Mommy's Report Card

Last week, I posted the To-Do list Mommy created for her 9 day Thanksgiving Break.  Here's a report card detailing her progress:

Sleep past 5:40......Check
Go over to Kelly and Cooper's house for a playdate.........Rescheduled
Read a book that has nothing to do with teaching............Half check
Bake Christmas presents for her co-workers..................Check
Bake Thanksgiving desserts........................................Check
Sell some of my outgrown clothes to Kid to Kid.................Check
Visit the dermatologist about a few skin spots that are troubling her....Check
Clean.Up.This.House..................................Sorta check (she did clean the house at the beginning of her break, but by the time she went back to work yesterday it was a mess again)
Catch up on a teeeeny bit of paperwork from school............Check
Catch up on a not-so-teeny bit of paperwork from home........Half check
Blog everyday............................Half check (missed three days)
Spend lots of time with family............................Check and Check
Start decorating our house for Christmas...................Check


Not perfect.  Not terrible, either.

And one of the best parts of being a teacher?  There are only three weeks between the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks...so maybe all of those sorta and half checks can be remedied soon!

Christmas Came Early

This year, Christmas came a little early to my families. 

On Friday night, Mommy's side of the family opened presents with Nana and Papa since they won't be with us on Christmas.  NaPa (as these great-grands are collectively known) gave me this great Little People Nativity Set. 

 I'm so glad that I get to spend the next month enjoying this thing!

I think NaPa will spend more than the next month enjoying their gift, though! 

They loved this canvas that we all gave them.

Even though there was a fabulous play-able nativity set nearby, I found lots of enjoyment in this plastic Ziploc baggie.

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On Saturday, Daddy's side of the family celebrated Christmas. Uncle Brian, Aunt Becky, and Micah will spend Christmas with Becky's family this year since they were with us for Thanksgiving...so we all enjoyed some early holiday cheer!

 Micah and I have really figured out how to rip into presents. 

 We also worked hard to practice our giving and receiving manners by passing out presents to everyone and saying 'thank you' each time we opened a present.

Micah had a blast playing with the still-wrapped emergency vehicles we gave him.  He scooted all around the living room with those guys.

And I love the Fancy Nancy doll and book that Micah's family gave me!

I was more than happy to help out by disposing of discarded wrapping paper and ribbons.

Micah recharged his batteries by taking a break on my ladybug Pillow Pet...while Mommy and Daddy calmed my cries of "Mine! Mine!".

Once Micah's energy was restored, he went right back to play!

Micah and I had so much fun playing together this weekend.  I can't wait to see him again!

The next time I see him, though, he'll be a big brother.  WhooHoo!

My Thanksgiving in Pictures

Annual Thanksgiving Eve dinner with our Denton family:

 Pierce/Moss/Fallin Ladies

Perfecting my "Ring Around the Rosie" form.

Annual Pierce/Moss/Gordon Thanksgiving meal:

There are no words to describe how much fun the two of us have had together over the last 48 hours.

Mommy is taking her style cues from my hair accessory wardrobe.

Working really hard to win the "Obstinate Toddler Award".

Practicing our innocent looks.

Caught Myself a Turkey!

 Looky what I found!  It's a real, live Thanksgiving turkey.

Okay, so maybe it's not real or alive...but isn't it a super cutie turkey?  One of Auntie's patients gave her this clever, craftsy thing as a Thanksgiving present.

Turkey and I had a great time playing outside yesterday...until I decided that he was a bit cumbersome as a climbing companion. 

He'll be okay without me, though. Turkeys can fend for themselves, you know.

Uncomfortable, Yet Necessary

Wisdom from a 21-month old:

I may not have lived long, but I've lived long enough to learn that there are lots of situations in this life that are incredibly uncomfortable...yet incredibly necessary.

In the world of toddlers, such situations include diaper changes, immunizations, rectal temperature checks, throat swabs, and forced fingernail clippings.  I'm sure other tots could easily add to this list, but those situations are all fresh on my mind since I've encountered each of them in the last week.

As humans age, so I've been told, the situations can get even more uncomfortable.  Here are a few uncomfortable, yet necesarry (U, YN) things Mommy and Daddy are currently in the midst of sorting out:
Growing back their savings account (after a year of Mommy staying at home)

• Evaluating their current financial situation and planning for the future.
• Regrowing their savings account after a year of Mommy staying at home.
• Determining who my guardian will be in the unlikely event that they both pass away.
• Creating a will.

See what I mean?  Uncomfortable? Yes. Necessary? Also a yes.

Mommy tells me* that the biggest difference between the U, YN situations that toddlers and adults find themselves in this:  There is no one forcing the adults to engage in the U, YN tasks.  They must be self-disciplined enough to self-engage.
Hmm, maybe that's why my parent's U, YN list includes those last two items.

Right after completing a Will Questionnaire this afternoon, Mommy came across this blog post on "The Simple Dollar".  It's all about having uncomfortable, yet necessary conversations with family members regarding plans for their (and your) estate.  Mommy highly suggests this read for any of you who have not had these discussions with your parents, grandparents, and/or siblings. 

In fact, Mommy and Daddy will be doing some of this discussing with family members this week...especially since almost all of them will be in town for Thanksgiving.  (Moss/Pierce clan readers...consider this your warning!)

All of this uncomfortable thinking has left Mommy wondering if my parent readers have chosen a guardian for their children.  If you have, how did you decide who the guardian would be?  If you haven't, why not?

*The biggest difference my toddler eyes can see between the U, YN situations of toddlers and adults is that there are no Dum Dum Pops or Elmo stickers awaiting the adults.  I think I'll stick with toddler uncomfortableness for now, thank you very much!

Mommy's "SAHM for 9 Days" To-Do List

Mommy is thrilled to have this week off of school.  She's looking forward to 9 whole days of SAHMing and doing lots of things she enjoys but just can't make time to do when she's working. 

Here's what's on her To-Do List:

Sleep past 5:40.

Go over to Kelly and Cooper's house for a playdate.

Read a book that has nothing to do with teaching.

Bake Christmas presents for her co-workers.

Bake Thanksgiving desserts.

Sell some of my outgrown clothes to Kid to Kid.

Visit the dermatologist about a few skin spots that are troubling her.

Clean.Up.This.House.

Catch up on a teeeeny bit of paperwork from school.

Catch up on a not-so-teeny bit of paperwork from home.

Blog everyday.

Spend lots of time with family.

Start decorating our house for Christmas.

Yes, it's an ambitious list for 9 days. And a few items on the list will probably have to be postponed due to my present illness (such as the playdate that's already crossed out). But Mommy isn't nearly as concerned with accomplishing everything on the list as she is with making the most of this time off. 

And if making the most of this time off means cuddling a sick toddler back to health...then Mommy will be more than happy to spend her time doing just that!

Sunday Best: Loungewear Edition

Today was most definitely not an ordinary Sunday for me. 

Actually, the unordinariness began on Friday when Daddy and I went up to Mommy's school for the first grade Thanksgiving Feast.  Mommy and her students had been looking forward to our visit for a week and a half...but they were all quite disappointed when said visit was cut short by my body's sudden decision to throw up. 

(Thankfully, I let out a warning cry right before the hurling began.  It gave Daddy just enough time to get me out of the classroom and into a nearly unoccupied hallway.  Mommy is pretty certain that, had the vomiting taken place in the classroom, a handful of her students probably would have followed suit.)

I haven't thrown up since hurl #4 on Friday afternoon, but my body just hasn't been able to shake the bothersome fever that set in shortly after the classroom chaos mentioned above.

Which brings me back to the first sentence in this post.  Clearly, the church nursery was not an option for me today.  Mimi offered to stay at home with me, though, and Mommy took her up on the offer since it was her Sunday to work in the nursery.

So instead of getting dressed up and going to church this morning, Mommy put me in a onesie and comfy pants (an ensemble she refers to as my loungewear) and dropped me off at Mimi and Poppy's house.

Mimi and I hung out while waiting for Nana and Papa to come into town for Thanksgiving.  I sure was happy to see those two!

Mimi also put my hair in double ponies...

and put me down for a little nap. 

Which turned into a big, 4.5 hour nap.  And ended with Mommy waking me up and finding that the two ponies had magically morphed into one mushroom.

Once Mimi re-ponified my hair, I was ready to check out the tiny Christmas tree Mimi and Poppy have set aside for my entertainment.

I also played with some old-school toys Mommy found in M&P's garage.  Mommy vividly remembers these toys from her own childhood, so it warmed her heart to watch me thoroughly enjoy them.

Mommy and I will head out the pediatrician's office again tomorrow (we were there Friday afternoon), so hopefully I will be back to normal long before next Sunday.

Until then, please enjoy this real Sunday Best pic of me from last week.

And one of me in the same dress last March.

Playdate with Grampa

This past Saturday, I got to spend some quality time with my Grampa.  Yup, that's right, just my Grampa...no Gramma supervision required*! 

Here are a few photos from our time together:

Grampa let me try on lots of hats at Abbey's Playtown!

