The Rest of November

I swear November was one of the fastest months I have ever experienced!  In fact, I was just writing a check out yesterday (December 6) to our electrician and I wrote November 6th as the date.  It should still be November to me.  In spite of the haste in which it passed, we had quite an eventful month with Max's 5th birthday party (see previous post), Thanksgiving, and other random fun

We will start with a random-fun-photo of BatMax helping prepare his favorite meal:  pizza!  

Gotta love this kid.  Max was given this cape and mask for Christmas 2 years ago.  It is the best present ever as it is the one thing they consistently play with even today.  All of my boys, infact, still love dressing up.  Even baby Jack...

This little guy is so stinkin' cute.  While wearing at least half of a pair of someone else's shoes, he will grab the cape and mask and bring it over to Paul or me and make a request in his sweet little noisy way that he wants to wear this stuff.  Once he is has it on he thinks he is so cool and so big.  It is hilariously adorable and utterly memorable.  

 Other funny dress-up pics of Jack...

When cousin Koa came to visit for Thanksgiving they all dressed up as superheroes:

...or the Mario Bros...

Speaking of Thanksgiving, we had a lovely one this year.  We enjoyed the company of Maggie, Joey and Koa, and we feasted on some really amazing food.  I think the trick to a juicy and tender turkey was mistaking the roux (that I made a day ahead for the gravy) for the herb-infused butter (that I had also made a day ahead for the turkey).  I rubbed my turkey with the cold, pasty flour and butter mixture and wondered why the skin was looking so bumpy and weird as it was cooking.  I didn't even realize I did it until hours later when I went to make the gravy and couldn't find the roux anywhere in the fridge.  Anyway, it is a funny story and the turkey turned out spectacularly in spite of this (minor) mistake.  I think we are finally getting kinda good at this Thanksgiving thing--I didn't have to call my mom once (even she was surprised)!

Here is a pic of me whisking up a new batch of roux... 

 My beautiful sister-in-law!  We had so much fun!

My  good camera was charging during the big feast and I only got pictures with my phone, so they aren't the greatest and definitely don't do justice to the hours we all spent on preparing the food, but, for the sake of remembering Thanksgiving 2012, they will work just fine...

 

Max enjoyed the turkey leg again this year... 

These boys had such fun together!!  Max was saying that he wished Koa was his brother... 

The grown-ups even got to go out for a kid-free dinner one of the nights...

Paul and I actually went out a couple of times this month.  We have been using a lot of babysitters lately, but we have been having fun.  In the picture's below we are out in Philly for my friend Sara's birthday...

Stroud's Preserve Photo Shoot

Around the beginning of November Max needed to bring a family photo of a fall activity to school.  Well, we didn't even really have a family photo let alone one of us doing something together in the fall, so we staged it!  We went on an "adventure" at a nearby trail and asked some random stranger to snap some photos of us.  I think they turned out pretty good!

We staged the photo, but not the activity itself.  Paul is always taking the boys on a "nature adventure" and this trail is close enough to us that we go there whenever we need a nice place to explore.  It doesn't hurt that no matter what time of year it is, it so pretty here that it makes for a nice background to any photo.  However, when snapping pictures of such adorable subjects as my three sweet boys, I don't think it would matter a bit what the background scenery is...

Max Turns 5!

Where did the last 5 years go?  I can't believe my little Max turned five...

As is the tradition at our house the last couple of years--the birthday person gets to celebrate for practically the entire week of their birthday.  We had to make cupcakes to take to preschool a couple of days before Max's big day--so why not add a candle and sing?

Max is really into Super Mario Bros right now and wanted a "Mario" birthday.  These were the treats he took to school...

Then he got an ice cream cake a couple of nights later on his actual birthday...

But the coolest cake of all was the one I ordered for his party.  This was the template...

And the actual cake...

We held Max's party at the same place as last year--United Sports Training Center.  They do a really good job there, the kids love it, and it is so EASY!!  All we have to do is show up with our cake and credit card...

The party coordinators there play a lot of fun little games with the kiddos...

...While the moms hang out on the sidelines...

Jack was not to be left out at this party.  He wanted to sit at the big table with all of the other big kids and eat pizza.  It was so cute and so sad--my baby is getting too big...

The slice of cake Max chose to eat was the one of himself!!

Mimi came down to help us celebrate his big birthday, which always makes it more special!  

Max is really a good boy.  He is such a pleaser, and will always try and do the right thing to make everyone happy.  He is very willing to help out when asked, and is really an awesome big brother.  Max loves his cousins, pizza, and staying up late.  He is really good at riding his bike, and is very independent which makes getting ready in the morning and getting out of the house a lot easier.  We ask a lot of him--being the oldest, and he is such a great example to his younger brothers.  He is super cute with Jack, and Sam idolizes him.  I am so proud of this wonderful, sweet boy of ours--my heart is swelling when I think of how big he is now and how quickly the time has gone by already.  He still likes to snuggle at bedtime, and he still promises me that he will cuddle with me even when he is old.  I am going to hold him to that!