Thanksgiving was Great!

We had such a good time in Milwaukee, definitely wish we had planned a little longer of a trip out there. The drives were rough, the one out was worse than the one back. We were exhausted almost the entire time but it was SO worth it.

I did a tiny bit of black friday shopping. If you follow my ramblings you'll know that I'm pretty much done Christmas shopping already. So for the most part I only bought things we really needed, new towels, jeans and pajamas for David, etc. Plus we were in Milwaukee and had to haul back everything we bought.

I fell in love with COD MW3 or Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 for those not so versed. It brought me back to College when we would play Counter Strike on the computer. So much fun and so addicting! I'm thinking about getting COD for the house...I am doing my best not to give in though.

Now that Thanksgiving is over I'm back to running. 2 for 2 this week. I've also found out that I can run faster than I thought...always a nice surprise. Not sure why I didn't think of that before.

Eh, that's all I got...

Thanksgiving!

It is Thanksgiving Eve Eve and I am starting to get anxious about our upcoming trip. I'm really excited to see my brother, sister and family but the 12 hour drive is beginning to feel daunting. Actually, I lied a little - the 12 hour drive home on Saturday night is beginning to feel daunting!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. The weather is starting to turn cold but isn't quite there yet,  there is excitement in the air, and I have tons of family around! I love my family...every single one of them and I consider myself pretty lucky to have that.

The Herring side of my family (married in or not) is incredibly smart and talented. It is always fun during the holidays to hear about what they have been up to and what they are planning on doing in the next year. Trips oversees, working for some new incredible company, writing a novel...it never ends!

The Chialastri side of my family is amazing. They are the most loving people around - love to spend time together, funny, and really make the holidays fun. They have homes where you walk in and it just feels warm and inviting. Plus Grandma Fran has the best chocolate chip cookies around.

David is so excited to see his cousins and for Santa Claus to come. He is already picking all of the toys out that he is going to ask Santa Claus for. It helps make the holidays even more fun and exciting!

Sewing Christmas Stockings

I decided that this year I would sew Christmas stockings for all of us. I saw a couple really neat tutorials online but wanted to try this patchwork one before I decided what I would eventually do. It took a couple tries to get the size right and still this one is a little small.

It did give me some good ideas for David's though so hopefully in the next month Brandy and I can get together and be old, I mean creative sewing Christmas Stockings together!

Maybe I'll keep this one for myself :)

10 Things to be Grateful For

Sometimes life just doesn't go the way you want it to...and you have to take a step back, realize all of the wonderful things you have in your life, and try to be as grateful as you can.  There are times (like today) where I need to remind myself that tomorrow is a new day and that I should smile that I have that opportunity.

I'm grateful for:

• Husband - I wouldn't be half the woman I am today without him
• Son - I never knew someone so cool in my life
• Parents - Even though my Dad is no longer with us they were the best parent anyone could ask for
• Family - They are strong, smart people who push me to strive for better things
• Friends - To make me laugh, let me cry, and be there to listen
• Happiness - The best feeling in the world and my life would be empty without it
• My Mind - The single most important thing that I rely on everyday
• Memories - For all of the happy moments in my life in one place
• Music - For the ability to explain how I feel and change my mood in a given second
• Sadness - If it weren't for this I wouldn't appreciate happiness as much as I do

I'm going to go snuggle with my little family and smile while I go to sleep :)

Goodnight

1st Dentist Appointment - 28 Months

Let me start off by saying overall the experience was a good one. The office was wonderful, the staff was very good with David. They went out of their way to make him feel comfortable and to keep him as calm as possible. For that I am very grateful because the last thing I want to do is traumatize him and cause him to never want to go to the dentist. The appointment was also very quick, they talked to him, counted his teeth, brushed, flossed and applied some fluoride. It was over before he knew it and the tears stopped promptly.

But...

These people are freaking crazy! I was told that he had some white spots on some of his teeth called Enamel Hypoplasia and that it was a miracle that I brought him in now because in a year from now they would all be cavities and would need caps...seriously? Insert eye roll here. So I'm told in order to keep his baby teeth from being attacked and needing caps that I need to buy fluoride water, brush his teeth twice a day, floss at night (umm yeah, okay), and paint fluoride onto his teeth every night. The dentist did say to tell David that we are going to say "Bye Bye Germs" and this would make him okay with the flossing. Ha! Can't wait to try that tonight. He will also need braces when he gets older and she can tell because of his jaw line. Oh and he probably has an overbite but she can't say for sure since he won't shut his mouth.

I'm sorry but I'm calling straight up Shenanigans on this one. First, the braces...she said we don't have an overcrowding issue and that the gaps between his teeth are good. So why exactly is he going to need braces and how in the hell can you tell at 2 years of age. I mean, I could see it if we had teeth pointed in all directions, or twisted, or on top of each other...but we don't. Second, the mild Enamel Hypoplasia he has can turn into a problem at some point in time but who is so dramatic as to call it a miracle I brought him in now and not in 6 months from now. Who can floss their 2 year old every night? And who in their right mind thinks calling it Bye Bye Germs is going to make it go more smoothly. We finished the appointment by the dentist putting her hand on my knee and saying "Please spread the word" lol....if I say okay will you stop touching me?

At the end of the day I will continue having David brush his teeth and will buy the fluoride to put on his teeth nightly but I won't guarantee anything with the flossing! Maybe one day he will need braces and we will talk about it when his adult teeth start coming in...not when he's 2. We will do the best we can but the scare tactics were ridiculous. Either way he's the cutest kid at the dentist office today: