A Decade Gone By...

Time flies when you're having fun, right? 10 years ago on November 7, the birth of my son inducted me into the ranks of motherhood. 10 years. That's double digits. Approximately 3652.5 days. One decade. Not going there with the number of hours/minutes...I'm certain the size of the number would be too much for me.

We got out his baby book and looked at the pictures from before he was born and the day he was born, and then the ensuing months of capturing every smirk, smile, and coo. That little boy changed our world, and we are so blessed. Every minute of it. Every question of "am I doing the right thing" to celebrating his successes with him. He's changed so much in the last few years, coming into his own. And yet he is still just a little boy.

Ryan woke up to a new bike, a Jeff Gordon jacket, and some walkie talkies, among other things from his grandparents and family.


This marked the second year that I didn't do all the party planning per se; instead we took him and 7 of his friends to a pizza place that has rides and go karts and all manner of things that attract 10 year old boys. They had a blast!



I marvel at how I now have a 10 year old. It's been said that once you have a child, you completely forget what your life was like before children. While that is not entirely true, there is something to be said about sharing the memories of your days with a small one that you helped bring into the world....

He Didn't Go

I can't remember the last time Halloween was on a Saturday. Perhaps we were working a refueling outage, didn't have children yet, or the kids were so little it didn't really matter. So this year, with it being on a Saturday, we had that big party, and it was a lot of fun. So much so, I couldn't help but look at pictures and think about it all day the next day. I think the kids all running around having Star Wars battles (those lit light sabers are great for figuring out where your kids are after the sun goes down) and line dancing were my favorite parts. The Midori Sours were pretty good, too, even if we did run out.

Then it hit me. Ryan didn't go trick or treating.

I talked to him about it, gingerly probing to see if he'd merely forgotten, all the while concerned I'd be opening a pandora's box of regret and misery. No such thing occurred. He was fully aware he'd not gone trick or treating, and it didn't seem to matter. "I was just having too much fun, mom." Wow, he was having so much fun at the party, that leaving to go beg for candy didn't even hit his priority list. Or is it simply coincidence with the fact that he is growing up?

Thanksgiving Dinner Preview

Tonight is the monthly meeitng for a women's club I'm a part of, and this year the November meeting theme is a home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner. I volunteered to make the cranberries and stuffing. Neither of which come from a can or box, respectively. Soooo I've spent the better part of my day in the kitchen preparing the turkey dressing (which started with the unenviable task of boiling turkey giblets and the neck), and my signature cranberry-pear chutney. I always make the chutney whenever we host Thanksgiving - found the recipe years and years ago and gave it a try, loved it, and made it part of our family's tradition. The stuffing, which has been in my husband's family for a few generations, is another story. I absolutely LOVE it. But I've never made it before! The tradition is that the men of the house (usually my FIL) do the turkey and the stuffing; the women take care of everything else (though my husband rocks at making mashed taters). So today, I'm making it for the very first time. To share with 25 or so other ladies.

I was disappointed with the chutney, I think I overcooked it a bit so the bright ruby red color is not as vivid, but hopefully it still tastes good. The stuffing is ready to be baked, which I will do shortly before I depart for the festivities. Meanwhile, a small turkey is slowly roasting (needed it for making the stuffing!), so that my family will also get a little preview of our dinner in 3-1/2 weeks! Another first for me...like I said, the men of the family normally roast the turkey, so I sure hope this one turns out as good as when my husband does it. Time will tell!

Now I need to clean up the amazing mess I made in the kitchen...

A few more Halloween photos...

You'd think, as a scrapbooker, I'd be Susie-on-the-Spot with the camera. I usually am. But yesterday was a different story. I'm blaming it on the fake eyelashes and nails. I didn't get ANY pictures of Alex in his Halloween costume. Good grief, there goes my MOTY award (Mom Of The Year)...again. But we recovered smartly. This afternoon, that is.

Me: "Alex, go put on your costume."
Alex: "But why?"
Me: "Mommy wants to get some pictures of you. It won't take long."
Alex: "I don't want to right now. I'm playing."
Me: "Alex, go put on your costume."
Alex: "But it itches."
Me: "Alex, go put on your costume."
Alex: "Do I have to?"
Me: "ALEX, GO PUT ON YOUR COSTUME!"

Alex finally put it on...and we went outside to take pictures. He seemed to enjoy getting into the part!