Disloding a Tooth

Drew's had a stubborn loose tooth that's been hanging on all month.  He's tugged at it.  He's poked it with a toothpick.  He's bitten down on hard objects in an attempt to dislodge it from the only home it's ever known.  Tonight at wrestling practice, during a take down, that tooth finally came out!

Looks like the tooth fairy'll have to visit tonight.  I hope she remembers :-)

The Little Pink Pill

I mentioned earlier that I've been a bit under the weather lately.  After spending almost the entire weekend in bed, I decided this morning it was time to admit defeat and go see the doctor.  She told me I have walking pneumonia.  I told her I don't have time to be sick.  She prescribed these little pink pills (azithromycin, or Z-Pack for short) to get me back on my feet.  Let's hope they do the trick sooner rather than later.

The Day After

Today we continued a newer post-Thanksgiving tradition:  getting together with Caleb, Julia and Lydia the day after.  While we miss them at our table on Thanksgiving Day, we totally understand how complicated things become when trying to juggle the holidays with small children.

This morning we hung out at the house for awhile...

...before heading to The Depot for lunch.

With ten of us crammed into the special nook that really only comfortably seats 7-8, Drew found a way to work on his leg muscles for wrestling while gaining a bit of personal space.

After a lovely lunch, we all went our separate ways.  Mom and Dad headed back to Iowa; Caleb's family headed back to Julia's parent's place; Baird took Drew to get a much-needed hair cut; the girls and I went Black Friday shopping.

I can't wait 'til we're all together again at Christmas in Iowa!

Thanksgiving Day

In true "The Show Must Go On" fashion, I continued my rally today to throw a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner, in spite of a raw throat and diminished taste buds due to a nasty, tenacious cold.  I have so much to be thankful for:

*Getting to cook with my mom, and listening to her pass down the secrets of our traditional Thanksgiving dishes to my daughters

*Missy's entire family joining us this year, for the first time since before Kelsey was born

*For the collaborative spirit of all the members of the 5 Ring Circus, who worked hard together to make this Thanksgiving dinner come together in such a calm and orderly fashion

*For my dear hubby's brilliant and courageous idea 14 years ago:  "Honey, let's put the turkey on the grill"

*For the ER staff at West Sub last night, who made sure Erin's asthma attack got under control so she didn't have to be admitted

H A P P Y   T H A N K S G I V I N G !

Get Ready, Get Set

I've been a bit under the weather for the past week, and yesterday I went down hard and spent the day in bed.  It was the last place I needed to be two days before Thanksgiving, since I'm expecting a dozen people around my table.

While I wasn't 100% today, I was feeling well enough to be at least be up and about.  The rest of the family rallied with me, and together we got the house in order for Thanksgiving.  The serving dishes are labeled:

The grocery shopping's been done:

And Thanksgiving dinner's just a day away.  I can't wait!

Celebrating Erin

Being a middle child can be difficult.  There's the feeling of not being first or last, but rather squeezed in between.  Erin comes from a long line of middle children:  I'm a middle; my dad's a middle; his mom was a middle.

When Erin was born, it sure seemed like she came out mad at the world that she wasn't first-born.  In those first few years of her life, she began to adjust to the role of baby of the family...and then Drew was born, pushing Erin into the position of middle.  Let's just say she did not go willingly into that middle spot.

Over the years, Erin has accepted her role as the middle child, and has blossomed there.  In particular, these last two years she has flourished.  This is the second year she has been the only Shattuck at Percy Julian Middle School, and she has enjoyed being out from under the shadows of her siblings.  It's been a beautiful thing to watch.

The best part is, I'm not the only one to notice how special Erin is.  Today, Erin received a special citation from the Optimist Club in Oak Park for their annual Youth Appreciation Day.  This award is given to one student in each of the public and private schools in Oak Park for outstanding behavior in every area of his or her life.  Erin was chosen by the eighth grade teachers at Julian to receive this special award.

Baird and I attended the Optimist Club luncheon today where Erin was honored.  My heart was bursting with pride as I sat there and listened to Ms. Helm publicly praise my daughter in a way that made it seem Erin was passing the beautification process on her way to sainthood.  She mentioned Erin's leadership in cross country.  She talked about Erin's involvement in the community: her helping out with Best Buddies at school, giving up Saturday mornings for the Emergency Clothes Closet and teaching in the AWANA Sparks program on Wednesday nights.  She talked about how Erin brings a smile to the face of all the teachers at Julian, whether or not they have her in class.

I guess the only thing left to say is, congratuations, Erin.  You truly do uphold the dignity of youth, show sincere devotion to the welfare of others, and make generous and unselfish contributions to society. I couldn't be more proud of you, and I'm thrilled that you have the spotlight for such a worthy achievement.

A Veteran's Legacy

I've been on a bit of a soap box this week.  I'm actually really upset with the State of Illinois, Cook County, the Village of Oak Park, and school districts 97 and 200.  Today is Veteran's Day, but my kids are in school, and most public services are running as usual.  Someone somewhere decided that, for the sake of "convenience," Veteran's Day should be observed on Monday this year, to give people the benefit of a three-day weekend.  Excuse me, but I think this is really awful.  Our servicemen and women sacrifice tremendously in order to bravely serve this country. 

