My baby girl turned 9!!!

So...this past week was full of activities, and most of them centered around Kendall's 9th birthday. We make a big deal out of birthdays around here, and I think it's safe to say that we all totally enjoy our special week! The week started off with the family all coming down for lunch, cake and ice cream last Saturday. These days are always a treat, since our family doesn't live in close proximity to us. Kendall received a few Disney gift cards and a lot of money for our upcoming trip to Disneyworld. She was THRILLED, as she wants to have some discretionary funds...and Barry and I were thrilled because now she can spend her own money at the park!
I tried a new cake recipe for the party... a lemon vanilla pound cake with a lemon glaze, and it was a hit! We also made homemade vanilla ice cream and a raspberry/cranberry sauce to go with it...DIVINE! Watch for it on Party in the Pantry, but here's a little sneaky peek...
Oh, I'm sorry...did I skip right ahead to dessert and forget to mention what I made for lunch? Silly me...I apologize. I made a huge batch of chicken and noodles in my new 7 quart dutch oven that Barry got me for Christmas. Oh, and PW's creamy mashed potatoes...they are so good! A spinach salad and whole grain rolls rounded out our tasty meal. I must admit that it was all amazing! I think I'll toot my own horn...toot TOOT!! :)

On Sunday, I hosted a Pampered Chef party here at the cabin. I made even more tasty goodies... loaded baked potato chowder, another spinach salad, lemon cheesecake cheeseball, and a warm "make your own brownie" bar. Mmmmmm!! I should probably mention that the 11 ladies there drained 5 bottles of wine as well...LOL! The weather was really crappy, and I think that contributed to the large number of guests that showed up. We really had a good time, and I am so glad I did it!!! Who says these parties aren't any fun???
Kendall's actual birthday was on Thursday, and we sure had a big day planned. Kendall requested peanut butter rice krispie treats as her birthday treat for her class, and she wore her cute birthday cake hat I got for her at IKEA. After school we came home, grabbed a snack, cleaned ourselves up a bit so we could head downtown to meet Barry and Aunt Jessie for dinner at Buca di Beppo. We had a splendid time, enjoying garlic cheese bread, salad, and proscuitto stuffed chicken. Oh, and don't think we left there without dessert! They brought Kendall her very own HUGE cupcake, and the rest of us shared a big piece of chocolate cake. YUM!After we were sufficiently stuffed, we headed over to Nationwide Arena for the kids' first Bluejackets game. I LOVE hockey, but we don't go much because of our busy schedules. Barry had scored us some club seats at work, so we had a great view of the game. The Bluejackets lost to the Kings, but hey...we had a great time. The kids absolutely loved it! And just for a little more excitement, I had arranged ahead of time for "Happy Birthday Kendall" to be put on the LED banner...she thought that was totally cool! Don't have a picture of that though...I was too busy enjoying the moment. Sorry! But sometimes you've just got to put the camera down, ya know what I mean?

Check back tomorrow for the final celebration of Kendall's birthday week...her bowling party! And yes, I am about "birthdayed out"... :)

COSI...Not just another museum!!!

Well, it's Friday and somehow another week has come and gone in the blink of an eye. I swear I still don't know how that happens! I am finally settling into my new groove of being home more and not feeling that panicky feeling that I won't be able to get it all done. I've been taking time to stop and actually play with the kids, whether it be Lego Star Wars on the Wii, building elaborate Lego structures, checking out High School Musical 3 on Nintendo DS, or reading the Chronicles of Narnia. It's been hard to do in the past, knowing that I really need to get caught up with things around the house, but now having that one extra day is making it much easier and much less stressful! And you know what else? I'm having FUN!!! So yes, I am doing well with the decision to close my office...better than I expected. So all is well there!

I was finally getting around to downloading some pictures from my memory card today, and realized I had some that I hadn't shared yet. I forgot that I had so many pictures on there! These are from little trip we took to COSI, (Center of Science and Industry). If you've never experienced COSI, you definitely should...it's a fabulous place for developing little minds (and let's be honest here...refreshing our big minds too!!!). COSI has a free community day every year, and I just happened to catch wind of it this year. Kendall's friend Riley was coming for a visit, so we thought it was a perfect thing to take the kids to do in the midst of our bitter cold winter. COSI moved into a new building about 10 years ago, and I am ashamed to say that I had yet to see the new building. Kendall had been there 3 times, and Barry had gone twice. BUT THIS WAS MY TIME, I tell you!!! I was so excited!!!

