Something to make you laugh!

I actually stole it from my hilarious friend, Jeanne. Here it is:

Black November


When I was a young turkey, new to the coop,
My big brother Mike took me out on the stoop.


Then he sat me down, and he spoke real slow,
And he told me there was something that I had to know.


His look and his tone I will always remember,
When he told me of the horrors of . . . Black November.

"Come about August, now listen to me,
Each day you'll get six meals instead of just three.


And soon you'll be thick, where once you were thin,
And you'll grow a big rubbery thing under your chin.


And then one morning when you're warm in your bed,
In'll burst the farmer's wife, and hack off your head.


Then she'll pluck out all your feathers so you're bald'n pink,
And scoop out all your insides and leave ya lyin' in the sink.


"And then comes the worst part" he said not bluffing,
"She'll spread your cheeks and pack your rear with stuffing".

Well, the rest of his words were too grim to repeat,
I sat on the stoop like a winged piece of meat,


And decided on the spot that to avoid being cooked,
I'd have to lay low and remain overlooked.


I began a new diet of nuts and granola,
High-roughage salads, juice and diet cola.


And as they ate pastries, chocolates and crepes,
I stayed in my room doing Richard Simmonds tapes.

I maintained my weight of two pounds and a half,
And tried not to notice when the bigger birds laughed,


But 'twas I who was laughing, when under my breath,
As they chomped and they chewed, ever closer to death.


And sure enough when Black November rolled around,
I was the last turkey left in the entire compound.

So now I'm a pet in the farmer's wife's lap,
I haven't a worry, so I eat and I nap.


She held me today, while sewing and humming,
And smiled at me and said, "Christmas is coming . . ."


Happy Thanksgiving!!

Valin took his first step!!!!!

We were in the kitchen making dinner and Valin was standing next to fridge, playing with the magnets. Patxi offered Valin his pointer finger and pinkie (something he does so he can pull him up when Valin grabs them) which he did farther away to see if he would walk to them. And he did! Well, just one step -and a very wobbly one at that. But it's still his first step! His is doing well while holding onto our fingers and walking. He gets less and less wobbly with every passing day. Man, his is growing up so fast. I wish I had gotten a picture, but it totally hit us by surprise. So, I'll bet, he'll be taking more steps, and I'll be sure to take a video of that. I don't know what to say, but: Yeah! Hooray! Crazy!

Help! we need some ideas!

Now that Valin is getting older, we need to do activities together as a family. There are tons of things to do with older childern, but what can I do with a 9 month old who won't walk for a few more months? He also goes to bed at 7:00 am and usually naps form 10:00-12:00 and 2:30-4:30 so we have to be home at those times. Plus it's getting colder. I guess, I really, really want to get out of the house and do something fun with my family.

And, while you are giving suggestions, what are some fun things Patxi and I can do together at home, after Valin's 7:00 pm bedtime? We are bored with Skipbo, phrase-10, Cribage, Settlers, hand and foot, and uno because we've played the life out of them. All we do now is watch TV. TV is okay, especially when watching a gripping episode of NCIS, but it's all we do now. What else could we do for the two hours between Valin going to bed and when we do? The catch is that we have to stay home. Please help, I've ran out of ideas!