A giant family

Stockings for the grandkids. 

Guillermo and Maya and their cousins

We spent the weekend in Atlanta, where we celebrated Thanksgiving with Will's family. Nearly all of his aunts and uncles and cousins on his father's side of the family live there, plus as an added bonus, Will's father was visiting from Phoenix. 

Thanksgiving itself was fun, and crazy. Will counted more than 50 people in the house at one time. To add to the chaos, there were nine kids, 6 and younger running around the house, too.

Maya and Guillermo had so much fun, and their joy made this trip even more special for me. 

Will's family is very close. For a long time, most of Will's aunts and uncles lived within just a few miles of each other and, therefore, nearly all of Will's cousins grew up together, almost as brother and sister. (Will and his family never lived near them because of my father-in-law's career). Will's cousins are all about Will's age and now have kids about the same age as Guillermo and Maya. 

The family has always been incredibly welcoming of me, and I've always felt comfortable there, but whenever I think of Guillermo's and Maya's cousins, I think of my sister's children, because, after all, they are more my immediate family. 

My kids don't know the difference, though, and I love that. All they knew is that there were a ton of kids to play with and wow, did they have fun. They ran through the house as if they were a gang, plotting and planning their next attack. Maya's cheeks were flush from going up and down the stairs so many times. 

That night, I sat next to Maya before she fell asleep. 

"I love you, mama," she said before a big smile crept across her face. 

"I love my cousins."

Cat and Dog

This made me giggle today:

Maya: You want to play cat and dog?

Me: Sure. How do you play?

Maya: You be the cat. I be the dog.

Me: Ok.

And for the next five minutes or so, we crawled around the floor, me meowing and Maya barking. Every so often, she'd stop and pet me. 

"You a good kitty," she'd say. "Now, say I a good doggy."

Me: You are a good doggy.

She's sassy

I took Maya and Guillermo to the video store to pick up a movie for movie night tonight. We ended up with a Backyardigans, a Veggie Tales and a Dora video. 

Guillermo and Maya always want to the carry their videos out themselves, but I've noticed a sign at the video store that warns against letting kids touch the DVDs because they play with them and scratch them, etc. Lately I've been trying to get my kids out of the store before I hand them their videos (in their plastic case, no less) that way the video store staff doesn't see my kid touching, scratching, rubbing rocks on, throwing and doing whatever else it is they do to the DVDs that don't belong to us. 

Tonight, however, Maya, wearing her sassy leopard print wool jacket, wanted her Dora video and she wanted it NOW. She didn't throw a fit, she just kept whining. I ignored it and motioned for her to follow us out the door. 

I swear I saw and heard her do this:

First, she sighed a loud "Hmpf." Then, she crossed her arms defiantly and then, for extra measure, she stomped her foot and turned her angry face away from mine. 

It was great. She has the move down perfectly. I wanted to smile and congratulate her on mastering the pout so well at such a young age. I do that move all the time, in my head, when I don't get my way. 

Instead, I ignored it, and called for her again. She left the store with me, no kicking or screaming involved. 

This is why I have problems ...

My parents have graciously agreed to buy me a winter coat for Christmas. In fact, I already have it, but am not allowed to wear it until Dec. 25th. I'm sticking to the rule because, well, I like a Christmas present on Christmas day, not more than a month in advance. 

However, my mother also asked me to send a list of a few small things I might want in addition to the coat. 

And my list below (in no particular order) shows why I am in a constant struggle with my weight.  

I asked for a few workout-related items, like a pair of yoga pants (even though I don't do yoga. They are still good workout pants) and a workout DVD for the days I don't run (I'm trying to run 3-4 times a week now). 

However, the rest of my list looks like this:

• Two 9-inch round Springform Cake Pans
• Cupcake Carrier
• Wire rack
• Cake Decorator Set

You see my dilemma? But, I love baking!

I asked for a pair of PJs, too,  just so after I work out and then bake, I can relax

(No, I don't expect everything. I just like to give her some options so I'm surprised on Christmas Day.)

