Yep.

Anderson has started responding, "Yep!" when we ask him questions, which might be the cutest thing ever. We have definitely had a jam packed last few days!

Family? YEP! Friends? YEP! Fantasy of Trees? YEP! Fun? YEP! Dollywood Christmas? YEP!

In no particular order...

Please check out the construction plate & utensils! How fun are these??

Playing with Great Aunt Donna on GG's bed!

Still loving Jacob's trains! Love this turkey shirt, too.

While I do love Black Friday shopping with my family because it is just exciting, it is totally a gimmick. I enjoy shopping deals all year long & online really is the way to go. BUT, CVS is AWESOME! All of this was free after extra bucks! And, I had some coupons so I made money on some of it. Mom & I were the first people there at 6:55am on Thanksgiving morning. It was hilarious.

The fam looking at old pictures. Look for pictures to come of all of the goodies from Aunt LoLo. She found him metal, real looking bobcat. It is legit.

Anderson making cupcakes! Check out "Crayon Pirate" in the background, which is where my pirate obsession started when I was pregnant.

Dancing in the kitchen.

Playing construction puzzle with Sunny!

His favorite game consists of me dumping the clothes from the dryer on him. He LOVES it. The giddiness is contagious.

We went to "Fantasy of Trees" with GG! Sadly this is the best picture I could get of the 2 of them because it was dark in there & he is just a little active. The boy loves his GG, they are kind of grinning at each other here...I am just a really bad photographer!

Loved the penguins. Actually that night, Animal Planet was on and he was watching the penguins & was excited...until they were attacked by a crazy sea lion. He said, "Oh, no! Penguin!" And then I felt like a really awesome mom for letting him watch the slaughter of a penguin family.

He was very proud of the snowman painted on his hand. He kept looking at it & walking with his hand held out in front of him, just staring at it.

He looks so cute in his little jeans, snowman shirt and Roo shoes. I just want to snuggle him.
The boy continues to love his Bop. They rock and watch train videos, making the train sounds the entire time. Here they are saying, "Whoo, whoo!" They don't play around with the generic train sounds, only the real ones will work for them. My poor dad has watched this video hundreds of times, I think. Yet, he is always so excited for Anderson.
They really are best friends.

Christmas at Dollywood! I must admit, my adoration of Dolly seems to grow with each visit. Everything looked so festive. There were lights everywhere, elves, reindeer, Santa, rednecks.

He definitely was the most excited about the train and it's great because you can hear it everywhere in the park. We watched it for abour 30 minutes while people were loading on it. He was in awe.

He really loves the kid rides. His favorite is the bee but this is the only picture I could get on any of them.

I just love this kid. And, clearly he loves his Bobble Cole based on this video.

a few days late.

In the spirit of Amy Krouse Rosenthal (if you have never read "The Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life" then you are missing out!)

I am thankful for colored cardstock, surprise coupons at CVS, Sonic milkshakes and pants that fit without a belt or heels. I'm thankful for unconditional love. For a husband who loves me because not although, a job where I am made to laugh a lot, the colors of the American flag & leftover macaroni & cheese. I am thankful I was born a twin, that my parents gave up their entire lives to live near me and my parent-in-laws have forgotten that whole "in -law" thing. I'm thankful for childhood experiences that shaped me: my mom's ability to fix everything from a messed up school project to a divorce, wearing plaid uniforms, conspiring with friends, playing Lemonade Stand & Oregon Trail in computer class & being involved with sports. The furry girls waiting for me every day, so excited just to see me. For the beautiful creation that is dark chocolate. For no line at the post office, the arrival of the mail, cute kid hats and Dr. Seuss. I'm thankful that I get to be a Bobble and a Sissa. That when I call my sister we never say hello but launch into whatever inconsequential reason that I am calling, "Chex mix...thomas the train decals...corn from the fresh market". I'm thankful that my dad fixes stuff that is broken, the difference between a toaster oven and a microwave, epidurals, Anderson's giggle and the fact that I am going to get to see most of my family at Christmas. I'm thankful for the families of soldiers. For running out of hangers because all of the laundry is done, for the magic that is reading, texting, pick a size papertowels and creativity. For the moments when Anderson is startled and he instinctively latches on to me knowing that I will protect him. For my life.

a part of the journey.

As you know, JPa is currently kicking cancer's butt. We are all right here with him, cheering from the sidelines, offering support as we can, staying positive all the way.

If you know anything about Jack Glover then you know he isn't really a "sideline" kind of a person.

He proved this by walking the Buddy's Race 3 days after leaving the hospital following his 4th round of chemo.

Friends & family came together last week to walk in the Buddy's Race Against Cancer in honor of Jack. "Team Jack" raised almost $5000.00 and had over 100 participants.

Seeing all of the people there (and all of the people who signed up but couldn't come) was so touching. There was such an air of support, love, encouragement during the whole event.

My favorite team member!

Jessica drove from NC to be there! I did not get a pic of the Brimer family even though they make up their own "Team Jack!" Big thanks to Emily & Nicole who signed up but couldn't be there.
The Jpa, himself! Seriously, this man is awesome. There were so many "Team Jack" shirts, we wished we would've made him one that said "I am JACK!"
The Glovers. How can you not win when you have this much support?
Perhaps my favorite part was that the entire SWAT team was there to offer support.

It was pretty cool knowing that these guys were doing this for Jack.
Always.
Let's just say that "Team Jack" was the envy of everyone. We clearly were the group to be a part of that day!

Support through it all.

See you at the Finish Line!

Way to go, JPa!! We are so proud of you know and we know this is just one step toward the final finish line of victory!

My do it. Watch tractors me!

Toddlerhood is definitely happening in our house. Anderson wants to do everything himself. We have to let him climb in his booster seat at the table (I can't even hold the chair to keep it stable), get in the tub himself, climb in the car and into his seat AND let him buckle the straps, put his pants on, etc., etc. He says, "My do it!", "Aesson do it!" or "You do it!" This last phrase is because I ask him, "Do you want to do it or do you want Bobble to?" Ha. Lately he has started putting his patch on himself. He has to pick out his own color & then he runs & hides somewhere while he puts it on. This sounds sweet and helpful. Sometimes (see above) he does a pretty good job, but the times he doesn't can be a bit rough because he refuses to let me help. Love his little heart. And, no matter who puts it on, it lasts about a minute. You know, give or take 60 seconds.

Riding his bike with Dad. There's that moon again! Obsessed.

In an effort to calm the Grumpiness last week when he was sick, we went to McDonald's for ice cream where he had to eat the cone himself. He doesn't really "eat" so he mostly just played with it.Check out the personalized train shirt from GG! He is really, really into trains lately. Anything in the transportation realm, really.

The toddler bed. Once we could no longer ignore the fact that he can climb out, we switched it. He was hilarious & so confused. He kept looking through the slats for the other side. He was very excited and kept saying, "big boy bed!"

*pillowcase was free from inkgarden.com! use code forfree. (I think it works through December) I did pay for shipping, but how cute is it??

He did really well the first night & went to bed after just a few times of us putting him back in bed. Then, in the middle of the night, I hear, "Watch tractors me!" Um, no. It is not even 3am. He looked so cute just standing in the hallway. But, he wasn't so cute when we were still awake 3 hours later. I bought a doorknob cover that day. So far, so good (knock on wood...) with the bed. He does wake up earlier (5:30), and is very loud at the door! He has woken up once or twice each night & is really confused, yelling for me & then just looking kind of lost when I check on him.

Playdate with Jack! I love going to Clare's because Jack has all of these great toys so the boys play & we actually get to talk! Contrary to popular belief, we never actually see each other at work-teaching does not involve a lot of down time-so it's nice to catch up. How stinkin cute is Jack's hair?

I left the water running when I was about to shower and as I got a towel this happened. Diaper, glasses, patch, dump truck....

I love this kid.

And, here is yet another high quality, focused video that does not have my voice really loud in the background.

bye bye crib

I read somewhere that you should take pictures of your kid to capture random milestones in addition to the holidays, birthdays, events. One of the suggestions was their last night in the crib. I snuck in Anderson's room one night a few weeks ago & took this. Precious bug angel. Just asleep.

Those little red lips that stick out just like they did in his ultrasounds.

That perfect right eyelid that I rarely get to see. That perfect-in-its-own-way left eye that I see so much of all of the time.

The chew marks on the crib from where he started standing up and teething on his crib.

Scout that doesn't play music or talk anymore and doesn't completely close in the back. He has been loved quite a bit, that Scout.

Truman monkey. Kind of tossed aside.

The tractor blanket that I almost didn't buy, but now I am so glad because he loves it! It's technically construction, but we just call it the tractor blanket.

The Gymboree socks that Nicole got for him & I am so appreciative because I love Gymboree socks. They are just so durable and cute and useful with the skid proof things.

The train pajamas, also from a consignment sale. He loves them. I think of his little voice saying, choo choo!

That big boy. Just asleep on a pillow with a blanket. Like a grown up.

A little glow from the pumpkin night light that he just loves & has to kiss before he can go to bed.

Those crib walls that are kind of keeping him in, right where I left him. The security and containment that gives me peace of mind, but also a little extra sleep because we don't get him until at least 6am, no matter what time he wakes up.

That perfect little face.

the snotty season.

Anderson has some kind of virus/fever/snotty situation, which made him a teeny bit pitiful over the weekend. I took him to the doctor & was trying to distract him in the room with this ear model (shout out to Jack Brimer who was getting tubes that same day!) He started driving it around the table like a car, complete with sound effects. I love imagination.
It's rough being sick around here. It really is pretty pitiful because he wants to play, but just gets frustrated because he can't breathe. And, as always, the patch makes an appearance. His eyes are watery and tear up when he sneezes which makes the patches wet so he notices the more. The first time he gets sick after the patch is behind us will seem so much easier in comparison. I stayed home with him today & he is Grumpy. He does let me rock him a lot more, which I am enjoying.
Sometimes your dreams do come true.
Errand assistant. Petco has the shopping carts for little kids & he takes it very seriously. Until he sees the birds or fish, in which case he will abandon it without a second thought.
O.C.D. He is always lining up his trucks & then naming them as he points down the line.

New set of construction equipment. He knows there are 5 of them & insists on having the whole set at all times. He can actually count to 5...almost. He says, "one, two, thee, fi!"
Had to go in the tub, too. Construction sites are pretty dirty.
Speaking of the bath, I have started making him keep the patch on in the tub when we have a really bad day with it. It gives us some extra time. As you know, YOU CAN'T OVERPATCH!

He was very concerned the other day that I had glasses on and no eyepatch, and he kept insisting that I put one on. I kept trying to distract him to forget about it, but he took my hand, brought me to the bathroom where we keep the patches & made me get a red one, "Red for Bobble. Red for Aessson."
Because I love nothing more than causing a scene, the cheerleaders participated in their annual Thanksgiving Basket relay at Kroger last week. We do 2 baskets & I make them get the stuff in relay form so they are literally sprinting through Kroger. I wouldn't let them wear Farragut stuff this year because they have a tendency to draw attention. I feel that this serves multiple purposes: it's a workout, it's fun & it's for a good cause. I was very tempted to sneak some of my own grocery needs on that list just so I didn't have to shop for myself.