M's Thanksgiving feast

I went to Mason's school today for his Thanksgiving feast. I have been looking forward to this since I got a paper in his book bag saying that I was chosen to make...turkey. Um...hello? Wrong mom for that job! I have never made a turkey in my life. Funny, I know. Usually we have dinner at my MIL's house or we go to South Carolina for Thanksgiving to spend time with my mom and dad, SO I never had to worry about a TURKEY! I went into Mason's school to visit his classroom the day after I got that paper and before I left the teacher asked if the turkey was OK with me. I'm thinking - Hmmmm...do I lie to her and tell her that I'd rather be the mom to bring in juice boxes or napkins?? She said she immediately thought of me when thinking of someone to make one and bring it in. Do I have Susie Homemaker written on my forehead or something?! I told her that they were all going to be my little guinea pigs because this would be the first turkey that I have ever made. She asked me if I was sure and I said yup, I'm making this turkey!! Aaaah I've never been so nervous to make something in my life.

Last night before I went to bed, I think I read the directions on how to make this thing a bazillion times. If I messed this up, seriously what the heck would I do? To make a long story short, at almost 30 years old I cooked an awesome first turkey. It was so easy...I'm a big fan of easy, so maybe there WILL be a next time. :)

The Thanksgiving feast at the school was too cute--the parents waited around the classroom for a few minutes until the kids came in. I couldn't wait to see Mason as always! The kids came filing in and then there was mason with his little Thanksgiving hat on. He looked so cute. I saw him looking for me and when he spotted me, he gave me a big smile and waved. I noticed his little face got red too when he walked in and saw the crowd...poor thing...gets that from his momma. I should let him know now that unfortunately the red face thing will never go away so he should probably just get used to it now.

The kids sang a song and then got in line to get their food, buffet style. As I'm watching Mason, I am just thinking to myself that he is getting TOO big. Seriously, how did this happen. He was in line, just talking away and laughing with the other little boy in front of him. He just looked like a mini adult having a conversation with a friend. It was actually really cute...he was cracking up over what the little boy said...but man...the years fly by way too fast. Cant I just keep him this little forever?

I finally got to go over to Mason's table while he was eating. I couldn't wait to give that handsome boy a huge kiss! He got really excited to see that I walked over and gave me a big hug. He told me that he was glad that I was here and that he loved me. Seriously, how did I get so lucky to have such a sweet boy? He reminds me that he loves me ALL the time, no matter where we are. He also felt the need to introduce me to all of his friends and let them know that I was his mommy. He got up from the table, found one of his favorite friends, and brought him over to me and said, "Mommy, this is "B", "B" this is MY mommy! Say hi to my mommy" with the proudest little smile ever. After that one, he brought the next one over to me until I met every single one of his classmates (true story). A few of the moms looked a little confused and I could only imagine what they were thinking - why is this little boy making my child get up from the table and walk over to his mom? I had to explain to two of the moms that he was just really excited for me to meet his friends. :) I'll be honest--it made me feel like he was so proud that out of ALL the moms there, that girl over there (me) was his!

Before we were about to leave (with Mason in hand of course because he wouldn't let me leave without him), I noticed all of the kids' Thanksgiving artwork hanging up. THEN I spotted the "I am thankful for" board (my favorite!). Who isn't excited to see what their child is thankful for every year? I look forward to seeing these every T-giving. I spotted Mason's name right away and there it was...."I am thankful for my mom". I saw that a lot of his friends said that they were thankful for their dogs or cats or baby sisters or dads and then there was M....ason...thankful for me. What he doesnt realize is that I AM the thankful one. <3 Love that boy more than he'll ever know!

Mason & his favorite friend from school

Steps for seizures

Last Saturday was the Epilepsy walk for Clayton's Hope at Washington Lake Park. I was super excited for it because I know that I'm finally ready to take a few steps forward with all of this...and this walk would be my first step. I had everything out and ready for it the night before because 1) I am SO not a morning person. I knew that once I set my alarm for "super early in the morning" that I would be hitting the snooze button twenty times and 2) If you know me at all, you know that the #1 thing on my top ten "i hate list" is being cold, so I had to make sure that we were nice and warm. 