American Indian Heritage Celebration

I'm canceling the morning of Christmas shopping I had planned for Saturday so we can take Guillermo to this.

The other day I told him the story of the first Thanksgiving feast. (This, by the way, is a quick and wonderful slide show for kids about Thanskgiving.) When I finished, Guillermo urged me to tell him more.

"Tell me about how those guys were mean to the guys who lived here first," he said. 

"What do you mean?" I asked. 

"You know, the guys who came here and were mean to those guys, those, you know those guys who were here first," he said. 

So, we talked briefly about how European settlers treated Native Americans. A few days later, we made a paper teepees (I'll post a picture soon). I thought we would make one or two. He made about a dozen.

He's going to have so much fun tomorrow.  Thanks trianglemom2mom for posting about this event. 

I've been tagged

Amy tagged me. Here goes.

5 Things...

5 things I was doing 10 years ago...

1. I was working at The Associated Press.

2. I lived in St. Louis with my sister.

3. I visited Will in Rolla, Mo., frequently.

4. Jogged and worked out nearly every day.

5. Spent a lot of time at the pool.

5 Things on Today's To-Do List:

1. Laundry

2. Go for a jog

3. Buy Maya a sleeping bag

4. Return videos

5. Make Christmas lists (yes, I know, I know ...)

5 Treats I enjoy:

1. Brownies

2. Cake

3. Cookies

4. Hot chocolate

5. Wheat Thins

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire: (I think I am cramming to many things into one number).

1. Donate a lot more to the American Lung Association, Pan-CAN, and other organizations.

2. Visit home more often.

3. Buy homes for my family to live or vacation in near me.

4. Build another home on the lot I live on now, plus pay off the mortgages of my parents, sister, and father-in-law, and set up college funds for my kids and niece and nephew.

5. Hire a chef and a personal trainer.

5 Places I have lived (Here are a few)

1. Carrboro, N.C.

2. Austin, Texas

3. Germantown Hills, Ill.

4. Pleasant Valley, Iowa

5. Granada, Spain

5 Places I have worked:

1. The Associated Press

2. Caterpillar Inc.

3. The Journal Star (Peoria)

4. Snyder Village

5. Daily Eastern News

5 People I tag:

1. Di

2. MommyMae

3. Beth (I miss your blogs!)

4. Michelle T.

5. Michelle N.

Patience

I was exhausted tonight after a long week. Maya was not. As I was getting her ready for bed, she took her time drinking her milk, played with her toothbrush before brushing and tried to be silly as I was reading to her. 

I didn't lose my temper, but I warned her that she needed to settle down, and in a firm voice, I told her I was losing my patience. 

With a sweet smile on her face, she reached her arm out and grabbed at the air before bringing her hand back to me.  

"Here's your patience," she said playfully.

If she was a teen-ager, I imagine it would have taken all I had not to smack her. Since she's just 2, I managed a smile and thanked her for her help.  

Funny Maya

Maya's always been good at making us laugh, but now she's really making an effort to get us started.

Last night at dinner, using her best Yoda voice (although she isn't really sure what Yoda sounds like) she said to Guillermo: "Luke, use the force." 

She giggled and started again.

"Luke, eat your dinner."

More laughter. 

"Luke, drink milk."

She laughed even harder. 

"Luke, use your fork."

By then, Guillermo, who thought it was funny at first, had had it. I, on the other hand, couldn't stop laughing, and neither could Maya. She was so proud of herself. 

Perfect Day

Today was a beautiful fall day, with sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 70s, and Guillermo, Maya and I took full advantage of it. We had a picnic and then hiked on the nature trails at the North Carolina Botanical Garden, collecting leaves and pine cones. They were great, and both hiked the entire trail.


Later at home, I raked and they jumped. Guillermo was pretending he was a skeleton that came to life when I wasn't looking. If Maya had jumped in leaves before, she didn't remember. She didn't stop giggling.

