Thanksgiving

We enjoyed a most wonderful Thanksgiving this past week. I was feeling rather nostalgic in the days preceding, realizing it was my first Thanksgiving since we had children that they couldn't be with their grandparents.

But we managed to have a peaceful, joyous weekend, filled with good food, laughs and happy memories.

I was determined to get a craft set up for the boys, but also determined to make a turkey dinner, complete with three pies (yes, for only five people. I inherited a gene from my Mom who always multiplies the number of expected guests by two and cooks accordingly.)

So Patrick's sister sat down with the boys and got them to create this. I had cut out the leaves at 3:30 AM Thanksgiving morning, so she had them interview everyone in the house what they were thankful for this year, and Noah drew a tree to paste the leaves on.

It's going up in my laundry room, permanently, because it makes me so happy.

This could have been a great picture if I had dressed in something other than my Maternity Mourning Gear before we went for a walk on the holiday Monday.

An ankle-length black skirt, a black t-shirt AND a black fleece zip-up sweater?

It's all rather Helena Bonham-Carter of me.

In any case, I do love autumn, and I so wanted one more family photo before we become five. FIVE!

So it was serendipity that a man was out for a bike ride when he saw me with the camera photographing the fellows and asked if I wanted to get in, too.

Oh how I love autumn.

These pictures were actually taken in August, but I loved them so, and only recently found where the computer had decided to stash them.

The kids both willingly cleaned the living room when I made it a game.

It makes me think I need to phrase it like that all the time!

Isaiah just being a darling, making a water tower out of blocks.

Naturally.

Here he is being the quality-control expert during my foray into pie baking 

(hence the flour all over the table). 

In case you were wondering, he approved.

Apple pie.

A perennial favourite.

I also decided to get inventive and made a Cranberry-Apple pie from a recipe 

I found in this past month's Canadian Living magazine. 

I am freakishly in love with cranberries, and apple pie, so I thought it would be a hit. 

Sigh. 

Not nearly as nice as just straight-up apple pie. 

But I did finally attempt a lattice-work crust, and felt pretty accomplished that it worked!

The boys on a walk with Daddy

(who has now become quite the iphone paparazzi!)

where they found a little shrine and a makeshift sign that said "Pray for the unborn."
So they did.

And speaking of the unborn, here I am with Baby Lemon still happily tucked up inside me, who was 38 weeks gestation when this photo was taken.

The excitement mounts.

We have been talking to both of the children, but Isaiah in particular, about the excitement and the changes our family will experience when the baby is born.

From everything he says, he is primed to be a big brother.

I love it when he says excitedly "My will teach she how to walk!"

Never mind that that we don't know if the baby is a 'she' 

and really never mind that it will be a long time before his walking tutorials will be needed. 

It's just sweet to see him embracing the idea of being a big brother.

And as for the shirt?

His request to wear it. 

It's hard to believe it was only two years ago that Noah was small enough to fit into it.

Of course, Mr. Noah will be a superb big brother. He already is!

But his attachment to our baby will bring his sweetness to a whole new level.

His growing delight is so, so precious.

I couldn't help myself today; Patrick was going to be out for the morning at a conference so I decided to take the boys on a special outing while I could, when we would still be just three. I took them to the exorbitantly over-priced coffee shop in town (and not exorbitant like Starbucks; this is a small town, remember. But at least at an actual coffee shop, you don't have to add your own cream and sugar to the coffee!) and let them each get a hot chocolate and a cookie.

I didn't have time to be sentimental, though, as Isaiah decided to run around the coffee shop, and Noah kept campaigning to take the little creamer cups and drink them. Then as we were leaving, Noah realized he forgot his jacket, and he went in to get it, and tripped. Isaiah and I waited by the door, but when I opened it, I got the door caught on Isaiah's sandal, who also tripped, and starting wailing. I looked ever-so-graceful trying to bend over to rescue his trapped foot, and scoop him up.

A kind woman came to help me unstick Isaiah, and asked Noah if he was okay.

(But I do wonder what goes through people's minds when they see a hugely pregnant woman with two born children, and she can't even keep the two born children from hurting themselves? Are they feeling sympathetic? Or judgemental?)