Today, we lived out what's become our Thanksgiving routine. Macy's Parade at home was followed by lunch at cousin Amy's which was followed by dinner at Mom and Daddy's. I am so thankful we're able to celebrate every holiday with both sides of the family. I'm also thankful that the boys are big enough now that they want to play with the cousins at the Boone family celebration. It's always been that way with "the Kids" in Greenville, but they don't really see the super sweet Boone crew often enough to feel completely comfortable with them. This year, that was different. They ate and played in the basement, which means Mama got to hobnob with the grown-ups. Talk about something to be thankful for!
At Mom and Daddy's, Jones was a chatter-box. All during dinner, he talked and talked and talked like I've never heard him talk before. Freddie went missing at one point. When I went to look for him, he was cuckled up on the couch, watching 'toons with Bobo.
I am so grateful for the gang (on BOTH sides of the family!) that my guys get to grow up with!
The Tickle Monster is ever present at Stultz family functions!
Today, I had the distinct honor of serving at the Thanksgiving "Tasting Party" hosted by the HCA Preschool. Mrs. Burke had the AWESOME idea of having platesful of little bites of different fruits for the kids to sample. Before the party, she read to them from Genesis and talked to them about how God had made the fruits on Day Three of Creation. She then talked about what an imaginative Creator God is. It was absolutely awesome to hear her teaching them about God's creativity. Equally as awesome was hearing her describe to them the role of God's providence in guiding the Pilgrims.
I so enjoyed getting to be in Freddie's classroom, and I was so proud of Freddie for obeying Mrs. Burke and being unphased by my being there. If we don't return to HCA next year, it will be because God led us to homeschool as providentially as He led the Pilgrims to the New World. It will NOT be because we aren't absolutely and completely thrilled with the high level of Christian instruction the boys are getting at HCA.
This Thanksgiving week, that's one of the things for which I am most grateful!
If we end up homeschooling next year - as I suspect that we will - I will miss the "school"-y things like today's Thankfulness Lunch at HCA.
The Pressleys joined us, as we devoured the traditional Thanksgiving ... Taco Salad, which was, in all honesty, absolutely delicious, in spite of its questionably appropriate-ness.
Jones selected the pumpkin pie for dessert, while Freddie opted for a cinnamon roll whose diameter was approximately the width of Freddie's head.
Afterwards, we went to Jeremy's office. The Allstate "Blue Christmas" tree he bid on and won at a Silent Auction the nite before had been delivered, so we dropped by the Bakery for a festive treat and then went to visit Daddy's new tree. The boys were MESMERIZED by a certain plastic mirror ball. They kept checking out their bellies and laughing like it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen.
Maybe it was.
Made me laugh, too.
Mrs. Clackett texted me this picture of Noelle and Jones on the bus ride to lunch. Apparently, they were trying to hold hands on the ride, which Mrs. Clackett busted up.
This was Freddie in his classroom when I picked him up for the lunch.
This is Abigail, Jones's 5th grade "Buddy." She is as sweet as can be to him, and he absolutely ADORES her.
At the boys' preschool Open House, there was a sign up sheet in both classrooms. I thought I was signing up to help at a party, which thrilled me, because, HELLO. PHOTO OP! So I signed up for one party for Jones and one party for Freddie (the max we were allowed to sign up for).
Last Wednesday, I got a message from Mrs. Doris and Mrs. Janet. "Let us know what you need us to do for the Thanksgiving party!" Ohhhhh. So I guess I signed up to PLAN the Thanksgiving Party. Got it.
In a rush, I visited Amazon and Oriental Trading, my go-tos in such situations. They did not let me down, providing Jones's class with a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Party, complete with story time and songs, a treat bag and a take-home craft.
What did mothers do before two-day shipping?
I'm thankful I'll never have to know.
It was awesome to be at school with the boys. Jeremy even came, which reminded me to be thankful for the kind of husband who'll take his lunch break at 9:30 a.m., so he can open 23 8 oz. water bottles.
After we'd set up in Jones's class, we got to sneak a peek at Freddie's. I guess Freddie's class had been told to not talk, because we waved and spoke, and he didn't so much as crack a smile - which made me proud to see, I assume, that he knows to obey the teacher even when your mama is making crazy faces through the Dutch door of your classroom.
