It's beginning to look a lot like...

...Christmas!!!

We are not usually so punctual in getting our Christmas decor up...but with the baby coming, it's a little more pressing this year. I told the boys yesterday that we could start decorating today--BIG MISTAKE! They were in my room bright and early at 7am saying, "Ok! Let's get the decorations out!!!" I love their excitement and enthusiasm though. We got a bunch up today but will finish tomorrow.

Thanksgiving at our house...

With a certain baby boy's impending birth just a few weeks away, we were homebound for Thanksgiving this year--happily, my Dad, Darlene & Grandma S. flew up here to chilly, wet Oregon from Arizona to spend the holiday with us! Unhappily though, poor Granddaddy caught some nasty bug and spent all day Thursday in his hotel room completely miserable with a fever, body aches & terrible vomiting...ick! We missed him and I know he missed the dinner (especially the yummy pies he picked up from Marie Callendar's!)

The boys started the day with a rousing game of Thanksgiving Day Parade Bingo (on our little bedroom TV which had to be brought down from upstairs thanks to our inept living room TV.)

Anthony was first to get Bingo!

Later, George & the boys watched movies as they waited for the food...well, more like "dozed" while the movie droned on in the background...

At last, the food was ready...here's the "grown-up" table (yay, I finally get to sit with the grown-ups!!!) : )

...and the kids' table:

And a lot of tasty food, which we will be eating every night for the rest of the week!

I neglected to get any photos of the family partaking in the food or any of the festivities I'd prepared for afterward--the boys took turns drawing papers from the "Mayflower" to tell Thanksgiving jokes and share something they were thankful for afterward...and then we all did a Turkey Trivia Quiz...I'm so shocked, no one scored 100%! Fun stuff. And yummy food.

I did think to get one quick photo with Darlene & Grandma before they departed...it was a really quick trip but we're all so glad they came!

Made for a special Thanksgiving for us--Thank you!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation (in appropriate "purfuit of happineff" style):

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houfes of Congress have, by their joint committee, requefted me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to eftablifh a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and affign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of thefe States to the fervice of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our fincere and humble thanksfor His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the fignal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpofitions of His providence in the courfe and conclufion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have fince enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to eftablish Conftitutions of government for our fafety and happinefs, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are bleffed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffufing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleafed to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in moft humbly offering our prayers and fupplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and befeech Him to pardon our national and other tranfgreffions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private ftations, to perform our feveral and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a bleffing to all the people by conftantly being a Government of wife, juft, and conftitutional laws, difcreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all fovereigns and nations (especially fuch as have shewn kindnefs unto us); and to blefs them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increafe of fcience among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind fuch a degree of temporal profperity as he alone knows to be beft.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand feven hundred and eighty-nine.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

For laughs...

Obama's Home Teleprompter Malfunctions During Family Dinner

OGA picture time...

Yesterday was picture day at the gym...this gives me a good opportunity to air out some of my gripes with the way this year of gymnastics is going so far...so bear with me.

First off, the uniforms...what a let down! We've been "demoted" from last year...all the level 4 boys get to wear this year is a T-shirt & shorts with black socks...so while I appreciate the money saved, it just doesn't have the same impact as the full uniform in unitards and warm-ups that the level 5 & up boys all get to wear...plus we don't get a nice warm-up to wear while not competing out on the floor (and meet season is through the chilly winter months! Why not a warm-up???) And I feel like being "dressed for the part" does influence how the boys perform--when in casual clothes, they're more likely to BE casual.

But here are my 2 handsome little gymnasts...

Now check out the size of this level 4 team...it's enormous! 13 boys!

And for comparison's sake (forgive the horrible photos...I was trying to be sneaky without a flash)...this was last year's level 4 team (minus one boy):

And Anthony in his uniform last year too:

I'm a bit annoyed that the team is so huge... First there were a couple boys added after the fact when some parents griped about it so I feel like the boys aren't really all at the right skill level to be on team just yet (several still can't do a simple cartwheel!) And last year was so great with a small team--the coach was able to spend that much more time one on one with each of the boys and it showed.

Anyway...we'll see how things play out once meet season gets under way...

Back once again to the Mammogram stuff...

I heard a couple of things since writing my first "suspicious" post a couple nights ago...one was that now the government task force was scaling back its recommendations (after the public outcry...that ought to say something right there, if it's truly based in science and not politics/cost-cutting, why would it matter what the public thought...but I digress...) and the second is that now they are changing the guidelines surrounding cervical cancer screenings too, which is far less dramatic than the mammogram one was (I believe they just changed the recommendation from beginning screenings at age 18 to 21 or something like that.) Anyway, my own little rant on the subject wasn't the most clearly written and I felt like I didn't really say what I meant to say--at least not in the level-headed way I meant it to come across...I was far too emotional.

