And Speaking of "Twacolate Kisses"...

Andie, good-luck with these two at your Thanksgiving table!

I am calling my seat next to Superkid right now!

Plymouth Pilgrimage

What better way to kick off Thanksgiving than go visit the place where it all began? Fortunately for us it was an unusually warm day so we did not have to suffer like a Pilgrim! 

First, to the Mayflower where those brave Pilgrims piled into a tiny little boat and set out on the treacherous sea... 

This is the little bed that our whole family would have crammed on if we were lucky enough to have money for wood (otherwise we would have slept on the floor with the ravel)...

Not a bad place to be for a couple of hours, I am quite certain that even with my love for adventure I would not enjoy this boat for months at a time (mostly because of the food)...

Next we visited a traditional Wompanoag village. Here is Little Tad checking out the wetu we would have lived in if we were native people...

But we descend from the nasty Europeans who came in and blasted our way into vast land holdings...

Superkid is enjoying his time as a "Fetcher" (for those of you who don't know, Ruff Ruffman (Superkid's favorite show) filmed an episode here)...

Here is Tad relaxing in front of our 17th century house...

And here is Abz passed out from a fun but long day at Plimoth Plantation...

In an effort to rejuvenate our little pilgrims and begin the serious work of stretching out our stomachs for Thanksgiving, we gorged ourselves at Mickey-D's. 

Here is Abizella after she gave me her patented "twacolate kiss". 

Napkin Please!

4:00 Dance Party

Since the long cold days of winter have set in, the kids regrettably have not had as much fun outside time to burn off their energy.  After about a week of the kids running laps around the house like maniacs during the witching hour, I racked my brain for a better way. That is how the 4:00 dance party was born. We close all of the blinds (at least until we get some good moves to showcase for the neighborhood), and crank up the sounds of 1993, which is probably the last time I bought a CD. I love watching my kiddies groove like Mike Myers on "Sprockets" to the Cure or like Egyptians to the Bangels. But I have to say that this week's fav has been 10,000 Maniacs "Our Time in Eden". You should see Tadpole twirl when this CD starts to spin. Of course Abizella can't dance without a proper tutu... and I am certainly not one to deny Tadpole of the the same pleasure.



Pops, you will just have to start getting home earlier if you want to protect your son's masculinity. Or you can always hope that Tadpole will start mimicking Superkid's Kung-fu moves, of course if I am taking blows from two boys that might put an end to our 4:00 dance parties altogether! Actually the blows are worth it as long as I can get the kids to use their strewn toys as dancing props as we strut them over to their proper homes. But I have to say the best part of all is that the kids are reduced to heaps on the ground by the time the last kick line has been kicked...

Growth Trajectory

Ever wonder what Tadpole will look like in 4 years? Ever wonder what Superkid will look like in 15 years? Well, maybe you don't spend much time thinking about it, but I do. Kind of like how I wondered for 9 long months what Superkid would look like when he was born. Come to find out he didn't look like anyone I knew, at least not then. 4 years later I found out Superkid looks just like his kid brother.

Well, today my little guys had their doctor check-ups, which is the highlight of the month. We LOVE our doctor and talk about her ALL OF THE TIME. Well Dr. B. didn't disappoint today. Even Abizella got in on the fun. We have a very wise and patient nurse who let Abz do all of the same tests (hearing, vision, blood pressure, weight, height, heartbeat, ears, throat, knee tap etc.) that Superkid did. You would have guessed we were at a carnival. As we were munching on our traditional Dunkin' Donut (shhhhhh! don't tell the doc) in the lobby, I flipped through Superkid's growth chart and realized if he stays on the same growth trajectory when he is 20 he will be 6 feet and 1 and 1/2 inches tall and weigh 190 lbs. ... just like his Pops. Makes me wonder if he will look like him too? This would be a good place to post a pic of Pops when he was 5 years old. Anyone got one?

And the Winner Is....

Steve! ...and an "Honorable Mention" to Becca, who actually has family members that dressed-up as Pops for Halloween the first year that he had his favorite pair of glasses. I'm sure all of you that failed to notice the change were too busy looking at Pops' good heart.

It is a sad page of history that we turned when Pops could not find a good-enough Barry Goldwater look-alike pair of replacement glasses after years of searching. Maybe next time.

Thanks for playing! ...and Steve look for your fabulous prize in a mailbox near you soon!

Contest Time!

Okay. Something is different with one Tidepool Toads. Nobody noticed on our recent trip out to Utah, and considering how attached this certain someone was to this "difference" we are a little flabbergasted nobody noticed (and points to how self-absorbed we are). Can you name the difference (sorry Andie, you are excluded as we have talked about it on a few occasions)? If you can, there is a fabulous prize in your future... Just write your answer on the back of two round trip tickets to the Bahamas with hotel accommodations and hand deliver it to our doorstep where you will then be required to babysit for a week before said prize will be awarded.

You Wouldn't Be Blogging Either If You Had THIS Book To Read:

If you only read ONE book this year (seriously, what kind of loser only reads ONE book in a whole year), Three Cups Of Tea should be it! Greg Mortenson is a miracle man, and my hero. Don't be surprised if in my next post I am in Pakistan wearing a Burk ha. I think he has plans to lecture here next year, and you can bet I will be there! 

And now for those grandparents out there, some bonus pictures of some of your favorite spooks...

And Grandma came to town this weekend! Now does this look like a crowd that is keeping secrets from the parents of the family? Come back soon and often!