Thankful for...

I am thankful for...

• Mommy and Daddy,
• Grandmommy and Grandaddy,
• Grandma and Pa,
• Uncle Grant and Aunt Kelly,
• Aunt Hillary and Uncle Patrick,
• cousins Trevor and Jayda,
• Layla Dog,
• other family,
• all my friends,
• and, and...

MY NEW BROTHER OR SISTER!!!!!

That's right, I'm going to be a big brother in May.  And look at him/her:

Turkey Day Pics!

There are lots and lots of new photos over at the Flickr page.

Wait, you're still here?  Get over there now (NOW!) and peruse the pictures.

Click the link above or go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/dylanpickle/.

Here are some samples:

And here's a picture of Mommy and her bum knee:

(Not So) Black Friday

They call this 'Black Friday.'  Well, what do they know?

Today was a good day, a day that did not involve shopping.  I hear that's the thing to do on this day after Thanksgiving, but I beg to differ.  I have a few ideas as to how one should spend the day after Thanksgiving, thank you very much, and if you read on you'll find out what they are.

The first thing you should do, upon waking, is snuggle.  I prefer to snuggle with Mommy and Daddy and Layla.

When you've had enough of that, you should play until you work up an appetite, at which point you should drink some milk or some juice and eat a good breakfast.

Now, the next part is optional.  Me and Mommy and Daddy got our hair done.  This is optional for the day after Thanksgiving, but not optional for a visit to Grandma's house.

Next, you should get outside for a bit.  I chose to walk (er, ride in the stroller) to the playground, then push my stroller all the way back.

By this time, you should be ready for a nap.  So, go ahead and take one.  I take naps daily, but you may not be as lucky.  Thus, I suggest that you take advantage of the opportunity.  And, if anyone says anything, just tell them to come talk to me.

When you wake up, you will probably be hungry.  You could have leftovers, but I suggest that you save the leftovers for later (dinner, the next few days) and go out.  I had spinach-artichoke dip and sweet potato fries.

I bet there is someone you need to go see.  I bet there is someone who needs you to help them with something.  Go see that person.  Go help that person.  I went to Nane's house to visit and help with her Christmas decorations.

And I bet there is someone you could go see and have some fun.  Do it.  I went to the Babb's to see their animals.  I chased the chickens around, then I petted one.  I played with the puppy.  I petted the bunny rabbit.  And (Surprise!), Mr Railey was in town and drew a bunny on my hand, just as he's been doing for kids for forever and a day.

Being out and on the go will work up an appetite, so you should go home and make some leftovers.

Play some more and light a fire.  And skip you bath before bed.

(Oh, and if you have grandparents like mine who won't see you for Christmas but want to have Christmas with you, then you should have a mini-Christmas with them.)

I think the day after is pretty darn close to being as good as Thanksgiving itself.  I can't wait until next year!

Gobble, Gobble!

Happy Turkey Day!

We loaded up the car at bedtime and drove through Tuesday night to Grandma and Pa's house.

It took a long time (8 1/2 hrs, including stops), but I don't remember much of it.  The only times I woke up was when we stopped and the bright lights shined in my eyes.

I had a big day yesterday, interrupting my playtime (with Grandma, Pa, cousins Trevor and Jayda, Aunt Hillary, Uncle Patrick, Mommy, Daddy, Layla, Sugar) only for someone to wipe my nose, which is now running.  I didn't eat much yesterday, but my appetite was back this morning at breakfast.

Daddy's about to go get Nane and Mema is coming over soon, too.  And I can't wait for them to spoil me rotten.  (Grandma and Pa are already doing a good job of that!)

We're watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but I really don't care about cheerleaders and musicals and Rockettes.  Bring on Sesame Street!  Bring on the Peanuts characters!  And bring on Santa Claus!  (Get ready, Grandaddy; we'll be calling you when Santa comes.)

This is not my first Thanksgiving, but I was too little to remember last year.  But I can tell that, by the smell of things, this is certainly a holiday for me!  I hope it's a good one for you.

Poor Mommy and Other Excitement

Poor Mommy.  She hurt her knee, a first degree sprain of the medial collateral ligament (MCL).  It happened on Tuesday and, although she is better, she is still having a hard time getting around.

Fortunately, we have great family and friends.

