Turkey Festivities

My mom, sister Katie and her husband Tim came to visit for Thanksgiving. We had a great time, the kids love, love, love having visitors! Here is a recap of Thanksgiving in pictures.

Night before making pumpkin/pecan pie

Lulu making stuffing

Break from cooking "DANCE PARTY!"

Anyone seen this move before? Yes, ladies, he still has all the moves.

Dance party turns into a jam session.

Watching the parade Thanksgiving morning, totally my fave activity

Tim hanging Christmas lights, we put our guests to work.

Maybe that is why we don't get many visitors.

Dual ladders. Funny though how Simon made Tim go on the higher ladder. Girls helping.

Gammy cooking. (yes, my cupboards have turned into an art gallery. Ruthie likes to hang all her artwork from school. I think it is important for her to hang her stuff and Lulu's too! She comes home and decides where each piece will hang.)

Katie stirring the gravy. We cooked our turkey on the grill to have more room in the oven for yummy food.

**Katie is 7 months prego.

While we were cooking Tim entertained the girls with a paper airplane throwing display.

The girls loved it!

I did cave and make Yorkshire pudding's (shown) for Simon and roast potatoes as well as mashed.

This picture was taken under the dining room table after dinner. Dogs were smart to hang out under there and then the girls decided that would be fun too!

Lulu loved Chloe as well! We are so NOT getting another dog!

After dinner tried to get some pics but "The Dude" would not get in a picture unless she had on her shades.

These are the best we could do with the pics.

Finished off the day with a family walk around the neighborhood to admire the lights!

Sled Dog Training

Ruthie's favorite movie of all time (well for the past few months anyway) is SnowBuddies. She totally loves it. When she is out with Guernsey she wants nothing more than to have him be a sled dog. So obviously she had a blast with the dogs today.

Guernsey and my sister's dog Chloe the Golden Retriever.

Trying to convince Chloe to be a sled dog.

Rigging the sled with Uncle Tim.

Getting ready to go.

Training the dogs to run.

The dogs were too fast for the camera but look at that face.

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!

Thankful

Things I am thankful for.......

1. My wonderful healthy, safe, loving family.
2. My husband, who works so hard to take such good care of all of us.
3. My bad breathed dog. Even though sometimes I am not good at showing it.
4. My Great friends, new and old, far and near. They bring joy to all my days.
5. My warm bed, the roof over my head.


Simon is thankful for........(interviewed for responses)

1. Our health
2. Our children
3. Our love for each other
4. Thankful for not having to wake up tomorrow early (Gammy is here)
5. I would be thankful if the girls could figure out that we sleep in on the weekends.
"That's it, I am pretty simple"

reading these.... all of the things are my, and all of Simon's things are "our". I am going to start working on that. It was totally "my" wedding. And, "my car" maybe I do have control issues.

We are Buckeyes!

The girls can sing the Buckeye Fight song, they have the cheerleader outfits. They know whenever or wherever someone yells O-H The appropriate response is I-O!

As a joke, my friends put a huge Michigan helmet on my car for the Friday and Saturday of the Michigan - Ohio State game. When I found it and removed it, Ruthie thought it was so cool and couldn't wait to show Simon.....

OVERHEARD:

Ruthie: Look at this helmet isn't it so cool

Daddy: No, it is not cool it is Michigan and we don't like Michigan. We're Buckeyes

Ruthie: But we live in Michigan we don't like us? (all the while her voice is shakey and almost in tears)

Daddy: well, we do live in Michigan, but we don't like anything from Michigan.

Ruthie: Why? (now the tears are practically coming)

Oh well, there will be many of these "Life Lesson's" for the girls as long as we live in Michigan.

Under The Mistletoe

This year's event was held at the Country Club again. The silent auction and drinks and passed starters (can never remember how to spell hors dehovres) were first follow by a live auction with sit down dinner. We had a waiting list this year again which was so awesome!

It was a super yummy sit down dinner of chicken and beef, squash risotto, and green beans. (I think, I can't even remember the menu. The only thing I do know is that there was no chocolate dessert like I specifically put on the menu, but no one knows that other than the committee. I had them make a special drink for the night called a "Mistletoe Martini" It was green with a cherry in it. Super cool, but oooooo so strong. maybe that is why I was in a tornado!

