The Instigator

Just another peaceful dinner at the Thibodeau's...Abby LOVES her new role - encouraging her little brother to perform!

It's December?...Really???

Ok, so I haven't blogged at all since Halloween, and there are now two weeks remaining until Christmas. What have we been doing? Oh, yeah. Buying a house in St. Augustine, that's right. That's most of it. Here are a few photos from a late afternoon in our backyard last month...I was savoring the last bit of autumn color (I don't think they have that in Florida). And just this morning I composed my letter of resignation, which left me very close to tears the remainder of the day. But I still managed to do most of my extended family and friends Christmas shopping online today. And clean out the playroom. And edit the videotape from Abby's first official Christmas program last night. Check it out on Neptune (link at bottom right).

Impersonating our Doctors

Who says oncology PAs can't have any fun on Halloween? For the first time since I've been there, a few of us decided to actually dress up for the occasion - despite the very real possibility of having to deliver bad news in costume. The patients loved it. Hopefully the medical board won't be after us for holding ourselves out as physicians. Unfortunately, my doctor was not there to laugh at me!

Make a Smilebox scrap pages

Hula Master

For a good laugh, click on the link to Neptune Mediashare at the very bottom right-hand corner of this page to view the latest video...

The Perfect Pun'kins

Abby's preschool schedule (I'm NOT kidding) and Mark's travel schedule were just too jam packed for our traditional visit to Burt's in North Georgia this month, so I bravely hauled these two napless kids to our local United Methodist Church pumpkin patch yesterday afternoon. Once Luke spent about five minutes on the various activities captured above, he got ultra-cranky and seemed to have a one-track mind...to break free and run wildly down the sidewalk toward the precipice of a steep and rocky hillside. Picture me, struggling to hold a 25 lb. sack of potatoes that happens to crying, flailing arms and legs and, oh yeah - arching its back - while helping Abby settle on two slightly sad-looking pumpkins, one tall and thin, the other short and round. No, it wasn't the perfect pumpkin patch experience. But I like 'em anyway!

Make a Smilebox photobook

Troublemaker

Luke's daycare teacher could hardly wait to tell me what she caught him doing today...my very fun and energetic but always good-natured, easy-going and really sweet baby boy was seen *pushing* another baby down, not once but twice. And then, he apparently walked away and acted like it never happened, leaving his friends crying on the floor!! As if that wasn't enough of a shock, she later saw him *hitting* another baby on top of the head with a toy! Who is this little troublemaker? she wondered, laughing hard. No big surprise there, I told her...he's Abby's little brother.

On the way home this afternoon, I relayed to Abby what Luke's teacher had told me, then asked where she thought he might have learned that. A simple, "From me." At least she's honest.

In Abby's defense, she's not always attempting to inflict bodily harm. One night last month, I asked her what in the world all those blankets and pillows were doing at the top of the stairs. She stood up and got all excited and proud as she stuttered out her idea for keeping Luke safe from falling down the stairs :) The gate went up a couple weeks later.

"Noah's in Texas"

So this morning I was watching CNN and telling Abby about the hurricane...that there was another really big storm with lots of rain and wind and flooding in Texas. She says, "I know a story about that: Noah! There's a flood in 'Noah.' Noah's in Texas :)!!". Not exactly, pun'kin.

Punk Princess and The Wild Man

Ah, Jammie Time...those last peaceful moments of the day when sleepy heads nod and busy hands stop to rub tired eyes...

What?!?! Last night I broke from Luke's routine and let him come downstairs after he got his pajamas on so that I could take some pictures of him and Abby together in their "skull-and-bones" jammies. The photos actually make them appear somewhat tame. :)

Stemming the Stench

OK, so it's 10:10p.m., Luke's finally asleep in his bed, and I've just spent the last 25 minutes cleaning puke out of every crevice and cranny in his carseat (sorry I don't have a photo to share). And my only question is: how will I know that I got it all???

Guess only time (and heat) will tell.

LUKE the Movie Star

Summer 2008 in Chicago

The big trip to Chicago was a lot of fun. It was a great adventure and nice to see Grandma and Grandpa T, Uncles Mike and Steve, Aunt Tracy and cousin DJ. We hit Lincoln Park Zoo, Navy Pier (Children's Museum, Ferris Wheel, Train), a Wendella Boat tour, an El/subway ride, Hancock Center, American Girl, Lego and Disney stores, UNOs for pizza, Wrigley Field, NASCAR - wow and believe or not, we wanted to do even more.

I think we have recovered from adventure and are looking forward to going back.