Tap Dancing Dogs, Children Who Wonnnn't Wear Clothes, Cooking for the United Nations.

You can tell when it is dinner time in my house. Things are busy in the kitchen (because unwrapping all those take out containers take many people and utensils) and we all gather around to lend a hand. The kitchen is full of good smells and we are generally all together talking, laughing and just being a general picture of family normality.

Rufus can tell too. This is when he starts dancing around the kitchen. But because he has these dog nails and we have a tile floor, his excitement is audible. It sounds like he is tap dancing. If we leave food on the counter and we sit down to eat, all you hear is the tap-tap-tap-tap of his nails as he dances around the counter waiting for us to feed him.
We have renamed him Rufus-B0-Jangles.

Erin, as usual, will not wear any clothes that are constraining, itching, touch her, or just in general that we like and think she should. On Saturday we needed to go to services at TBS and it was cold and rainy. She puts on a pair of summer, although dressy, capri pants. No. She tries warm and inappropriate sweats. No again. I force her to wear a pair of corduroy pants she has had close to a year that she begged us to buy. They are pink. They sparkle. They are super soft.

This is followed by 15 minutes of her walking around like she just got off a horse because when she walks with her legs together the cords make noise. They are uncomfortable. She hates them. She yells and whines THE PANTS AND IF YOU SAY ONE MORE THING YOU ARE SPENDING THE REST OF THE DAY IN YOUR ROOM WHEN WE GET HOME!" Cause I am all mother of the year like that.

So she wears the pants. And looks grumpy. Yet fashionably adorable.


When we get home I send her up to change.

"No mommy, I'm ok"
"Why don't you want to change?"
"Cuz these are comfy."
"But I thought you hated them?"
"Yeah, but you know I always do that"
Grrrrrrr.
is up with that?

Thanksgiving is in just 2 days. I am having 21 people for dinner this year. Here is the list.....You figure it out.

My parents and inlaws. Ok, makes sense.

Sister-in-law and her family. Yup sounds good.

My 2 cousins from NY. Ok, that is pretty cool. Reconnecting family ties and all that.

My Aunt from Canada. Ok... she already had a Canadian Thanksgiving, but still, it is a nice tradition.

Her son. huh? I found out about him coming on other cousins facebook page. for realz.

My sister. Her 3 kids.

Yup. That's cool.
Her ex-husband.

Ok, that is just showing we are a modern family.

His room mate.

Just call me the United Nations, people. Give me any hungry person. I will feed them turkey.
Pass the large bottle of wine and bring me some mashed potatoes.