Happy Thanksgiving

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was great...mine was wonderful!

We spent it at Marci's after the boys got finished with work. I did the turkey, stuffing, yams, and gravy. My first :) It seemed to take forever and felt kind of stressful but was a success. Tasty leftovers, too.

I made Becky's pumpkin cookies with my leftover pumpkin, too. A great (but healthy) treat!

Nap Time Troubles

Wow, finally...Joseph has fallen asleep after two and half hours spent in his room. Some of you may wonder why I let him play for so long. Shouldn't I have "given" up on his nap and let him out of his room? Heck no! Nap time is my time too! Here are some pictures I snuck in and took. I think it's funny he still used a pillow, even on the floor :) I guess he was too tired to use the one on his bed!
Carefully open the door...snap
Check if really asleep...snap
Okay, he's out...use the flash...snap

Photo Shoot

Molly's sister, Stacy, came into town after Sadie was born. She took some great pictures of Joseph. I love them all, though I only placed some of them here.

21 Months and Counting :)

Just had to type this up really fast.

Joseph was climbing on the computer chair, which he knows he's not supposed to do. I said to him, "If I count to five and have to come get you off of the chair, you are going to spend some time in your room. One...two..." at which time, he climbed off and ran away saying "five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!"

What a smartie :)

Making the Most of His Wardrobe

Ah, to look back at cute pictures I took when Joseph actually sat still :) I took this one when he was six months old (August 2007). Please take a close look at those darling shorts he has on...Thank you, Marci! Loved those shorts. (size 6 months, btw) Oh, wait...I guess I should say love those shorts. I recently went through a box of clothes, making sure there weren't any I wanted to get rid of. Luckily I found those same shorts and decided Joseph should try them on. Well, 15 months later, they still fit! I guess he has really held on to his boyish figure :) (Wish I could wear some of the same things that I had years ago!)

Midnight Reading?

When we put Joseph down for the night, he often decides to do other things for a while before finally getting back in his bed and falling asleep. Here is the activity he chose to do the other night:

I'm such a copycat

I couldn't help myself. I had to copy Marci, and many others before her, I'm sure. She recently posted about her couponing and I had to do so as well. My outcome certainly wasn't $9 but $13 isn't that far behind right? (That's 30 items up there, I'll have you know...not so bad if I don't say so myself.)

For those considering the joys/pains/hassels of couponing: it's sales like this one that make it all worth it :)

Auntie Tracey!

Molly had her baby on November 2nd. She was so precious! I felt so happy and joyous for her and her family. A brand new baby...so little and helpless. So dependent on you, as a parent. Wow! How exciting.

I cannot describe how different Sadie's birthday here in November was compared to Isabell's birthday in July. All I know is that, as happy as I was for Marci (mother of Isabell), I could not "get into" the joy of the day. I felt disconnected; distant. Looking back now, I may have even been experiencing a little bit of depression...who knows? But last Sunday, on Sadie's birthday, I could not seem to hold her enough or take too many pictures even though it wasn't even my own child.

September has come and gone...my baby is still very real to me but yet is now my past. I guess I have moved on, sadly, and can now connect with other babies and birthdays and mothers. Why does that make me cry a little?

Without going on any further, here are some pictures:

Uncle Will...or as Karina used to say, "trouble." (Which is to say uncontrollable tickling episodes, wild piggyback rides, kooky songs about ice cream, and other crazy things.)

Leaving the hospital along with hand-holding training...didn't last long for Joseph.