Thanksgiving and B Day

We had no family visiting this year for Thanksgiving so I decided to tackle my first Thanksgiving dinner (cooking it I mean, I have mastered the eating part). It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be - I guess good planning and compulsiveness are good qualities in a Thanksgiving chef.

I took most of my recipes out the Martha Stewart Everyday Food cookbook - my mother got me a subscription a few years ago and one comes to my door each month. The meals are easy to make and delicious - important in our kitchen, without a doubt. The turkey was small, because it was only the four of us and Granny Brigid who ate dinner. I coated underneath the skin with an herbed butter that I made the night before - I don't know if that made the difference but the bird was delicious. The stuffing was too, I found that recipe in a Betty Crocker cookbook. Yum yum.

I kept the table simple, because I didn't have a lot of room (small house syndrome) or a lot of time. And no, there are no pictures of anyone actually sitting and eating b/c by that time the flurry of activity that comes from preparing 6 dishes at the same time was starting to overwhelm me a little bit. Thankfully it was amazing and everything turned out well. Brigid brought the freshest, most delicious apple pie ever for desert - it wins the blue ribbon for sure!



David is very keen to get his hands on all that food, and wishes we would all just sit down and stop taking pictures!!!

B Day

Saturday was B Day here. That's right. B Day, Bunk Bed day. The day we finally had the bunk bed we ordered delivered. In ten million little tiny pieces. It took Paul (I helped a little bit, but for the most part watched the boys so couldn't do too much) about 3 full hours to put the whole bed together. Every single little tiny piece of wood and screw came separate. He *almost* caved in and admitted to me that perhaps spending the $60 for the delivery guys to install the bed "might" have been worth it after all. Hhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmm . . . he never sees it my way beforehand though :-).

I had been nervous all week about the bed. We all know Pete is not very embracing of change - of any kind. He'd already cried when we mentioned we were getting a new bed. Even after exhausting my efforts to explain, in detail, just how COOL this big boy bunk bed would be, how likely every child in our neighbourhood would be DROOLING over the excitement and aura that was THIS bed, Pete was unimpressed.

We woke up Saturday morning realizing we had to come clean with him. So we were upfront.

"Pete, your new bunk bed arrives today and we're taking apart your old single bed."

The screaming and crying at this point could surely be heard across the river in Quebec. He had a full out tantrum and laid crying on his floor for what seemed to be a long time. He begged and pleaded with us not to take apart his bed. Shortly after we managed to get him dressed and dragged him out to a local indoor playground for the rest of the morning (it was raining). He and David had a great time at the playground and were happy and content when we came home for lunch.

As soon as the truck arrived to deliver the bed after lunch, Pete was in much better spirits. He was fascinated watching them carry the pieces in to his room. Paul asked Pete to be his special apprentice to help him with the arduous task of assembling this grand structure. Pete felt important and soon grabbed his toy toolbelt and toolbox, completely ready for action. Ahhhh, peace in our household once again.

It wasn't until suppertime that the bed was complete. I scrambled after dinner to put on all the bedding so Pete could sleep there that night. He was excited - even keen - to explore the new bed. He climbed the ladder to scope out the top bunk and to declare to all of us that he was now "the king of the castle". We soon realized it was going to take great efforts to keep little David from climbing up the ladder and also getting in the top bunk (which, clearly we don't feel is safe for an almost-two-year old). Not to mention the kid is crazy and would probably jump off the top.

At bedtime, Pete asked us if David could come into his room for a sleepover. Eureka!!! My prayers answered - I wouldn't have to beg and plead with Pete for him to allow David to sleep on the bottom bunk, here was everything being handed to me on a silver platter. We agreed David could have a "sleepover" and felt confident things were going to be all right.

Except a) David only wanted to sleep on the top, not the bottom, and b) he wouldn't settle down and stop jumping around on the bottom. After close to an hour, we gave up, put David in his room in his crib and Pete cuddled up in the top bunk. The silence was golden and within minutes they were both asleep.

So one battle conquered, another yet to be tackled. We still have a few months before David needs to be sleeping in Pete's room, and it seems he is not quite ready yet. And in a way, I am in no rush for them to be roommates, for I already fear sleepless nights from the boys keeping each other up, or one getting sick and waking in the middle of the night, or any number of other scary nighttime scenarios I have thought about . . . all which lead to mommy not getting exactly the eight hours she needs every night to remain a rational, sane person ;-)

So here is the room with the new bed . . . you can thankfully still see quite a bit of the mural we had painted a few years ago.

And here it is, the new bed!!
***(Yes, I realize 3 1/2 is too young to sleep on the top bunk of a bunk bed, but Pete has on a number of occasions on vacation already done this. He is extremely coordinated - not t0 mention we purposefully chose a very safe bed with a sturdy ladder and rails - and we would never have moved him there if we did not feel he was 100 per cent safe and comfortable. We take the ladder down during the day so that David cannot climb up.)