Catching up

November really is the month for being thankful, isn't it?  I guess every month should be one in which to be thankful, but November, bringing the beginning of the holiday season and Thanksgiving, is a good way to remember what is important.  So far this month has brought a good balance of social time, productivity, and relaxation.  I've been having to relearn how to prioritize my to do list and get everything done during the week (I really REALLY miss being able to run errands during the work day), and I think it has been going okay.  The house is clean (sort of), we are eating meals every night (pretty much), I am in pretty frequent contact with friends (thank god for texting), I spend a lot of time with Trey (love him), and I've been reading a lot (see below).  

Kris and John got a new puppy a few weeks ago (do you ever feel like everything happened "a few weeks ago"?) and we went by for a visit.  As much as Trey has been around dogs all of his life, puppies kind of freak him out.  This little guy is freaking adorable and we love him already.  Kris told us yesterday that he has already gained seven pounds since they got him, so we are definitely due for another visit.   Meet Cooper, the cutest puppy ever.  

I'm sure everyone loves their child as much as I love mine (but do they?  really?), but words cannot express how much I am loving on my boy right now.  He is at such a great age, and we have been having so much fun together.  His constant learning, questions, and vocabulary astound me, and there are many times when Randy and I just look at each other and either raise our eyebrows in astonishment or laugh at something silly that Trey did.  The other night we were reading a book and Trey pointed to a word on the page and said, "Zap!"  I kept reading and then paused and said, "How did you know that said zap?"  He said, "Because it says Z-A-P with a question mark.  No, a straight question mark."  What????  I'm still not sure if that was a word he memorized or something he really read, but I'm still amazed.  I've been teaching him some words as we read, and he does remember them.  I could probably bring home the materials I am using at school with some first graders and teach him to read this year, but I am trying not to be "that mom."

After 16 hours of parent-teacher conferences (an exhausting experience but one that I actually really like), we drove to Eugene for the weekend.  We hadn't been there in a while, and Trey was really excited to go.  It was great to see my dad and Sandy as well as other family, and it was also nice to have a few days away.

On Saturday we spent A LOT of time (and I mean A LOT) like this.  I got through a bunch of my novel, and Trey enjoyed A LOT of screen time.  I felt a little guilty about it, but we rarely have days like this, so I tried to enjoy it (which I did).

On the way to Erika's for a family dinner/birthday party, I pretty much threw Grandpa Gerts under the bus and took him and Trey to Target.  Grandpa said he'd buy Trey a new toy, and Trey was in heaven.  He picked out a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy (of course), and he was over the moon happy.

Last week was a crazy week.  Monday I went to happy hour with old friends from Woodburn and had a great time.  It is such a blessing that we are all still in touch with each other.  Tuesday was a holiday and I had a perfect day with my boy.  That night Adam came into town to defend his dissertation at the University of Oregon.  He stayed with us and it was so good to see him.  He left before dawn on Wednesday to drive to Eugene, and of course he rocked it at his presentation.  Wednesday night we got a sitter so we could go out and celebrate the new doctor.  Nice work, my friend!

Thursday was a day off from school because the whole region freaked out about snow and ice that never came, and I had an unexpected day home with my boy.  I also am/was fighting a cold, so it was nice to have a slow and quiet day.  It was also a day that changed the lives of some people who are very close to me and I still feel in a daze about that (more on that at a later date - this isn't the blog post for that).  Friday I was still in a daze and also feeling crappy from my cold, so I took a half day and came home sick. I actually fell asleep on my couch.  In the middle of the afternoon.  I honestly do not know the last time I took a nap during the day.

Yesterday, we spent the majority of the day running errands and getting crap done around the house.  I had some clam chowder in the slow cooker (didn't like how it turned out), and Julie and Tim and the boys came over for dinner.  Trey has been bugging me about making a birthday cake for his stuffed animals, so yesterday he said, "Can we make a cake for my boys and girls?"  I said, "Sure," and he said, "Really????"  We baked a cake (Julie asked later if it was from scratch - bwah hah ha ha ha) and Trey sat here for almost the entire time it was in the oven.

My boy gathered all of the decorations for his special cake.

I didn't take a picture of the final product, 

but the frosting was orange and he used all of these sprinkles.

It was(n't) pretty.

I've been in a bit of a book slump lately, but I think I've come out of it.  After at least five books that I put aside after starting (very unusual for me), I have finally come upon a string of great books.  I usually manage my holds at the library pretty well, but all three of these came in at once.  Do you think I can read them in three weeks?  Ummmm, probably not.

This was the last good book I read before my slump...

The library had it marked as "mystery" and when I turned it in, I actually told the librarian that they should reclassify it.  Yes, that's me.  That person.  Granted, this book is about a death, but it's not really a mystery.  It is more about a family in the mid-70's who doesn't know each other well, and the story of their daughter's death is how the family's story is unraveled.  It's a great book and so well written.  I highly recommend.

I read Goldfinch this summer and didn't love it (hell, I didn't even like it).  This book came up on a list of 30 books to read before you're 30 (I know I've missed that mark), and I thought I'd give it a shot.  Donna Tartt really is an excellent writer (I will agree that Goldfinch was well written, just a terrible story), and this novel was such a breath of fresh air after the several books I started and put aside.

This was one of the holds that came in at once, and I knew it took the longest to get, so I thought I would read it first.  It's not going to win any awards and, for me, borders on what I like to call grocery store fiction, but it read fast and was enjoyable.  In fact, on Thursday, our no-snow snow day, I read over 300 pages.  I'd recommend it because it was a good quick read, but after reading the Secret History, I almost felt a little dirty reading it.

This is what I'm reading now, and I can already tell that I'm going to like it.  Again, really well written, and a story that is different from what I'm used to.  From what I can tell (I'm only on page 30), it takes place in Nigeria, and I like stories that take me out of my norm.  I wish I had a little more background knowledge and visuals to go along with it, but maybe that's just the reading teacher in me talking.

Enough blogging for the day - I either have a book to read or laundry to put away.  A quarter to each of you who guesses correctly what I'm going to do...