Thanksgiving Snapshots

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration at my in-laws' yesterday.  Our Thanksgiving is traditionally very casual - with almost everyone staying in their pj's all day!  Here are a few photos that pretty much tell the story of our day:

I'll start with the two cuties on the kitchen counter.  These little critters got up early to help Grandma make breakfast.  They are sporting brand-new pajamas, a Thanksgiving tradition at our house.  Then you can see that the aforementioned cuties did not allow Grandpa to sleep in.  The next picture is me, reading to the Davester to distract him from being in the kitchen.

Now comes Gabi's favorite part of Thanksgiving- arts and crafts time.  She always gets a new craft kit to entertain her on Thanksgiving.  This happened to be a Playdough "magic ice cream" set.  I'm pretty sure that I had more fun with it than she did, although she played with it for three hours straight!  In the center photo, you can see Michael enjoying another Foster tradition, watching football!  We are all big football fans around here.  Then of course I had to test out my pumpkin pie.  I will not tell you what number piece that was!

Finally, I managed to get a great shot of Grandpa playing the Wii.  A video would probably have been even funnier.  And I had to get a shot of Chris carving the all-important turkey.

So that's pretty much a typical Foster thanksgiving.  I had no photos of the actual feast, because we were all too busy eating.  One other tradition I also failed to get a shot of was Grandpa doing the dishes.  Girls cook, guys clean up.  

Hope all y'all  had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well.  We have a busy day ahead (well, already went out and braved the crowds at 4:30 am for some shopping deals!) and plan to start Christmas decorating today.  Gabi and I also have some Pilgrim hat cookies to make for Thanksgiving celebration #2 at the great-grandparents at the coast tomorrow.

(need coffee)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Have a joyful time with your families and friends, eat too much, play too hard, and laugh too long!

Happy Turkey Day!

Well, I have loads of baking and cooking to do today so this post will be short.  The Mikester hit a milestone yesterday - he had his first "solid" food.  As you can see by the pics, he had mixed reactions to the rice cereal.  First he made a face and spit it out.  Then he seemed to like it and actually gave me a smile.  Then David came over to give him a kiss (why I have no idea) and Mike looks terrified!  After that, he was no longer happy with the whole rice cereal thing.  

I tasted it and can totally relate.  That stuff is nasty!  Maybe tomorrow I'll sneak him a little pumpkin pie with whipped cream...

I put these photos in for Wordless Wednesday - check it out!

Putting the Gab in Gabi

A conversation that took place in a Shari's restroom last night:

Gabi:  "Mommy, the bathroom is full of shapes."

Mommy: "Yes, honey, I know. Hurry up please and get on the potty."

Gabi:  "I won't be able to sit on the potty.  It's an oval."

Mommy:  "I'm glad you can see it's an oval.  But you still need to use the potty.  Now hop on."

Gabi:  "But I wish it was an octagon, Mommy!"

Mommy: (losing some patience) "Just get on the potty, Gabi Sue!"

Gabi:  "Ok.  Mommy, the changing table is a rectangle."

Mommy:  "It certainly is.  Great job noticing your shapes, sweet pea."

Gabi:  "I wish we had rectangles at our house.  Don't you, Mommy?"

Mommy:  "What?  Oh, honey, we have lots of rectangles.  We even have a changing table that's a rectangle."

Gabi:  "No, Mom, don't be silly.  It's a circle!"

Mommy: (deciding to just be agreeable) "Ok.  It's a circle."

Much giggling followed, and then Gabi and I paraded past the other diners to get back to our table.  Naturally we stopped at each table to inform the people we didn't know that Gabi had indeed used the potty and had kept her panties dry.  

Do you think we named our daughter well?  :)  She gabs nonstop, and I'd love to say I have no idea where that chatterbox came from.  But I must admit it - she may be the spitting image of her daddy but her spirit is all Mommy.

Good job, Mommy!

Thankful to be a Mommy

Well, Thanksgiving is almost upon us.  I am excited - it is my favorite holiday - and am looking forward to lots of eating and playing games and experiencing general craziness.  We are blessed to have two Thanksgivings, one at my in-laws' on Thursday and another at Chris's grandparents' on Saturday.  Although I love to cook and bake, I have very few kitchen responsibilities this year.  My short list includes making some pumpkin pies and the stuffing.  That's it!  Now that's something to be thankful for!

