Supermen - Caption Time!

Tonight we hosted our weekly church small group dinner. Usually we have a bigger crowd but with so many people preparing for Thanksgiving travels it was just the Mosses and Pruitts tonight. Parker and Philip bonded over superhero powers. You gotta love a four and three year old that don't play alpha male yet over who is the real superman.

HOMEWORK TIME! Give your best caption of either or both of these pictures by Monday, December 1st and Philip and Renie will choose a winner. And yes, you have to put your answer in the form of a blog comment. If you've not ever done this, now is the time to start. Simply register your email with blogger and you can post to your heart's content! After Thanksgiving Renie will be making tons of fudge for some college care packages for cousins and the winner will also snag a stash of it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May your bellies be filled with bountiful goodies and your hearts be grateful for the many blessings in life!

Thanksgiving in Mobile

We went to Mobile this past weekend to have an early Thanksgiving with Nee Nee and Poppy, as well as great grandparents to Helen and Philip, Memaw and Papa Julian, and Mama Gel and Papa Bear. During the time I was there, I realized that my earliest memories are of being Little Philip's age. I remember that we lived in their house for a short time as my parents finished graduate school at South Alabama. I had to be a little younger than Philip because Aunt Lizzy was not born yet. However old I was then, I remember Grandaddy (Papa Bear to Little Philip) being very protetive of me. He would tell me that a bear lived in their attic. The entire second floor of their house has several doors that open directly into the attic that wraps around the house. It was dangerous for a little three year old but I had caught glimpses of antique treasures in there, and a huge paper maiche elephant that sat just inside one of the doors. I just knew it was filled with toys. It was so intriguing to know what was in there! Being the disobedient child I was, I would sneak up the front stairs and try to open the door closest to the stairwell, only to hear a bellowing growl from the back kitchen stairwell that led to the same second floor. I would run terrified back down the stairs only to find Grandaddy peacefully sitting in the living room or in the kitchen reading the paper, making me think that there really must be a bear in that attic. And that is how Grandaddy's name changed to Papa Bear for my youngest cousins and now, his great grandchildren.

For our early Thanksgiving dinner in Mobile, Memaw and Papa Julian and Aunt Ruthie all came over "across the bay" from Daphne to join us. After a huge dinner made by Nee Nee of turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, asparagus, green beans, rolls, pies and more, we settled into some after dinner entertainment. There was this, the turkey gobble competition between the two great grandmothers.

Then there was the time when Little Philip helped with our thanksgiving tree. On each leaf a family member wrote something for which they were thankful. Mommy read them aloud as Little Philip placed them in the tree. Our favorite was Papa Julian, who shared that he was thankful for a full stomach.

Afterwards, everyone took a little rest and Helen enjoyed some cuddle time with her namesake, Mama Gel. We also celebrated Mommy's 29th birthday early. Yes, 28 has been a glorious year but I feel even more youthful at 29. Ah, yes, 29 glorious years. You know, at 34 years old, that really is too old to even make that joke anymore. It's not funny at all. More like, creepy. Before we left town on Sunday, Poppy, Aunt Ellen and Aunt Lizzy took Little Philip to feed the ducks at the lake. Since it has been too cold for us to feed what ducks are left in Birmingham, Little Philip thought this was quite the treat.

Now we are gearing up to head to Tennessee for Moss Thanksgiving. We're hoping for mild temperatures but know it will be another fabulous time for family memory making!

My Heart Stopped

So, I'm on the phone this morning with my friend, Mandy, walking in and out of rooms while cleaning. Helen is happily playing in her exersaucer while Little Philip finger paints on his easel next to her. I see a large brown cockroach upside down next to the exersaucer and assume it is one of Little Philip's very realistic plastic bugs so I naturally pick it up, intending to put it with the others. That sucker wriggled in my hand for about a nanosecond and then headed straight for the exersaucer. I had to do what I hate to do. I had to stomp him. Poor Helen looked up in sheer terror as I screamed and jumped around the room as if the floor was electrified. Little Philip just looked up at me and said "did that bug bite you?"

Just sharing one of those tender parenting moments on this cold rainy day. Shelia, if you read this, thanks again for the box o' bugs.

Philip's Memory Quilt

When Philip was about four months old, I started having those tender but sad moments where I had to put away sweet little outfits that no longer fit him. When the bottom drawer of his dresser became too full to add anything else, I was forced to put them all in a rubber maid tub, perhaps for another baby one day, but a few times these past three years, just to open and reminisce.

Enter Little Philip's Great Aunt Mary Helen, who offered to make a memory quilt for him. I had seen examples of these quilts before, usually made with t-shirts. It's a great idea and a loving way to preserve memories. However, nothing could have prepared me for how cute Little Philip's quilt would be, or how much he would love it too. It arrived last Friday, just as we were pulling out of the driveway for our trip to Nashville. I put it in the car and Little Philip slept on it the entire weekend. Since then, it has been a nap mat, a TV time blanket, the roof to a fort, a great hiding place, and even a tummy time quilt for Helen. For his parents, Little Philip's blanket has been a trip down memory lane.

On one square, Aunt Mary Helen included the snap bottom from a sweet little onesie, one I recall being on our baby boy around two months of age. Now, our three year old boy enjoys unsnapping and snapping with hands that are about the same size as his once teeny-weeny little bottom.

Another square is from my favorite little red sweater Philip wore at eight months old. It had a brown horse on it, something I knew would please his Daddy. After all, Big Philip's first word was "horse."

Yet another square was of a yellow shirt, appliqued with a firetruck and monogrammed with Philip's name. This shirt was very special because it is what he wore on his first day of daycare at Trinity UMC, when he was about 14 months old. I remember crying as I left him that day, Big Philip dragging me out the door as I pointed to his shirt to remind his teachers of his name. Next to this square are the back pockets of his seer sucker romper. Now he hides coins and fake bugs in them to find later.

If you haven't thought of having a memory quilt made, I strongly recommend it. All those wonderful memories of that first year of parenthood are now visibly in our home. Every square of that quilt reminds me of another tender moment and how important it is to cherish the time I have as a mama of little ones. That sweet little baby bottom that once fit into that onesie now belongs to an energetic three year old...that insisted on wearing his batman pajamas to show off his quilt.

Thank you, "Ellen Mary Ellen" for our quilt! (watch the video and it will make sense.)

Christmas Pictures

We've decided to forego sending Christmas cards this year as a financial decision but did get some portraits made of Philip and Helen for the holidays. The dress Helen is wearing is my second smocking project. As was the case with the watermelon bubble, I did not sew this dress together. I just smocked the collar and sleeves. I'm still hoping to learn how to sew a dress together but for now, I'm very happy with how my smocking skills have improved.

And, to compare Philip at 8 months to Helen at 8 months, take a look at these bottom two pictures.

Nothing Much

We've just returned from a great weekend in Nashville where we visited with Aunt Judy, Uncle Win, Cousin Annie, Aunt Maralie, Uncle Richard and an assortment of both families pets. We also visited with my Vandy college friends as we, once again, commiserated the demise of another hopeful Vanderbilt football season. Those Florida fans are brutal.

There's not much else going on around the Moss house that is noteworthy. Helen has her second ear infection in a little over a month. My guess is we are headed towards getting tubes in a few months but we'll wait and see a little bit longer. Speaking of that, Little Philip loves to say that when we tell him he has to stop doing something. "I want you to stay in bed and cuddle with me just a little bit longer." We wish he would sit on the potty just a little bit longer but describing this current battle drives me to tears so I just refuse to talk about it, OK?

I finished smocking Helen's Christmas dress and only have to hem it now. I've never hemmed anything so if I can learn to hem by Saturday's 9:50 am portrait appointment I'll be golden. Little Philip has two possible outfits. One is smocked and would match so well but Daddy is reluctant. I reminded him that he is only three and that this year, I promise, will be the last smock year for our boy. He reminded me that I said that last year. The back up is a nice holiday sweater/turtleneck/with cords outfit. It will be just what he wears for the rest of his life to every corporate Christmas party. This is why I'm voting for the smocked two piece outfit.

We are considering what to do about Christmas this year, given our new financial perspective. Hindsight is 20/20 but I'm not sure I would have resigned from work knowing that the economy would tank a few months later. Then again, I do believe God is in control and He will provide for us. And so, flipping around some catalogs that are on our coffee table just for show rather than purchases, we considered some possible Christmas gifts for our family. I found a hide and go seek monkey game for Little Philip where the monkey is hidden and you carry an electronic stick around the house that beeps and makes other noises as you get closer and closer to the monkey. Big Philip reminded me that we already have that game. It's called hide the cordless phone and hit page.

And the last big news is that Mommy is hitting Weight Watchers again. I'm tired of hearing that BEEEEEEP.....BEEEEP...BEEEEP noise when I walk backwards. This way, Philip won't have to get a forklift license to sweep me off my feet anytime in the near future. I have 19 pounds to lose to get back to the weight I was the last time I did Weight Watchers in 2003. I'm not being very strict since I am still nursing but just getting into the habit of food journaling again has been convicting. For instance, for lunch I had one hot dog with just ketchup, mustard and a wee bit of shredded cheese. Normally I would have had two dogs, with squeeze cheese, Sneaky Pete's sauce, chili, mayo, mustard, ketchup, kraut, and relish. Yep, I'm a real woman.

We'll focus on getting well this week, forcing down yet another strawberry flavored antibiotic. Many thanks to Publix for making that stuff free these days. Our next post, I hope, will be of two adoring children in Christmas frocks after a successful portrait appointment!

Let's Play a Game

The potty training war continues, with the three year old in the lead. This makes laundry a nightly requirement. Below you see two pictures of objects I found in two pairs of pants.

Can you tell whose pants belong to each picture? Boys...