The kids had a ball...there is so much to see, and so many interactive things for them to explore. We even watched the Dinosaur movie on the 7-story movie screen. It. Was. AWESOME!! We all had so much fun - it's not just for kids! Most everything is made for adults to do too. If you live in Ohio or even close, it really is worth the trip! Check out our fun day...

Noah was loving being in this roving submarine...

Kendall trying her hand at running an ice cream shop...

Noah and Daddy checking out how the rear axle gears of a car work...
Shooting water cannons was so much fun!
Noah and gears...his most favorite thing in the world...
The display on childbirth was amazing...
Everyone chips in to help turn the big gears!!
The kids learn how an engine works...
Best Friends 'til the end!!
WE LOVE COSI!!!!

Random Wednesday Thoughts

It's a beautiful Wednesday afternoon...the sun is as bright as can be, the snow is stunningly white (and melting), and I am cozy in my yoga pants. I have so many thoughts running around in my brain right now...and they are very random. Instead of driving mySELF crazy, I thought I'd take you all along for a ride so you can see what's going on inside my head. Might be fun...or might not!

Where is my freakin' lens cap? I have a bad habit of taking it off to shoot a few pictures and then forgetting to put it back on. I almost always sit it in the same place, but clearly this was not the case last time. It's like it just turned to dust! And yes, this is a distinct possibility, given the level of dust in my house right now...

I'm sending off a little care package to a friend who needs some cheering up right now, and am wanting to make sure I send a good balance of stuff. I've got two non-perishable microwavable meals (both Italian), two boxes of mac and cheese (because who doesn't like mac-n-cheese?), a pound of dry spaghetti, a can of chunky marinara for the spaghetti, a microwavable bowl of udon noodles, a bag of trail mix, and a little bit of chocolate. Sound good? I'm really hoping he enjoys the yumminess!

Why does no one tell me when we are out of chicken feed? Why do I have to find out all by myself when I randomly go out to take scraps to the chickens? HELLLLLOOOOO?!?! This in info I need, since I am the one who buys the feed! Note to self: Discuss with Ms. Kendall when she gets home from school.

I have to plan the goodies for my upcoming Pampered Chef party. I'm thinking Loaded Baked Potato Chowder, Bread Bowl Artichoke Dip, maybe a salad of some sort, and a Warm Brownie Sundae Bar...make your own!! I'm sure I'll come up with something else between now and then too...but wow, I sure hope I have a good turnout! It would be a darn shame if I had to eat all the leftovers, wouldn't it?

Two laptops are really not enough computers for a household of 5 people. I don't like to share.

I'm going away Saturday morning for a girls weekend with two good friends. We will be visiting my old stomping grounds in Toledo...I haven't been there in over 10 years! I'm sure it will be weird and the town hasn't been the same since I left...LOL!! But seriously, I'm starting to wish I had enough time while there to visit some old friends. Guess I'll have to save that for another trip!!

I'm loving my new daily "The Office" desk calendar. The quotes crack me up!! For instance this little nugget for today: "Okay, Dwight, let me explain something to you. I set the rules and you follow them blindly, ok? And if you have a problem with that, then you can talk to our complaint department. It's a trashcan." I have an unnatural obsession with this show. I have all 5 seasons on DVD and watch at least an episode a day. Yes, I have issues...but so does everyone else, and besides, mine are pretty harmless. :)

I hate to admit it, but I'm kind of enjoying going to the gym. But don't ask me to run with you. EVER. I'm not interested.

I'm going to NYC this summer/fall with my two best friends. This will be the first time for all of us...and we're VERY excited. Should I keep this sassy little short cut, or let my hair grow out again and let the natural wave flow? Decisions, decisions, decisions....

I love lasagna. Enough said.

I cannot tolerate one more person complaining about the weather. It is what it is. We live in Ohio, and it snows in the winter. Deal with it or move. Quit wasting all of your energy complaining about things you have no control over.

I'm consumed with sadness over the tragedy in Haiti. I cannot even imagine. Oh, and Pat Robertson should really keep his small-minded ideas to himself. What a numbskull. And he calls himself a Christian? Really?!?!

