Our Sitko Thanksgiving

It is the last day of the 2011 Thanksgiving weekend and I have been thinking about all of things I am thankful for this year. Let me tell you about our Thanksgiving while I mention some of those things.

Thankful Thing 1: My boys. I am surrounded by testosterone in my home and I couldn’t be happier with it. Even my cat is a boy!! But those boys that live in my house are absolutely the thing that gives me joy. I have a husband who loves me for who I am, a cat that cuddles with me, and a son that couldn’t be more amazing. If I had to pick what I am MOST thankful for I wouldn't hesitate when I said, "My boys."

We spent our Thanksgiving over at the Runnels home. I spent lots of time the day before prepping the food, and then cooking in the morning before heading over before kickoff of the first football game. The Daddies hung out with the kids and watched the game while the Mommies put on our matching aprons and got to work in the kitchen. (Yes, we have matching aprons. Katie is a creative whiz and made me one when I freaked out over how much I liked  hers. Mine says “Domestic Goddess!!” By the way, the fact that our outfits underneath the aprons matched as well was just an awesome coincidence.)

Thankful Thing 2:  I am so thankful that we have made friends like the Runnels here in GA. Anyone in the military will tell you how difficult it can be moving around and constantly having to start all over at the beginning with friendships. But on the other hand, I have made friends with people I would have never even met if it wasn’t for our military life. I really lucked out this time in my friendship with Katie. We have so many things in common and we can completely be ourselves around each other. And it doesn’t hurt that we have children that love playing together.

While we were busy cooking, the men kept the kids entertained with an entire playroom, coloring books, sticker books, and (of course) some roughhousing that involved a bean bag chair, Daddies roaring, kids squealing, and some flying through the air.

Thankful Thing 3: The man that I married turned out to be such a wonderful father. In the past, I had seen him interact with his nieces and nephews who just adore him, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he is so amazing with Dylan. But I still find myself smiling while watching them play and cuddle. I don’t it take for granted.

We had a HUGE meal with turkey, corn casserole, dressing, potatoes (mashed & sweet), chicken & dumplings, and more. It was enough to feed the entire block! The good news is that I haven’t had to cook anything since!

Thankful Thing 4: My son is growing into such a little man! Not that I want him to grow up so fast, but I am so proud of him every day. Not only is he the sweetest thing I’ve ever known, but I feel like he is always trying to learn something new. The joys of Motherhood are amazing.

After our meal, we all took some time to relax together and play with the kids. We really had the perfect day. Full bellies, happy kids, and football on tv. The kids were so happy that they were, literally, hugging and kissing by the end of the night. (I won’t tell you how many times they had to kiss to get this photo!) SO CUTE!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with reminders of all the things we have in this life to be thankful for. I hope I continue to remember mine and don't take any of them for granted.

Thankful Thing 5: I know how blessed I am to have such an amazing family and wonderful friends. You all know who you are, and I am so happy to have you in my life. Even though we couldn’t be with everyone over Thanksgiving, it doesn’t mean I’m not incredibly thankful for each and every one of you.

Unlikely Best Friends

Lean on me. When you’re not strong

And I’ll be your friend. I’ll help you carry on.

For, it won’t be long, till I’m gonna need - 

Somebody to lean on!

Oscar at 8 Weeks old!

My son has a best friend. His best friend’s name is Oscar. Oscar the Cat.

Josh and I got Oscar in 2007. It was about a week after we moved to Michigan when Josh was on the USCGC Mackinaw. He was 8 weeks old and tiny! Over the last 4 ½ years, he has turned out to be an awesome cat. He has lived in 3 states, 4 houses, and taken numerous road trips. He adapts well to every situation and is a really sweet cat.

The best thing about him now is that he loves (or at the very least tolerates) our little monster, er, I mean son.

I was a little nervous when Dylan became mobile, because I wasn’t quite sure how Oscar was going to react. But, being the most laid-back cat I have ever seen, Oscar turned out to be amazing. He lets Dylan pet him, lie on him, kiss him, and just love on him!

At first, I thought Oscar was just putting up with all of it. But over time, I have come to believe that he secretly loves the attention. I mean, this is a cat that has the ability to jump to the top of our Kitchen cabinets…getting up and moving two feet before lying back down doesn’t convince me that he is hating the Dylan-love.

I guess I shouldn't have been too worried. Both my cat and my son are extremely sweet & loving creatures...why wouldn't they get along?

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On a completely random side note: Did you see the exclamation point in Space? Just in case you didn't think Space was exciting...

Here is a Link to the full story/ scientific explanation from NASA. In Layman's Terms, I guess it is the start of two Galaxies colliding! I think that does deserve an exclamation point!

How beautiful is that? Of course, colliding galaxies sounds really catastrophic...is it bad that I just called it beautiful?

Dylan's Moline Vacation Highlights

I think Dylan’s highlight of our trip to Moline wasn’t Lili the cat, who he could never quite catch (no matter how hard he tried), all the different and interesting toys that aren’t at his house, the different house with that one step he could climb up and down all day long…no, I think the best part of Dylan’s vacation was his new Wagon!

Grandma Linda and Grandpa Bob got Dylan his own Radio Flyer Wagon, complete with seat belts and cup holders! He got a wagon ride every single day! And when he wasn’t passed out, he was talking and talking and talking! He loved it!

My mom, quickly adjusted the seating situation after the first wagon ride (when he fell alseep before she even got to the top of the street) so that Dylan had a blanket behind him to soften the blow when he passed out. He loved that thing so much, that you couldn’t even say the word without him walking over to the back door and looking at my mom like he was saying, “Grandma, I heard you say Wagon…let’s go!“ She even took him to the Farmer’s Market one morning and pulled him around! What a lucky little guy.

We also had a Birthday party since we were there only a couple days before his first birthday. It was a really nice little gathering with family & close friends, and Dylan got some great gifts. He also got to try some cake! I think he liked smearing it between his fingers more than he did eating it, but he smiled a lot, laughed a lot and made a huge mess. So I think it was a success.

Another great gift Dylan got was his John Deere sleeping bag from Grandpa Bob. It has a pillow and a fleece blanket all connected to it! It also rolls up and Velcros shut for easy moving. We’ve had it out in our living room since we got back. He loves to snuggle on his new blanket, especially before bedtime. He and Oscar even share sometimes. Another great success!

We had two flights to get back home to GA. The first one was a short jaunt to Chicago. We were in the last row and there was no one next to us, so Dylan got his own seat! But he didn’t’ really get to enjoy it because he was passed out before we took off. But how cute does he look in his own chair! I can't believe how big he is getting!

When we got home, Dylan had some quality cuddling time with his best friend, Oscar. Maybe Dylan was telling him all about the cat at Grandma & Grandpa's house that wouldn't let him snuggle, no matter how long he chased her around the house. Maybe he was saying that he didn't have cat hair on his clothes all week. Maybe he was just saying, "I missed you so much, Oscar!" And to tell the truth, I think Oscar secretly liked it.