The old throw clean clothes into an open suitcase trick...

So, I am beginning to fulfill my dreams of not having to actually go to a store for Christmas shopping this year.  I love having a job where one can actually afford to buy christmas gifts throughout the year.  Makes me want to pat my own self on the back. 

I am clearly not as cool as my sister, who got a pimped out pastel kitchen and repainted it to suit their color wants (see HERE).  I know... I would love to have the time... but at this point, I need to stop adding to my to do craft list and actually start finishing projects.   I ended up buying this one for Nico yesterday:

If there were any doubt that Dave and I are clearly amateurs at this parenting thing, it would be the fact that we chose this kitchen because it didnt feel too girly (remember, I am a shitty sociologist) and because it wasn't too childish.  If we were pros, we would have gotten the bigger kitchen, remembering more kitchen=more entertainment=less tearing the house up.  Oh well... at least its a cool looking kitchen.  Can I share with you how excited I am to stay up on Christmas Eve and put this together?  SO EXCITED!!

One thing I haven't done?  Pack for Thanksgiving.  Yeah... so this is what Thanksgiving entails for us this year:
Dropping dogs at vet
7-8 hour drive down to Miami
Thanksgiving with Dave's parents
Cruise 3 days (including a stop in the Bahamas). 
7-8 hour drive home

And I dont have a single thing packed... for me.  Or for Nico.  You can probably guess where this is going:  Open suitcase on the bed, start dumping contents of closet, clean clothes basket, and dresser.  Suitcase stuffed to capacity, but somehow I manage to forget to pack underwear, socks and only have on pair of shoes.  Yeah, this will be great. 

Also supposed to show Auntie Nic Nic how to make baby hats.  I wont take my oversized red yamakah as an example.  We'll just keep that under our hats (<-- HA!!  PUN INTENDED!!)

Why haven't I had time to pack, you ask?  Well, Nico has been out of school since Monday morning.  For one (still Poopy McPooperson).  At our game last night (at Franklin County).  I changed Nico during warm up and had to change him five minutes later.  On the sideline.  I bet Anson Dorrance never had to do that.  Oh, and guess who has diaper rash?  Poor guy!  Yeah... not fine times.

Speaking of the game last night... we won, 7-0.  But that isn't the awesome part:  7 different goal scorers.  Do you know how awesome that is?  Also, this is the first time that they have met my half time goal scoring goals for them.  Usually, we're up 1-0 or 2-0 on a team and I say something like, "Let's bang in 3-4 more goals and call it a night."  Last night, I suggested 5 (we were up 2-0 at half time).  Five goals later.... it was a done deal.

Dave and I really like this team.  In so many ways its different than past teams.  When the phone rings at 9 pm on a Friday night, I dont for a second think that it might be someone calling me to come get them from jail.  They seem to like each other.  They seem to run around in one big group with a couple of sub-groups, not 3-4 distinctive separate groups (like we have had in the past).  I have heard it said, that it takes 5 years to build a high school soccer program.  A lot of coaches get frustrated around years 3-4 and quit because they aren't seeing the return.  And granted, some of our success this year has been due to the Little Big Gun and RA... but overall, we are very pleased with the way this team is coming together.  Even without the Little Big Gun, we'd  still be happy with how well we are playing, the things we are capable of.  Its a nice situation to be in.  It just feels weird to be doing well without our "Freshman".