My dog is the best dog in the world. Really!

I'm hungry. I want some chocolate chip cookie dough. But I probably won't make any...that would make last night's torture session at the gym pointless.

Snowy Days

This week, we finally are in the throes of winter here in Ohio! I actually like winter, and it seems like I'm always in the minority. I like hunkering down for a winter storm, watching movies, and making hearty meals that we eat downstairs while watching a movie. And no, we don't do that all the time...but a good snowstorm is cause for special things! This particular winter, we've introduced the munchkins to Star Wars...and they LOVE it!! We had the original trilogy on VHS, but I found a sweet deal on Amazon for both trilogies, so I picked them up. We are having so much fun watching them as a family! I make some kind of special snack, we all get into our pj's, build a fire, and snuggle up in the basement to watch the power of The Force. Kendall is sooooo into it. It helps that she got Lego Star Wars for the Wii for Christmas, of course...but now she is obsessed with the movies and the entire storyline. I love it!

On Wednesday the kids had a 2 hour delay, yesterday they had an early dismissal due to the deteriorating road conditions, and today is a snow day. So what are they doing right now? Watching Attach of the Clones. OF course. But hey, I'm good with it. I may even go down and join them!

Yesterday after the early dismissal, they got bundled up and headed out in to the snow. They were so excited to have more than just a mere dusting of snow to play in! Out came the sleds, snow pants, and boots...and they were off! Of course, I had to take a few pictures...
It seems to be cold everywhere right now...what are you doing to try to lighten up the days of winter and make them a little more fun?

2010...A New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I just love the promise of a new year, don't you? I mean, I'm kind of weird like that anyway...I always prefer to start a new type of schedule on a Monday, usually at the first of the month, never in the middle. I'm sure this relates to something in my childhood and I need some kind of intense therapy...but hey, it works for me, so who cares? I just like things to make sense, and starting at the beginning makes sense to me, whether it be at the beginning of the day, the week, the month or the year!

For New Year's Eve, we did the same thing we've done the past 3 or 4 years...had a party here for everyone that didn't have a babysitter or didn't want to go out on the town. It's actually quite fun...everybody gets to dress comfortably (we even had a pajama party one year), and the kiddos have their own little party in the basement while we adults get to visit. We have yummy food, plenty of drinks, and excellent company. This year we even busted out the Totally 80's Trivial Pursuit. Come to think of it, I don't think we ever finished the game! We got distracted when the ball started to drop, and never picked it back up...ADD, anyone???

Anyway, as usual, we started out our new year just the way we like it...with friends. The party was small, but just as much fun...and let me just say, I don't know as much about the 80's as I expected to! Boy, did I feel like a dunce! No matter...we were all stumped quite a few times, and it was fun anyway.

So let me ask you a question...do you make a New Year's Resolution every year? I've had years where I didn't and years where I did...and I'm not really sure I'm good at sticking with them very long. But regardless, I do like reflecting on the past year and really thinking about how I can improve. Last year, I resolved to have more patience. I have lots of patience for my clients, friends, and even perfect strangers! Why is it that I have so little with my family? It boggles my mind, and I really hate it. Well guess what? I didn't do so well last year. I mean, I improved a little...I'm pretty sure of that, but not where I want to be. So guess what's at the top of the list again this year?

Yep...PATIENCE.

What else? I'd really like to get better at keeping current on my blogging. For a while there, I really lost my inspiration in the busy-ness that is my life. But I'm feeling renewed, and also feeling like I actually do have interesting things to say once again...so blogging is something I'm resolving to do better!

One more thing...LOVING and RECEIVING LOVE. I didn't grow up in a touchy-feely-huggy type of family, so sometimes it's uncomfortable for me when people I don't know well try to hug me. For the most part, it's not a problem...I've really overcome most of the uncomfortableness over the past 20 years, and now will actually grab people out of the blue and give them a big ol' squeeze. But I want to do better at letting my friends and family know that I love and appreciate them. I want to do better at receiving love too. It's hard sometimes to receive! But you know what? I LIKE to be loved...why can't I just soften up a bit and allow myself to enjoy it? I will in 2010...you betcha!!

So those are my big 3, folks. What are you looking to improve in 2010? Or do you not make a resolution? Just curious!!

The To-Do List!

This week I have a "to-do" list that's a mile long...the one pictured above is my list just for today. Don't you love that notepad...the "To Don't" list?!?! My fab friend Amy got it for me, because we are kindred spirits...you'll never see us without at least one list! It has columns for things to avoid, to sabotage, to delay, and to pawn off. I love using it!!

Anywho...I began my day with a plan. Noah was at childcare, but Kendall is on Christmas break, so I let her invite a friend over to play. I figured this would keep her occupied so that I could get some work done. And no, I don't feel guilty. I've spent PLENTY of time with her in the past week!!

Turns out that apparently I am a really fun playmate...because these girls would not leave me alone! Finally I just had to put it out there and tell them to go play because I simply HAD to get some of this stuff done! After that they were much better, and went outside to play in the snow for a bit before coming in to play the new Wii games. Or maybe they were setting a fire or cutting all the hair off the baby dolls...who knows? All I know for sure is that they left me alone long enough to accomplish almost everything on my list. And for that, I am forever grateful.

Amen.

Merry Christmas to you and yours...

Hope you all had a fun, relaxing, and very Merry Christmas and are looking forward to the promise of a new year! Santa was so good to us, and we were good to each other, so our many Christmas celebrations were absolutely fabulous and I feel renewed and refreshed! Time to get back into my purging. I can't believe how much I still have to get rid of. It's INSANE!!!! Of course, now there's even more...

Anywho...here are a few pics from Christmas. I was planning a big Christmas rundown, but I've been without internet all day until now (OMG!!!) and now I have to get cookin' some dinner and take Kendall to piano lessons. So...enjoy the photos and I'll work on getting some additional posts up this week. I'm so behind!! :)Lots of WOW faces there...isn't my family cute??? I know...I'm definitely biased!

A Visit with Santa

Kendall and I had eye doctor appointments, and since hers was in the afternoon, there was really no reason for her to go back to school. By the time I would have gotten her back and headed home, I would've had to turn right around and go pick her up...so I decided to just keep her out and we did some fun holiday errands. On our list was a couple of returns, a visit to Santa, and (if they were good), a trip to Cheryl's Cookies and Krispy Kreme (all in one day? OMG!) to get Kendall's report card rewards. At Cheryl's, the kids get a free cookie for every A, and it's the same with doughnuts at Krispy Kreme!! And the best part is that Kendall is always happy to share with the rest of us!

So we headed to the optometrist, the kids fully briefed on how to behave in order to get to do the "fun" things on our list. Noah was fully prepared, carrying his Leapster, so he wouldn't get bored and antsy during our eye appointments. He did great...and Kendall and I are both rockin' the house with 20/20 vision. WAHOOO!!

After we left the optometrist, I again briefed the munchkins on how to behave in the mall...plus, Santa was soooo close...did they want him to see them misbehaving? The returns went as smooth as silk...Noah's only slip-up was when he saw Auntie Annie's Pretzels, and couldn't pull himself away. But hey, can you blame the kid? They ARE darn good...and the smell is divine!

Once we got his attention and reminded him that we were walking down to the other end of the mall to see Santa, he was on board. I pointed out all of the spectacular decorations as the kids ooooohed and aaaaaahhed. We were holding hands and skipping through the mall, singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." I'm sure people were getting quite a kick out of that, but I didn't care. The kids were having a ball, and so was I. Let 'em laugh!! I mean, have you ever watched "ELF"? 'The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!" Take a lesson from Buddy, peeps! LOL!

Finally, Santa was in sight. Lo and behold, there was only one little girl in line...and she was kind of scared of the Big Man. Noah was in awe. It was hysterical. His eyes were as big as saucers, mouth half open, body frozen. And then, when the cute little girl in all her Christmas finery was finished, Noah's trance was broken. He went sprinting up to Santa, asking him a million questions:

"Hi Santa! I'm Noah! Where are your elves? Where are your reindeer? Has Tinker Bing-a-Ling been telling you I've been good? Have you been to my house before? Did you know we have a chimney? What kind of cookies do you like? Do you miss Buddy? Is there enough Christmas spirit this year for your sleigh to fly? What time will you come to my house? Can I touch your beard? Why were you so mean to Rudolph before the fog came?...and on and on.

Bless that Santa, for he did his best to answer each and every question. I guess he figured he had the time...no one was in line behind us! And then it was time to get down to business...

