thanksgiving

Jim cooked for Thanksgiving.  The adults loved it.  The kids not so much.  They didn't like deviled eggs.  Good.  More for us.  We had a some friends over that had kids Whitney and Tucker's age, so they played for most of it.

The kids made acorns out of Hershey kisses and mini Nilla wafers put together.  I was pretty impressed.  The kids helped make them right before dinner.  I told them not to eat anything because it was for later and they all waited and didn't sample.  I used them for centerpieces on the plates.  We also played a game of finding a list of stuff hidden around the room to remind them of what they were thankful for.

Tucker kept us entertained with his eating of cucumbers and bread only.  The funny part was watching him oversalt his cucumbers.  I don't get how he can eat those with a straight face.  It looked like he was pickling his own cucumbers right in front of our eyes.

The next day Whitney was having a heyday.  She really loves decorating for Christmas. She totally gets it.  I have no idea how, but she does.  Then I found the ornaments for her little tree and after that she was asking if every ornament was hers or for Mommy's tree.

Sometimes she still surprises me about her thinking skills.  I like to pride myself on being a bit of a MacGyver in a pinch.  If I don't have the right thing, I look around and try to make something else work out of something else.  I think Whitney might have the start of that.  Today we had crackers for snack in the car while parked at the park.  I wasn't planning on having snack in the car, so I didn't have water.  Whitney got really thirsty.  So after running through a bunch of options including going home and coming back, she finally came up with the idea to use the plastic container that held the crackers to get water out of the bathroom (the drinking fountains are turned off for the winter for those that live in warmer areas and this isn't necessary).  I was proud of her for solving her own problems.

There is a song on her music CD that is a medley of The old man is sleeping and Insy Winsy Spider.  One day she said to me:  "Mom.  This song is all mixed up.  They should sing the spider song then the old man song"  She was right.  They went back and forth singing the song. 

But then again, they sing "the rains came down and the flowers came up" instead of "the rains came down and the floods came up"

They totally absorb everything they see and hear.  Today they were playing "Do you like my hat?  No, I don't like your hat.  Goodbye.  Goodbye."  Lines straight out of the go dog go book we've been reading a bunch.

It shows up after Joy School, too.  Yesterday they came home playing "make popcorn" and started noticing their polite words they say.

Any recommendations on toys for three year olds?  I think I might wrap up sticks, leaves and rocks for Whitney.  And anything miniture.  As far as Tucker goes, some sort of climbing gym on his bed would be his favorite, in addition to anything mechanical.  He also loves a bucket.  And putting balls down the heater vent.  Grrrrrrrrr.  But he has started putting the toilet paper back on the roll after he unrolls it all off.

Whitney in the box

Helping Daddy find the right tools to fix the dish washer

Assisting in fixing the dishwasher

Whitney requested that I take this picture of her.  She had strung her beads through the drum so it hung from her neck just like in the Hand Hand Fingers Thumb book

Whitney next to her nest with an egg in it

Tucker calls this crown his Halloween.  He wears it a lot

Not sure why Tucker likes doing this to Thing 2

Carrying a gallon of water in each arm

Carrying the gallons of water down the hall

Whitney made one ring...



...then two rings!!  She wanted this pic taken.

Daddy's princess.  The rings on her feet are her high heels.  She has her skirt and wings on, drinking out of the cup from her favorite restaurant.