Honestly, I feel like the entire night I was in a tornado spinning out of control. So much going on, so much to do, and somewhat disconnected with all my friends. Literally at one point I turned to my friend at the table and asked her to cut my dinner for me as, I was trying to follow the auctioneer and get bids, and every time I sat down to grab something to eat, I would have to jump up again having only cut a small piece of food and not managed to eat anything. She was all too helpful, of course complaining that she was away from her kids and she still had to cut my dinner but it was all in good fun. I did manage to eat my dinner, cold of course but still super yummy.

We raised a ton of money. In this economy, that is a big win! And a fabulous time was had by all. I had every intention of taking tons of pictures yet, the only picture that was taken by us was this at the beginning of the night.

Seriously!

This week has been an absolute crazy one! My HUGE event that I have spent the better part of 5 months working on is tomorrow night. TOMORROW NIGHT! I can't even think about typing it yet saying it out loud. The Under the Mistletoe is an event sponsored by the Junior League and it is a silent/live auction with passed appetizers (can't even think about spelling hors de ouvres) and a sit down dinner at the Country Club. Kickoff of the holiday season if you like, tons of money raised to help sponsor events in the community, wonderful atmosphere and alot of planning. Second year running that we have sold out, have a waiting list. Items are still pouring in as well as requests to squeeze just a few more people in.

So, it would only be fitting that Lulu comes down with a 103.5 fever on Sunday/Monday. Two trips to the doctor for check ups, and then yesterday she breaks out in Foot and Mouth! Oh yeah baby, the dirty blister disease. The doctor says it is really a mild case. I would almost just think she had a cold sore and nothing was wrong if she hadn't broken out with a fever 2 days previous.

So, she is napping all is quiet I think, I can absolutely get some work done and sit down to my computer put on Ruthie's favorite movie "Snow Buddies" and try to hammer out some last minute details. With that, Ruthie has the world's biggest meltdown............

"Guernsey is not a puppy, I wan't guernsey to be a baby" She is carrying a picture of Guernsey and Simon around the house hysterical. "Guernsey isn't cute anymore" "I want him to be cute and a puppy" This carries on for 45 minutes of pure agony. I try everything and eventually just let her be. I told her that it hurts Guernsey's feelings and everything.

5 minutes later here is the scene.....

Back to being best friends. Never a dull moment.

Halloween Social

As many people know, Simon and I met at summer camp and share the same love for turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Friday night was no exception. For Bisson Family Fun Night (celebrated EVERY Friday Night - Simon's idea) this week we decided to have a Halloween Social. We. dove into our dress up clothes and decided to have a dance party, Lulu decided to be the flapper and Ruthie was WonderGirl. Simon went as the old man with the undershirt and the worn slippers and I went as a photographer.

Tons of fun was had by all!

Simon the Superdad

Last weekend I met my mom and my sister in Chicago to spend the day with my Grammy. Also to spend some time with my mom and my sister. Something that come to think of haven't ever really done. Simon stayed home with the girls.

In his words "It was the best weekend ever" They went to the library, the Y, the mall, rode the carousel, went to Red Robin, took great naps, slept great at night, the house was immaculate, and the best present was the Christmas tree.

They always like to surpise me when I am gone and make tons of adorable art projects...

They made this out of white rolled paper and then they made the ornaments out of construction paper and even made the bows on the presents with some of my ribbon.

I just wish I was half the parent Simon is.

Directions...

Look who you will find on the street in Chicago while asking for directions!

Great to see you Devon.

Blog/Camp Friends are friends for life.

*** Addition for Debi*** No, I didn't randomly run into her. I was in Chicago visiting my Grammy and I had about an hour to kill so I emailed Devon and and walked through Chicago to go meet her at her building! I couldn't be in Chicago without saying at least a hello and grabbing a starbucks with her!

Lulu and her bike.

In the excitement of Halloween, a devoted post was not made in honor of Lulu the bike riding queen. Lulu received a "big girl bike" for her 2nd birthday since last year when Ruthie was 2 she was riding a bike (with training wheels) and Lulu always wanted to try, so we figured, we would have to get her a bike for her birthday otherwise it would be a long summer. Well her Gammy got her a bike and in true Lulu fashion she would not put a foot on it all summer. Even all the excitement with Ruthie and riding without training wheels, Lulu wanted nothing to do with any attention on her and her bike.

Well, Halloween night before all the trick or treating, Simon sees her walk into the garage, get on her bike and take off. I go running outside with the camera to have Simon take some footage of Lulu and of course, she will not perform.

Hopefully while watching these you can see what we deal with. The minute the camera was on her and her huge accomplishment she would stop immediately and pull faces. Classy girl.

Way to Goo Lulu!