So that morning was a bit rushed. I forget why, but I do remember running up and down the stairs a few times. It's probably because of that SNOOZE BUTTON that I love so much. We did look cute in our matching purple shirts though. I even bought Matt one, although he couldn't come because of work. Purple is the color that represents Epilepsy awareness and November is Epilepsy awareness month, just an FYI. 

When we finally got to the park, I felt really overwhelmed all of a sudden and I started to get emotional. I'm not sure why - maybe it's because this is something that I have been wanting to do for awhile? Maybe it's because I am the mom to a child with Epilepsy and even though I make the best of "it is what it is", it still hurts? Maybe it's because I was going to be surrounded by people who understand and to me that is weight lifted off of my shoulders? Maybe it's because I was by myself and it was just the three of us? I could go on and on but I really don't have a solid answer of why I felt the way I did at that moment. What I do know is that my tears dried quickly the second I opened the car door and the wind hit me. Whew-cold!  

After registering, I happen to look over and I noticed a little boy all bundled up in his coat trying to stay warm. He was walking around in circles, pointing up to the sky, and mimicking words, but no words were coming out out of his mouth. All with the sweetest little smile on his face. I knew right away what this little boy had and I really just wanted to walk over to him and give him a hug. It took me back to 3 and a half years ago and remembering all of the things that Mason did to lead him to being diagnosed with Complex-partial Epilepsy. I also thought to myself after taking myself back that Mason has come so far since then. He has been on so many different medicines and combinations of medicines to get him to where he is today. There are so many different kinds of Epilepsy and every person's body and intake is different. Some people NEVER find the right medicine or combo of meds (if they choose to do medication) to lesson or control their seizures and that makes me very sad, but selfishly thankful that we are on the right path for Mason. If only there were a cure...

Overall, the walk was amazing. I got to see Clayton and hear about his "story". There were SO many people there and it made me smile. ALL of these people were here supporting this. WOW. I will admit that this momma didnt make it twice around the park though. Me by myself + my huge PITA double stroller = not a good combo. Mason ran for a few minutes (it was so cute), but his legs get tired after awhile so it's in the stroller he goes and Mattison...well she was just along for the ride encouraging her brother to run faster, but yelled for him to "stay with mom" when he was getting a bit TOO fast for us. Leave it to her, the mini Mommy. Hopefully Matt will have off the day of the next year's walk so that way he can just push the stroller the whole time. We will make it twice around the park for sure then! :)

The Elf on a Shelf

Last night we finally read 'The Elf on a Shelf' book to m&m. They were both super excited when Daddy showed them the bag with the "special book" in it. I think Mommy was just as excited :) It's probably a little early to be reading it already, but that's OK. Santa is at the mall already isn't he? And when the kids start with their "I want this for Christmas and I want that" after seeing the toy commercials on TV, then its time to start telling them that Santa is watching...every...move...they...make.

After reading the story, Mason declared that our little Elf's name should be SPONGEBOB! Spongebob? I should have known. I'm surprised he didn't say Scooby Doo to be honest. Well, I'm definitely not having another spongebob in the house, so I told him that the real Spongebob Squarepants wouldn't appreciate his name being taken by an Elf...especially an Elf that wasn't yellow. SO I suggested Elfie. Typical me to be choosing a name like that. The kids loved it though! Yay! Daddy, not so much. Oh well, mommy wins! So, our little man's name is Elfie and I think its just the perfect name for him. :) I wonder how many other "Elfie's" are out there hiding around in people's houses, lol. Our Elf magically appeared above our fireplace when the kids weren't looking. I even got pictures of m&m standing underneath him. After that, the kids went right upstairs to bed but not before saying goodnight to him. Mattie even blew him a kissy and told him she'd see him in the morning. 