"Noah, have you been a good boy this year?"

"YES Santa, I've been really, really good!"

"Have you been nice to your sister?"

"Ummmmm....a little bit. I've picked up all my toys!"
( The boy has learned the art of distraction well.)

"Have you been good at school?"

"Yep! Except when Josh hits me. Then I get mad and use my outside voice!"

"Have you listened to your parents?"

"Ummmmmm.....ummmmmmm....I think so. A little bit. Sometimes. I've been pretty good, though, Santa."

"Well, what would you like Santa to bring you this year?"

"I really want a remote controlled WALL-E, and a combine with 2 heads, and some gears!! Do you think I've been good enough for all that? I try REALLY hard!!" (Hmmmmm.....questionable!)

"I think we can arrange that. It sounds like you've been giving your best effort this year, and I'm proud of you! Keep up the good work, Noah."

At this point, Noah's little face lit up and he got so excited, he came running toward me, totally forgetting the sucker they had for him, and the fact that he still had to have his picture taken. It was really too cute. Then it was Kendall's turn. Funny how my totally outgoing girl suddenly gets shy and backward when she's standing in front of Santa Claus himself. What was going on? She wouldn't look him in the eye, kept looking at her feet, spoke softly (softly???? I didn't even know she had a "soft" mode!), and had to be coaxed to sit on his lap. But she finally did, and explained how she's done her best all year long to do well in school and has tried(oh Lord, has she tried) to not get annoyed with Noah...

"But it's hard!!And sometimes it's best not to keep all your feelings inside you, or you just might burst!Sometimes when he's really annoying,I have to go to my room and scream and punch my pillow, 'cause I can't punch him, or I'll get in trouble...you know? I love him...he's my baby brother, but he can be SO ANNOYING SOMETIMES!!!"
(She was unloading...talking so fast that I though she might pass out! I think she was actually sweating when she was finished!)

And to this Santa replied, "Oh yes, I do know all about that. I surely do! I have 3 younger brothers and a younger sister. I know how annoying they can be. You just keep up the good work, and keep trying so hard. That's all you can do. It will get easier! Now, what is the number one thing you would like my elves to make for you?"

I could see the relief in her face. Her worst fears were laid to rest. Santa understood what she was dealing with, and there would be presents under the tree for her on Christmas morning. Apparently, she had been just a tad bit stressed out about it, but now things were all good. After the pictures were taken, we headed down to Cheryl's, where she treated Noah and I both to cookies of our choice...orange citrus for me, and lemon for him. She chose a frosted cutout cookie with red & green sprinkles for herself. We sat and ate our cookies and contemplated the things Santa had said. It was a good day...a very good day indeed!

Life

Sometimes life just has a way of getting so insanely busy that you spend all of your time planning, executing, cleaning up, and planning some more. When you add to that all of things that you do out of feeling the need to contribute, or things that you let yourself be guilted into...well, life spins out of control. You know what I mean?

Over the past 9 months or so, it seems that life around here is moving at earth-shattering speed. In addition to Kendall's school schedule and her few extra-curriculars, we have Noah's school schedule and swimming lessons...as well as my work schedule and Barry's (of course). There are volunteer days every week, along with all my other "mom" duties, such as cleaning, cooking, laundry, and just the general managing of the house and everyone's schedules. Oh yeah, and to top it all off, Barry switched jobs. Two weeks before Christmas!! I've found myself running constantly, always feeling like I'm behind the 8-ball, and never feeling like I can just sit for a minute. And in case you're wondering...YES, I know this is the life of a mother!!! But, Barry and I have decided we MUST find a way to simplify, because this is no good. So after much discussion and listing of pros and cons, we have decided that the best way to do just that is to close my office. The last day of my lease is December 31, and my last official day of work in my office is next Tuesday...EEEEK!!!

I must admit that I'm a little sad about letting my office go, but here's the dealio, peeps...I need to be home more. That's just the reality. My kids need me, my husband needs me, and Lord KNOWS my house needs me...LOL!!! With things being so slow at work, it just isn't worth it for me to keep the office open. I am planning to keep my corporate work, and only do that on Tuesdays...and we will keep Noah in childcare just that one day per week. It's good for him, and it's good for me, too. Some of my faithful clients have asked (in only a slightly panicky voice) if I will come to their houses...and the answer is yes. My schedule will just be much less flexible. But on the whole, I must say that all of my clients have been overwhelmingly supportive!!! I've been seeing some of them for 10 years, so I know this was a little of a shock. But hey, I really do have wonderful people for clients. I've known that for years!

The way we see it, this is just a break. If I decide to come back in a year or so, I can. I'm keeping my skills fresh with the corporate work and a few good clients on the side. Or, maybe I'll decide there's a new path for me...a new passion. Who knows? But for right now, it's FAMILY FIRST in 2010. That's where my focus needs to be.

As I was struggling with this decision, I called my friend Beth, who called me right out by saying..."Hey, what is the name of that blog you write again? A SIMPLER LIFE???? Get on it, girl...get back to that simpler life!!"

She couldn't have been more right. I'd lost my way for a little while, but I'm back for 2010!!!! Let's just hope I haven't forgotten how to write! :)

Bring on the New Year! I'm ready...are you?!?!

Buddy and Tinker Bing-a-ling

We have 2 elves that come to our house the weekend after Thanksgiving each year to keep an eye on the kids for Santa. Their names are Buddy and Tinker Bing-a-Ling. Buddy is Kendall's elf, and Tinker Bing-a-Ling is Noah's. Every night, the elves report the kids' behavior back to Santa Claus and then head back to our house to be mischievous and play. The kids so enjoy getting up every morning to see what their elves have been up to through the night, and they sure do watch their behavior, because nobody wants a bad report to Santa! Here are some of their recent shenanigans...
They have also been found playing in my mixer bowl, head-down in cereal boxes, hanging from light fixtures, and climbing the Christmas tree. Those silly elves! Too bad I didn't always have my camera handy! We sure will miss them when they head back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve!

Do you have elves that visit your house?

Thanksgiving Rundown

I know this post is late folks, but Blogger has not been friendly to me this week! For some unknown reason, none of my pictures would upload. Finally, it worked today...so here ya go!

So Thanksgiving is probably crazier for us than Christmas. You see, we have 3 Thanksgiving dinners in 30 hours when it comes to this food-filled holiday.

The kids and I headed out on Wednesday, late afternoon, to get to my Mom's. We got settled in, ordered a Celina Wine Store pizza (my absolute FAVE!), and my friend Shelly came over to visit. Barry and Luke were busy cutting up the deer, so they didn't come home until Thursday morning. On Thursday, we got up and ready to go and headed to my dad's for Thanksgiving "lunch" with he and Taffy. We had a wild turkey that my dad shot and cooked himself. It was very different from your average Thanksgiving turkey, as he made it in a Dutch oven with sausage, but still very yummy! I ate my fill, but was careful not to eat too much, as we had dinner with the Kucks at 5:30 that evening. My kids ate some turkey, potatoes, and veggies, but really went to town on the pie...especially since my dad loaded it up with whipped cream for them! Noah wasn't cooperating so well at first, but my dad told him that if he ate all of his turkey and veggies, he had a surprise for him. This completely intrigued my boy...so he ate every last bite. What was his surprise, you ask? Turkey feathers and the beard from that ol' Tom Turkey we had just eaten! Noah was in 7th heaven...
He kept holding the beard up to his chin, so we took a picture, and then that became a lot of fun when Jessie decided to use the beard as a moustache...

And then Noah had to make Uncle Luke have a moustache too...I think we were having too much fun with the turkey beard, don't you think??

After we sat around and visited for a while, it was time to head to have dinner with the Kucks. The kids are always so excited to see their cousins...they played hard and both fell asleep on the way back to my mom's. Sorry...no pics of that dinner. I forgot to take my camera in, and was having too much fun socializing to take pics. :)

On Friday, we had dinner with my Mom & Joe. Joe made his turkey on the grill, and it was tasty too...wow...turkey 3 times! How did we get so lucky? The food was really yummy and I stuffed myself with 2 helpings of mashed potatoes. Remind me again why I don't make those more often??? I wandered around, taking random photos...And then it was time to head back home.

It was getting late, and we wanted to be up early to go get our tree.

Neither of my kids fell asleep on the 90 minute drive home...go figure. But rest assured, we had no problem getting them to bed. They were T.I.R.E.D.! Another successful Thanksgiving, and many blessings to be thankful for. Hope yours was wonderful too!