I checked out a handful of ride-on toys there, too.

And, of course, I just had to try on Grampa's size 15 shoes once we got back to his house.  I look kind of like Mickey Mouse, huh?

Grampa, thanks for taking such good care of me.  I had a lot of fun with you!

*Actually, Gramma would have loved to join us, but she was battling a nasty cold and didn't want to pass it on to me.  Isn't she a sweetie?

A Parent's Holiday Buying Guide

Last week Mommy posted the following comment on Facebook:

  Just ordered Katelyn's first Christmas present! As exciting as her first Christmas was, this one's going to be even more exciting. I love it that she really understands what's going on now!

One of her friends, DeeDee (who has three daughters of her own), replied with some great gift buying advice.  She said that she tries to get her girls, "Something they want, something they need, something to play with, and something to read."  This little rhyme helps DeeDee narrow down what to buy for Christmas...and saves her from buyers remorse.

Mommy shared the rhyme with Daddy, and they both decided that it's something they'll aim to stick with.  Apparently, they've already bought me "something to play with" and "something to read", so all they have left is to figure out what I really want and need!

Stream of Consciousness: Thinkin' About Birthday #2

Mommy has been brainstorming party themes for my second birthday, which is now just three months away.

Her initial ideas were: ladybug theme, random animal theme, "The Very Hungry Kater-pillar" theme.

She decided the first theme could wait until I'm older, the second theme isn't organized enough, and the third theme should definitely be saved for an older birthday I will actually remember.

After a Facebook friend sent out theme requests for her own daughter's second birthday party, a Two-Two (tutu) party became Mommy's favorite idea.  A quick Google search for tutu party ideas made Mommy think that this was yet abother party theme will probably be better saved for a later birthday...when I can have lots of little girlfriends over in their tutus...and actually appreciate the cuteness...even if the wordplay will be lost.

This realization led Mommy to ask herself what kind of a theme I would appreciate at two years old. 

This question has only two answers. 

I think you know what they are:

and

 

Since Mommy can't think of too many ways to throw a cute Barney party, it looks like Elmo is the man for the job.

Sunday Best

Happy first Sunday of November!

This morning, the grown-ups at church learned a new song during worship.  It's a great song for anytime of the year, but it is especially apropos during this month.  Here are the lyrics:

Thank You

by Rueben Morgan and Ben Fielding

Copyright Hillsong Publishing, 2009

Thank You for Your kindness

Thank You for Your mercy

Thank You for the cross

Thank You for the price You paid

Thank You for salvation

Thank You for unending grace

Thank You for Your hope

Thank You for this life You give

There is no one like You

There is no one like You God

All my hope is in You

Jesus Jesus

Thank You for Your promise

Thank You for Your favor

Thank You for Your love

Everything You've done for me

To Your Name we give all the glory

To Your Name we give all the praise

You're alive our God everlasting

Let Your face shine on us

What a great song for the Thanksgiving season!  It may be partly responsible for the fact that Mommy remembered to put this guy out when we got home:

Trunk or Treat

I had a blast at theLighthouse Trunk or Treat last night! 

Daddy did a great job on my milk carton costume.  He was giving Mommmy credit for the costume idea...but even the idea his doing!

Daddy pretty much sealed his fate as official-Moss-costume-maker when Mommy came home from school one Halloween to find him wearing this creation.

Thankfully, my milk carton was a bit more wieldy than Daddy's Reese's costume!

 Preston was looking quite heroic in his fireman costume. 

And Ian was Mr. Dapper as a proper golfer.

Karsyn was the cutest kitty cat on the block.

(I should also mention that she was also this year's winner of the "Lighthouse Baby Race".  I am proud to pass such an honor on to her.)

Kaylee sported the "horse and rider" combo.

And Leila was the cutest owl I ever did see.

Even though they're not really kiddos anymore, I wanted to make sure you saw Thomas and Yari's costumes, too.  They fit right into the young adult's 50's trunk theme!

I had so much fun checking out all of the costumed ToT attendees.  There were even a few Lady Gagas in the mix!

If I were forced to choose my favorite portion of the night, though, it would have to involve this wonderful invention.

 Aren't bounce houses glorious?

I saw these air filled wonders being inflated as we left church this morning and I talked about them all afternoon.  Mommy and Daddy were really suprised at how subdued I was once I actually got inside of them.  I didn't do much bouncing at all...just a lot of sitting and bigger-kid-watching.  As soon as my feet were back on firm ground, though, I kept right on talking about them.  Obviously, my parents have not yet figured out that I am fully capable of concealing my excitement when I want to be.