Cousins!

Today Ryan's Aunt Amy, Uncle Pat, Aunt Lynn, Grandma Doody, Papa Doody and ALL 6 cousins made the trip from Albany to Massachusetts for the day to visit with us. Ryan was so incredibly excited to see everyone, the kids always play so well together and had a blast. The adults had a nice time too, catching up and chatting over lots of good food (including my favorite beach pizza!) and drinks. We know that it was a long day for them, the round trip total for everyone was over 6 hours, but we all really appreciate that they made the trip, especially since we will not see them over Christmas. Thanks to the Doodys and Hansens!!

Turkey for you, and turkey for me...

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays - It is a day filled with family, fun and eating!! We have not traveled to Massachusetts to spend Thanksgiving with my family in over 5 years, so this was long overdue. We went to my Uncle Bill's for Thanksgiving Dinner, then stopped at my Dad's cousin Carol's house to see the Italian side of the family, including my Great Aunt Lou and Great Uncle Louie. Ryan did great all day, and especially had a blast at Uncle Bill's houose, playing on their basketball court with my cousins Sean and Elisabeth. He did keep kicking the basketball, instead of dribbling it, but we will work on his skills :)

Feaster Five!

5K races on Thanksgiving Day have been growing in popularity over the years, and this year I decided to get in on the action. I have been running a lot more this summer, and needed a goal to keep my running up as the weather turned colder. Plus, what better way to prepare for turkey, pie and stuffing than to burn off a few calories ahead of time? I met up with a friend from college, (who I haven't seen in over 10 years!), and we walked to the start line together, catching up along the way. Although the temps were only in the high 20's at the race start, I bundled up, started running, and never stopped until I crossed the finish line. Tim cheered me on from the sidelines and met me at the finish, where I collected my hard earned pie. Considering the weather, the crowd (~ 9,000 entrants!), and the HUGE hills, my first race was a success! I wanted to finish at a strong 10:00 mile, and I smashed that goal, finishing in 29:26 (9:29 pace).

30+ years of Friendship

Melissa and I have known each other since birth, her mother and my mother have been friends since high school! Her mother is my Godmother, and my mother is her Godmother. Growing up, we were more family than friends (I call her parents Auntie Chris and Uncle Rich) - seeing each other all the time, spending holidays together, and vacationing together. With us living in Maryland, and life just being busy, it has been years since we have seen each other. This week, when we were visiting my parents in MA, we all got together for a pizza night at Melissa's house. It was so great to see Melissa, spend time with her and her husband Colin, and see her parents, "Auntie Chris" and "Uncle Rich." My parents came along as well, and having us all together felt like old times! Melissa and Colin have 2 adorable girls - Emma (4) and Grace (almost 2), and they were fast friends with Ryan. It warmed my heart to see them playing together, and I know my mom and Chris also loved seeing their grandchildren play so well together. Hopefully we can get together again the next time we're in town!

BFFs

Today I FINALLY met my best friend's new baby, Jack. These are the times when it is especially hard to live far away from loved ones - when new babies come into the world and we have to wait 8 weeks to see them! Jack is a little cutie pie, and I truly enjoyed holding him and giving him some extra cuddles. While I was on baby duty, Ryan played with Cecilia, Jack's older sister. Cecilia will be 2 at the end of December, and as the kids get older, the year age difference seems to matter less and less. They had a blast playing together - watching TV together, riding in the cozy coupe, taking care of their "babies" (dolls!), eating lunch together, and wreaking havoc. Cecilia was able to sneak in a few kisses and hugs to Ryan right before we left, although he was playing hard to get. It was so GREAT to see Shelley and catch up with her while the kids had so much fun together. The next generation of BFFs!

The next Pele?

Cooking with Nana

3 generations

Thanksgiving Dinner

Today all parents and grandparents were invited to Ryan's school for a Family Thanksgiving Dinner. Tim and are lucky that we both have flexible work schedules and were able to attend. The kids were so excited when we walked in, sitting at a long table wearing their Thanksgiving hats. Ryan has a facial expression he makes when he is a combination of embarrassed and excited, and he had that look on his face almost the entire time we were there. The kids were so well behaved - sitting in their chairs for the entire meal, eating quietly, and taking their plates and cups to the trash can when they were finished - The teachers have them well trained! With Christmas ads taking over everywhere we look, Thanksgiving seems to get lost on the shuffle now. We have so much to be thankful for, and it was nice to take some time to focus on Thanksgiving and kick it off a little early. What do YOU have to be thankful for this year?

Movin on Up

Ryan has been asking for a dog for several months now, and my standard response is that our house isn't big enough for a dog. This week, on our way home from school, we had the following conversation out of the blue:

Ryan: (pointing to a house) We can get that house right there!
Me: Why, you don't like our house?
Ryan: Yes, I do! But that house can fit me and my dog.

Nana to the rescue

Naps have become pretty much nonexistent in our house. For the past few weeks, Ryan has not been napping at school, or at home on weekends. At school the kids all lay down on their cots, and I know at the very least he gets some down time while the other kids sleep. At home we also go through the motions of going down for a nap; I read him 2 books, then put him to bed with a couple more books (in the hopes that he will doze off while looking at them). On the past several nap attempts, all is quiet for a maximum of 10 minutes, and then he starts calling for us"MommyDaddyMommyDaddyMommyDaddyyyyy" (He has strict instructions not to get out of bed at both bedtime and nap time and surprisingly, he has always obeyed.). This past Sunday, Tim put him down for a nap with his books while my parents and I relaxed downstairs watching TV. A few minutes later I heard Ryan singing, so I crept up the stairs to stand outside his room and listen. After a few songs, I heard him start to call for me and then quickly switch tactics - "Mom...Nana!!!!! Nana...Nana....Nana....Help me Nana! Nana, please help me!" He knew exactly what he was doing. Within about 2 minutes, his Nana had rescued him from nap time...

Sugar High

Between Halloween and Ryan's Birthday Party, we have a LOT of leftover sweets in the house. Yesterday morning, Ryan spotted a container of cupcakes on the kitchen counter, and asked for one as his morning snack. I told him he could have one after dinner if he ate a good dinner. Of course my little elephant remembered, and asked for one as soon as he finished his dinner last night. It didn't take long for the sugar to kick in, as he was deliriously laughing at the littlest things, and then dancing and singing around the living room. I commented that maybe we wouldn't be eating cupcakes again on school nights because they make him too crazy. This morning, he spotted the cupcakes again, looked at them and started to say "Mommy, can I....," then caught himself and said "I can eat cupcakes when it's the weekend!!!:

Anticipation

Sometimes seeing the excitement and anticipation on a 3 year old's face before opening the gift is more fun than watching him open the gift itself...

Dog and Clown?

Last week at Ryan's preschool, there were lots of fun activities to honor the Make a Wish Foundation - Each child donated money to the Foundation and there were a few fundraisers throughout the week - ending with a Halloween party. Monday was Face painting day, but Ryan missed it since we were on our last day of vacation in Miami. The teachers were kind enough to make up for it, and paint his face on Wednesday...According to Ryan he was " a dog and a clown." I didn't really see the clown, but that's ok...