"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"

"Hi!" from Thunder down under.

A mellow, decorating weekend. We looked at R-pod travel trailers yesterday. We're in the "looking" stage, but they were so nice! I'll try to upload the brochure here so you can look at them also. I love that RKZ is so thorough. I know that he is writing spreadsheets in his mind figuring out if a trailer will work for our family.



Today is the first day of Advent. I love Advent because there are so many "feel good" activities to do with the kids. We are making a Jesse Tree and will be completing a new ornament every day. There is a great activity site on "Holyheroes.com" that we use. RKZ is currently outside hanging the "eco-friendly but old school looking" Christmas lights. I'll have to get some pictures for tomorrow.

"Thank you, for loving me, my friend"

We finally ate in the dining room again (2 years later)

RKZ's hand
Joya's hand
Jason joins in the picture refusal
A Pirate rests at 40 (with his Cap't Morgan or single malt scotch, I forget)
Turkey shot #1 - the orange is used in place of stuffing in the cavity.
Turkey shot #2 (you can see the stuffing (dark brown section) between the skin and the breast.
Cleo and Thomas the train.
Nobody wanted their picture taken.
What a strange and funny Thanksgiving we had. First, we all were up at 6am again (thank you, Thunder). Buck started the day asking, "Is Clemmie coming over now?" I told him he'd have to wait for about 10 hours. Buck was also excited to hear that CSG (Canadian Safari Guide) would be making a rare appearance at our place around 4pm.

Since the pies were finished the night before, I began T-day morning with a cup of coffee and a review of the meal plan. I have made many of the dishes on their own before, but never once coordinated the entire Thanksgiving dinner. Timing is not my strong suit, but I'm more irritated by the slow working oven in our home. I became jumpy just thinking about our lack of oven space and the way in which the dishes needed to come out.

For the first time in my life, I watched the ENTIRE Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. It was a little touch of American cheese right here in Canada. Buck loved the floats completely focused on his demographic: Buzz Lightyear; Mickey Mouse; Pokemon; Yo! Gabba Gabba...he wasn't too impressed with the bands or the singing, but it did get his excitement up for Toy Story 3. I was thinking that it would be fun to see that parade in person someday. New York City just looked to exciting - and people had the day off, so they were in really good moods.

around noon, I started the turkey - Jamie Oliver style. I would reprint the entire recipe, but my over-riding concern was that I never cooked an entire turkey myself. I was definitely by myself with a wacky new recipe and no accounting for time. I made the stuffing, stuffed it between the skin on the breast and the breast meat itself (this was my wacky new step) and shoved little rolls of bacon, garlic and rosemary into the legs and thighs. All courtesy of Jamie Oliver. Only then did I realize that we had run out of aluminum foil. For a brief second I considered running around the street looking for foil, but everyone was at work on Thursdays in Canada. So, I put the roasting pan lid on and emailed RKZ to bring some home. Looking at my oven at this point, I knew that I'd have no space for sides unless he showed up to save me.

RK left work at noon and got home at 3 (after doing all the shopping I'd emailed throughout the day). Our guests began showing up at 4:30, after a brief visit with a neighbor who brought flowers to wish us a happy American Thanksgiving (so nice)! I have no pictures of their faces because they were treating me like paparazzi (sp?)

I will write about the end of the evening in a bit. We ended up having a great Thanksgiving after all, even if we still really missed family. It's about to snow here and I need to pull some things in the house. :)

"You know that I could use somebody - someone like you!"

This is a picture of my first homemade pie. Yes, I have never made a pie from scratch before. I have a number of friends (and a great mother & a wonderful mother-in-law) who have all made their own pies. I am not one of them. Today, while preparing for the greatest ex-patriot Thanksgiving ever, I made an apple crumble pie and 2 pumpkin pies. The apple pie is entirely from scratch - crust and all. The pumpkin pies seem like a cheat considering that the pumpkin filling comes in a can and only needs a few spices and evaporated milk. Also, I used ready made crust for the pumpkin pies. I only have so much motivation.

I was thinking of my mother when I made the pies. She has this great plastic cutting-board like sheet that has circles telling a cook just how long to roll out his or her pie crust before putting it into the tin. I remember that plastic sheet vividly as well as my mother's large rolling pin. I felt like a total amateur with my little modern rolling pin (which sucked) and no plastic sheet or idea as to how large to roll the very dry crust.

I used the classic "Better Homes and Gardens" NEW cook book for my recipes. I like them because they are very specific for noobies like myself. It even includes pictures which I find very helpful. I'm never sure what the food is supposed to look like in the end.

I have come to realize that the Thanksgiving memories I have been bemoaning for my children are now my responsibility. I miss my family, RKZ's family and even America in general, but that won't help me create lasting Thanksgiving memories for my boys. I had to laugh today when just the sight of the completed pies sent RKZ into holiday over-drive. Buck was already racing around the house yelling, "mmmm, PIE!" At that moment, I realized that (huge generalization comin') men might actually have FOOD memories about Thanksgiving and that the food is the high point for them. Imagine my shock. It's not the "touchy-feely" sharing and staying up to all hours drinking wine and remembering? They simply remember all of the wonderful food and smells? Incredible.

So, I am making some smells for my boys - smells that don't have a country. And I'll be making a lot more of them tomorrow.
Happy Thanksgiving until then!

"Welcome to the future..."

Our Thanksgiving dinner - ha.ha.

I was just flashing through other blogs and have decided that (A) everyone is more talented at putting together pretty blog pages; (B) more than 1/2 of the world's bloggers are infertile and using IVF and (C) blogs are really boring if you don't know or care about the people.

Thanks for reading this. I'll try to talk only about actual events since that seems more pertinent.

Thunder was up most of the night. RKZ is sure it's a fever - but there was no temperature. I think it's lack of sleep (napping). Buck is also out of it today. I am downright comatose - but there is Thanksgiving food to buy (final grocery run let's hope) and then tonight's dinner to be made. The second Thunder is up from his current nap, we're outta here. Buck is happily watching 1970's era Superfriends. I might just go lie down.

"We're packing a suitcase for a place that none of us has been" U2

Thunder at 10 months.
Buck at 11 months.

I was organizing pictures in order to make "1st year" books for both boys last night. RKZ and I were struck in the fact that they resemble each other. My guess is that it's the facial expressions. We make very distinctive facial expressions in our family and Thunder has obviously learned them.

I found that turkey - hopefully it's around 3.5 lbs. I am even going to attempt a homemade apple pie. That will be Wednesday, of course.

More on our American Thanksgiving in Canada tomorrow!

"I can see it on the silver screen"

US Thanksgiving week is upon us! I'm going to take a shower (it's 11:51am) and go look for a turkey somewhere. They are in very short supply considering all of the Americans might be out looking for one. We'll see what happens.

It's the Feast of Christ the King today. Last year, we were hoping against hope that Thunder's birthmother would choose us (and we were in Mexico). This year, we are working to cure T's constipation and organizing big holidays at home.

Busy day today. More tomorrow as the holiday countdown begins!

"Since you've been gone..."

Old pictures but new to the blog! Hi to Ma and Pa Joad who are in Florida this weekend!! Love and miss you!

Thunder this summer. He's such an amazing baby.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CLEMMIE! (she is 4 today)
Buck driving the boat at Lake Sacandaga in August.

Well, the sickness seems to be passing - but RKZ and I are definitely feeling some pull back to the US. It's a phase, but it's also a question. How long do we stick with the good job that keeps us from living close to everyone we love? Some days, Calgary seems so far away from family and old friends. Is this just the holidays fast approaching? It's hard to know. I have these overwhelming feelings especially on days like today when RKZ is going to a Flames game and won't be home until late. It would be a great night to get together with family or friends - to have Grandma and Grandpa over for dinner (or to go there) or to meet at a "family friendly" restaurant for dinner; or in an ideal world to have a night time play date with cousins. This is all fantasy, of course, because all of these people also have lives. But we would happily go to a baseball or volleyball game and have a hot dog.

I feel badly posting melancholy things - but it's our definite head space right now.
Does the economy own us or do we own our lives? Are we a part of the "addicted to stuff" generation? Are you wishing I would just deal with it and not post about it?

Buck can read a lot of words now. Thunder can nearly walk - he's got massive constipation and we're treating it with prunes, peas, beans and exercise. Now at least you know what's up with us!

"Been a long time, been a long time..

