"Bobble Bobble!"

No... that's not a typo. That's how Nicholas says, "Gobble Gobble!" And I, for one, don't have the heart to correct him. "Bobble bobble" is way cuter anyway.

It's hard to believe that almost an entire month has passed since I blogged last. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only teacher out there that feels this way, but I HATE NOVEMBER!!!!!!! It's insane at work, and I am completely exhausted. Between report cards, parent conferences, and 22 holiday-crazed 7-year-olds... I've had it. I think that's why I love Thanksgiving so much. It's what I consider an exhale holiday. I swear I've been holding my breath for an entire month. Now I can finally breathe again.

Thanksgiving was great this year. Nicholas is finally getting the whole "holiday hoopla" thing, which is so fun. OK, so he may have been saying "Happy Halloween" most of the day, but... close enough. We started the day at the Cutlers' for dinner and a packed house. It was so nice to see everyone crowded around the table. Nicholas's favorite part of the meal? No, not stuffing, mashed potatoes, or even turkey. Black olives. I swear he ate a dozen of them. He likes to put them on his finger before he eats them. I think we all did that as kids too.

We took a break in the middle of the day so Nicholas could nap at home. I can neither confirm nor deny any napping on my part, however. Todd had to work nights, so after he left, Nicholas and I headed to Auntie Gail's for dessert with the DeBisschops. He had a great time playing with his cousins. I swear, it was like someone shot him out of a cannon! Not sure if it was the pumpkin pie sugar high, or just all of the people around, but he was in rare form. I think he went up and down the stairs at least 20 times.

After I got him home and into the tubby, and eventually into bed, I finally had a minute to sit... cocktail in hand, in my quiet house, and truly take time to give thanks. Sometimes I get so busy with life, or so stressed out, that I don't take the time to really appreciate all that I have. Thank goodness we have this day to force us to look at our lives and count our blessings. The last couple of years have been very good to Todd and I. We have this beautiful new house to live in, jobs that we love (most of the time) and a perfect, healthy little boy who has changed us both emensely... for the better. There are days that I just want to bar the doors and put a plastic bubble over the house, and never go outside, because I think that everything is so perfect right now. I don't want anything messing it up.

But, obviously, that's not an option. So, I guess the best I can do is take some advice from one of my favorite movie characters who said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Man... that Ferris Bueller was a genius. So, here's to stopping to smell the roses every once in a while. Cheers, everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving.