Happy Thanksgiving!

Wordless Wednesday: Fairies

Ten on Tuesday: So Thankful

1. I love Christmas- always have, always will. In the past few years, though, I have found that I almost enjoy Thanksgiving more than Christmas. I love its simplicity, how it is about family and friends (and food!). I love that I don't have to worry about packing the gifts or making sure I have bought for everyone on my list. I'm thankful for Thanksgiving.

2. I'm trying to bring in more of our faith on a day-to-day basis with the girls. Today Grace was playing with a special figurine that my Grandma Mick had given to me long ago. She asked who Grandma Mick was, and I said she was my grandma in heaven. We talked about heaven and what a fun place it is and how Grandma Mick and Grandpa Young are looking down on us. I'm thankful for my faith.

3. I've been asking a lot of Keith lately. Last Monday the girls were a handful and I asked if I could run out for an hour after dinner to clear my head. He let me with no problem. I've asked to have a fun girls' night soon and again, he was supportive. We've learned to take the little time we have together to reconnect, and we make it work. I'm thankful for my husband.

4. Grace had a bad day at school today. She was hysterical when I dropped her off, and apparently had fits of sobbing throughout the day. She even ended up in the preschool director's office, laying on her beanbag chair trying to calm down. I talked to Miss Valerie, the director, and she said that Grace was coming up with all sorts of excuses as to why she was crying: she fell off her bike, her arm hurt, etc. When I picked her up she said that she just missed me and was afraid I was going to forget her. I told her I'd never, ever forget her. I'm thankful for my (dramatic) oldest daughter.

5. Clare makes me laugh out loud every single day. Today we shared "wench fries" for lunch; she asked me to play a song that was on the radio again, and when I asked which one, she said "k-wub", my new favorite radio station; and she gave me the best hug today, which I call "smooshface": she grabbed my face and smooshed it up to hers as hard as she could, then said, "I wub you, Mommy!" I'm thankful for my (funny) youngest daughter.

6. I have a great family and awesome friends. My parents have supported me through thick and thin and helped so much with my girls when I had back problems. I married into a fantastic family, and I have a terrific extended family. I have great "new" friends like Emily who teaches me how to make at-home Frappuccinos, and awesome "old" friends like Heather who I've known since I was a freshman at IU 15 (!) years ago. I'm thankful for my family and friends.

7. I have been praying hard for my college roommate's son Spencer who is undergoing treatment for another brain tumor. His Aunt Amee also happens to be another good friend of mine who I met my freshman year at IU. Through a blog I read I recently heard about Anissa, a mother of three who had a massive stroke last week. I'm praying hard for both of them. Although I have had my own problems over the past year, I'm so much better than I was. It's hard to believe it has almost been a year since my back surgery. I'm thankful for my health.

8. Our neighbor has been away from home since July, training to go to Afghanistan in 2011. Our friend Travis just got home from a 3-month submarine tour, and will go out again in three months, just as Keith used to do when he was on active duty. Our friends Nick and Theresa have four children, and Nick is still in the Navy Reserves. He drills one weekend a month and two weeks a year. The sacrifices these men and women make are amazing. I'm thankful for our military.

9. I've seen bumper stickers ranging from Obama to Oh Bummer. We have the freedom to go to school, to speak our minds, to question the government. I'm thankful for our country.

10. Tomorrow I will wake up in my bed, have breakfast, take the girls to dance, then drive to my grandma's for Thanksgiving. I'm so thankful for all I've been blessed with, from my family to my house to the ability to buy the food we need. I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Forty

Last night we went to Harry & Izzy's to celebrate my in-law's fortieth wedding anniversary. Their actual anniversary is November 26th which happens to be Thanksgiving this year. Unfortunately my sister-in-law Dawn and her family can't make it for Thanksgiving, so we celebrated their anniversary early.

Bob and Mary Lou Weseli

The Weseli Clan

Melissa and Dean Weseli

Our fam

Karl, Maggie, and Dawn Hopkins

Dawn called ahead of time and reserved a nice little room so that we could enjoy dinner without worrying about the kids being too rowdy. It was the perfect size for our crew. The food was excellent and we had a wonderful time. The only downside was when I got there I was holding a very grumpy Grace, and as I tried to sit down in my chair I knocked it over and fell flat on my...well, you know. Everyone was concerned that I had hurt my back but I was okay. Bob even called today to check on me (and to call me Kelly Wesselli. Sometimes we pretend we're Italian so that my last name rhymes with my first. By the way, it doesn't. It's pronounced "Wesley." I think Bob knows that, though). :)

Here are some more pictures from the night:

Clare and her Grandpa Bob

Clare and her godmother, Aunt Dawn

Daddy and his tired girls

Grandpa Bob, Grandma Lou, and....Clare. She was quite the camera hog last night!

Grace and Uncle Karl

Mommy and Clare-

She was mad because she wanted her picture taken with me right! now! She actually is saying "cheese" in this picture. :)

We had a wonderful evening! Happy Fortieth Anniversary, Bob and Mary Lou! We love you both very much!

At the Museums with Miss Maggie

This past weekend we were lucky enough to have our niece Maggie come and spend the weekend with us. To say the girls were excited would be an understatement. They LOVE their cousins! We wanted to make sure Maggie had a blast so that she would want to come back, so we took her to the Children's Museum. Who doesn't love the CM?

Saturday night we ordered pizza and watched a princess movie. The girls then passed out from pure exhaustion! Maggie wins the sleep prize, though, for sleeping from 8 PM-8 AM. We tried to trade her for one of our less-than-stellar sleepers, but it didn't work. :)

Sunday we went to church and then out to Steak and Shake for lunch. We went home to change and then headed to Conner Prairie. Even though the outdoor areas are closed for the season, the indoor play area was open. There were only two other families there when we arrived, and after awhile we were the only ones there. The girls had a blast!

(I apologize for the small pictures!)

Soon after we got home it was time for Maggie to leave. Her parents had gone to Columbus, OH for a little getaway and they stopped to pick her up on the way back to South Bend. We had so much fun with Maggie and hope we get to do it again soon!! Love you, Miss Maggie!

Ten on Tuesday

1. It's been awhile since I've done a Ten on Tuesday post, and I have missed it! Luckily for me the past two days have given me lots to work with, so here we go! Oh, and if you don't read any of this at least scroll down to #10. It's good.

2. Yesterday I woke up thinking (knowing?) it was going to be a very long Monday. I have never liked Mondays, and Mondays with kids usually means more whining and more grumpiness as a result of busy weekends. I decided yesterday on a whim to have a theme for the day. Now I'm no Katherine Marie, nor will I ever be, but this just might be my saving grace for the winter months ahead. We got out the tent and declared it Camp Day. We had lunch in the tent, read books in the tent, even hauled it in front of the TV for a show. I think once a week I'll have a theme day. On my list: Beach Day, Boat Day, Fashion Show Day....hmmm...need to keep thinking of more themes!

3. Grace has been really into helping me cook dinner. So far I've let her stir a few things on the stove with my supervision and throw ingredients into the crockpot. I am not very comfortable with this, however, and usually tend to shoo her away while I am cooking. Last night I was cooking and she came into the kitchen. I was about to get on her case for pulling out forks and spoons when all of a sudden she walked over and put them on the table. I asked her if she needed plates, and got those down for her. She ended up setting the table all by herself! I was so proud! After telling my mom this story today, my mom shared that she had the girls set the table at her house last week. Now this is Grace's new "job" at dinner. Score!

I wanted to get a picture, but at least I got a set table!

4. Grace has been able to buckle her carseat for a few months now. I always check it to make sure it is buckled and place properly, but it is a HUGE help that she can do this on her own since that means I only have to buckle in one kid (who is usually kicking and screaming to do it on her own). I haven't really tried to teach her to unbuckle it, knowing that I might not like the consequences of that. However, today she fell asleep in the car on the way home. Despite my efforts to hear her wake up by leaving the car door and house door open AND checking on her every 5 or so minutes, she woke up without me knowing. By the time I heard her she was hysterically sobbing that I had forgotten her. :( Once I assured her that I knew she was out there, I discovered that she had unbuckled the bottom buckle on her own! I ended up teaching her to do the top, and she was able to do them both when we went to dinner tonight. I'm hoping this won't come back to haunt me, but it does make things even easier when we have to go somewhere!

5. I was going through pictures on the computer and ran across this picture from just over 2 years ago. Just a little flashback...

6. I also ran across this one that we had taken when Grace was 23 months. I never posted it, but it really does remind me of Shirley Temple!

7. After debating whether we should do it or not, we finally booked the Cinderella's Royal Table breakfast for our trip to Disney. I think the girls might be excited. It is going to be part of their Christmas present from their grandparents! I love it that it will be something that they will hopefully remember, at least for a while, AND we won't have to find a place to store it in our house. :) Keith is already saying our kids don't need anymore toys. I just think we need a basement

8. This is completely off the subject, but have any of you tried the Minute Clinic at CVS? Let me tell you, if you ever need to take your kids in for ear infections it is really great! Two weeks ago Grace was complaining about her ears. Unfortunately it was 4:45 on a Monday and her doctor's office was closed. Since I know her history of ear infections I decided to take her to CVS. We waited maybe 10 minutes tops and were in and out in less than 30 minutes (with the wait time AND medicine!). The nurse practitioner even said she would look at her ears and if she didn't see anything she wouldn't charge me! Unfortunately she did, so we finished the insurance paperwork and headed to the pharmacy to get the prescription. I went back last Tuesday because my ears were hurting so bad I could hardly swallow. I was in and out in 17 minutes, which was key since the girls were with me. I had otitis externa, an outer ear infection, in both ears. I used to get them all the time when I was on the swim team in high school but haven't had one in a long time! Anyway, I highly recommend the Minute Clinic for minor illnesses!

9. We got Clare's school picture a few weeks ago, and you can see in the picture that she is just NOT a happy camper. This was the day I got a phone call that she was a mess, and I ended up picking her up early. Poor baby! Her teachers are absolutely fabulous and I couldn't have asked for better teachers for her. I often ask her who is her best friend at school, and she will say "Wenner", for Mrs. Wenger (on the right). When I ask who takes good care of her she'll say "Keedy", for Mrs. McCready, who is holding her in the picture. This school has been a Godsend and I'm happy to report that Clare is doing very well now!

10. And now...here's a story that will hopefully make you smile. I still smile when I think about it. This afternoon I got a phone call, and when I answered I heard Reese on the other line. This was our conversation:

Reese: Aunt Kelly? I am going to quit school (kindergarten) and come live with you.

Me: Why, Reese?

Reese: Because it's not fair.

Me: What's not fair, honey?

Reese: Ryan got to go to McDonald's today and get french fries. It's not fair.

Me: Well, hon, I'm the oldest and sometimes things just don't seem fair when you're the oldest. However, you just got to go and paint pottery with your Mommy and Ryan didn't!

Reese: Well, it's still not fair. I want to come and live with you.

Me: Reese, I think your Mommy would miss you SO much if you came to live with me.

Reese (I love this part. She has definitely thought about this a lot): I know. I will move back when I'm in third grade.

Me: Reese, would it make you feel better if you did something fun with Aunt Kelly all by yourself?

Reese: Yeah.

Me: What would you like to do?

Reese: Go to Monkey Joe's with Clare and help her down the slide.

Me: Okay, Reese, maybe one day we can do that. I love you sweetie.

(Ryan asks for the phone)

Ryan: Aunt Kellay? Can I go to Monkey Joe's too?

(Reese begins screaming in the background)

(Kristy gets on the phone)

Me: Did she want to call me and tell me that?

Kristy: Yep, and I said I'd dial the number!

Oh, you Worthingtons. You seriously made my day! Thanks for the laughs. I love you all. Oh, and Reese? As your fairy godmother you are welcome at our house anytime. Just please don't quit school before you are 6....or 16, for that matter! Love you sweetie!

A Night in Las Vegas

Thursday night Keith finished with his conference around 5 PM. We headed out to find dinner and explore the Strip a little more. I suggested going up in the Eiffel Tower, so we did that. It was really neat to see Vegas from up above!

When we were coming down on the elevator, the attendant suggested a few restaurants, so we decided to try La Provencal inside of Paris. I had a flatbread and it was delicious, and our waiter even sang during dinner. It was a very cute, quaint place.

After dinner we did some shopping (and I found two cute necklaces!), then we headed down to New York, New York. We walked around there for a bit but we were getting tired so we headed back toward Caesars. On the way we went through Bellagio. They have a room that they decorate for the seasons throughout the year- it was beautiful! We also watched the fountain show there-very cool!

I flew back Friday morning and got home in the afternoon, while Keith took the Red Eye and got home at 5 AM Saturday morning. We had a nice time together and are so thankful for the opportunity to have a fun getaway, even if Keith DID have to work. :) Thank you SO much to Grandma Linda and Grandpa Stan who got to enjoy the pleasure of our girls' company for three days. Aren't they lucky?? I think the girls kept them hopping! We appreciate your help in taking good care of them and running them around to school and dance. Love you both!!