Green Stuff

This post is a bit spontaneous, has a crappy quality picture (read: cell phone) and yet I had to snap the picture and write it right anyway. 

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and for sure I have a lot to be thankful for but that is a post for another day. I'll try for tomorrow but no promises. Tomorrow it's just going to be the 3 of us at our house for dinner but I'm still making the traditional turkey dinner.  Parker will probably only eat some mashed potatoes if I'm lucky but I still think the dinner is important.  When I was making the list of things I wanted to prepare I knew well enough not to make everything that may normally be on the Thanksgiving dinner table.  How much can the 3 of us really eat.  Wait don't answer that. There will be no sweet potatoes (we don't particularly care for them), there won't be a green bean casserole, there won't be monkey bread (the savory variety) and there won't be greens or macaroni and cheese.  Many years all of those are on our table.

One thing that will be on our table though is green stuff.  It's my favorite.  What?  You don't know what that is??  Well you may have had it before but have called it something different.  In our family, it has always been green stuff.  No other name will suffice, ever.  I've made it, I'm sure my mom has made it, my cousin makes it, but it was my Grama, she was the one who always made it for the holidays.  Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter green stuff was on our table.  This year will not be different.  I have not made it in quite a while but tonight as I started to make it and I poured the ingredients into the bowl the smell hit me.  I think the smell is really just pistachio pudding but since I never just make that plain, the smell to me was green stuff.  The smell flooded my mind with memories of my childhood and holiday meals.  My Grama came to mind immediately and it made me thankful for my childhood and everything I had.  A simple 4 ingredient "recipe" (read: dump and mix) made me remember what a lucky child I was and still am.  Although my Grama is now gone I know she would be so happy that we still make green stuff to this day. 

Yup, that's the whole thing!  Pistachio pudding, cool whip, crushed pineapple and walnuts.  Oh and if you make it you will be able to see that it really is a light green even though the photo makes it look white. 

Tradition

I was worried I might not get this shot this year.  These pictures were all taken in the same spot but my mom remodeled her house this year (and added a master suite that's all mine, right??) so it looks a little different.  I didn't know if she would still have the flag, she did, or if she would have the planter there, we moved it to the right spot and if she would have a pumpkin, my dad bought one (last years were home grown).

So even though it's not exactly the same it's still my tradition.  Thanks mom for digging everything out so I could make it happen and thanks Dad for buying the pumpkin to go with it!

Nose to Nose

Cutest picture ever?? 

I think YES!

No. 22?? Check!!

And it's official. Number 22 can officially be crossed off of my "bucket list."

Way to go Giants.  Way.To.Go!! 

What a great game, a great World Series and a great post season overall.  I even went with my mom to a post season game against the Phillies.  Gotta love baseball, America's past time!

My Own Handy Manny

This is a cell phone video so I know the quality is not great.  But the audio?  Stellar.  How can you not smile when hearing that giggle about a silly tape measure.  Oh to have the mind of a child where truly the little things make you laugh.  Thanks for always making me smile Parker!!

Panic Mode

Otherwise known as me freaking out.  In less than 8 hours I will leave Parker for an entire week for the first time.  While I have left him over night before it has been less times than the number of fingers on one hand that neither myself nor Aaron were with him. And only once was it 2 consecutive nights.  I've known all along that today would come and I would freak out.  I took today off work to spend with him and I am so glad I did.  He napped for a while on my lap this afternoon before I put him in his crib.  It was one of the best parts of the day.  He is the sweetest little boy and I love him more than I ever thought possible. 

I am not worried about his care as I know it will be fine.  I worry about if he'll be like me though.  A homesick girl who called her mom every night in the middle of the night multiple times when she was 12 years old and on a trip to her Grandpa's house in Seattle, crying because I was not home.  Obviously at 2 years old he's not going to call me, but I don't want him to have those homesick feelings that I had and still sometimes get. 

After two years it is time for Aaron and me to vacation alone, to sleep past 6 a.m. and to enjoy one another.  I know it's important for us to take time for ourselves, I know we will have a blast but no one said this part would be easy.  I know tomorrow I will be fine, I'll be on a beautiful ship sailing the ocean.  But today.  Today I am in panic mode.

A Birthday Letter to the Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday Parker!!

I cannot believe you are 2 years old today.  Where has the time gone?  I think one day when you read these posts you are going to think I was crazy for always asking that same question practically every time I wrote about you.  Then when you have children of your own I will remind you that I was not in fact crazy!  It really does fly (especially when you're having fun).

You are so fun right now.  Your personality is cute, strong and silly.  You know what you want, you know how to get out of trouble and we think it's so funny.  Some of the things that come out of your mouth just crack me up.  I never want to forget these things, and that is why I write them down here.  Not only so you can one day look at them and laugh but so that I may also look back at them and laugh. 
Some of the fun things you say are OH. MY. GOOO, you never finish, so I am assuming you are saying gosh, because that is what you hear us say, and what we say after you say "gooo".  You often throw things, like your food, sippy cup or silverware and then say "uh-oh" or "oh no!"  We tell you time and time again that it was not in fact an "uh-oh" but I think you know it's cute so you just keep saying it!

You have recently starting kissing us and I am delighted, even though about 90% of the time you deny me one.  You also say muah when you kiss now which you must have heard from us.  I am always amazed at how much stuff you watch and learn.  The other day I saw you in the bathroom with my bottle of mousse.  You tilted the bottle into your hand (nothing came out), rubbed your hands together and then rubbed it all over your hair.  The same exact process I do every.single.morning.  You are watching and I love it. 

You can count to ten, sing your ABC's and sing a few other songs, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star being a favorite.  You love to color and will even keep the pencil or pen or crayon on the paper most of the time.  You must know your dad is a neat freak.  

You still hate fruit and vegetables that are not pureed.  We offer them to you and you mostly pick them out at home and at daycare.  I don't know any other 2 year old who still eats baby food but I want to ensure you get all the fruit and vegetables you need and since you love the pureed stuff I will continue to give it to you.  It makes me happy that if I at least am doing that and you eat them well that it is a texture thing vs. a taste thing.  Hopefully soon you will enjoy the real deal!  If we let you eat macaroni and cheese everyday you probably would, we don't. You are picky about your meats but love a lunch of turkey, cheese and crackers.  My kind of guy!

Overall you are healthy, happy and can throw a mean temper tantrum when you find it necessary.  I hear the two's will give me more of all that and therefore I will also be healthy, happy and throw a mean temper tantrum when necessary.  Kidding...sort of! 

I love you Parker, you are more than I could have ever asked for and I wish for you many many many more birthdays of happiness and love!