Sleepover Weekend

Every year around this time we try to have a sleepover with my sister-in-law Yazmin and the kids. We put it on the calendar a couple of weeks ago and made it happen, despite both mommies being on the annoying-cough end of colds.

We started the night making turkey headbands. Felix and I are doing a 5k on Thanksgiving morning and need something silly to wear, so I thought it would be fun if we all made them.

Turkey faces take lots of concentration.

Gobble gobble!

I made a quick spaghetti dinner ("No bacon?!" Hayden complained before digging in) and brought egg nog for dessert, which we also used to make french toast in the morning.

Natalya asked for my help on another project I can't reveal (gifts), so we worked on that late into the night and first thing again in the morning. She's a kid after my own heart! When she gets a project idea, work must start right away.

Hayden came home with us today and this afternoon we all met up at my parents' house for lefse, seafood chowder and leaf raking. The early record-breaking snow (7 inches) finally melted off so we can try to save our lawns before it's too late.

It's so fun and hilarious hearing Hayden and Felix have conversations. At one point today Felix said something about the potty, and Hayden gasped and said, "Go potty Fee-iks! Run!" and motioned him toward the bathroom.

You can see by the trunk behind them - this is no small task!

The snow got us into the holiday spirit early, and I bought the classic Rudolph and Frosty cartoons on DVD. Felix is really into all things Christmas as a result, noticing reindeer, trees, Santa, etc. everywhere we go. He has also started saying his own name finally: Ee-dits. Not bad for a kid who can't consistently say L or X. He tries to make the F sound with a P-W combination. So instead of "off", it's "aw-pwuh."

Thumpitty thump thump, look at Frosty go!

Now where were we?

Wow, almost a month since the last update!

Last weekend we went to Oregon for our friend's Halloween party. It was the perfect getaway. The weather was cooler and there was snow on the mountains, we had amazing breakfasts every morning and a fun costume party the first night. (Bar hopping and karaoke the second night!) Felix did great, and of course I took advantage of the two built-in babysitters. Andrea and I ran errands Friday afternoon and it was so weird to be able to just browse and take our time. I had this internal sense of urgency telling me I should hurry, like when I leave work a few minutes early to stop at the grocery store before picking him up from daycare. (Oh, the guilt!)

Felix with his "big sisters".

Train engineer (sans train) and Cheshire Cat.

We came back from Oregon and went straight to my dad's birthday/costume/pumpkin carving/Green Bay Packers party on Sunday. Exhausting but fun, and the roasted pumpkin seeds were an amazing treat to have at my desk all week.

On Halloween, Felix and I went trick-or-treating just the two of us. It was so stinkin' adorable watching him go up to every house, knock on the door and wait patiently. He didn't say "tree-treet" to anyone, but he did call out "Happy Ween!" and blow kisses to many of the people who gave him candy. Later, my dad watched him so I could go to a friend's grown up party, then I went back to the house and kicked back in a recliner with some ginger rum while we watched Amityville Horror.

My dad got some great shots with a real camera before we went trick-or-treating.

Felix's language is developing very nicely. He puts together 3-word sentences and likes to talk about all kinds of things. Our neighbor revved the engine of an old car a few weeks ago and it scared him, so every once in a while he'll say "Neighbor loud car. No, no neighbor!" Yesterday he wanted to carry his friend's birthday present and he said "Liam peddent hebby" a few times (Liam's present is heavy) while huffing and puffing and making a big show of how strong he is. He also tends to remember new words after hearing them just once, so he has really surprised me with his vocab lately. He will be 2 1/2 on the 14th of November.

At the same time, he is having some naughty outbursts again, and I can only hope this phase is as short-lived as previous ones. He will basically go around the house doing and touching everything he shouldn't (things that are dangerous and destructive), even after having a good nap, lots of playtime and lots of personal attention. When I scold him, he laughs and runs away. I enforce time-outs and don't always give him a warning, but the change in behavior doesn't last long. I'm starting to wonder if he needs more mental stimulation on a regular basis. This 24/7 playtime business doesn't seem to be cutting it.

Today I bought a cozy throw, a kitchen rug, cookie sheets, measuring cups and spoons and new pet dishes. I also washed curtains and pillow covers. With the time change and rainiest November day on record yesterday, I'm getting ready to hunker down for a long, cold winter.