Greatest Day of My Life!!!

Today was by far the greatest day of Lizzy's life (that didn't involve playing in Grandpa's truck). Lizzy and Daddy went to the Gateway Mall (www.gatewaymall.com) and were hosted by Elmo in a welcome party for Santa Claus. We arrived at about 9:20 and were number 52 in line. We waited for about 10 minutes before the line started moving. Our first stop was to check in and get our goody bag. Inside was a coupon allowing us to have a spin on the prize wheel where we won a snowman bookmark, a form to write our letter to Santa, a small stocking we could decorate (but decided not to because that's not daddy's thing), and some other things that are not of consequence. We also received our ticket stating our place among the first 150 people under the age of 12. This was the most important part as that ticket could be redeemed for a free plush Elmo doll (to add to our collection). While we were standing in the first line we got to see a giant bee and talk to several other children (most of whom weren't to interested in talking to Lizzy).

Next we stood in another line for our balloon animal. Lizzy chose a blue elephant. We went from there to the cookie table for our first of many trips. After the cookie we took our spin on the prize wheel. While we were in that line we got our first real shock of the day when Lizzy saw Elmo for the first time. She took off on a dead run and attacked him. I finally got the camera out and she was still latched onto his leg.

After we did the prize wheel we went to stand in line to see Santa but were told by several other people that he wouldn't be there for almost another hour. We went and walked around the mall (until today daddy had only been to Sears, so Lizzy gave him a nice tour) until we saw that Santa was in his seat. After this we stood in line to see Santa. The wait was fairly long but Lizzy was a good girl. The line went right past the cookie table so Lizzy had a good lunch consisting of a variety of cookies. We eventually made it into Santa's Village where we saw Santa's big green house, a reindeer who had a light up nose and moved it's head, and lots of trees with snow on them. We finally got the the front of the line where Santa's assistants helped daddy keep Lizzy behind the rope until it was her turn. As soon as permission was given she ran under the rope carrying her letter to Santa (which she filled out herself with daddy's pen while she waited in one of the lines). No one knew exactly how she would respond to Santa, but she loved him. She ran up yelling "Santa, Santa," and started climbing onto his lap. Santa helped her up and was given a great big hug. She told him her name and gave him her letter. Santa then gave her a candy cane and a new Elmo doll and said good bye. We didn't get any pictures with Santa today because we wanted to wait until Baby Ervin could be there with us. As soon as we finished seeing Santa we walked over to see Elmo again. For a $2 donation to Habitat for Humanity she was able to sit on his lap and have her picture taken.
After this we decided it was time to go home and find mommy. There was so much to tell she didn't know where to begin. The whole ride home Lizzy told daddy what she was going to tell mommy and what she wanted to tell Baby Ervin. She got home about a half hour before nap time and didn't waste any of it. She told mommy and Ervin about everything that had happened. She even let Baby Ervin see her new Elmo toy. She took a nap with her Elmo and the picture of her with Elmo, and when she went to bed tonight she had an Elmo in each hand and her balloon elephant on her dresser. It was a great day!

Mommy cut my hair!

Today, mommy tried her hand at haircutting and cut a considerable amount of Lizzy's hair. It looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. It took a while because I wanted to make sure I had gotten it straight and hadn't left out any stray hairs. I think it looks really cute when it's in a short bob like this. Lizzy was excited to take pictures and model her new haircut. She wanted to model Elmo and her ball as well.

Here's a picture of Ervin today as well. I propped him up on the couch while I went to get Lizzy a snack. Unfortunately, he fell over onto his side before I made it back to him. He didn't cry at all. He just lay there, fussing a tiny bit, and gazed around and his new surroundings. As you can see, we keep a good supply of binkies and burpcloths near him at all times.

My little peanut

Days have been a little trying here around the Anderson household. This is due to the fact that Ervin is very attached to mommy and won't sleep without being held during the day. Luckily, he loves to sleep at night, which gives mommy and daddy a break.

Ervin likes to be the center of attention during the day, especially when mommy is trying to talk to daddy.... :) Anyway, Ervin doesn't like it when mommy's two arms and her attention are focused on anything but holding him. So Ervin's Grandma Stephenson found a baby sling at Target.com called The Peanut Shell.

Friday the Shell arrived and I placed my little Peanut inside. It works great! He is even sleeping in it right now! Mommy's daytime possibilities are endless now! Thanks Grandma!

14 Pounds

Tuesday you were all informed that our beloved baby Ervin now weighs in at 14 pounds and 8 ounces. Today I add to the 14 pound collection, this beautiful turkey. While I was working at about 2:15 or 2:30 today I was informed that there was a turkey waiting outside for me. I went out to look an there was a pallet with boxes of turkeys, one of which would become mine.

It's a 14.82 pound Manor House young turkey. It's been injected with approximately 8 percent of it's gross weight in some form of a solution that enhances it's juiciness and tenderness. On the back side it instructs me to thaw it for about 3 days in the fridge before cooking, or put in in cold water for approximately 4 to 6 hours changing frequently (every half hour or so). It even suggests times for cooking with and without stuffing. Should we stuff it (which I'm leaning towards) it'll take between 4 and 4 1/2 hours. If we need to rush it we can cook it in a mere 3 1/2 to 4 hours. If I go all out and baste it with it's droppings which should start at about the 2 hour mark cooking time may be extended. While these are good directions I do need to remember that cooking times can vary due to equipment. For best results I should use a meat thermometer. I'll need to insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast without touching bone. The thermometer should read 175-180 degrees Fahrenheit. I must always be sure turkey is thoroughly cooked and can easily be pierced with a fork and the juices run clear. While this is good advice, we need your help. Please e-mail us your favorite turkey recipe!! We'll pick the one we like best and use it to cook the turkey on Thanksgiving then we'll post it on our website so you all can know how we cooked our beloved turkey. We'd also be interested to know what your suggestions are for side dishes and how you'd prepare them. We'll include any 'award winning' side dish recipes on our site as well.

When asked how he felt about being joined in the 14 pound club baby Erv was speechless. He did give the camera a big smile though. While Lizzy has not yet been informed of the acquisition of the turkey we anticipate that she'll be incredibly enthusiastic right up to the point that we put a piece in front of her and she gets in trouble because she just wants to play with it and we keep trying to get her to eat it. . . Mommy was excited that we got something free, but was more excited due to the fact that it happened on pay day. She's very supportive of my plan to learn how to cook and carve a turkey.

We look forward to hearing your suggestions on how we cook everything!! Also, don't forget our Thanksgiving related poll at the top of our site.

8 week checkup

Well we went to the doctor today for Ervin's checkup. Lizzy had the best time playing with toys, reading stories, and she even got a Princess Dora the Explorer sticker. She is proudly wearing the sticker and can't wait until daddy comes home to show him her sticker.

Ervin is doing well and has grown a lot. He is now 14 pounds 8 ounces! I couldn't believe it! He was pretty good while the doctor examined him and he only started to cry when he got his 3 shots. He cried a cry I had never heard before because of them, but luckily he went to sleep once we started driving home.

The picture I've put here is one from Sunday with the kids in their Sunday best. Lizzy was having a great time holding Ervin and he had few objections to being held by Lizzy.