Thanksgiving

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving has all ready come and gone. We had a great day. As usual, we had pumpkin pie for breakfast while watching the Macy's Day Parade. This year, I added mimosas to the tradition. Yum! We didn't spend the day alone. One of Chuck's friends from the Academy brought his family over from Pensacola for the day, and they spent the night too. We hadn't seen the Robbins since 2004 so it was a great day to catch up with them. Of course we had too much food and have been eating left overs since. All in all, it was a such a great, low-key day. Of course, we are so thankful for so many things we have been blessed with and that made the day even that more special.

We didn't venture out to far yesterday on black Friday. We went to Walmart and Kmart, but by the time we made it there the madness had all but cleared out. Other than that, we spent the day decorating the house for Christmas. Even went as far as buying our tree last night - getting ready to decorate it here in a few minutes. Friday, again, was a great family day.

My parents are officially in the car on the way here. They made it to Twin Falls, ID last night and last I talked to them today they were outside of Vegas. They will be with my brother and sister-in-law by Monday and with us by Wednesday night or so. We are excitted to have them here but I think they are both going crazy waiting to get to this little one...

Holiday Shopping

I can very easily say that with the exception of two people, we are officially done with our Christmas shopping. I have never been done this early - I usually don't even start until our Christmas decorations are up which is always the weekend after Thanksgiving. I am so on the ball this year!

Actually, the truth is, I don't want to have to be out Christmas shopping while my parents are here - they get here next Wednesday. I just want to be able to hang out with them as much as I can.

There is a problem being done this early though! I keep buying for Addie even though I need nothing else for her. I just keep seeing such cute clothes and outfits that she MUST have... My thinking though is now that I am done, I won't be going into stores therefor no longer coming across MUST-haves for her. We will see how that works...

And I think other than last minute cleaning - and obviously the cooking - we are ready for Thanksgiving too. We did all the grocery shopping over the weekend. I set my table today even though I will admit it isn't the prettiest Thanksgiving table I have ever done. (No dried leaves or homemade cranberry candles this year. I am not even breaking out the fine china this year.) I will bake my pies tomorrow so we can have pumpkin pie for breakfast on Thanksgiving while watching the Macy's Day Parade.

Charlie is especially excited for Thanksgiving this year. He always does the cooking which as you know is sooo much work. And every year he says "Next year I am not doing as much." But it never fails we do just as much as the year prior. I think for about a week now, he has been walking around the house saying "I can't wait for Thanksgiving." I am not sure why.

Today, I am thankful for my husband. For so many reasons but for his love for cooking in particular. I don't mind cooking but I certainly don't like to do it every night and I am not as good at it as he is. I am so thankful that he picks up my slack in this department and doesn't mind doing it either. Of course, I am thankful for him for so many other reasons- too many to get into on our blog. But just want him to know.

Ultra Sound

I am off to have an ultra sound this morning. I am told that there is nothing to be concerned about, but that the ultra sound is just a precaution. There may be some fibroids in my uterus because I have been having some issues that last few months. The doctor is pretty confident that if there are, they are not cancerous - which is good considering I don't think I am done with those parts. Addie needs some siblings and that will be really hard if something is wrong in there. Anyway, I won't have any results for a while as I won't even get the results from today until my next doctor appointment which isn't for another couple of weeks. I am a little nervous, but am comfortable with the doctor I have been seeing and feel she would be honest with me if she felt like there was something to be concerned about. I guess I will just have to keep busy over the next few weeks to keep my mind off it - which I don't think will be a problem at all! Wish me luck...

Thanksgiving at the Squadron

Addison and I met up with Charlie at the squadron today for the American Hornet Thanksgiving meal. It was really nice - lots of people - lots of food. I will say though, it was really weird eating turkey, stuffing, and all the other fixings at a picnic table outside. Only in Florida, I guess! (It is 70 here today!!!)

Today I am thankful for the men and women of the 43rd fighter squadron. As well as all the other men and women who serve our country. I am thankful for the freedoms that their service gives me. Thank you!

Potty Time

Addison has figured out how to take her diaper off. Even when she has pants on. She has been doing this for about three weeks now and after the first week or so, I decided that if she was going to take her diaper off, I was going to put her on the potty everytime she does it. Full well knowing she is a little to young to be potty trained, I just thought sitting her down on the potty would get her used to the idea. In the last few days, whenever we are changing her she either points to the bathroom, or gets up and walks over to the potty. (Making progress!) This morning while I was getting her ready for her bath she walked over to the toilet. More out of habit than anything, I put her on the potty - AND SHE WENT TINKLE!!!! Of course, I made a huge deal out of it and she got really excited about what she had done. I am such a proud mama right now. But am curious to know if this means we should really be working on her or just keep doing what we have been doing? She isn't even 18 months yet, but she seems to be getting the whole idea. Thoughts???

$5 Meal Exchange

Addison and I met up with some of the ladies and kids from our neighborhood today for a $5 meal exchange. The idea was to bring a dish that cost $5 or less to buy all the ingredients. We were all to bring the dish and extra copies of the recipes to share. We met up at the park by the community center here in base housing so while we were eating and chatting like mom's do, the kiddos were able to run and play, hopefully wearing themselves out! It was a fun lunch and what a great idea! So anybody out there looking for a fun and unique idea for a get together, I highly recommend it! Who doesn't love to eat, socialize, spend less money and get new recipes??? I am thinking of two different events in the future that I am going to steal this idea for... Here is the recipe I used today... (Over the next few days, I will post some of the other recipes I got today - many yummy, yummy things!)

One-Dish Pasta and Veggies

1 1/2 cups of uncooked pasta - any kind (I used corkscrew cause the kids like it)

1 cup carrots

1 cup broccoli

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Cheddar Cheese Soup

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

* Cook pasta according to package directions. Add carrots and broccoli the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Drain.

* Mix soup, milk, mustard. Add pasta and veggies. Stir together.

I always add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste - as well as peas and a bag of shredded cheddar. (Other veggies that are good in it are squash, zuccini, onion, corn, tomato - you can use really whatever you have.)

ENJOY!

New Family Picture

A few weeks ago, we had our family pictures taken on the beach. Most of you know that once Addison sees the beach she makes a bee-line for the water. So needless to say, she did not have the attention span needed for this years holiday picture. The photographer was only able to get about 8 and of those 8 only 2 really turned out well enough to use for our Christmas card. This picture is also our new profile picture.