I read this article today that said almost exactly what my thoughts about all this is--here is what Sarah Palin says about the subject and it's so worth reading:

It was a breath of fresh air to finally hear the Democrats admit to their health care bill as “a lot of show and tell and razzmatazz,” (see Democrat talking points, in reference to my book). At least now we’re all on the same page when discussing the problems with their monstrous government health care “reform” plan.

Now, tonight, more disconcerting news – the New York Times reports of new guidelines to scale back cervical cancer screenings. The recommendation from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists comes on the heels of another recommendation to limit breast cancer screenings with mammograms. There are many questions unanswered for me, but one which immediately comes to mind is whether costs have anything to do with these recommendations. The current health care debate elicits great concern because of its introduction of socialized medicine in America and the inevitable rationed care. We need to carefully watch this debate as it coincides with Capitol Hill’s debate and determine whether we are witnessing the early stages of that rationed care before the Senate bill is rushed through as well.

Another question is why these women-focused cancers are seemingly receiving substandard attention at a time when proactive health and fitness should be the message. Every woman should encourage rigorous debate to ensure that our collective voices are heard. We are paying attention to Washington’s health care proposals, and we want to hear what helps patients the most.

We need answers: Is early screening not saving lives? Why do doctors’ groups disagree? Did costs play any role in these decisions to change the recommendations on breast and cervical cancer screenings? We need assurances that everything we’ve heard this week about fewer tests for women’s cancers is a result of patient-focused research and providing the best care for the right reasons, and not because of bureaucratic pressure to control costs.

Obviously the first thought that comes to mind when hearing of these new recommendations from bureaucratic panels is “rationed care.” It’s fair – and healthy – to ask if that’s what Washington has in mind with a government-controlled takeover of a health care system.

- Sarah Palin

Back to Names...

Well, here we are, just about a month away from boy #5 making his grand debut...and he is still nameless (though not in my mind...some people just need to be persuaded as to the correctness of my choice.) Thanks for all the input on my previous Name Game.

I've created a list of names that I would deem acceptable and I want some feedback. Tell me which of these would be your favorite(s) and also list your least favorite...and say why if there's a good compelling reason so I can take that into consideration... (And remember, the middle name is going to be George regardless of what the first name ends up being...and again, please leave out the last name in your comments.)

In no particular order other than alphabetical, the name possibilities are:

Eliot

Ethan

Nathaniel

Oliver

Timothy

Zachary

and for kicks, some runners-up that I'm still wavering on (though I really only want the one name, so it all becomes a moot point...this is to appease George):

Daniel

Joseph

Nikos

Sebastian

Suspicious. And incredulous.

If you pay attention to the news, you heard this about a government task force completely revising the guidelines for mammograms. This to me is highly suspect...maybe they would have said the same thing had they come across the same findings 5 years ago, but the timing with gov't healthcare in the works is rather concerning. Not only that, but it flies in the face of everything I've ever known or experienced--the few people I know personally who've lived through breast cancer have been women under 50, and they initially found lumps themselves (the new guidelines say self-exams are completely useless!?!) Had they waited until age 50, few if any of them would still be with us today. And it would be a whole lot more expensive to treat in its later stages than when caught early on anyway! It all seems so nefarious the more I think about it...

Then we have the madness right now over the H1N1 vaccines, or more correctly, the lack there-of--courtesy of our government--and people WANT (single-payer, which is where it's heading) gov't-run healthcare??? You've got to be kidding me! And there are headlines today about all the "new jobs" and "stimulus" money going to state districts that DON'T EXIST!?! The corruption is overwhelming! Why in the world does anyone put their faith in the government? I hear people all the time decrying those evil insurance companies or doctors even...but you do have some recourse if you're done wrong by one of those--if it's all in the hands of the gov't, where will you turn to then??? Aaaahhh! It's late and I'm getting myself all worked up.

I have too many thoughts running through my head...suffice it to say, I'm voting for REAL CHANGE in 2010--we HAVE to get the current crop of derelict politicians out of there, with the big boy himself out for good in 2012. And make sure you do your part to make your voice heard to these people in office right now--they cannot continue to pass these bills that eat away at our liberty and enslave us (and our great-grandchildren) with massive debt and heavy taxes.

Harry Potter Party

Our friends John & Wendy had the cutest party at their house--hosted by Wendy's parents who were visiting from Utah. The party was originally planned for a couple days before Halloween but Wendy's dad ended up in the hospital with debilitating back pain for a week (turned out to be a spinal infection!) so the party was postponed... We're so glad they did the party after all--it was SO fun!

They decorated the garage up as the Grand Hall...this pic doesn't do it justice since I had to use my flash...there's a better photo below that illustrates the "ambience"...

Some of the tasty food...we adults got to enjoy it too. : )

I thought the table settings were so cute.

And now for the party...they began with their Potions class...(the potion is homemade root beer!)

Next came the Quidditch Trials...the kids had to find all the missing Snitches (ping pong balls)--Aaron & Christopher are busily searching...

And Anthony found the one Golden Snitch!

So proud of himself!

They got a break from festivities to enjoy some "Butterbeer" (which was REALLY good...yum.)

Here's a better idea of what the garage--uh, I mean Grand Hall--looked like:

Before the kids sat down at the table to eat, they were sorted by the Sorting Hat. So clever!

Amazingly enough, all the kids ended up in Gryffindor! Ha! (Aaron grumbled about that...he wanted Slytherin.) Benno enjoys some of the yummy food (and he was the best "eater" that night...he ate so much of that! I think he really loved the little pumpkin.)

After the kids finished eating, it was time for Herbology, for which they had to wear these crazy "goggles"...so funny.

Following Herbology was Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was a bean bag toss into the ghost's mouth & eyes.

And the party ended with a table loaded with Hogwarts treats...

Thanks to John & Wendy, but most especially to Wendy's mom & dad who were so kind to include us in their party! I know my boys had a wonderful time!

On a lighter note...

Sad, sad news...

We found out some really horribly tragic news this week...a boy in Anthony's class at school was murdered by his father, who also shot his mother before killing himself. They'd been dead for a week before they'd been found--when Anthony heard the news, he told us that his classmates had been joking around a couple days previously when Ronak was absent again after several days that "maybe he died." Turned out to be true and far from a joking matter. So, so sad.

How appropriate

He can add that to his collection of adoring world dictators and thugs.

Katie's visit, part 2

No pics from Sunday but it was a pretty low-key day. We did have a fabulous symphony orchestra going on though playing Christmas carols together that night--Katie on piano, George on guitar, me on flute, Anthony & Aaron on violin, and the little guys with bells & maracas... You can imagine the beauteous sounds that ensued therefrom.

On Monday, we went into downtown Portland to visit a couple favorite spots--Moonstruck Chocolates & Powell's...

Mmm, chocolate!

And Benno wears his chocolate...

A bad photo of my box after Bub & Benno took their pieces (a pumpkin & a bunny)...fun little wintry chocolates--snowmen, a penguin, another bunny, a "chocolate lab", & 2 pumpkin pies, YUM!

Better than all those though were the peanut butter & jelly chocolates (Maury!) that we got for HALF OFF since they were the old Halloween stock!!! Love those creepy eyeballs!

Later Monday evening, we made cake. Katie taught me how to make her fabulous marshmallow fondant and we decorated the cake with it.

And with the green dots and a sad looking bow...still, it's better than my usual cake-decorating attempts. (*Being an artist does NOT make one a cake decorator, and vice-versa!!!)

We were up so late working on that cake that we had to save the celebration for Tuesday morning... Katie's birthday is in a couple weeks so of course we had a little party for her. The boys certainly weren't complaining about having cake & ice cream for breakfast before they left for school!

Katie is holding 2 of her gifts--homemade soda bottle & construction paper airplanes, which the boys lovingly put together just for her...I'm sure she feels so honored. ; )

We had to take Katie back to the airport Tuesday morning...sad the time flew so quickly, but we're so glad she came. Thank you, Katie!!! Love you!

Katie's visit, part 1

We were so happy to have my sister Katie come visit with us over the weekend! She took part in a conference here on Fri & Sat but we managed to squeeze in some fun things around that. She arrived Thursday & of course we hit Ikea on our way out from the airport...and later that night we all went to a Harry Potter party (more of that to come later...) I went to the conference Friday night to listen to Katie speak--she had me crying (and thankful I didn't wear mascara!)

Saturday evening, we had Red Robin cook us some yummy dinner.

It was quite late when we finally ate...things got sillier and sillier as the night wore on...

Thanks to Katie for all these photos...(though I still want the silliest of all the sillies!)