Turkey Day '11

Our Thanksgiving feast was small and intimate this year -- just the 10 of us. The big kids played nicely together and Peter kept himself busy in the playroom which gave his mommy a break! The turkey was moist and delicious! Kudos to my husband who always does a great job cooking the turkey! We enjoyed delicious desserts -- apple pie, pumpkin pie, flan... It was a great day and we were so thankful we got to spend it with our family.

The Star of the Show

The Boys in the Playroom

Grandma and Grandpa's holiday card picture. Check.

The American Museum of Natural History and FAO Schwarz

We have been talking about going to the American Museum of Natural History for a really long time, but we just never really found the time. Today, we finally did it! We drove into the city and went straight to the museum. We started on the first floor and moved upwards (In hindsight, we should have started at the top floor and moved down as one of the security guards suggested, but oh well!).

We got the Super Saver ticket which enabled us to see several special exhibits, including a show at the Hayden Planetarium. We especially enjoyed the butterfly garden and the special dinosaur exhibit where Claire got to look for fossils in the sand. We also thought the show at the planetarium was fantastic!

After spending hours at the museum, we took a subway to FAO Schwarz so Claire could see the "giant toy store" for the first time. It was super-crowded! We pushed our way through the crowd of shoppers and explored the store. Some highlights:

The Statue of Liberty made out of Legos 

Barbies!!!! 

Hello Kitty

Grandma and Grandpa - If you're reading this,
Claire would LOVE this Barbie foosball table!
It's only $24,999.99. Isn't she worth it????

Claire was allowed to pick one item for herself. She chose a set of Olivia figurines. She was so patient all day. Every time we went into one of the museum shops, she asked for something and we told her that she would be able to pick one item and if she got something at the museum, she wouldn't be able to get anything at the giant toy store. Ultimately, she waited it out!! My husband was extremely happy she didn't pick the Barbie foosball table as her one item. Ha!

Our White Halloween Weekend

Our patio

How many times have meteorologists been incorrect with their forecasts? Many, many times, right? Well, this year, when they were predicting snow for late October, most of my friends and family didn't really take it seriously. We should have. We were shocked when Mother Nature dumped 10 inches of snow on our neck of the woods!

In the middle of the snowstorm we braved the storm to go to a Halloween party. We slipped and slided a little in our travels, but made it to the party safely. We were sure glad we did because it was a fabulous party! The kids all played together in their costumes and we enjoyed socializing with the adults. After several hours of partying, we carefully drove home in the snow and, thankfully, we made it up our icy hill.

On Sunday, my husband tested out our snow thrower which had just had a tune-up. Everything was in working order and he was able to clear our driveway. We headed out, but found that lots of places were without power due to the many trees that fell on power lines, so we went to lunch/dinner, then came home.

Halloween Monday arrived and school was closed because of the power outages. Many towns postponed Halloween, but our town did not, so we trick-or-treated through the snow with our family and friends in an area that was without power. Our night ended enjoying pizza at my brother and sister in law's house by the light of candles and a battery-operated lantern. Fun times!

Flour Power

We make our own pizza dough and pizza from scratch on a regular basis. My little sous chef always likes to help make the dough, then paint the tomato sauce on the pizza and sprinkle cheese on top. Often, while the dough is being mixed or rising, Claire asks to play with a small bowl of flour. She likes the feel of it. Since I didn't provide her with all of the sensory experiences I learned about during my undergrad studies in Early Childhood Development and Education, I indulge her.

Today was no different. I gave her a small bowl full of flour and she sat down with it and began to play. I had a few things to do upstairs, so I left Claire playing happily with her flour (Who needs toys?!). A little while later I returned to the kitchen to find this:

Happy Birthday Juilette Gordon Low

Some of the older Girl Scouts in our town planned a birthday party event for Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts. Most of the girls in our troop signed up because we thought it would be a fun activity for them to attend.

A few days before the event, I was explaining to Claire that she was going to go to the middle school with some of her friends and some of the older Girl Scouts were going to do lots of fun activities with them to celebrate Juliette Gordon Low's birthday. Claire asked if we were all going to sing Happy Birthday to her at the party. I explained how she had died a long time ago and this "party" was just a way to celebrate what a special person she was because she "invented" Girl Scouts.

A few hours later, out of nowhere, Claire asked, "Mommy, is that lady who started Girl Scouts going to be in a box?"
Me: "What do you mean?"
Claire: "Because she died."

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, Claire has been to a lot of funerals. In her little 5 1/2 year old mind she thought the "party" might be a wake since I mentioned that Juliette Gordon Low died. Of course, I explained that it wasn't a wake and she died a long time ago. This event was just a little celebration because she was such an amazing woman for starting Girl Scouts.

It was a really fun night full of lots of great activities for the girls. At the end of the evening the girls decorated cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday.

Claire's Half Birthday

Last year we decided to celebrate Claire's half birthday to help her understand the half-year milestone. So, naturally, we wanted to do it again this year. I put it on Claire's calendar at the beginning of the month and that turned out to be a mistake. Almost every day, Claire whined and begged and asked if it was her half birthday. The October days passed, then FINALLY October 25 arrived.

Since my husband didn't have to be to work too early, we gave Claire her gifts in the morning.

Then it was a regular day. School. Dance class. Homework. But, we ended it with a candle in one of Claire's favorite desserts -- chocolate ice cream with rainbow sprinkles.

Happy 5 1/2 year old birthday, Claire Bear!

Halloween Costume Sneak Peek

This is Claire's Halloween costume: