"Happy Thank You Day"

Last week was Thanksgiving, or according to Aaron, "Happy Thank You Day."  Thanks to an episode of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (for all those without kids under the age of 5, think animated version of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood), Aaron was so excited about this holiday.  While Thanksgiving is arguably one of my favorite holidays (big family gathering, no presents/candy/etc. to get in the way), it is often seen as the holiday sandwiched between Halloween (aka dress-up sugar fest) and Christmas (presents galore with a healthy dose of candy and other tasty treats) by the kids.  This year, however, Aaron was very much looking forward to a nice meal and "saying thank you to everyone we love."  When he told me that is was so cute and sweet I melted on the spot!

The actual day was pretty uneventful.  We drove to CT to spend the day with family, and the boys were really on their best behavior all day.  There were lots of grown-ups there who were happy to hold Tommy, leaving me with 2 hands free to hold a glass of wine...just 1 glass for my 2 hands, though it may have been filled up several times!  It was nice to have a cousin to spend the holiday with this year (yay Hazel!), and due to (Great-)Grammy's 80th birthday party later in the weekend, there was lots of extra family to visit with.

Last week was also our first parent-teacher conference for Mudgie.  I get some feedback (so kind, polite, and nice to be around) from his after school counselors when I go to pick him up, but this was really our first chance to hear how he's doing with his real stuff.  Mrs. Haight, who Mudgie has on a 10ft. pedestal, had so many nice things to say about him.  It was very reassuring to hear that he is holding his own in a class where he is one of the youngest kids.  It was also a healthy dose of reality, letting us know where we could be doing more as parents to reinforce what he's learning at school.

And on that note, since my camera was put away all weekend, I'll leave you with a few pictures from Mudgie's first day of school.  He was so excited he was outside, waiting for the bus almost 30 minutes early!