After school, Freddie came out wearing an Indian headdress he'd made. I loved it so much that we stopped and took a picture of him on the way home.
Oh, and Jones brought home his "Turkey Book," in which he said that this is how you cook a turkey:
"You put eyes and a mouth and pepperoni on it. Put it in the oven (I'm kinda surprised he knew what this was, since it's so rarely used in our house). Cook it at 5 degrees for 4 minutes (again, where'd ever hear something like that??). Take it out and eat it."
When I read that to him later he corrected it, saying, "You cook it for four minutes; then you say the blessing and eat it."
Smart boy.
Tomorrow, they have a "feast" at school - KFC chicken tenders with potato wedges and a biscuit. Preschool is the BEST.
I'm pretty sure the little girl looking at the camera is the one Jones walked into school a few weeks go holding hands with. He gets very shy when I ask, but I THINK her name is Charlie?
This was probably the best Thanksgiving, since the boys were born. They're getting so much more independent, which meant that we were able to have actual adult conversations during dinner with Jeremy's family. They're also SO EXCITED about EVERY holiday now that celebrating is so much fun.
The fun started on Wednesday nite. We'd ordered a new Christmas tree, and it was delivered in the afternoon. Jones in particular was VERY curious about what was in the giant box in the middle of the den. Then my mom called, saying she and Daddy would like to come watch the Macy's Parade with the boys (which I hope they'll make a tradition; you hear that, Mom and Daddy?!?).
Seeing those two things - Jones's excitement and Mom and Daddy's plans to visit - I decided to put the tree up earlier than expected. We were going to do it Friday or Saturday. Instead, we did it after the boys were in bed on Wednesday, so they woke up to our own little coming-on-Winter wonderland.
Not long after the boys got up, Mom and Daddy showed up. They boys, of course, were THRILLED, and so was I. They appreciate the Parade way more than Jeremy does! Mom fluffed out the branches on our new tree, a job I'd saved knowing she'd be way better at it than I would. Daddy wrestled the boys ("You fink you tough?"), and we all watched the Parade.
When Santa slid into Herald Square, I asked Jones, "Do you think Santa has anything in that sack for you, Jones?" "I hope it's Stinky!" he answered. It was so cute - and totally surprising, as this time last year, Jones had NO IDEA how the Santa thing worked.
Not long after that, we headed to cousin Amy's house for our annual Thanksgiving feast with the Boone family. This year was AMAZING, because the boys were big enough for me to trust them alone in Amy's bonus room. Except for when they were eating, they stayed up there, playing with Jake's collection of Hess trucks and Chandler's cookware.
Briefly, their OTHER cousin Lila came upstairs (all of the other kids were in the basement, I guess). When she walked in, Jones very politely popped up and said, "Hey, Wawa! Happy Thanksgiving!"
I really can't say enough how AMAZING it was that the boys were big enough to be left alone. I can't remember the last time I've had an uninterrupted conversation with Jeremy's wonderful sister and brother-in-law, so that went a long way towards putting the "Happy" in my Thanksgiving.
We then headed to Mom and Daddy's, where the boys took a little tryptophan rest before we took them to see Santa Claus. We spent the nite, so that the boys and I could go to Disney on Ice the next day. Jeremy got up and headed back to work, but the boys watched "Droopy" with Pop and Maybe. Ever since, they've randomly broken out with "You know what? I'm happy." Family tradition is what this time of year is all about, I guess!
This is Freddie Facetiming Mayme
and Pop to show them our Christmas tree
before they got here.
Freddie discovered that he can make
shapes with his hands (kinesthetic
learner, anyone?), and now Jones
does it, too!
When Santa showed up on the Parade ...
This looks like it'd have been such a good picture ...
if only.
Today, we lived out what's become our Thanksgiving routine. Macy's Parade at home was followed by lunch at cousin Amy's which was followed by dinner at Mom and Daddy's. I am so thankful we're able to celebrate every holiday with both sides of the family. I'm also thankful that the boys are big enough now that they want to play with the cousins at the Boone family celebration. It's always been that way with "the Kids" in Greenville, but they don't really see the super sweet Boone crew often enough to feel completely comfortable with them. This year, that was different. They ate and played in the basement, which means Mama got to hobnob with the grown-ups. Talk about something to be thankful for!
