Yowza!

We're, um, going to be outnumbered by children in late June.

God help us.

Our Thanksgiving

We didn't get to make the 18-hour car trip out to Maryland to see my fam this year, so we had our own, little fun at home this Thanksgiving weekend.

They're ready to go get the Christmas Tree (Black Friday) from Garwood.

I couldn't really get them to stop moving.


They're checking out some of the trees at Garwood.


Listening to a guy talk about fishing on Black Friday.


Willis and Henry listen to the same guy talk about fishing on Black Friday. (We got a free bag of apples and a free gallon of cider with our tree purchase.)


The kids climb on some furniture.


My annual Martha Stewart wreath that I make from tree clippings every year. I call it a Martha Stewart wreath because I think Martha would be proud. My horticulture class really came in handy with regard to stuff like this.


Willis reads I Love You, Stinky Face to Henry.


Henry stops to say, "Cheese!"


Post-Thanksgiving coma.


He was double-fisting, and his little eyes were closing.


There's something so sweet and, yet, so sad about a kid passing out at the table.


The stockings are hanged and the tree is up!

Random Kid Shots

This picture was taken shortly after Nora located her missing penguin (3 days). Yes. The penguin she's actually holding is the one that was missing.

He's multitasking. He's also wearing a pink headband around his neck. I don't know. It's his "thing," I guess.


He wanted to wear the back pack, and yet, once he had it on, he still wasn't completely satisfied.


Well, he was a little of the time.


It was darned near impossible to get a photo of him with that back pack.


Back pack. Reading. It all goes together—in more ways than one.


He really gets into reading right now. He's rather vocal. See how serious he is?

Hey, It's Okay Thursday!

I haven't done a Hey, It's Okay Tuesday post in awhile, but today slapped me particularly hard. So, I felt the need to rant it, bullet-style.

Sara and Amber are the ones behind all this, and if you want to know what the heck that means, go take a peek at their stuff.

And, yes. I'm aware that it's Thursday. Live a little.

Hey, It's Okay . . . 

To stand there and just blink for an entire minute to absorb the fact that you just shattered a dresser drawer all over the floor—just because you pulled it out a little too eagerly.

To let your kid play with your keys in the store, even if you know you're going to come outside to find that the back hatch is open, the car is unlocked, and the car is (and has been) running the whole time.

To want to kiss an old lady square on the mouth for helping you carry your bags to your car. (I was at CVS, and they have made it impossible to take a cart into the parking lot. So, shopping with wee Henry is a serious challenge if I end up with more than just a few bags. Let's just say, we were exploding out of the front of the store when the poor woman saw me and offered to help.) Isn't it me that's supposed to be helping the old lady, anyway? Sheesh.

To believe in some sort of force that makes people in a fairly empty store stand right in front of what you need. Forever.

To have no idea how your shopping list ended up not in your purse when you specifically remembered to put it in there.

If your 15 month old apparently knows how to bust into the cabinet and get himself a snack. (Henry polished off the remainder of a box of graham crackers this morning while I was fixing that shattered dresser drawer.)

If you practically have a hot flash (of rage) because your dog breaks out of a double-latched gate. (Apparently, our back yard is just not enough. What's more: it has to hurt him when he breaks out. I can't even imagine how he does it without hurting himself. He is not an intelligent creature.)

If the fact that you couldn't find your keys anywhere when you were trying to get your kid to preschool didn't actually stand out that much in the scheme of all the stupid things that happened this morning. (Willis accidentally left them in a sweatshirt in our bedroom. I had to call him to figure out where they were. I had to look up the number to call him, too.) 

To go nearly mad because you cannot, for the life of you, find a set of keys (the fact that these keys are missing led to the key disaster of the morning, by the way) and a penguin in your house. And, by golly, they are under this roof somewhere. (Nora keeps whining, "Mommy! Where's my baby penguin?")

If you want to type, "Get a room!" when people profess their love on Facebook.

If you are so excited about actually having tickets/plans/child care to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 that it nearly hurts. In a good way. I just hope I can make it through the whole movie without having to pee.

New Fridge

We've had a new fridge for about a month. Here's what it looks like. (It's a Frigidaire.)

The one thing about it that has been creeping me out is that it makes a knocking noise every now and then. It literally sounds like someone is knocking on the side of the fridge.

I tried to capture it in a recording. Nora reports on what she hears at the end.

After much research (and an email and a phone call), I discovered that this noise is apparently normal. Who knew? Weird stuff. I guess it's the new technology/refrigerant or something. Huh.

Park It, Home It—That's How We Roll

We went to the park yesterday (November 11th!), and I took some pictures.

This is Nora's friend, Brooklynn, from school.

We were trying to get them to pose together, and this is what they did.

Back at home, Willi read to Nora.




It was pretty cute.

While Daddy and Nora were busy, this is what Henry and I did.






He was actually saying, "Cheese!"




He's a serious goof ball, now.




Look at his nose!

We have a pretty good time, all of us.

Gotta run!

Nora's Preschool Photo

I have no idea how they got her to pose like that, but I'll take it.

Just Some Sweetness

Trick or Treat!

We had Trick or Treat here last night, and it's a tradition for
the Cooks to join us. Here are some photos of the fun!

Anxiously awaiting Melissa and Marian's arrival.






Getting ready to go score some treats!

At the neighbors': Pam has a wee puppy in her lap,
and Nora wanted to put her in her treat bag.
(You can see Willis, Randy, and Henry on our porch behind them!) 

Marian needed some encouragement. Nora was scared of the music.


View of the street toward the graveyard (it seemed fitting).


Our street. You can see Willis on our porch! (Willis and Randy stayed back
to hand out candy while the girls went out to get treats!)


Our street again, busy with trick or treaters.


The last house!


Melissa and Henry.


All the kids!


Henry really looks like a frog with that face.


Hi, buddy.

We totally ran out of candy. We got a lot of trick-or-treaters! (I even had four bags of candy!)