Thanksgiving

I cannot believe Thanksgiving has already passed! The time just flies way too quickly these days. All in all, it was a good holiday.

On Thursday we headed to Pana for lunch at Matt's grandparents house. About the time we left I started feeling sick to my stomach from a massive amount of sinus drainage (TMI, I know). This put a damper on my plans to pig out, and I'm pretty sure Logan ate more than I did. I hung out in the family room, a nice, safe proximity to the bathroom just in case ;o)

We got to see our cousins who travelled back to Illinois from Arkanas. Logan was thrilled to be able to play with Carson and Jackson, and they really all picked up where they left off, like Carjack hadn't been gone at all. Then a bit later, the Garrison's brought a Nerf Gun arsnal and they all had a blast in the backyard. It was around 60 degrees, perfect weather to get out and play!

That evening we made a stop at my parent's house and got to see our nephew on his first Thanksgiving. He and Logan had fun "wrestling." It's funny: you tell the bigger kid to be careful of the baby, and it's the baby who is laying the smack down.

Black Friday was a lazy day for us. Matt went to Walmart around 5 a.m. for a few goodies, and I was contest to just stay home. I cannot do the whole Black Friday early morning thing. I've went later in the day, but not this year. I hadn't had a day just at home in so long, it was nice to not have to leave the house. And I did not. I still didn't feel super great, but some decongestants and anti-nausa meds did the trick. I finished a book, did some laundry, cleaned the heck out of Logan's room. It was a pretty good day!

On Saturday it was back to Pana for my Dad's family Thanksgiving. This year we met at my parents/aunt's church instead of cramming into my grandparents tiny duplex. It was nice to see everyone who was able to make it. I only see some of my aunts/uncles/cousins a few times a year, and don't see my grandparents too often, so it was nice. Logan had fun playing with his cousins, including the big one who was home from college ;o)

Then it was off to Carson's 5th birthday party! A pretty sweet Mickey Mouse party and lots of craziness by the kids.

On the way home, I decided that if I was going to see Breaking Dawn Part 2, I should do it. I went to a showing last night. While it was good, it did leave me a bit disappointed.

Thankful

I'm thankful for...
1) Almost 10 years of marriage to a man who can make me laugh, deal with me at my worst, and shakes his head at my annoying tendancies (like, not putting TP on the holder). :o)\
2) For a son who makes me laugh every day, who fills my heart with joy, and causes worry like no other.
3) A roof over our heads.
4) Food in our tummies
5)Clothes on our backs
6)Logan's school.
7)Family-the one I was born into and the one I was married into.
8)Friends-from kindergarten through high school, to college, to the ones I made as a new mom. My life would not be complete without you.
9)My camera, for capturing the craziness and freezing those fleeting moments in time.
10) My nephew. He's so cute!
11) Flannel sheets and fleece pajamas (baby it's cold outside)
12) Books, books, and more books.
13)Technology, so I can keep in touch with the above mentioned friends and family
14)My family's health. A few bumps in the road, but I know it could be far, far worse.
15) My Grandpa and Grandma Bond. My Grandpa taught me how to play checkers and passed on a love of ice cream. My love of purses? That came from Grandma.
16)Pinterest. So many ideas, so little time!
17) My church. Ten years ago this month I completed the journey of joining my husband-to-be in the Catholic faith. Looking back, it was a darn good decision ;o)
18)My husband's job.
19) Netflix Instant Streaming. Pretty much the only way I watch TV/movies
20)Online shopping. So much nicer than fighting crowds and dealing with rude people!
21) Our library, which supports our family's love of reading, watching movies, and playing the occassional video game.
22) The Twilight Saga. Yes, I can hear the laughter. However, this is the series that got me reading again after Logan was born. It helped me reclaim something that was "me" again.  The kicker: I swore I would not read them!
23)The bad days. They help me appreciate the good.
24)Music.
25)This blog, started with the intention to keep me writing.
26)Bath and Body Works hand cream. My hands are a mess :o)
27)Websites like Jingit, Swagbucks, and My Points that allow me to earn some money and/or giftcards.
28) Two functioning vehicles
29)Being a stay-at-home mom
30) My son's speech therapist. She has went above and beyond her role to make their 45 minute weekly session a positive one. And, he is doing really well with her!

Halloween

It wasn't quite the Halloween I invisioned, but it was still pretty good.

The night before Halloween I started having some stomach issues. I am hoping it was just a bad burger from Steak n Shake and not this nasty stomach bug that is going around, but whatever it was, I'm glad it was short lived. However, it did put a damper on a lot of our day's plans.

I'm a room parent for Logan's kindergarten class, and the thought of missing his Halloween party was really upsetting for me. I took precautions in case I still felt bad and took the crafts to school when I dropped him off. I texted the fellow room mom (who is awesome) and let her know what was up. Fortunately a few hours of relaxing on the couch (with a Ghost Hunters marathon...WHOOP) helped a lot and I felt up to going to the party.I'm so glad I was able to make it. It was so much fun!

We had the kiddos paint and decorate pumpkins. It was messy, but they had fun. Then they had some Halloween snacks and got a few goodie bags. Then they headed out for recess.

Matt took Logan to a few houses for trick or treating. They weren't gone too long, and Logan only got a few pieces of candy. Maybe I should say he only brought home a few pieces of candy. Who knows. Matt said he was a little leary of going up to some houses due to scary costumes. Plus it was cold.

While they did that, I stayed home and handed out candy. Our good friends, the Thompsons, came over and Tracy hung out with me while Mike and the boys went on a candy quest. Oh, and Mike was  dressed as Captain America and looked AWESOME.

Logan hung out with me handing out candy while Matt rested on the couch (he had to work last night). My kid is crazy. Thanks to some teenagers, he started telling people "Merry Christmas." We enjoyed seeing a few familiar faces.

By about 7 p.m., I was ready to call it quits. Being under the weather had caught up with me and I was exhausted and cold. Logan was crazy and needed a bath. And as I looked down the street, I noticed that not too many places had their lights on. I gave it until around 7:30 when we hit a quiet time and packed up and headed indoors. This is the first year that I did not run out of goodies.