Grandaddy watched me and put me to bed while Daddy took Mommy to the doctor.  On day 1, Daddy had to take care of Mommy, while he and Grandaddy took care of me.  On day 2, me and Grandaddy had quite a day, as he used his day off to play with me.  On day 3, Grandmommy was back in town and she came over to love on me.  Mrs Carol, bless her, brought lunch.  Then, I went to my friend Michael's house to play.  Uncle Grant and Aunt Kelly brought dinner and played.

The weekend has been mostly me and Daddy, but I can tell Mommy is getting better because she is able to do more with me each day.  It won't be too long before she's on the floor with me again!  Oh, and Aunt Cathy came over last night with dinner and energy to play.

In other words, it's too bad Mommy hurt herself, but I've enjoyed all the visitors!

Don't be a stranger.  And don't wait until someone is injured or sick to come play.  You don't need an excuse to play with me and love on me.  Wait, I am the excuse!

Weekly Roundup

Sorry to be away, folks.  And, really, I don't have a very good reason for not posting in a week.  You know, just the ordinary business of being a kid.

That said, such ordinary business can be quite extraordinary, as was the case this week.

The weather--oh the weather!--has been so very nice.  A kid couldn't ask for better weather.  Maybe someone else could, but not a kid--at least not a kid who likes to be outdoors.  I went to the zoo...twice.  First, on Monday, with my friend Michael.  And then, today, with Evan.  And, on a few occasions, I got to walk Layla and run around.  And I got to swing in my tree swing and go on lots of walks.

Yesterday was a big day.  Mommy and me made a car out of a box.  (More on that later.)  Then, Daddy took me to another basketball game.  (Actually, make that games, with an 's' at the end, because we saw the last quarter of the girls and the first half of the boys.)  And, finally, we went to church for movie night on the lawn.  (Did I mention the weather yet?)

So, the reason we made a car out of a box is because it was 'Boxcar Movie Night' at church.  They were showing Horton Hears A Who! on the lawn, but everyone was invited to show up early to make cars out of boxes.  Why?  Well, who wouldn't want to sit inside of a car on the lawn to watch a movie?  That's what I thought!  I see all those hands.

We made my car during the day because we weren't sure (a) if there would be enough boxes, or (b) if there would be boxes my size.  (And it turned out that there were plenty of boxes, but they were all too big for me.)  At any rate, no one had a boxcar quite a fancy as mine, which was decorated with wrapping paper and felt, as opposed to sidewalk chalk.

I had lots of fun (and ate lots of popcorn!), although I must say that the movie was not so good.  Now, the book is quite enjoyable, but the film version just tries way too hard.  We would rather kick it old school in this house!  (Take that, Jim Carrey.)

Oh, and before I forget, I posted some more photos on the Flickr page.  Here are a few.

Boy's Day

Mommy has been very busy this week making banners for the Missions Banquet at church.  And they are very nice.  Mommy is so creative.  So, anyway, they have to be done before tomorrow.

Plus, sometimes I like to give Mommy a break from me and sometimes I wish I had more time to spend with Daddy.  Therefore, we declared today a boy's day.

Me and Daddy played and read and listened to music and went to a basketball game and watched some college football.

With Daddy, I usually like to play with my balls or my cars or my blocks.  But, today, I was really into the wooden train set that spells my name.  I don't know why; I just was.

Grandaddy and Aunt Cathy got me some new books at the Scholastic Book Fair at church the other night, so I have new books to read, although that doesn't stop me from reading the old ones.  Actually, we don't so much read the old ones as much as I identify things on the page when asked.  I'm a smarty pants like that.

And Daddy has turned me onto OutKast.  I like their beats and especially enjoyed dancing to "Bombs Over Baghdad."  What?  Are you laughing?  We should have a dance off.  That'll teach you.

Then, me and Daddy went to watch his students play basketball.  The girls were playing when we got there, so we just found a spot in the stands.  Between games, though, we followed the girls to our school section and sat there while the boys played.  I know the girls were supposed to be watching the game, but that didn't stop me from distracting them.

After missing my nap during the basketball game, I was tuckered out.  I held out, though, until I couldn't stay awake any longer.  And I went from full speed to slamming on the brakes.  My nap my have been late, but it sure was long.

I was so excited when Mommy got home shortly after I woke up.  She missed me so, and I missed her, too.  In fact, just two minutes before she got home, I started saying, "Momma."

It was a good day!

Chickens!

trunk-or-treat!

Yesterday, we had Trunk-or-Treat at church.  What's that, you ask?  It's where people decorate the trunks of their cars and kids trick-or-treat from car to car.

It sure was fun.  And here are some pictures friends took: