Too much cold and some Thanksgiving

It got cold and we all got a cold and there was too much cold all round.

We got ready for Thanksgiving by buying every veggie turkey product in the Frederick area.

We are still in the process of the great veggie turkey knock out brackets.

I will let you know.

During all this Thanksgiving preparation there was a great deal of sick and tired so that our mood was less festive and more in search of comfort.

Most of us found comfort in the hot tub. All of us found comfort in naps and cold medicine and piles of blankets.

Kiernan got quoted (by me) in the local paper on the first page of their Thanksgiving edition.

Early Thanksgiving morning 3 of the 5 of us went on our traditional Turkey Trot. Aunt Licia did the 5k and Kiernan and I did the 1k. 

He was not in the mood for it. He groused and moaned in a really obnoxious way. I told him when it was done that next year I will be doing the Turkey Trot but that he is forthwith excused.

He was quite taken aback. He suddenly looked very contemplative and asked if he could do it if he wanted to. I told him of course he could. He said he would think about it.

He is thinking about it.

He has been in a very whiny, clingy, and hyper-sensitive mood for the last week or two and I wonder how much of it is being sick and how much is disrupted routine and how much of it is poor parenting.

I know some of the sensitivity is natural to his temperament but I can't help feeling that I am doing something wrong.

I wonder if  I should be giving him more hugs or more firmness. I wonder if either of these would make any difference at all. I know that I view the world through an untrue filter of anxiety that makes everything look more calamitous that it actually is. I also know that he is crying and shutting down more than a happy healthy boy normally dose.

Feel free to send me good advice.

We had a small Thanksgiving with too much food and too many earaches.

The food was quite good and the freedom to go to bed after was something to be very thankful for.

On Friday David had to go to work and mom spent the day in bed so I took the kids to Scearce's to run about and be loved.

Pax got to jump in puddles and chase squirrels to her hearts content as a nice added bonus.

Kiernan put on grandpas hat and glasses and told us that now he was grandpa.

It was pretty adorable.

Megan watched videos and heard stories and got some snuggles.

Then we went home for her to take a 4 hour nap.

My poor girl.

I entertained Kiernan outside with a tent to keep him from all the temptations of too much screen time.

Then we watched mellow videos and ate leftover stuffing and mashed potatoes.

On Saturday we got a great treat and saw my dad (doing much better now) and Mary and my excellent sister and her family.

We went to Ledo's and ate pizza and hung out.

Then we went to my dads house and hung out.

David did his son-in-law duty and worked on the computers. Cousin Shawn did double duty as jungle gym for Megan and Minecraft sounding board and partner for Kiernan.

Then we left while hanging out as much as possible.

We have started getting ready for Star Wars. It will be Kiernan's first cinema experience.

He tells me that he has already been to a theater and knows all about it.

He went to a play at the Weinberg on a class trip.

I have been trying to convince him that the theater and a theater are different enough that it might not count.

By Sunday everyone was feeling well enough to go out. I let the kids pick between ice skating and trampolines.

It was a tough choice but them landed on the trampolines.

Entertainingly, David had just gone to the gym so he got a double work out.

I loved the bouncing but more than that I loved taking pictures of the kids bouncing.

Megan found her inner motorcyclist.

Meanwhile in Japan.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody.