How to Cook a Turkey and Other Important Thanksgiving Stuff

One of the highlights of having preschoolers is seeing preschool performances. These programs offer a great mix of heart-warming and proud moments along with large doses of pure comedy.

Calahan's Thanksgiving Celebration at HUGS was just that:

Heartwarming -- several great musical performances of turkey and pilgrim songs...and

...seeing Calahan with his inseparable playmate, Ella. These two are always together!

Proud -- seeing our little guy treat mom and dad like royalty as he so nicely served us delicious homemade food and drink.

 

Comedy -- Prior to the big "celebration day," Ms. Kristin asked each of the kids to tell her how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey. Here is Cal's response:

Go to a toy store. Look for a blue turkey, no maybe a brown turkey. Walk it home. Get something and cook it on a kitchen tool with fire in it. Use a timer. Put it at zero. It is done at 1:30. Eat it!

Try that next time you want to make a turkey!

Crewe's Thanksgiving Feast made for some tears and an early departure (darn that milk allergy). But he recovered quickly after going out to lunch with Mom and Dad. To make up for leaving early, our little pilgrim left his hat on for most of the day.

A Three Star Halloween

Given Cal and Crewes' fascination with playing Angry Birds, it was only natural they would want the WHOLE family to be Angry Birds for Halloween.

Each of us selected our own characters. Somehow, they are pretty reflective of our individual personalities:

• Crewe: yellow bird, the fun bird that breaks through obstacles easily and is Crewe's favorite color
• Cal: black bomber, the bird that can make any place look like a bomb has gone off in a blink of an eye and also Cal's favorite color
• Chris: red bird, the bird that is so dependable and is the perfect match with Chris' glasses
• Camille: queen pig, because the birds are always trying to score points with me!

My mom was such a trooper and helped to make our costumes (and costumes for two of my brothers and SIL). I have this thing for homemade costumes. They are so endearing and I love the memories that are created during the "construction period."

And it was quite a construction period. Cal was Grammy's assistant and had strict quality control requirements. We can thank Cal for the black feather on Crewe's costume. When given the choice of spending the afternoon at the train park (just his favorite place on earth) or staying home to work on costumes, he didn't hesitate even a moment and said "Angry Birds!"

The boys loved wearing their costumes and their respective preschool events:

They were also a hit at our local Church's "Trunk-or-Treat" event where we were honored with the the Most Creative award.

Trick-or-treating Halloween night with the Smiths was a blast. Who wouldn't love being taxied around in hay-bail lined trailer decked out in Halloween gear and pulled by a rhino? And, to think we use to just walk from house to house!

A three-star Halloween, indeed.

Crewe's First Day of School

It's true, our baby Crewe is an official preschooler. Sniff, sniff.

Chris and I were hesitant about sending our littlest guy to school for the first time, but to Crewe there was no hesitation. I mean none. Crewe was so excited about his first day that he woke up at 5:30 this morning. When we walked to the end of the drive to wait for the bus, he watched like a hawk for the beloved yellow limousine that he no doubtly dreamed about for the past week.

The moment he caught a glimpse of the wheels on the bus, he yelled "there it is!" and made a mad dash toward it. When the doors opened, he stepped up without taking a single look back. Chopped liver, that's what we are when the bus is around.

"there it is!"

Like every mom who can't believe her baby is going to school, I naturally jumped in the car and followed the bus to school. At school, I found the principal and preschool teachers excitedly greeting the kiddos in the 95 degree weather (it was only 9 am). Crewe took a spot in the shade next to the school nurse while waiting for his classmates to arrive -- classmates like cute Mathew. Even though Crewe and Mathew had never met before, Mathew gave Crewe a big hug immediately upon seeing him and then grabbed his hand. And there it happened, Crewe made his first school friend. Mathew and Crewe were still holding hands when I walked away from the school entrance!
The preschool staff have been so impressive. They really put me at ease when the entire group, including the bus driver and bus aide, showed up this past Friday for my training session on how to care for Crewe's trach and handle his allergic reactions. Hopefully, they will never have to use that EPI pen or do an emergency trach change, but if a situation arises, they know what to do.

I'm going to miss my little guy during the 2 1/2 hours he's gone Monday - Thursday. With five classmates, one teacher and two aides, I have a feeling he'll not even know I'm gone. Crewe, I can't wait to see the fun creations you will bring home in your first backpack!