Have tools, will travel

Aaron is amazing. He can look at a tired, broken down old bathroom and see something completely shiny and new. I don't understand how his mind works, but it is fascinating to watch him in action. We recently spent most of Thanksgiving week working on my mom's bathroom. The old plaster ceiling had fallen down, and instead of simply repairing it, Aaron thought it would be a good time to remodel. So we attacked the walls, chipping away at tiles and ancient plaster. For days, all Riley wanted to do was "work," also known as methodically chipping away at the remaining plaster with a hammer, until all that was left was the lathe underneath. It was really fun to watch him, so focused on making a humongous mess!
When we weren't racing against the clock to get the bathroom finished (which, guess what, is not QUITE done) we were staying at my dad's. We had fun over there, the boys especially, who liked to check out all the extremely breakable stuff like Chinese vases and glass chess sets. To their credit though, nothing got destroyed. Whenever they got a little crazy, we found we could pacify them with this amazing invention called On Demand Cable. With a push of a button, they could watch as many episodes of Little Bear and Bob the Builder and Blues Clues as they wanted. Amazing stuff. Too bad we don't have that fancy cable stuff at our house!
All in all, the trip was hectic, but fun. It was good to get to spend that much time with my parents. Since we now live about 6 hours away, visits are usually limited to a weekend, and the boys don't get as much grandma and grandpa time as they should.
Everybody always makes a list of things they are thankful for over the holidays. Of course I am thankful that I have a wonderful loving family that still gets along despite a divorce and remarriage. I am thankful that my brother made the drive up from Memphis in the middle of the night so he and his friend could eat turkey with us. I am thankful for my amazing husband who spent so much time last week doing something nice for his mother-in-law. I am thankful for the boys, who bring such joy to everyone around them. I am thankful that despite the busyness of our lives there is a lot of fun to be had.
So in addition to my list full of of sappy gratitude, here are a few things we learned over Thanksgiving:
















1. It's okay to eat French toast for dinner.
2. When you brag to friends about how well-behaved your kids are, they will melt down in public and you will have to drag them screaming to the car.
3. Playing with Daddy's tools never gets old.
4. Whether you are 3 or 30, see-saws are fun.
5. When the kids get into a fistfight over a puzzle, it is time for bed.
6. When you are still updating your blog at 11 p.m., it is time for bed.

Goodnight!