Thanksgiving 2008

I had so much fun this year Nona and Papa's house on Thanksgiving day. They had their house all decked out again with Christmas trees, Santas, nutcrackers, etc. everywhere. Nona even organized an official "lighting" of the house. It was pretty cool except that not everyone turned their remotes on at the same time. We'll practice counting down again before next year's gathering.

It had been summer since all of the cousins have been able to play together. This was Natalie and Gavin's first Thanksgiving since arriving from Russia but they have adapted well to the chaos. We made lots of noise and a big mess, but minimal tears were shed and no one got hurt.

Everyone ate so much good food. Well, not me of course. Nothing irritates Mommy more than my exceptionally picky choice in nutrition. I don't change my game plan and alter my diet even during special occasions.

We also enjoyed watching the Cowboys beat the Seahawks 34-9 and then the Longhorns KILL the Aggies 49-9. Daddy was so so happy. It was another great Thanksgiving with so much to feel grateful for. (By the way, it also irritates Mommy to end a sentence with a preposition.)

School Picture

As you know, I'm camera shy but I'm making some improvements. I'm screaming less at Mommy when she has that darn device pointed at me, and I'm interested in seeing the pictures after she takes them (of course I'm still having difficulty with the concept that the image needs to be captured prior to the viewing). For my school picture, I didn't have my blanket like last year (thank God- that was so embarrassing!), but I didn't exactly smile either. In any case, I'm still quite the cutie. I can say that with absolute objectivity.

October Fun

October was a lot of fun with all sorts of activities. We made a trip to the pumpkin patch (just in time to kick up our allergies again) complete with hayrides, animals, and of course pumpkins.

For Halloween Mommy was a bit limited on my costume options again since I will still not wear anything on my head. So she got me a UPS delivery uniform this year (last year I was a doctor) and I wore it a few times. First, I had a party at school with everyone dressed up.Then we had a party for playgroup, but Mommy didn't take many pictures and we never got the group together as in the past years. But here I am "driving" Cade around.

Of course, I wore my costume again to go trick-or-treating. I had so much fun getting all that candy in my "pumpkin bag." Mommy let me eat one piece that night. Of course, I picked a sucker and finished it in my bath. Just like at Sam's house.

Poor Daddy

Daddy's Horns lost their #1 BCS spot to #7 Tech due to the loss on Saturday night. He and the other dads were so upset; he actually equated his feelings about it to having a girlfriend break up with him. I don't know what that's like so I'll just have to trust that it hurts a lot. But on Sunday the updated rankings came out and Texas only dropped to #4. Daddy got his hopes up again for a national championship. He then said that the good news was just like feeling like there was a possibility of getting back together with the girlfriend that broke up with him. Again, I don't understand and Mommy wants to know which girlfriend he is talking about. Hopefully he gets to see the tower lit up this season with a "1" again.

Get out and vote!

I may be feeling under the weather but I still went and voted early. I'm not the most patient person so I didn't think that anyone would have appreciated my tantrums while waiting in those long lines on election day. So be a responsible citizen and vote! That is, unless you support someone who resembles a Marxist and seeks to "change" the core fundamentals of our capitalist society to a socialist nation. In that case, wouldn't it be a great relief to finally complete that long "to do" list that has been hanging over your head within the next week?

Six Years

October 26th was Mommy and Daddy's wedding anniversary. They celebrated on Saturday night with dinner at a hibachi restaurant and then a Halloween party (yes, they even dressed up). I always miss out on all the fun. Sunday was their actual anniversary so Lola and Papo, who are in town waiting for my newest cousin Joseph to arrive, took everyone out to eat at Texas de Brazil. The flowers? Oh, they're not from Daddy. They're from Lola and Papo. Mommy was just glad that she got roses from someone.

New Playground

So, there is a new trail in our neighborhood that leads to an ergonomic-looking playground. I don't know if you can call it ergonomic since it seems very unsafe. It's not completely done yet (or at least I'm assuming since the swingset is missing swings), and I'm not quite sure how anyone under 34 y.o. plays on it (I picked that age because even Daddy had trouble). How does this equipment function and do you need to sign a liability waiver to use it?

Longhorn Pride

As you know (unless your "new" to us) Daddy is a HUGE Texas football fan. Actually, he is a GIANORMOUS fan. He claims that his diploma will be revoked if he does not watch each and every game (or at least that's the excuse he gives Mommy). Right now he is very proud (and shocked) of his team beating Oklahoma last week to take their spot at #1. Daddy and Mommy went to the game on Saturday (yet another trip without me) with several friends when the horns pummelled #11 Mizzou. Next they play #6 Oklahoma State and then #8 Tech. Very tough schedule this year, but he is hoping for a to a trip to Miami for the BCS National Championship game in January. Maybe they'll take me on that excursion if they go.

* As you see in the picture above Mommy is wearing more of a crimson orange than a burnt one because she no longer fits in her Longhorn shirts (and refuses to get a maternity one).

It's a . . .

Obsessed

Lately I have been a bit infatuated with shapes, numbers, and letters. I love relating everyday objects to different shapes, can identify most numbers up to 20, and can name all the letters and their sounds. Mommy does not feel that she can take the credit for my interests though since she hasn't exactly been spending much time teaching me these things. Is it possible that Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has provided me all of this knowledge in just 25-minute segments?

The folks had been trying to get me on video doing my alphabet puzzle but I haven't let them until lately (as you may recall my aversion to cameras).