and turning his head to watch so they couldn't actually make contact with his hair, or his constant squirming on my lap that caused him to sink little by little between my legs until he eventually slid right down to the floor. 

He is a little peach fuzz head now, and I love it! 

Now Matt calls him Widow's Peak.

Need another video to get the full "after" effect? Okay fine.

Grandpa Steve

For four wonderful days in November, my dad came to visit his favorite (and only) grandchildren. All he wanted for his birthday was a plane ticket to Michigan, so that's what my mom gave him. I think this picture pretty much sums up how I feel when my dad is around: 

Comfortable. Tender. Safe.

And SILLY! That one doesn't really fit with the picture, but we do have a LOT of fun together. Throw Matt and the boys in the mix, and it's a party!

My dad and I have always been really close. We have similar interests and similar temperaments. While his loud advice from the sidelines of my middle school basketball games has led me into fits of defensive rage, as has his advice about which boys I should/should not have dated in high school, his loving words of encouragement and direction have led me to some really great places in life. I wouldn't be half of who I am without him.

I don't have a recent picture of the two of us because one of us is always behind the camera, so here is a really old one.

As soon as my dad arrived at our house from the airport, he pulled out his bag of treats. My mom sent him with a big tupperware full of carefully packed homemade sugar cookies (complete with bubble wrap), cut in the shapes of letters. It came with a note telling Josh he must spell the names of everyone in our family before he could eat any. The idea of so much sugar at his fingertips was so flustering that he needed a lot of help, but we got the job done!

This little boy hardly touched the floor all weekend.

We did nothing glamorous, but basically showed my dad our daily routine and our wonderful, simple town. We took him to Jack's Fruit and Meat Market, one of our favorite produce stores, where he stocked up on jerky and homemade jam.

We definitely ate well during his visit.

Stuffed artichokes, salt and vinegar potatoes, and steak. (Matt had to break in his new grill!)

My dad is always honest when it comes to food. If he doesn't like something or he would change it in some way, he lets me know. But that makes his compliments worth so much more because I know he's really sincere. His comment on this homemade chicken noodle soup: "That's the best soup I've ever had in my life!"

Note to self:  remember this when he's old and feeble and living in my basement.

Of course we had to show him Jet's Pizza. We are regulars there. I've had their phone number memorized for months.

Also lots of pie. And no less than three packages of Andes mint cookies. We are heifers when we're together.

We made sure to take lots of walks to burn off those calories. My dad fell in love with the neighborhood and all the friendly people in Midland. He couldn't help but notice the extreme difference between here and California. People are just different. Something about midwestern folk and lifestyle is so charming!

On Monday, he came with me to drive Josh and his friend to preschool. He had to get out and take a quick picture of this beautiful tree next to the school/church. I wish there were more beautiful leaves left for him to enjoy, but at least he got a tiny taste of the wonderland that is Midland in the fall!

During preschool we ran a bunch of errands together. Found this cute baby for sale at Kohl's.

That night we took Josh bowling for the first time, and HOLY COW he loved it! Best idea ever. He wants to go every night now. He had so much fun.

I think this blurry pictures captures Jude's confusion and tiredness that night pretty well.

Jude crawled wherever he wanted, which is usually the dirtiest place he can find. I'm just glad no one dropped a ball on or tripped over him.

One thing I love about my dad is that he's always taking pictures, usually to send home to make everyone jealous of his time with the boys. Because of this, we actually end up with pictures of the whole family sometimes! This one's not very clear or smiley, but I'll take what I can get.

Another thing I love about him:  he's a serious handy man. Matt took him to "the tool store" (as Josh calls it) and they got supplies for a bunch of little projects around the house. He was so extremely helpful. He got so excited about ideas for our new house, he's already trying to plan a trip in late spring to help us with the yard and build a workbench in the garage.

Besides all this fun stuff, we spent a lot of time just hanging out at home playing and talking. My dad is really attentive and fun with the boys, but he also is really good about spending time with ME. He makes me feel like he doesn't only want to visit to see the boys, but that his time with me and Matt is just as important. That's probably why I miss him so much when he leaves.

By the time we got home from taking Grandpa to the airport, both boys were completely zonked. Four days of nonstop fun and attention wore them out!

We'll be sure to let them rest up before Christmas break.