On Being Thankful....

We had a great Thanksgiving in California this year. For some reason I didn't take many pictures - I really needed a shot of the 35 pound turkey in the oven... it was humongous!

We joked this year about everyone coming to Reno for Thanksgiving 2010 and going to a buffet. No cooking, and no cleaning up afterwards; but I guess it just wouldn't be the same without the family traditions. What would we do without "carrots of the ritz" and the famous jello salad? I don't think any casino buffet would have those two items on the menu!

As always, at Thanksgiving we are thankful for family...

And LARGE sunglasses that keep the two-year-old occupied.

We're thankful for cousins who make three nights at Grandma's house so much fun...

And for lots of stories being read before nap time!

TACKLE

Grandma and Grandpa Murray came for a visit the week before Thanksgiving. Hoyt couldn't believe his luck - he had two adults playing with him 24 hours a day for three whole days!!

Hours of playing in the playroom, swinging and sliding on the swing set, playing TACKLE, and riding the newest addition to Hoyt's herd of play horses..."Montana". (Montana was Ryon's bouncy horse when he was little). Let's just say Hoyt went through withdrawal when grandma and grandpa left.

Grandma and grandpa also brought Ryon's football helmet and pads from when he was a boy - Hoyt thinks he is a real football player now. He loves to tackle both Ryon and I, as well as throw touchdown passes.

TACKLE!!

With dad and all of the sports paraphernalia!

We need to grow into the helmet - I never thought I'd be saying that with the size of his head!

Riding Montana - he can get pretty crazy! I'm waiting for the day when he and Montana topple over!

Tool Time!

Hoyt has recently become a little "tool man". Whenever Ryon gets his tools out - Hoyt has to get his tool box as well. Lately he not only wants his play tools, but the real ones as well. He calls the real tools the "ouchy ones". Yesterday he asked me where his ouchy screwdriver was; I guess his two plastic screwdrivers just weren't good enough!!

Here he is using the hammer on a rack that Ryon was about to put up in the garage

Always close by dad and the tools!

He has moved on to the...what is that tool anyway? (Tools aren't my specialty - Ryon should be writing this post!!)

Rainy + Cold & Windy Day =

Fun, indoor projects for mom and the two-year-old. Butcher paper covering the kitchen table makes a pretty large canvas to draw (scribble) on. Hoyt especially loved when I traced his hand; when Ryon got home we had to trace his hand too! Next time we're going to make "hand turkeys", just in time for Thanksgiving.

After an hour and a half of creating his masterpiece, Hoyt watched his new favorite movie The Aristocats and enjoyed a few bowls of popcorn. He now goes around the house singing, "Everybody...everybody...everybody wants to be a CAT" at the top of his lungs. Thank heavens for Disney movies!

Hoyt loves to draw

HARD at work!

Popcorn and a movie...this kid would eat popcorn for every meal if we let him!

Like Father...

like son. Ryon thinks Hoyt looks him, but I see a few of my genes in the little man as well. Don't you think?

This is Ryon in his cowboy costume when he was a little boy.

And...here is Hoyt in the same chaps and vest. Too cute!

Happy "Hawaween"!

We had a terrific Halloween this year, or as Hoyt would say it "Hawaween". He was so excited to dress up in his costume and say trick-or-treat; to be honest the candy wasn't all that important!

With mom and dad at the trunk-or-treat. He was so excited that I was a witch. He kept saying, "I'm a cowboy and mom's a witch!" We had been reading Halloween books with witches and ghosts in them all month, so he was pretty impressed when I walked out dressed up as a witch.

Showing off his "put um' up" skills!

Having fun on Halloween night!

The BEST part of Halloween....suckers! Hoyt actually enjoyed passing out candy with me more than trick-or-treating. He would run to the door when the doorbell rang, open it and say "trick-or-treat" to whoever was there. He would then fill every bag with candy, and as the children were walking away would say, "Happy Hawaween". He thought he was pretty important!

Now, for a look inside Hoyt's Halloween Adventure:

Halloween's Past...

I'm not sure where three Halloween's have gone...why does time have to fly by so fast? Every Halloween I like to look back at pictures from previous years to see just how much Hoyt has grown. He certainly has turned into a full grown boy!

Whenever we ask him what he likes to do he will say, "play FOOTBALL, play BASKETBALL, play BASEBALL, BULL RIDING and TEAM ROPING! " I think Ryon has had a bit of an influence...don't you think?

Here he is at two months - cute little cowboy!

1 year - once again a cowboy! (Love the chaps!)

2 years - a cowboy once again, but it was his decision. All he could talk about the entire month of October was being a "cowboy hat" for Halloween. The outfit was Ryon's when he was a little boy, so that made it pretty special. Maybe next year we will come up with a new costume idea; however, he just looks so darn cute as a cowboy.