Being thankful for what God has given us or done for us is of course the main focus of this holiday.  So I've been thinking a lot of things to be thankful for.  God has certainly blessed my life abundantly and more than I could ever imagine that He would.  I came up with a list of things that I as a mom are thankful for:

1)  A good, working washer and dryer

     Not because I like doing laundry by any means, but because my kids dirty more outfits, sheets, etc. in one day than I do all week!

2)  Sock sales

     My kiddies lose socks ALL the time and I am grateful when I find great deals on socks for them.

3)  Little Einsteins

     Not trying to promote a lot of TV watching for the little ones, but one episode of Little Einsteins gives me two quiet and happy kiddies on the couch and leaves me free to take a shower, clean the kitchen, or any other of the multitudes of tasks that need to be done.  Looking back, there are quite a few times that I owe my sanity to Little Einsteins.

4)  My kiddies' different personalities

     It is much more entertaining to go about my day with the Drama queen, the mischievous little charmer, and the laid-back dude.  

5)  My kiddies!

      Without them, I would not have become a mommy, and perhaps never learned to really sacrifice and put others before myself.

6)  My man

     Chris is everything I need.  He is my calm when I freak out, my help when I feel I've reached my limits, my laughter when I have my hardest moments, my inspiration as I seek to live for God, my dream of a great father, and my love forever!

7)  Grandparents

     Who else would spoil my kids so effectively!?

8)  My church

      I LOVE my church and all the wonderful people there.  They are balm to my spirit and an immeasurable help with my children.  

Okay, that is just a TINY fraction of my "thankful" list.  I could go on and on, but space and time do not permit it.

I hope you are thankful today - even when one of the kids is wetting through their third outfit of the day and another kid is drawing all over your lovely furniture with black crayon. :)

"My Boobies Are Too Little!"

Today was planned as a "work-at-home" day and with the foggy cold weather it seemed the perfect plan.  But add two adults and three children who just wanted to play all day and the perfect plan was abandoned.

Instead, one rather large child (hubby Chris) and three small ones sprawled on the couch this morning with chocolate milk and waffles and watched the movie Curious George and two subsequent episodes of Little Einsteins.  I gulped down my coffee and waffle and headed to the salon to finally get my hair cut.  A couple of hours later, I was home with a MUCH lighter head of hair (which was actually styled) and ready for the day.  We then decided it was a much better day to spend shopping at the mall than working around the house.  No real logic there, but when it comes to malls, I don't need logic to be in favor of it!

Our shopping trip was as exciting as any other outing that involves the whole family.  Michael managed to lose 1 1/2 pairs of socks and go through two outfits via "pooplosions."  Gabi and I had several marathon runs to the "nearest" bathroom to avoid an accident.  And David came close to breaking several items in one store alone.  These are just some of the reasons I love family outings.  Anyway, we were getting ready to leave the mall when I noticed that Sears was having some really good sales.  In fact, they had their $32 bras on sale for $10 apiece.  Having had a baby recently and having been through the many changes that boobs go through, I NEEDED some new bras!  I started going through the racks, searching for the right size and design.  Gabi of course imitated me and began very seriously studying the bras on the next rack.  Then she ran to her daddy, looking like she was going to cry.  "Daddy!"  she wailed. "My boobies are too little for these!"  

Chris cracked up and had a hard time speaking.  I quickly reassured her that we were not getting her a bra - that she wouldn't need one until she was all grown up.  She was so relieved, although she was quick to inform me that she WAS a big girl and ALMOST grown up.  yep, all three years of her. :)

Sigh ... she can just take her time with this growing up thing.  Bra shopping is something I want to do with her in the VERY distant future.

Got to go check on the pumpkin mini muffins I'm making for Sunday School tomorrow. 

let them eat cake!

So, the other day I was asked to make a couple of birthday cakes for some people in my music group.  I have been teaching myself over the past year to decorate cakes and jump at any opportunity to practice my skills and "increase my portfolio."  Someday, when the kiddies are a wee bit older, I hope to put these skills to financial gain.

Anyway, i was looking over photos of past cakes I had done to see what else I could do and I realized that in this past year I have done a lot of baby shower cakes!  I think I enjoy making baby shower cakes most of all because there are so many cute themes you can do.  So, at the risk of showing off, here are some of the baby shower cakes I have made this past year.  I almost always make cupcakes to coordinate with the cake so that there will be plenty of cake to go around.

Nothing like edible art - love making it and love eating it! :)

Christmas Photo Op

Dumping rain outside - the kind that rattles your windows and makes you feel all cozy and glad to be inside. This is Oregon in the fall - rain at least 5 days a week and lots of it!

Yesterday I decided to try to take a photo of the kids for this year's Christmas card. Apparently one of my blogging friends (here) also had the same idea. Unlike her however, we did not have "gorgeriffic" weather - it was raining as always - but my kiddies were all in a GREAT mood. So hence we began said photo shoot.

I've always had it in the back of my head that since this year I now have two boys and a girl, I would like to do a manger scene with the kids. Gabi would be a glowing Mary, David a proud Joseph, and Michael a serene baby Jesus. Naturally when the notion hit yesterday to take the photos, I was not prepared with props and such and so made do with what was available. Gabi and David were wrapped in towels and pillowcases, and Michael was wrapped in blankets. I covered the couch with a black blanket and set up a basket on top of a step stool for Michael to lie in. It was truly ghetto, but the kiddies were incredibly cute.

Now of course the challenge is to get all three kids looking at the camera and having pleasant expressions on their faces. Gabi started in with the attitude right way, and because I was desperate to only have to do this once, I bribed her with lollipops. Then she smiled for every shot - only sometimes she smiled so hard she looked somewhat demon-possessed. David did not understand the concept of getting a lollipop AFTER the shoot and whined and complained through most of the photos. Michael was faithful in giving me his "deer-in-the-headlights" look each time. Finally I remembered that the kids were really into the Diaper David books and particularly one about David going to school. They always laughed hysterically when David was tardy to class - the key word here being "tardy." So I said, "David, are you TARDY?" and during their outrageous peals of laughter I was able to get some great shots.

Now I don't have to do this for another year. I keep saying next year, I'll have professional photos done, but I am so cheap that I would rather do it myself.

Gotta go take advantage of this rainy day and get some serious housework done!

Sleep!

This little guy is why I often don't make my bed until much later in the day.....

Don't you wish you could sleep like that?  Right now my entire body is craving that kind of sleep.

But the kids are calling and housework is calling.  I'm tempted to ignore the housework, I must admit.  I'm just so tired...

Not for the Faint-Hearted!

Well, I am gong to issue a warning about this post before I begin.  Unless you are in the midst of potty training a child or have done so in the past, you may find some of the details of this post a little disgusting, to say the least.

We have been potty training Gabi for quite some time now - she was pretty much "trained" back in July and then we had Michael.  Once he was born, she started insisting that she was a baby too and wanted to wear diapers again.  Good times!  But slowly we have been working on her and for the most part, she is "trained" again.  I put "trained" in quotes because who knows when it's going to fail.  Case in point:  On Sunday, Gabi had a horrific case of "the runs."  Naturally she would have this problem on a day when we were out of the house all day.  Let's just say that during the thirty minutes we were at Walmart, we visited the bathroom eight times and ended up buying an emergency pack of pull-ups.  Multiply that by the rest of the day, and it seems we spent most of the day in one public bathroom or another.  Naturally, after all that bathrooming, Gabi was not fond of using the potty any more.  On Monday, she had 7 accidents ( I just forgot, Mommy!) all of which required me to either clean a)the couch, b)the floor, c)some toys,  d)some books, e)some blankets, and in one case, all of the above.  One particular incident stands out however.  I was in the kitchen baking and both David and Michael were taking naps.  Gabi was playing quietly in the living room when I heard her saying, "I'll just dry you off, Piggy.  I can dry!"  Thinking it was all part of the play-acting, I continued in the kitchen; but when she kept talking about "drying" I thought perhaps I should check it out.

Apparently she had had a big accident on the floor and then used the "dishwater" to wash EVERY piece of their farm set!  Then, she had been in the process of drying the toys - not with a towel, but with several pieces of folded laundry that had been on the couch, including my favorite sweater.  Yuck!  Frustrated, I dumped all the toys into a plastic bucket filled with soapy water (hence the pic) and not so calmly instructed my daughter on the merits of cleaning things with actual water, not body fluids.  :0  

And to think I have two more to potty train...

Weekend Madness

Okay, so if you read my previous post you would know that my hubby and I are currently in the throes of home domination - more specifically, cleaning and organizing our bedroom.  Basically here is an overview of our weekend of work:

    After dropping the kids off at Grandma's, I am pleased to say that we did not chicken out but got started immediately on "The Pit".  It was rather overwhelming at first - where do you start? - but we finally got our groove on.  We endured until 3:00 am and then slept in the living room for a few hours.  Saturday we tackled the project again and were mostly at it all day.  The accomplishments? - Well, we now have a completely organized and startlingly clean walk-in closet.  Other areas got the organization treatment as well.  I (finally!) hemmed the curtains to the proper length and we put up shelves.  Massive numbers of boxes were packed for Goodwill and loads of laundry were finished.  A trip to IKEA helped us purchase some very important organizational items as well.  All in all, we are pleased with our progress so far.  I am not posting any pics yet because it is not finished.  We still have some stacks and piles to go through and put away, the desk to organize, and some decor to put up.  So I pat myself on the back and hope to show you the stunning results in the near future!

    I have much more to post about but much more housework to accomplish, so I'll save some of that for later.  Happy Monday, all!

"The Pit"

  Hey Happy Friday everyone!  You are all probably looking forward to fun and busy weekends.  The hubby and I also have a busy weekend planned, albeit I would not consider it fun.  Our plans include dropping the kids off at Grandma's tonight (okay, that is fun!) and then working through the night on cleaning and organizing what I have come to call "The Pit."  Kinder souls might refer to it as "the bedroom" but aside from the fact that there is a recognizable bed in the center of the room, that would actually be a misnomer.

I never planned on our bedroom becoming "The Pit."  Early in our marriage I figured that if any room in our house would become a disaster area, it would be the kids' room or the garage.  But somehow our bedroom, the place we get to be a couple and not just parents all the time, is appalling and chaotic.  Basically our room has become the dumping off point for all things without a home, and it is out of control.  Piles of paperwork, clothing, and STUFF abound.  I am tired of living in this state of chaos - to see it first thing in the morning when I wake up and then again when I go to bed.  I have tried to work on it during the day but three small kids do not really allow me any large chunk of time to get it done.  Beyond that, the task is so overwhelming that I don't even know where to begin.

So last night we wrote out a plan of attack.  We plan to stay up all night if necessary to "get 'er done."  The reason I am posting this is for accountability.  You see, we have made these plans before and then never got around to it.  Okay, we chickened out!  I am posting some pics so that you can see how truly awful this room is.  Chris probably would be mortified that I am doing this, but the pictures are necessary to shed light on the situation.  I am ashamed that I could allow a room in my house to look this way, as the rest of my home is generally neat and organized.  But there shall be change!

So don't judge us, readers, but root for us and hopefully within the next few days I will have new pics to post!

"Bisquetti" Fun and Notes on Gabrielle

So first I have to mention there is this fantastic food photo contest going on in which one can win $500 worth of groceries!  And this frugal mom would LOVE that prize!  So here is the photo I am entering in the contest ----------------------------------------------->

THis is David in typical "bisquetti" mode, although I have to confess that this pic is mild in comparison to some of the food messes this child has made.  We tease David that his blood is part-spaghetti sauce because he loves it so much!   

Anyway, check out the contest at http://www.5minutesformom.com/4658/win-500-for-groceries-in-our-prego-fun-with-food-photo-contest/ .

