The Day Aliens Snatched My Boy's Bodies ...

Really ... is there any other explanation for this picture?

What Kind Of Duck Is That?

Starting off the big TURKEY day with a bit of synchronized milk drinking ... Followed by our family tradition of Einstein bagels ...
And this cute face waiting for his FIRST Thanksgiving bagel ...
YUMMY!
And watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade ...
And apparently we have a lot to teach our kiddo about what type of feathered friend we eat on this day. "Mommy! Look! What kind of walking duck is that?" Silly Joshua ... it's not a duck ... it's a TURKEY!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Life ... According to J. Howard ...

Joshua:  Where is Dada?  Is he in Florida?

Me:  No.  Dada was supposed to come home but he got stuck in Atlanta.

Joshua:  I'll get a rope and help him.

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Me:  Where does Jesus live?  In your heart?

Joshua:  He not live in my heart.  He live in a house.

Me:  That's right.  Your heart is like a house for Jesus to live in. 

Joshua:  Yeah.  Jesus get on that boat.  And He get soaking wet and I fix it with my toes. 

Um, what??

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And in other news ... Pedal Therapy appears to no longer be necessary.  He's even offering free rides on the back seat.  Just be sure to buckle up.  

I DO ...

After waking up to this view .... And walking on the beach with my favorite How ... We got dressed up and drove a few miles to this gorgeous spot ...To witness the wedding of these two ... Jennifer (Ben's sister) and Robert (now affectionately known as Uncle Bob) ... Who were married by Pastor Ron (Ben's dad) ... or shall we say .. Deputy Sheriff for the Day?
Who then said I DO and smooched ... Followed by lots of pictures and questions like ... Who has Joshua? (We were standing on the edge of a cliff ... I was surprisingly calm! I even impressed myself a bit!)The whole crew ...
The Bost Crew ...
Congratulations, Jennifer and Robert! So ... seriously ... when are the little cousins arriving!

A "Brief" California Interruption ...

I've kept telling myself that Joshua is potty-trained. Sure, he wears a pull-up but that's just because I'm lazy. We have twenty pairs of underwear ... sporting all different sorts of Thomas the Train engines. Who wouldn't want to wear those? Sometimes the pull-up is wet ... but that's rare. However, he NEVER tells me he has to go potty. I just remember for him.

So ... I figured it's time to get with the times. BUST out the real undies. All day ... all the time. All was going well until yesterday afternoon. Joshua waddles over to me and says, "I went potty." Normally ... this means he went a little and we can still make it to the bathroom before anything gets soaked. But his waddling made me look up. I glanced in the direction of the fridge ... to see a LAKE. Not a puddle ... an all out LAKE.

In my mostly calm voice, I tried to explain that he can stop the flow. (At least I'm assuming that's how the plumbing works??) WE GO POTTY ON THE TOILET. Not in our pants. Not on the floor. Okay?

He looked right back and me and said, "Mom. Stop for a minute and take a deep breath."
And in other news ... after screaming "Mommy! Rescue me. Save me!" I ran upstairs to see this. Joshua turns to me and yells, "Mom. This is not safe!" REALLY? Would it be silly for me to ask him THEN WHY ARE YOU UP THERE, ON THE CAR, ON THE TABLE? Of course it would ... because he's a boy ... and I'm slowly learning ... this is what boys do!!

What We Learned in California ...

To stay in the lines ...To slide down the stairs (both flights in less than thirty seconds!!) ...To be the official baker's taste tester ... To be patient when the official baker said you couldn't eat the Elmo cake until the party ...
To point UP ...
To drool over the wedding cake ...
To dream that this was the view you woke up to EVERY morning!!

THE BIG SURPRISE ...

I am usually great with digging up a surprise. I stumble upon some little detail and unravel the whole plan. Apparently, my detective skills were off on Sunday. They must have been busy searching for my voice because ... I didn't notice the extra place settings at the table. I didn't notice all the text messages. I didn't even pay attention to the doorbell ringing and my mother-in-law saying she wasn't expecting company ... So ... I was COMPLETELY surprised to see two of my favorite people peek their heads around the corner! Of course, I had to greet them with a big hug and SILENCE (since I was still among the non-talking) ... but I've known Emelye since I was five. She can read me like a book ... heck, we used to make up sign language dances to DC Talk songs ... she doesn't need me to talk!!
Emelye, Tim and Joshua watching a little You Tube fun ...
Does it get any better than wrestling with Tim?
Yeah ... I think we had a good time! Thanks for making the extra drive down to see us! Hopefully, the 18 hour trek back to Portland was SUPER fun!!! LOVE YOU GUYS!!