49 and holding . . .

While you are giving thanks and eating your weight in turkey and pumpkin pie, remember that today is the first day of Eric's 50th year!!  Yep, the countdown to the big 5-0 has begun . . .

Happy 49th to the love of my life!  Looking forward to celebrating with you for many years to come.  

Early morning party with the birthday boy!  The girls picked out the cake.  They actually want to eat it . . . I only purchased it for it's decorative value!  Emma made the "birthday tree".  What, you don't see a tree?  It is a cleverly disguised paper towel roll.  

This was taken a decade ago! Eric hasn't aged a bit . . . but someone has got to tell the girls to stop growing!!!  

 

Everybody loves a parade . . . unless they are cold!

It's Thanksgiving break for the girls and I.  Katy and Emma do not have to report to school until the 28th.  Technically, I have no assignments this week, but due to my fabulous procrastination skills, I do have a reading log to complete and several therapy videos to watch before December 2cd. They were assigned in August.  I really have no excuse.  I have found it is much harder for me to manage one class than it ever was managing the five I took each semester last year.  Luckily, I have kept up with my required weekly work, like quizzes, essays and observations.  I enjoy the weekly online lectures, but the professor is about a month behind in grading our written reports.  I hate not knowing where I stand as far as grades are concerned.  I have to take the final by the 4th of December.  Personally, I like to know just how hard I have to study to keep an A, if that is what I have, but since she has not posted grades for several weeks, I might actually have to crack down and put some effort into it!!!  
Eric had most of last week off, so I enjoyed having him around the house.  Everything goes much more smoothly here when he is home.  I do not feel as rushed with the girls, going to and from school and activities.  He helps me with dinner prep, dog walking, vacuum operating and homework avoidance!  The girls also love having him home.  He is a lot more fun than I am!  His vacation ends Tuesday and then he is back to work Wednesday, off for his 49th birthday/turkey day on Thursday, and then he'll run the morning shift on Black Friday.  Stores opening at midnight on Thanksgiving will really kill his business on Friday.  In the old days, people would hit the 5 a.m. sales, shop all morning and then head to the restaurants for lunch.  He would have shoppers lined up at the front door before he opened for business!  Now they are all going to be at home, sleeping off their buyer's remorse.  It will be interesting to see his numbers for that day!
Well, between finishing my class work and hanging out with Katy and Emma, I will try to post a few notes about what has kept us busy for the last month or so.  Also, I need to finish up my thoughts on what we did in Seattle -- out time was not all spent the American Girl Store!

We love and miss you all.  I am sure we'll call you on Thanksgiving.  We'll be at my mom's most of the day, so if you try us before we try you, call our cell phones.

Katy & Emma trying to warm up while waiting for the Christmas parade to begin.  Not too sure what Eric is looking at . . .

This is a standard Hilburn shot!  Emma squints nearly every time I take her picture.  Really!  

Emma's favorite entry!  Pee Wee (her stuffed penguin and "muse" for last year's winning Christmas card entry) would have loved that ride!  Katy and Eric were not as enthused about the parade as Emma and I.  The parade was a bit slow, but you can't leave until you see Santa and he is always on the last float.  It took so long this year that even Santa looked miserable.  I wish I had taken a picture of his sad Santa smile, but my hands were too cold to work the camera!
One thing that Katy did get a kick out of--there were several horses in the parade.  Most were decked out with bows, ribbons, reindeer antlers, jingle-bells and glittered hooves.   A woman riding one horse waived at me and said "You should buy your daughters a horse!"  She was surprised to hear me yell back, "I already did!!!"  Katy and Emma thought that was very funny.  

Pet Project or We've Gone and Lost Our Minds!

Notice anything new . . .?  His name is Linus and he is about 6 months old.  

If it appears there is no voice of reason in the Hilburn house, it is because that voice left along time ago.  One could argue that it was just experiencing a small bout of laryngitis, but I have evidence it took off screaming after a horse was acquired!  That voice was nowhere to be found when Eric saw this little guy online.  I was under the impression we were "just looking." It became very clear to me I was mistaken when Emma excitedly announced to me that "Dad had picked out a dog and we were going to name him Linus and buy him a blue blanket!!!  We'll get him on Saturday!!!!"  Yee.   Hah.  

Another clue that reason had clearly left the building was found when I read a copy of Emma's persuasive letter sample at Parent/Teacher conference.  Can you guess what she was trying to persuade us to buy?  When I saw her teacher this morning after walking Linus and Emma to school, Mrs. Blank cuddled the dog and said, "At least she didn't ask for a sibling!"  

Halloween!

Another near balmy night in Boise for trick-or-treating this year!  We attempted to stroll along Warm Springs Avenue but the sidewalks were crazy-deep with people!!!  We made the wise decision to abandon the Avenue and walk the block behind it.  There were absolutely no crowds and the home owners had time to talk to Katy and Emma.  They both received several compliments on their costumes!  I, too, loved their costumes.  Katy really did a good job replicating the look of her character. I was amazed at the detailed make-up tutorial she found on YouTube.  Emma's costume was made from things we had around the house, with the exception of the glasses and dress. Both of the girls' dresses came from the DI, so it was an easy year for me!  Since this was most likely her last spin around the block on Halloween, Katy enjoyed the evening.  I think she is looking forward to spending next October 31 inside a warm house, handing out candy to the 10 kids that knock on our door!  

Our not-so-spooky house!

Hippie chick!  The vest is suede and was mine when I was probably Emma's age.  

Emily (aka Katy) from the movie "Corpse Bride."

Looking a little blue . . .

Peace out . . . 

Nice look for him, eh?