I also wanted to make note that my oldest child, Gabrielle Sue, is 34 months today.  I cannot believe she is almost three years old!  That age will mark a lot of transitions for her -new classes at church, the start of gymnastics class, playing with toys marked "Ages three and up" (just kidding, had to throw that one in!)  I am happy in many ways that my little girl is growing up.  I know she will be such a great help around the house, and it is exciting to see how fast she is learning to do things!  But I am a little sad too.  She is the being that made me a mother and my only girl.  Sometimes I cannot believe that it was only a couple of years ago that she was a tiny baby.  I adore this child and love her gorgeous face and crazy personality!  Gabrielle is the one that takes such joy in everyday life.  Everything to her is "special" and "wonderful."  Just last night we surprised Gabi and David with new toothbrushes - Dr. Seuss ones at that - and of course Gabi was thrilled.  Even this morning it was all she could talk about - their new special toothbrushes!  And no one cheers louder than Gabi when I accomplish such tasks as using the bathroom or washing the dishes! :)  Because she has such passion in life, Gabi can also be quite emotional and moody at times.  I dread to think what she will be like when she hits puberty!  In this little girl I can recognize so much of myself.  I love you, baby girl!

A Song of Life

It's 9:00 am, and I am enjoying a rare moment of total quiet.  Gabi and David are still asleep, and Michael is happily watching his yellow bird rattle on his swing.  Laundry, housecleaning, and other projects are calling to me to take advantage of the moment - but I prefer to spend it with a (second) cup of coffee, waffle, and my own thoughts.

Recently I heard the sweetest song on KIDS XM radio.  Usually I try to tune out the kids' music and hope that the most annoying tunes do not get stuck in my head.  This one, however, caught my attention because the DJ was interviewing the artist, Scribble Jim.  Scribble Jim is one of my kids' favorite artists, mostly because he wrote a VERY catchy song about chocolate milk!  Anyway, it turns out he was inspired by that classic children's board game LIFE to write a sweet little love song.  Apparently dozens of couples already have actually had this song played at their weddings!  Here are the lyrics:

"The Song of Life" - by James Dague, sung by Scribble Jim

    Every time that I play LIFE

    I chose you to be my wife

    We ride around in a plastic car

    Tiny pegs are all we are

    It doesn't matter what job I find

    You're always there, you're still my bride

Sometimes I teach, sometimes I write

    A doctor, a lawyer, it's all allright

   "Cause I, love you

    And I, love LIFE.

    We'll buy a house and have some kids

    No more than four or they won't fit

   Our girls are pink, the boys are blue

    Our little girl looks just like you.

    We might be broke or might be rolling in dough

    Where this road leads, I don't know

    It's all a part of playing the game

    I wouldn't have it any other way

    'Cause I, love you

    And I love LIFE

    And on the day of reckoning

    I'll spin the wheel, bet everything,

    it doesn't matter if I win or lose, 

    I always win when I'm with you

    'Cause I love you

     And I love life.

My favorite line is "No more than four or they won't fit" - such a cute sentiment!  

Anyway, I've got the song in my head and have been thinking of the crazy four years that my man and I have been married.  So far it HAS been a life to love, and I am so blessed to be sharing it with a guy that I absolutely adore.  

Hope you're loving life today.

-Jeanette

This New Thing called Motivation

So, I have been suddenly seized this week with an intense desire to get my home super organized, to be better at daily schedules, and to get my general life in order.  No small task indeed!  I figured that since I was already doing ALL that, I might as well catch up on my blog and begin posting more regularly to it.  :)  We shall see...

Apparently a lot has happened in my life since I last posted.  I am now juggling three small children and the housework, so it is safe to assume that my life has gotten a lot crazier.  Gabi Sue is now almost three years old. Not only is she potty training, but she is also learning to talk back to her mother.  Of course we are encouraging the former and retraining in the latter!  She is constantly amazing me with her life observations and sharp memory.  David is at 19 months a bruiser.  I call him my "chunky monkey" because his is just that - a chubby troublemaker!  Never before have I encountered a child that could get into so much mischief and then try to charm his way out of trouble.  Michael is still figuring out life, as he is only three months old and would love to be constantly attached to his mother.  Life is good!

People always told me that adding number three would be a lot easier than adding number two, but I am not so sure about that.  I only have two arms after all!  Naturally the hardest thing is giving each child the attention they need every day.  Oh that , and keeping them all on the same scehdule!  Right now they are supposed to be napping.  David, bless his little heart, is sound asleep.  Gabi issinging at the top of her lungs some song she must have learned at library storytime, and Michael is crying for his mommy.  

So, gotta go.  I have dinner to make and a baby to soothe.  

- Jeanette