You Don't See That Every Day

Thanksgiving Day dawned with sunshine, and cold!! And I am so thankful for a heater and a woodstove. Our family did not run a Turkey Trot this year. Although the Mr. is able to run again after his injuries, we didn't make it a priority to sign up to run. The Boy played in a Turkey Bowl football game the night before, and the Mr. was traveling all week up to the holiday. So, we have our excuses. My two youngest girls went off with their aunt, so I had the morning to put some food together, along with the other girls' help. And then off we went to my brother's house. So the 7 of us, along with 30 other relatives, gathered at my brother and sister-in-law's home for a lovely feast. We started off with a wine tasting. I have family members who are convinced the shape of the glass influences the taste of the wine. The Mr. disagrees, but still had fun listening to my parents tease each other as they tasted different glasses.  There was plenty of food. There is always pl...

November has been busy and fun! It's one of my favorite times of year. Not just because of the upcoming break from school or the feast we are planning, but because it is basketball season! One of the girls and I spent a Sunday afternoon making Christmas cards at my sister's house. It's one of my rare crafty times. The fall leaves are coming down in torrents, but they are so beautiful that I don't mind raking them up (or watching the kids rake them)   The girls and I made a little video for our Hawaiian friend, and for our Friends in Peru  - this is the road we drove down towards the school. It is just gorgeous in the fall! The video doesn't do it justice though, And our girl, the Chef, is playing basketball! The team has lost one game so far, out of 7. She has even scored a basket, and we have seen her skills improve in just the short time she has been playing. She played a couple of years on the Upward Basketball team, but the school team is a step abo...

It has been wet and windy here for the past few days. But we had to get out. We had some tickets to use up before they expired. So we went to the zoo, umbrellas in hand. A little rain won't stop us! It was a terrific zoo day. There was hardly anyone else there. We were able to see the animals for as long as we wanted without crowding, or having to maneuver around others. The Bears were first on the agenda. Then we saw some amazing birds - Eagles and condors. And the girls got to climb into a "nest" The gazelles looked like they wanted to get out of the rain, so my girl helped out. We had hoped to see real lions, and elephants, but they were missing that day. But we did get to see the cheetahs up close! That was one of my favorite parts. It was almost like we could touch them!

Adults might see something as routine, but a 5 year old considers it really exciting. Which in turn makes this adult remember the awe of being five and experiencing new things. Yesterday was a gold-star day for Little K. The rain stayed away, which was a nice reprieve from the wet and windy weekend. And it meant we could get some things done, like change the oil and go places without getting soaked. First, Little K got her first-ever-at-the-salon-haircut in the morning. I could see the thrill on her face, as she sat in the grown up chair, and had the cape tied around her, and then the chair went up, up, up, and so did her grin. She only got a trim, a little cleaning up of her beautiful tresses, but it made her shine the rest of the day. At supper she asked her sister, the Chef, if she could tell what was different about her. (I had to give the older one a hint) And she beamed when big sister mentioned the haircut. But it got even better for Little K as the day went on. After lunc...

How can it already be November? Yesterday, the Mr heard Christmas music playing in one of the stores already! Wait! I am so not ready for that holiday yet! Looking back at October - what a full, and fun month that was. We took some time to recover from the Mr's exciting scary adventure on the mountain. And then we jumped right back into the busy everyday life we have. The older kids ran their cross country meets, taking their times down at each meet. This girl placed 6th in pre-districts. I was so bursting proud of her. This is the girl who once told me, about 4 years ago, "I'm just not that athletic." I think the past few seasons of basketball, swimming, and now running, have proven that so wrong. The Girl who Swims (and Runs) also had a birthday this month. 15. How am I going to keep up? The Boy also did super in cross country, placing 19th for his district, and also breaking his personal best. I love watching my kids do well each week, and push for more...