The Part of November Before Thanksgiving

November 1st, this was an odd sight. There’s a deer about half-way up the middle third to the left on this image. To the left of the two trees. She’s laying in the leaves. The two dark blobs in the center foreground are wild turkeys. Nature, getting along fine, apparently. See this image larger.

November 2nd, I turned 42. That morning I made a bed out of Ian’s blankets for his bear, Cookielocks. When he came to bed he was slackjawed in wonder Ian thought it was awesome and cuddled right up to him. See this image larger.

Brandon and his son Max were over for a bit. Here Max and Ian play some Skylanders. See this image larger.

I think I told them I had a monkey on my head in order to get them to actually turn around. See this image larger.

Mommy and Nina reading together. See this image larger.

November 3rd, Mommy left for a conference in Texas, and on the way back from the airport, I got the kids thinking about something else by trying an activity at Home Depot. See this image larger.

Apparently they have a new project every Saturday morning, for kids. See this image larger.

This time it was a turkey napkin holder. See this image larger.

They each made their own, with a tiny bit of help from Daddy. It was a ton of fun! See this image larger.

Nina’s Marty Feldman imitation is spot-on. See this image larger.

One of the first things Nina did when we got home was that she put her puzzle pieces in her backpack. ALL her puzzle pieces, that is; from about 6 different puzzles, loosely into her backpack. Not helpful.See this image larger.

Just when I figured I’d escaped a more prevalent stream of tears during Mommy’s departure, it turned out Nina was saving them up. She asked where Mommy was when we got home, I told her, and the waterworks flowed again! See this image larger.

Only a trip to the “Mexican store” could save us now… Nina at Cinqo De Mayo. See this image larger.

Ian dipping his chip in salsa. Doesn’t seem like an interesting picture to you, maybe. What if I told you that this is the first time he did so on a whim? We’ve talked him into it before, I think, but this is him exploring the addition of salsa on his own… and liking it! See this image larger.

November 4th, it was going to be a long 4 days on my own, so I called in reinforcements of the Grandparent kind! See this image larger.

Thanks guys for giving us some fun stuff to do and for making the trip! See this image larger.

Hugs! See this image larger.

Inside, same day. See this image larger.

Nina enjoys a story as told by Gramma Marcia! See this image larger.

Grampa Dave and Ian worked together to build stuff with Legos! See this image larger.

I moved these images from October, having remembered where they belonged… The tip off was from the dialogue of November… I’ll explain that when we get there. Original caption: At Pizza Hut (“The Pizza Store”) Ian and Nina both took turns looking over my shoulder for a bit, making little faces for and whatnot. I didn’t really catch what they were up to. I figured some adult was trying to get a giggle out of them. The faces became more exaggerated as the meal progressed, and finally I had to turn around and see what was up. See this image larger.

It turned out to be exactly the opposite of what was expected: there was a baby seated nearby, and Ian and Nina were trying to get a giggle out of him!!! Here Ian seems to kind of fawn over the baby’s smiles. See this image larger.

November 6th, Brendan over in the morning, like he does every day. Today was iPad games before bus pick-up. See this image larger.

November 7th, That soup technique still works… We were at Panera again. Mommy came home that night! See this image larger.

November 13th, Nina does a little fashion show to see if her winter boots are going to fit. See this image larger.

Lookin’ good! See this image larger.

November 14th, in the morning Ian and Brendan usually play with Legos, and this day was no exception. See this image larger.

That night, Nina brushing her teeth very nicely. See this image larger.

November 15th was apparently “bring a fuzzy critter to school” day. I was happy Ian’s teddy made it home as safely as he did, as many items that get sent to school sometimes don’t seem to make it home. See this image larger.

November 17th, dinner or a hike, Nina is always prepared. See this image larger.

The kids were quiet at one point, and getting along well… found that they had surrounded themselves with things to do, literally. See this image larger.

November 18th, Ian toying around in the office. See this image larger.

The boys of the neighborhood, gathering around the neighbor’s sandbox. See this image larger.

November 20th, the kids in Ian’s class give thanks! See this image larger.

That same day, we got a visit from Phil and Joyce, and their little boy, Vonn! Ian and Nina love hanging out with Vonn! See this image larger.

He’s a cutie! See this image larger.