This morning, Mason was the first one to spot little Elfie. He was up on top of the curtain rod in the living room. I thought no one would find him...at least not right away. Hmmm...I guess I'll have to hide him in a better spot tonight. Before bed time tonight, Mason says to me, "He's not a real Elf mom". What!! I think I went on and on for about 5 minutes explaining to him just HOW real Elfie was. I cant not let him think that this Elf ISN'T real already!

We have an early day tomorrow morning, but I am super excited for it. Our purple shirts are out and ready for us to wear! We are walking for an organization called Clayton's Hope. It's an Epilepsy walk and it is something that I have been wanting to do for a long time. Three & a half years later (wow three & a half years? I feel like I have been dealing with this for a freaking lifetime), Im finally ready to get out there and do this. Not that I never wanted to, but I had a very hard time with this whole Epilepsy thing for the longest time. Sometimes...I still do. In fact, in reality I hate Epilepsy and what it has done to so many adults & children, including my own. I think I tell EPILEPSY that I hate it every morning and every night when I look at the medicine that I have to give my kid because of it or when he struggles because he cant do something like the rest of the world. I just wish it would go away. I wish there was a cure. I wish that somehow it could magically be given to me instead so that Mason didn't have to go through this every friggen day. When I blow out my candles every year on my birthday, you can bet that this is what I wish for. When I see a "wishie" floating around on a Spring day & catch it, yup thats right, that is my wish. When I see a rainbow, it reminds me that maybe this could be THE day for all of this to disappear. But for now, I continue to be strong & optomostic... and I have hope...lots of it because without it who knows where I would be right now. You know what, I do know where I would be. I'd still be right here doing what I do everyday, trying to be the best Mommy that I know how to be to those two beautiful blue eyed kids, who I am so very lucky to call my own.

New dinner recipe

Made some more chocolate covered pretzel rods yesterday with m&m when Mason got home from school (yum!). I never realized how easy it was to make these. Mom, why didn't we make these things years ago?! I did burn a hole in one of my Tupperware containers though. I guess I had the chocolate melting in the microwave for too long. Oops. ;) Later, we are taking some over to the neighbors to share. Hope they like!

I also found a new crockpot recipe yesterday to make for dinner. I chose chicken and dumplings since it took 5-6 hours to cook in the crock pot and not 8 hours. I needed some time to run to Shoprite and I didn't feel like eating dinner at 8pm. I loveeee my crock pot though! I'm not the best cook in the world (poor Matt), so it makes my days SO much easier. I found it off of one of my favorite crock pot recipe websites ~ http://www.crockpotgirls.com/. Their recipes are simple and easy to make (just my style!), and most of the ingredients listed don't cost much (another plus). I'll definitely be making this again. The only thing that I did differently that wasn't listed on the recipe itself was that I shredded the chicken in the crock pot before I served it. That lliterally took a minute. I'll post the recipe below. Another yum for the day!

I love to quote my kids as many of you have figured out by now. I want to remember the cute things that they say, so here goes another one. While we were sitting at the dinner table, Mason started talking about school (to stall from eating his dinner I'm sure). He told me that his class went outside to play today and that they played a game called ghost and then duck duck goose. He went on and on and what I got from what he was telling me was that there was a boy outside who was sitting by himself. He looked sad so Mason went up to him and asked him if he wanted to play and then the boy got happy because he had someone to play with. Hearing this little story from my little boy sure did make me one proud Mama. :)

Slow cooker Chicken & Dumplings
Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 onion, finely diced
2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces
Directions:
Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker and fill with enough water to cover.
Cover and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center or for 30-40 additional minutes.

Trick or Treat!

Miss Mattison and I went to Mason's school yesterday to see him march around in his costume at the Halloween parade. I loved seeing all the kids costumes! I think Mattie liked it too...she was staring intently at each costume that went by, but didn't say a word. I wasn't sure if she was scared, but she didn't cling to me once like she usually does so maybe she was just watching in her own little way. I think the ladybug costume was the most popular girls costume this year for sure.

While waiting for Mason's class, I got all panicky because I thought that my video camera wasn't working. I really wanted to videotape the parade for Daddy to see. I don't know what I did, but i flipped some button up on the side and it magically came on. Pushed record to make sure it was REALLY going to work and the low battery light flashed...and then turned off just.like.that. Yup...just my luck. I really need a new one like asap. I did quickly turn it back on to at least get a few seconds of Mason when we saw him. Oh well...I guess a few seconds is better than nothing.

When we did spot him in the crowd, Mattie got really excited and starting yelling for him. "Mommy, there's Mason! Mason here we are!" I wonder who she gets that from. =) I have to say that I was impressed by how nicely all of the kids were walking in line. Not one of them jumped out of line or anything. I couldn't see him smiling behind his little mask, but Mason didn't even run out of line to give me a hug when he saw me. What the heck...lol. As we were walking back to the car when the parade was over, Mattie said to me- "Mommy wheres Mason? Can we pick him up now?"  Even though they have a very hard time sharing toys, she just loves him so much.

We had a great trick or treating night too.The weather was great especially two days after it snowed! Crazy right?! It definitely wasn't as cold as I remembered last year's Halloween to be though. Our usual Halloween crowd came over again this year-Kristina, Rian, Mom-Mom & Poppy Mesmer, Amanda, & Kayla. Rian was Daphne from Scooby Doo (probably the only Scooby Doo costume that I saw this year) and Kayla was a pink mermaid. The girls were such good helpers and handed the candy out all by themselves to the kids that came to our door. Man, would I have loved to be a trick or treater last night! Little did we know, those girls were handing out fistfuls of candy to each kid in costume! I had to laugh to myself when I heard Mattie say "trick or treat little boy, have fun with your candy, happy halloween". Shes a trip!  

After pizza, we took a walk around the neighborhood on the lookout for the houses "with their front door lights on". Mason would scream--"There's a house with their light on! Lets go!" and the kids would go running.They were all just so excited! I love it. I think we did nothing but laugh the whole time. Mattie fell 5 different times from being overly excited (yes we counted). She would fall, but then get right back up, let everyone know that she was OK, and get right back to running up to someones house for her candy. She also felt the need to announce to everyone that her name was Mattison the second someone opened their door. I told her that she really didn't need to do that because Mommy didnt think it was safe. She says, "but im Mattison" and of course went off and running again. We also saw three big signs - two on someone's door and one in their garden - announcing that they had no more candy, which made us laugh too. Oh well, at least they apologized. Halfway through, Mason asked if it was time to go home yet. I knew that was coming...he was the first one to want to go home last year, but that was because his legs were getting tired. Since then the muscles in his legs have gotten stronger especially with wearing the leg braces. He told me last night that it was getting too dark out and that means it's time to go. I told him that it was OK for today and that it was safe because we were all there with him. There was one house that had one of those misting machines outside of it. As soon as Mason saw that he made it clear that he was NOT going to that house. "It's scary", he tells me. Of course Mattison came running to his side and said, "Come on Mase, lets go" and they left hand in hand. I hear her telling him that it's OK over and over and that it's all just fake. She amazes me. Can you tell who the leader of the pack usually is? :)


When we finally got home, the kids just wanted to eat nothing but candy. I don't blame them, BUT it was late so I INSPECTED THE CANDY FIRST (yes that's right...I told the kids that I needed to check the candy first before they ate it, lol) and let them eat one piece. Of course, Mason chose a kit-kat, his favorite this year. Last year, it was a plain chocolate hershey bar. Mattison doesn't really have a favorite. That girl will eat just about anything. When she talks about kit-kats though she calls them kitty kats, which I think is funny.


My favorite thing to end our fun night was when Mason was sitting next to me on the floor, searching through his candy bag. He said (in words that probably I understood the most of) "Mom, I was so happy when Mattison put her arm around me and told me that it would be OK when I was scared so I'm going to share with her and give her THIS" and pulls out a pack of nutter butter cookies from his huge candy filled bag. Such a sweet way to end my wonerful Halloween night!