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Thanksgiving Wishes
11.29.10 | Permalink | | Comments Off on Thanksgiving Wishes
This is my dad. My dad is a man of few words and he is certainly not a writer, so imagine my surprise a few days before Thanksgiving when this arrived in my inbox:
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My dear little Gore and familyIt is really a real moment to understand the gravity of your first Thanksgiving dinner in your home. I know it must be a very stressful event but it will be a great success, trust me. This conjures up many memories of your mother’s and my past days and good times. Please try to relax and enjoy the moment. Tami, you and I are very much alike, the free spirit lives in us. You have a good man that loves you, your babies are a dream to dream of, and will make you proud for years to come. I look forward to this Thanksgiving, it is truly a Thanksgiving.
Love, Your Dad
_________________________________________________________________________I love my dad dearly and reading this brief and rare message from him was incredibly validating and drew me closer to him. I spend so much time with my mom and mostly hear stories of their lives and opinions through the filter of her voice. To hear his voice and see evidence of his pride warmed me and warmed Bradley. His faith in me and my family reaffirms the beliefs that Bradley and I have in our choices and lifestyle. It’s amazing what a few words like this can do for a girl. Rereading his letter brings tears to my eyes. Thanks, Dad. I love you too.
**I am a ‘Little Gore’ and forever will be one in my family. When I was a little girl, I had a hard time with my r’s and l’s – I couldn’t say them. Then, to make things more colorful, each night at dinner I would tell a story that began with, “YestOday when I was a wittle gore…” then I would proceed to tell a mundane or fantastic story, real or made up, of something that had happened to me. It was treasured by my parents and this tradition annoyed my brothers. This continued for a number of years until one night, at the dinner table, I began my story, “yestoday when I was a wittle gore…” and I didn’t get to finish. One of my brothers (who will remain nameless) interrupted with, “You went poop.” I think a discussion occurred that pointed out that I do this every night and it is soooo annoying. I vowed never to do it again, and with that went the stories. I grew up a little bit after that and caught myself whenever I began to tell one of my stories. Regardless, to this day, to my Daddy, and forever into infinity, I will always be his Little Gore and I love it.
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Thanksgiving
11.25.10 | Permalink | | Comments Off on Thanksgiving
Last year, as we were in the middle of building this house, I volunteered to host Thanksgiving for my family. As the day got closer and closer, we were seeking the just right table, chairs and place settings. We looked for ages, and finally, the night before Thanksgiving, we returned to Cost Plus to get the napkins which weren’t perfect but would do. As we were headed to the checkout, we saw these beautiful napkins:
And thus, our tablescape was born. This year, our table will host 13 people, my parents, brothers and their wives and families. We’ll dine, toast and enjoy one another’s company.
While this past year has been challenging and I want to say that I am most thankful for the house being nearly complete, I need to think of the bigger picture as well because this house would be nothing without the people and love to fill it. So as we sit down and give our thanks, we’ll be sure to raise our glasses and be thankful for all of our blessings: our family, our love, our health, our homes, enough food and the harmony in our lives. We are truly blessed in so many ways and I hope that anyone reading this can say the same. I wish you all a thankful and happy Thanksgiving!
Gigi is thankful for her Mommy, her brother and her Daddy. Mostly, thankful for her family.
Jude is thankful for eggs, cookies and toys.
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SNOW!
11.22.10 | Permalink | | Comments Off on SNOW!Just a few snapshots of the Littlejohns in the snow. What fun! (Too bad Daddy is sick…)
Jude in Snow
After watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, every time Jude tastes snow he says, “Needs sugar,” just like Lucy says!
Gigi and Sophie in a SNOW FIGHT!
House: Now with snow!
Our snow angel
We are at the stage when the first baby is big enough to pull the second one. *sigh*
After the snow fight!
Brother and sister, riding in their one mom open sleigh (or toboggan)!
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My Brother Eats Bugs
11.22.10 | Permalink | | Comments Off on My Brother Eats BugsA few mornings ago I was in that dozy tired place that a parent is in when they are tired, yet their two year old son insists on being awake at 5:30 and turns all the lights on in your bedroom. I was lying in bed, head on pillow with Jude lying next to me when he spied it.
“BUG!” He yelled.
I rolled over and murmured, “Oh, an ant.”
Jude was not to be deterred by my disinterest. He continued, “Bug! Mama! Bug! I yike bug!” He proceeded to get down on the floor to more closely inspect the bug. I noticed he was on hands and knees, quiet and happy. I relaxed deeper into my drowse. Who knows how much time passed, but the next thing I heard was Jude saying, “Bug all gone.”
“Aww, did he crawl under the bed?” I asked.
“Nope! In tummy!” Jude answered. This made me sit up. Did my vegetarian kid just eat a bug? Forget vegetarian, did my kid just eat a bug? Seriously?
“Jude, you didn’t eat the bug, right?”
“I eat him! In tummy! All gone! I yike!” I was horrified. Who’s kid eats bugs? Mine are not supposed to unless they are very very hungry. And in the Savannah. AND they haven’t eaten in a long time. Bugs are not supposed to be the go-to food for my son when he is waiting for breakfast.
“Jude, we don’t eat bugs. Bugs don’t like to be eaten, and besides that, some bugs might make you sick.”
“Ooooh.”
Hopefully bugs won’t become a part of the daily diet, but with Jude, who knows?
***Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, anyone? 🙂
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Two Front Teeth?
11.21.10 | Permalink | | Comments Off on Two Front Teeth?Gigi lost her first tooth just days before she started Kindergarten. This year, in keeping with tradition, the night before she headed to first grade she lost the first of her top front teeth the day before the first day of school. Upon having it pulled, she said that now she was ready to start first grade.
Tooth one, and just a little ham and cheese here. I suppose it’s what I get for asking her to smile wider, WIDER. How wide can a smile be?
Then, right after her 7th birthday, the second tooth made its way out of her mouth and under the pillow. She is terribly cute and especially first graderish without those two teeth.
And now, the top ones are growing in and another is wiggling this way and that, making its way out of her mouth. We Littlejohns are intent on keeping the tooth fairy busy these days!