RKZ took these pictures of thunder at a recent birthday party. They remind me of a scene in ET where ET hides in a closet filled with stuffed animals. Thunder looks so happy playing in there. Since I have been sick, it seems like the days are dragging along. And this weekend is over-scheduled and planned to the hilt. Looks like it might have to go on without me. I can't believe that the first weekend where there is a lot to do might be a big bust for me. It's not that I'm completely sick, I'm only a little sick according to both myself and RKZ, but that doesn't mean I can go passing it around to people by attending every event. it's my fear of someone else catching it a lot worse that might keep me home.

My Thanksgiving (American) melancholy is quickly seeping in. Buck asks if we can "go to Colorado" every day (and usually 3 or 4 times a day). He really wants to see his Grady cousins and the Duke and Duchess. RKZ and I are re-thinking our vacation plans for 2010. We need to spend holidays with family or I might just lose it. We all might just lose it. It'd be nice to tell Buck that he's going to see his cousins very soon - but there is just no more vacation in 2009. Difficult to explain to a 4 year old. Difficult to explain to a 40 year old (almost).

With the big weddings looming (and SERVITE's just passed), we might be seeing a WHOLE LOT of Buck's cousins! Yeah!

"Witchy Wisdom"

I have been "sick" for the last two days. I put this is quotation marks because I have this weird - SUPER TIRED - thing with aches. But, I have no fever, stuffy nose or cough. I have a bit of a sore throat. RKZ was nice enough to stay home today. He has had a "mommy" day for sure where he's been running from thing to thing. Preschool and then sportsball with meals in between. I have mainly been asleep - or watching THE MOST BORING TV ever. I think I'll just work through it tomorrow - even super tired.

Thunder is growing so fast these days. He talks out loud to us (baby noises) and crawls and exclaims all the time. We can tell he understands what we're saying a lot now. He's crawling around my feet telling me something at this minute.

Buck is obsessed with putting on his Broncos jersey and playing football. I have a feeling that we are entering an era.

Now, Thunder is telling me he closed his finger in a drawer and my head is telling me that RKZ needs to come home.

"Your grace is enough for me"

Dinner shots before the Oct. trip. Messy Thunder eats everything.
Buck's colorful long undies.
Daddy and Buck on the Disneyland Rockets.
Grandpa and KK & A-man
RKZ and Buck doing promo shots for Disney. We live in Tomorrow land now.
Pa Joad and KK
KK driving at Autopia
RKZ & Buck on Buck's favorite ride at D-land
A-Man driving with his brother
Buck and Capt'n Hook! (Buck's comment a few weeks ago? "If he lost both hands, he'd be Captain Hooks!")

Saturdays are the best days to write - RKZ takes Buck to swimming lessons and Thunder takes his first nap in the morning. I have coffee and read through internet news and blogs. Nice life if you can get it :)

It's been a BIG October and November. The biggest event being SERVITE and Tiny Dancer getting married on Halloween. Sadly, I lost my camera half way through our trip and only have pictures of the first day. I found my camera, but it is officially broken - so I have to wait for charity pictures from friends. Bummer.

An equally big event was Thunder's baptism on Nov. 1 (all Saint's day). We had a private ceremony in the same church where Buck was baptized by the same Priest who is a very close friend of the family. Many of the same people who attended Buck's baptism were at Thunder's and it gave me so much consolation that we're not being lost up here in the Great White North. The entire trip to Huntington Beach, California, where SERVITE was married was the best family trip (extended Joad family) that we've ever had. The house was beautiful and large, the weather was cooperative and it was really fun to have the distraction of kids who play together (See Disney photos). On our first day in Cal, my parents (The Joads) and RK and I took Buck, Thunder, KK (3) and A-man (2) with our Grandma J (91) to Disneyland. RK and I were very worried about how it was going to work out, but it was actually an amazing trip. One of the best. We all figured that this might be Gma's last trip to the park. She has taken my brothers and I so many times that it was a perfect circle to take her and make sure she had a good time. I wish I had a picture of G-ma riding in her wheelchair on the Jungle Cruise ride. She was perched like a fertility idol in the middle of the boat and Buck and KK laughed at everything the tour guide said. Gma just smiled at it all. It was very fun. Also, Thunder was great. He is fascinated by crowds and just stared at everyone. At 10 months, Thunder was the perfect age to take to the park because he didn't care if he went on any rides - he just wanted to sit and hold on to Gma's wheelchair while the crowds passed by. I'm thinking that future trips won't be so easy.

HB, Ca is so similar but has changed a bit. The biggest sadness was the fact that we didn't have any time to see friends while we were in the thick of wedding business (not that we did much, but it did seem that a lot of the time was wedding focused). I'll have to get some pictures up from Hoonka and H9H (High 9 Hottie), my sisters-in-law. We have a trip mostly scheduled in Feb, but we're still crossing our fingers for cheaper flights. How do people with more than 2 kids ever travel? Seriously!

Last weekend, RKZ went to the Broncos game, which they lost to the Steelers. He was sad about that, but loved the game and the experience. He was home just before Remembrance Day which is a HUGE deal here in Canada. Everyone seems to wear a red poppy and we took the kids to the Memorial Service at the Military Museum (one of Buck's favorite museums). They estimated that 10,000 people came. Buck would very much like to be a soldier when he is older. When he found out that soldiers can become pilots and then astronauts, I believe that his fate was sealed forever. Let's all pray that the Airforce will accept laser eye surgery within the next 15 years so that Buck has a chance. Those glasses are looking like they'll be here forever (thank you, Kelly side of the family :) Of course, he has a love for learning languages, so maybe he can get in based on his aptitudes.

Yesterday, we had a play date at the Science Centre and then we picked up RKZ from work downtown. We are establishing a regular tradition of going to the Spaghetti Factory for dinner. They have huge windows and Buck stares out them saying things like, "It's so beautiful here - can we just walk around a little?" They have begun to put the twinkling lights up and the Christmas displays (Canada doesn't have the 'wait until Thanksgiving' issue because it was in Oct). Buck is as stuck on the city as I seem to be.

Funny, how we went from the 20's/70's in California - walking to a beach breakfast at Sugar Shack 2 weeks ago - to the -5/50's and Christmasish late fall dinners in downtown Calgary. What a crazy world and a crazy life for our boys.

"Somebody tells you they love you - you're gonna believe them"

Have I posted these shots already? I don't know. This has been a blur of a year already and not a very well blogged one. I would say Im sorry, but I was busy actually living things I'd normally write :) The top 4 shots are from a trip to our local amusement park with Buck's friend, Quinn and her brother, Dillan (sp?)
Thunder's first ice cream cone



This last shot is a special present to my friend, E's, husband "Theo" - it's a wedding photo of Theo Fleury. I just posted it because I thought he'd appreciate it.

I am sorting through old desk top pictures, so these will be WAY out of order. I'm also probably totally breaking the law by posting pictures I've stolen from someone else's Facebook page (yeah - take that FBI!)

I

"Make those miracles happen - by John Keyworth"

RK & Pablo were at the Bronco/Steelers game this weekend (Monday night) They obviously had a good time and treated themselves to some new jerseys. It was a joint father's day gift from Pablo's wife (B-dawg) and myself. They are great fathers and husbands and totally deserve it!



RKZ is home and giving Thunder his bath - love him! I realized that I never describe Thunder, not on the blog, anyway. Thunder is all will - his own. He is a moving, bossy machine. Thunder has perfected the art of the "angry scream." I know that he learned it from his older brother, but T makes it all his own with a little gutteral finish that made me think he was possessed the other day :) I don't think that I will ever worry about T taking care of himself - that boy can already completely feed and drink on his own (as I stand here waiting for sloooow Buster to finish his dinner). T won't wait for anything or anybody. He dislikes: getting dressed, his car seat, being cuddled or kissed too much and all loud noises. The exception to this, of course, is his older brother - the singularly loudest person I know (next to my father and youngest brother). Buster's volume is just set about 10 decibels above everyone else. Thunder thinks that this is hilarious. Just when I'm ready to yell at Buster for antagonizing T, the two of them bust out laughing. It's totally infuriating...but cute in that "brother movie" kind of way.

Thunder is almost a year. I can't believe it. He is "talking" and "cruising" and ready to start running around with Buster any minute. He is all charm and sass and it's so fun to have one brother so unlike the other. My own stable of boys.

"Don't speak!"

I have a second. I love this picture. Thunder and my 91 year old Grandma.
I'm making popcorn - RKZ is in Denver with one of my closest Univ. friends (best friend's husband - they are having a bromance). I'm about to watch TV in the silence.

So much has happened since I last posted.

Whatever :)