I’m Thankful For…

For the month of November, I tried to teach James what it means to be thankful.  We talked about the meaning, I pointed out things I am thankful for, and we read books about being thankful.  I often asked James what he is thankful for, and I couldn’t help but take note.

Lollipops

Peanut Butter

Animals

Lynyrd and my turtle

Mommy

Daddy

Outside, the wind, and the sun

My Christmas tree

Daddy

The zoo

The country

Daddy and booboos

M&Ms, Daddy and Grandpa

Daddy was his most popular response.  I’d say “The Country” was the most surprising.  James, I’m also thankful for Daddy.

Our first turkey.

And I am so thankful for you, James.

Extravaganzalorious

If you have seen the Elf on the Shelf movie, An Elf Story, then you probably know the Extravaganzalorious song.  Well, James has had the movie for a week and is already on his way to Broadway.  It is so hard not to burst out laughing when he tries to do this choreographed dance.  And although he is extremely athletic, he also loves music and clearly loves to dance.

Halloween Night

My Halloween pictures are horrible!  I had just gotten an external flash, and apparently had no idea how to use it.  It either looks like I’m shining a flashlight on the subject or it’s completely blurry.  Regardless, I’d like to share what I can of our Halloween.

I snapped my usual picture on the front porch.

Then we headed over to The Granger's for a very warm welcome!

Wendy and Tigerlily love a friend in uniform!

In fact, Tigerlily sneaked him a kiss.

James had his friends, and Justin and I had ours.  We went inside for a few while the kiddos colored and the parents visited {aka had a drink}.

We realized it was getting dark so, we quickly got on the move.  This is when my pictures took a turn for the worse then, I just stopped taking them…

They LOVED playing in the leaves.

Then we went trick or treating!

We picked up some neighbor friends, and told the kids they could eat candy when we got back to house.

The kids played and ate candy, the adults grilled out, and we didn’t leave until after 9:00, which is super late for my scheduled kid.  We had such a great time!  Thank you, Erin, for hosting this craziness! We may not have gotten the best pictures, but we made great memories this Halloween!

Boo at the Zoo

Boo at the Zoo was a blast last year so this year, it was an absolute must.  Not only does James absolutely love Boo at the Zoo, but it also gives us a little practice before the real deal.

James is not yet into dressing up, wearing hats, wearing boots and so on.  We needed a practice run to learn that cooperatively wearing a costume equals candy.  No costume equals no candy.  He got it immediately, and we have had all good fireman memories since.

We made a quick stop by Sasa’s house since we never have time to make rounds on Halloween night.  She set the bar high with a chocolate Spiderman lollipop.

Then this fireman stud met Wendy and Tigerlilly at the Zoo.

The kids could hardly contain themselves.

James remembered just what to do and started trick or treating asap.

It was quickly getting dark, which put a damper on my pictures.  However, these kiddos were so excited that it was hard to snap pics anyways.

James was in awe of all the costumes.  Even the scary ones didn’t bother him.  The highlight of the night {for me} was when James saw a boy dressed as Buzz Lightyear.  For a year now, Buzz has been James’ all time favorite character.  Well, I have never seen him so star struck than when he saw Buzz at Boo at the Zoo.  James stood there pointing and gulping, eyes wide open, and whispered “It’s Buzz.”  The boy’s mom told him to go say hi to James.  A priceless moment.

Also, James decided to like masks just for one night.  Out of nowhere, he wore this mask half the night.

And finished the night off with this one.  What a goof.

  My Aunt and Uncle came with us, and it was so nice to share an experience like this with them.

We had such a great time and knew that we were ready to trick or treat Halloween night!

Davis Visit

The Davises came to visit again, and this time they brought Mr. Michael Davis!  We had a GREAT weekend as usual.  These kids love each other so much.

The ONLY positive of living so far away from my friends is that when I see them, it’s for weekend visits.  We love our routine of bath,

wind down time before bed,

and waking up together so the excitement can begin all over again!

On Saturday Leah, the kids, and I made our usual trip to the Mast General Store then, we went to the park.

The men went to the gun range then watched football.  We fed the kids lunch, forced them to take naps, and Leah and I went shopping – sans kids!

We watched the Florida Gators pull through.  The kids gator chomped, cheered and played, played, played.  It used to be that Jack seemed so much older than James; then they began to grow and parallel play; now they are the best of friends and have their own little games.  Like sitting quietly pretending not to be engaged…

Then as soon as the play phone rings, laugh and kick, kick, kick…

then sit quietly…

then laugh and kick…

Over and over again!  Or pull and push toys around the yard…

then fall to the ground…

pull and push toys…

fall to the ground…

Over and over again with no rhyme or reason.

These kids are so happy being together, and Leah and I insist that they grow up together!

I may get more pictures of Jack and James, but James LOVES Lucy now.  Truth is, he wasn’t a fan at first, but now he talks about her just as much as he does Jack… which is every single day.  He calls her “Wucy Wu.”

And let’s not forget about these two.

They may have gotten close and affectionate here just to make fun of Leah and me, but we know they love each other.  And they sure were proud of “pacing” themselves during their ten hours of drinking on Saturday.  Good job boys, way to “pace yourselves” and “stay sober!”