With the hours counting down until feast time, there was a few more things on the list of ‘to-do’s.

Cranberry sauce

and dough for the Parker House rolls.  I tried this last year and I wasn’t happy with the results.  Hopefully this year will be better.

All the baked sweets were completed today.

First, that roasted pumpkin and part of the pie dough became our Thanksgiving pumpkin pie and some pumpkin tarts for Matt to take to work.

The rest of that dough and some delicious apples,

which were lovingly peeled and cored by Marley,

resulted in a piping hot Apple pie.

I can never make a pie without making some “doo dads”.

dough for pie crusts.  Day 2 of the cooking marathon complete.

My week long marathon of cooking has commenced.  Today we got the pumpkin roasted for the pie.

And the flock of turkey cupcakes is back this Thanksgiving.

When I came back from the store tonight, Marley showed my just how much his tooth was about to fall right out.  I immediately started hunting for the Tooth Fairy Pillow.  I didn’t find out on my first attempt.  Then Marley bounds down the stairs to show us his tooth, now out of his mouth.

Back into the basement I went.  This time I found out.  The Tooth Fairy Pillow.  My brother and I both put our little baby teeth into the pocket on this pillow for the tooth fairy to find.  Of course, we were excited to see if she left anything in the pillow for us too.  I was so happy to have found it and have it for my baby’s first tooth.

Hoping to peek out from behind the camera more in the coming months.

My very first parent-teacher conference today.  Well, my very first time on the parent end of the conference.  I couldn’t have dreamed of a better conference.  Marley is a very smart, compassionate, curious boy.  He loves school, is well behaved, and happy.  What more could a parent ask for?  I love this boy with all my heart and he couldn’t have made me anymore proud of him.  He is incredible.

A 6 month check today.  Six months ago we first went to Shriner’s Hospital to get the official congenital scoliosis diagnosis for Cale.  We left feeling very optimistic, but still with a lot of uncertainty in our hearts.  Would surgery be eminent?  Would our family be turned upside down?  Would our baby takes months to recover?  Would we ever have another baby?

Some questions were answered today and some were left to the fates.  But, all in all, it was a good visit.  Cale’s scoliosis has not progressed much in 6 months.  He has a major growth spurt behind him and looks good clinically.  That means when you look at his x-rays he looks like he should be more malformed.  His shoulders should be more slumped and showing more signs of his scoliosis.  He looks relatively normal.  This has the doctor very optimistic about his upper curve.  His lower curve he is not quite as optimistic about.

No surgeries as of now, however, if surgery occurs it is less scary than Matt and I have been envisioning.  Yes, spinal surgery.  Yes, extremely dangerous.  Yes, any parent would be and should be freaked.  But we have one of the best doctors in the world treating him.  There are few orthopedics who have done as many surgeries as our doctor for this condition.   Plus, our doctor has this way of making you feel like it is all going to be fine, without belittling the seriousness of the condition.  When you are in the best hands, comfort just seems to envelope you.

I think I know what I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving.

That’s our hope after a hard conversation today.  Matt had a talk with the director of Brodie’s preschool.  We pulled him from his class.  The class is very stressful right now as a result of some strong personalities.  Brodie can be very lively at home and, at times, a handful  However, in school he is another creature.  He is shy, reserved, and often anxious.  He voices frequently how he doesn’t like to be around a lot of kids.  That is something he is going to have to get used to.  But that anxiety is even further heightened when a child with problems is not dealt with correctly.  Our problem is with the staff, not the child.  I know, as a former teacher, that children need to learn to deal with ALL types of personalities, even the not so nice ones.  But there needs to be a supportive adult, who is not overwhelmed with stress, facilitating these interactions. In addition, the added stress has compromised learning in the classroom.

Luckily, the director is an incredible person.  She loves her job and genuinely cares for the children.  She understood all of our concerns.  Brodie will begin in a new class after Thanksgiving.  We will have a few weeks at home together and then begin anew.  Hopefully this change will be something that will help Brodie blossom and spread his wings.

I love the look of the flowers in Autumn.  There is just something so gorgeous about flowers at the end of their life cycle.  The colors and shapes are one of my favorite parts of the season.