Carnivores

Sam and I have seen this commercial on TV several times this week, and have enjoyed a hearty laugh together each time. (Turkey defenestration never gets old.) So he recognized the whole, raw turkey when I took it out to prepare it for Thanksgiving dinner a few days ago. As I dressed it, Sam asked if there was an "animal turkey" inside this turkey. I explained in vague terms that this pasty blob was an "animal turkey" that had died and had its feathers removed. He asked the same question a few more times during dinner prep, and I gave him the same answer. I didn't think he got it.

Later, during Thanksgiving dinner, Sam refused the turkey with the announcement that he didn't want to eat animals. Three-and-a-half seems a little young to go vegetarian, but I told him (through stifled laughter) that I respected his decision. And he'd still have to try his sweet potatoes and corn.

On the other hand, Gracie, with her tray full of graspable delicacies, went almost exclusively for the turkey. We couldn't restock fast enough. And Malcom (poor Malcom) didn't get as much turkey as he would have liked either. He spent his Thanksgiving dinner hour staring at the partially carved carcass on the counter, whimpering quietly.

In short, no one was happy about the meaty chunk situation around here except me and Coach. And that's just how we like it. Gobble gobble.

Aloha!

Hawai'i isn't just something you can blog about in a minute and be done. The photos alone could take 47 days to upload. So, I'll just start simply. Here we are having some fun:

Proof

"Where's Sam?" you may ask. He's right here, on the other end of this phone call.

Bullet points

I haven't been blogging a lot lately, which is a shame because I see it as one of the best ways to keep in touch with family and friends who are far away, while at the same time keeping a record of our daily lives. Plus its a fun creative outlet and gives me a chance to write and stuff. So I want to do it more often. The trouble is, I'm a slow blogger. I ruminate for many hours about how and what to write, and then I edit and edit and edit some more. And then I publish. And then I may edit and republish several more times. This style doesn't work out well with two kids constantly clamoring for access to me (and, let's face it, the computer). I think of something I want to write about, but I don't do it because I don't have a long stretch of uninterrupted time to do it, and then days and weeks and months pass, and by Easter that post about my cute kids in their Halloween costumes seems obsolete.

But I want to get back on the blogwagon. Recently, I was really inspired by this talk, which made me think that I needed to restructure my blogging habits and express my gratitude more frequently. So I think that means more writing and less editing.

What that means for you is that you still have to leave frequent comments telling me I'm funny and my kids are cute, even if my posts are completely incoherent. Or worse: boring. Have we got a deal?

With that out of the way, here's a quick update on the topics currently in my mental file folders, marked with mental "blog this" sticky tabs.

• It's already snowing in Buffalo.
• Which is why I'm glad I'm in Hawaii.