The only thing missing from our perfect day was Will, but he was at work. Someone has to pay the bills.

Voter Fraud

We committed voter fraud this week. 

I took Guillermo to the ArtsCenter on Monday for a kids voting day. The event was for kids 5 and up, but I let Guillermo, who is 4, participate anyway. The kid manning the ballot table even gave us a ballot for Maya, but Maya was more interested in trying to touch all of the pottery near the voting booth. 

The ballots included headshots of each of the candidates for president, U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor and U.S. Representative. I don't think Guillermo minds if I disclose his choices. He chose Barack Obama for president and incumbent David Price for U.S. Rep, but rejected the rest of the Democrats. He also rejected the women candidates, selecting Pat McCrory for governor, Robert Pittenger for lieutenant governor and Christopher Cole for U.S. Senate.

We're not worried. There's plenty of time to convert him. 

A grill and a beer

This morning I told Guillermo that Will a meeting and wouldn't be home for dinner. 

"What do you think we should have for dinner since papa won't be home?" I asked.

"We could grill something, then we can have a beer," Guillermo said innocently. 

"What?" I asked. 

"You know, a root beer, mom," he answered. 

Will, on the computer in my room, was both proud and amused. 

Yes We Can!

What a night!

And, Guillermo and Maya were up for all of it, well nearly all of it.

When the networks called Ohio for Barack Obama, I scooped Maya up in my arms and twirled around the room in happiness. A little later, when it was official that Obama would become the next president of the United States, I picked her up again, cheering, spinning and jumping. She was beaming from ear to ear. I hope I always remember the smile on her face, her laughter in my ears from that night.

Of course, she had no idea why we were so happy. She knew Obama won, but she doesn't know what that means. And, neither does Guillermo, but we'll teach them, over time.

At Least She's Cute

Maya seemed to have no problem transitioning to the time change on Sunday morning. I feared she would wake up at 4:30 a.m. with her body telling her it was 5:30 a.m. Instead, she slept in until after 6 a.m. (I'm not sure the exact time because Sunday was my morning to sleep in). What used to be such a stressful transition for our family seemed to pass easily. 

Until today. Maya woke up at 4:45 a.m., ready for the day. I made her stay in her crib until 5:30 a.m. but had to endure listening to cries alternating with "Mama, Mama, I. WANT. OUT." Usually on days like this, I come into her room to find that she has thrown her stuffed animals, blankets and sippy cup of water out of the crib and onto the floor. I can't remember if they were there today, I was too tired. 

Maya was even more unhappy when she learned she was going to spend the next 30 minutes being pushed in the jog stroller while I went for a run rather than snuggling on the couch.  That should teach her to get up early, right?

Halloween

A few more Halloween pictures

We had a wonderful Halloween, so fun in fact that I didn't drag Guillermo or myself home until nearly midnight.

I took Maya and Guillermo out to collect candy while Will handed it out at home. We went with a group of friends with whom we had a cookout with earlier in the evening. Trick-or-treating was fun, but wild. Guillermo and one of his friends decided they had to run at top speed to every house. Maya and I could barely keep up. My poor girl had to skip so many houses so we wouldn't lose site of them. She didn't seem to mind. She kept saying "I want to catch up with my guys." We made it to one end of our neighborhood and nearly back to our starting spot before we stopped at my friends' house to take a break. She was having a little party. I thought we would stop there for 10 minutes and then go back out, but Guillermo declared he was finished. He didn't even want to stop at any of the houses on our way back to our house. Instead, we just hung out at the party and called Will to join us. Will took Maya home around 11 p.m. and a few hours later, Guillermo and I finally came home.

Today, Guillermo and Maya awoke to find the gifts that the Great Pumpkin left them. In our house, the kids leave their candy in front of their doors when they go to sleep. The Great Pumpkin takes the candy (and gives it to his graduate students) and leaves a present. Guillermo got two Star Wars action figures; Maya got a purple Dora Backpack. They haven't asked about their candy once today.