Quotable and Thanksgiving

Jim noticed Jack standing in the kitchen with some unidentified (and very unusual) drooly substance dripping over his bottom lip onto his chin.

Jim: Jack, what is that coming out of your mouth?

Jack: Germs



Now if you aren't laughing after that quote, you soon will be...

Thanksgiving Highlights.

We joined the Morningstar family in our 2nd year (that makes it a tradition) at their house for Thanksgiving. Last year Sam created fantastic pilgrim hats for all of us to wear. This year he passed the hat creation duties onto his younger brother Ben, who came up with these fantastic creations.

Here is Ben sporting his.



In case it doesnt' just come to you, its a headband with a giant turkey leg over each ear. We loved them. We all wore them. We cannot wait until next year.


The other highlight was rockband, Lego rockband. Which has Jack's favorite song, "Shrek" aka Accidentally in Love on it. Joy. Just wish Jim and Steve could get a little more into the whole rockband experience.




Last year Sasha and Thomas were still in utero (literal and adoptive). So fun to be thankful that they were both added to our respective families this year!


Here's Thomas "I cannot believe you are taking my picture again" Powell.


Jim made four (4), yes 4, pies. And there were 6 adults present at our celebration. You do the math. Its a good ratio.

... and that is why I brush my teeth with OxyClean.

Its mainly because blackberries were on sale at Sunflower Market on Wednesday. But also because we had leftovers for dinner and also because Thomas has a sinus infection and is on antibiotics. So Thomas ate lasagna, shells and cheese, and blackberries with his hands. We did not put a bib on him. You can imagine the mess. We opted to transport him directly from the high chair to the tub, but our water starts off freezing cold, so he managed to smear the black and white shower curtain with blackberry hands while waiting for the tub to fill. Thus the oxyclean. Blackberries being what they are, I decided the spot needed a little extra scrubbing so I grabbed one of the toothbrushes from the laundry room reserved for such things.

Now really, no Mother of children under three forgets to put away dangerous chemicals after using them, right? Except that while working on the shower curtain I glanced over at Thomas and noticed that the anti-biotics had once again worked their magic on his poor digestive system. This called for a prompt tub closure due to contamination (alarmingly vast quantities of contamination). And, (have I mentioned our tub is slow to drain?) poor Thomas was not a very patient baby suspended in midair, still coated in tomato sauce, blackberry juice, and this latest addition, waiting for the tub to drain, so we could clean the tub and then try again at cleaning the baby. Jim has been lending a hand and Jack is trying his best to participate, mostly by trying to jump on my back or shoulders apparently to get a better view. This has made Jim late for his meeting and he takes off quickly.

Fast forward thru bedtime routines and some (rare) leisure time on the couch, and Jim and I are talking in the bathroom and brushing our teeth. I've picked up my green toothbrush so handily left lying on the edge of the sink and happily brush away listening to Jim's commentary on his evening. Until I realize that MY green toothbrush is standing up in its holder, and my toothpaste is tasting a little more active than normal.

So far no ill effects and I do think my teeth look a little whiter than usual. You'll have to let me know.

This was the first time Jack saw himself in his costume complete with hat. His reaction...not quite what we expected.


Perhaps even better than free candy, the chance to play ROCK BAND with Mr. Steve. Jack is of course, on drums, and please note Sasha on vocals, and yes, that is an Ewok next to her.


Pony To Go

Halloween 2009

Cowboy Jack inspired by Woody, sporting authentic Texas boots, and joined by his ever-ready sidekick Thomas a.k.a. the Pony.



More to come

JHP: Man of Vision

So, Jack looks out the kitchen window and says:
"Mom, there's a computer in our tree."

It took me a minute, but I found it. How about you?



Here's a closer view:


Did you find it? Here's a hint, this is a snapshot of the top of our laptop:



Aaaaah, now its perfectly clear.

Here's $10 off at Shoebuy.com

Okay, In case you also are ready to pick up some shoes for the Winter, here's my latest greatest deal. On Shoebuy.com today (Friday Oct 9th) there is a coupon for $20 off any purchase over $80 use code KICKOFF. If you register with the site (do this while you check out) they give you another percentage off, mine came out to another $6 off. PLUS, yes, there's more, start shopping at the ebates site and you'll get 10% cashback from ebates. I just saved $26 plus getting 10% back from ebates, that's a pretty good deal. So, then they ask if I want to share a $10 off coupon with my friends, and I think..yes (plus, if 5 of you use it, I get a giftcard. Perfect). So, click on the coupon below, see if you can layer it with the other discounts already mentioned above and happy shopping!"
Save on shoes, accessories, handbags and apparel at Shoebuy.com. We've got something for everyone and for a limited time, you can save $10 on that special something. Valid on purchase of $50 or more.

"FABULOUS SHOE DEAL:

Okay, In case you also are ready to pick up some shoes for the Winter, here's my latest greatest deal. On Shoebuy.com today (Friday Oct 9th) there is a coupon for $20 off any purchase over $80 use code KICKOFF. If you register with the site (do this while you check out) they give you another percentage off, mine came out to another $6 off. PLUS, yes, there's more, start shopping at the ebates site and you'll get 10% cashback from ebates. I just saved $26 plus getting 10% back from ebates, that's a pretty good deal. So, then they ask if I want to share a $10 off coupon with my friends, and I think..yes (plus, if 5 of you use it, I get a giftcard. Perfect). So, click on the coupon below, see if you can layer it with the other discounts already mentioned above and happy shopping!"

Save on shoes, accessories, handbags and apparel at Shoebuy.com. We've got something for everyone and for a limited time, you can save $10 on that special something. Valid on purchase of $50 or more.

View >>

Jack's Bible Verses

So, we think this sort of makes up for the fact that when Jack was recently at Jim's office, he got on the computer and when Jim asked him what he was doing he replied, "I'm looking for something inappropriate."

Walking Update

Here he is, 9 months and 11 days old, with 13 days of walking experience.

WALKING!

So, this post is a little late, but Thomas took his first steps on Sept 14th, 2 days before he turned 9 months old.

Brothers in the Box

Owls Game

Not his first baseball game, but the first time he's been old enough to wear his own glove and generally be in awe of everything. The Orem Owls have a fantastic little ballpark complete with a grassy hill beyond the outfield on which to run your father up and down until he begs for mercy. Also a giant owl mascot with a baseball for a head is enough to make you take the experience very seriously.

Rock Star

Performing on a favorite stage in our backyard.

A Seat at the Table

Goodbye highchair, hello table. We found this super cute "high" chair at ikea, and Jack could not have been more excited to join his parents at the table. After a few minutes of getting used to the new vantage point, he calmly put his napkin in his lap, leaned forward with one forearm on the table, and with a serious look on his face said, "So, Mom, how was your day?"

Baltimore in August

We flew into Baltimore, walked into the airline terminal, and Jack says, "Where are some crabs?" Thankfully, the airport giftstore was close by with a plethora of crabs pictured on merchandise. Still, Jack was disappointed to find that he had to wait to actually EAT some crabs.

What fun to introduce Thomas to his East coast family and to watch the four eldest Powell cousins (ages 5, 3, 3, and 2.5) romp non-stop around the house. A few highlights:

With Great-Grandma Parrish


Tucker and Jack


At the river:





After a long weekend of non-stop romp:


Jack and Elias
With Grandma Annie


Fit in some quality time at the "Beach" (Sandy Point by the Bay Bridge) and the pool:

Back in Texas

One last shot from our time in Texas in July. (Happy Birthday Uncle Michael)

Powell Boys

Our computer has been on the fritz for what seems like forever. We're tentatively back in action, and will start uploading the backlog of photos from this summer.

To start, here are Jack and Thomas at 2.5 years and 6 months. (June 2009)