I think of how much Baird's dad and his family sacrificed.  Baird's granddaddy watched his only son, Ira Warren Shattuck III (Warren), march off to war.  Warren was a tail gunner with the Army Air Corps (before there was an Air Force) in World War II.  Those planes flew thru fog without radar, and the men in the planes were terrified each and every time they went up.  I was surprised to learn that when I read Warren's flight log and journal.  He very vividly wrote about the raw fear that gripped him before and during every mission.

On his seventh bombing mission over Germany, Warren's plane was shot down.  When the navigator let the pilot know they were very close to the German/Swiss boarder, the pilot did everything he could possibly do to land that broken plane in Switzerland, and he succeeded.  So, instead of being held as prisoners of war in Germany, they were "detained" in Switzerland.  They were held in a hotel, and were not allowed to leave the country.  They were, however, allowed to send one telegram to their parents.

When Baird's granddaddy received the telegram that Warren's plane had been shot down, he went into shock and had a nervous breakdown. The idea that his only child might not survive the war just about did him in. Finally, Warren was able to get a telegram to his parents to let them know he had survived the plane crash, and was being held in Switzerland.  We still have that telegram.

Warren was able to escape, and with the help of the French Underground, he quite literally walked across war-torn Europe.  He hid in forests and swamps and suffered frost bite.  He made his way to England, and then back to the United States.  He spent the remainder of the war traveling across the US, training the pilots and plane crews that were about to be shipped out to the European front.  He had just received his orders for the Pacific Theater when the U.S. dropped the bombs on Japan, ending the Second World War.

Warren came thru the war in better shape than a lot of guys, but it affected him in ways big and small.  I never got the full story, but he hated rats, and it had something to do with being held in that hotel in Switzerland.  He suffered from survivor's guilt.  But there were good things too:  he went to college on the GI Bill, and that's where he met Bernie, Baird's mom.

Whenever I look at the telegram sent by Warren to his dad, I'm reminded of the sacrifice military families make. It's huge. The very least we can do is pause and say thanks on the actual day designated as Veteran's Day.

Attractive Leftovers

I've mentioned before how much our family loves fondue.  We fondued earlier this week, and I was a little overzealous in the amount of meat I picked up.  Oh, well.  A fabulous fringe benefit of fondue is that the leftover meat can easily be used in stir fry on another night.  So, tonight I took the leftover meat and stir fried it with these veggies.

I served the stir fry with the black rice noodles I picked up in China Town last time I was there.  Yum.  These were far and away the best leftovers I've had in a really, really long time!

Perfect in Patience

Kelsey introduced me to an online game called Patience.  It's a rather complicated version of solitaire.  I've spent waaaay too much time in the last month playing this game.  It's as frustrating as it is addicting.  Not even Mr. Packer, the gifted teacher at Irving, has been able to find a pattern.  I finally conquered it this afternoon!  The problem is, I can't even tell you how I did it, it just sorta happened, and that makes the win just slightly less sweet.  You would think that since I won, I'd be able to walk away, but I just can't.  I want need to figure out how I won.  I think I might need an intervention.

End of Season Party

Erin's been the new kid on the block on her Strikers soccer team this fall, but she's fit in beautifully.  Today was the team's last game of the fall season, and the girls hung out on the trampoline at RC's house for awhile while the parents chatted inside.

I've really enjoyed getting to know the parents on this team, and I'm already looking forward to the spring season!

Rookie Behind the Wheel

Even tho Kelsey was booted out of Driver's Ed earlier this semester due to overcrowding, she was in long enough to get her learner's permit.  While she's driven Grandpa's pick-up around his place in Iowa, today was her first adventure behind the wheel in Oak Park.  Baird gave her some words of wisdom before she and I tooled around the neighborhood.

Kelsey was very careful, but I still found the experience of teaching her a bit nerve wracking.  After about 20 minutes, she said she'd had enough.  She steered pretty well and obeyed all the traffic signs.  She didn't hit anything.  And yet, I'm pretty sure my hair is waaaaay grayer than it was this morning.  After just one lesson.  Once again, I'm wishing she came with a pause button.

Good-Bye, Oreo

The older of our two guinea pigs, Oreo, has not been well this past week.  Erin begged me to take him to the vet, as he was lethargic and had stopped eating.  I took him in yesterday to find out that he was old and at the end of his life, and he probably wouldn't make it much longer.  Erin spent a lot of time with Oreo last night and this morning after making the painful decision to have him put down.  She did not want him to suffer anymore.

This morning I took Oreo to the vet to be put down.  The whole process took less than 30 minutes, but was still a bit sad.  The vet was very understanding, and when it was over, they gave me Oreo back in this box:

Erin has decided to bury her pet in a special place in the back yard by the garage.  RIP Oreo.  We'll miss you.

Cautiously Optimistic

During what can only be described as an across-the-board-nasty campaign, I seriously considered sitting out this mid-term election, but I just couldn't.  I often vote split-ticket, since I don't completely agree with either political party.  This time around I found myself so disgusted with the attack ads and the constant recorded messages left on my phone that I voted mostly Green Party and Independent.
At this point (10:30 pm), many of the Illinois races are too close to call, and the catch-phrase of the night from many candidates seems to be "cautiously optimistic."  It'll be interesting to see what happens.  Regardless of how it all turns out, I did my part.  And that means I get to complain for the next two years at least!