PUMPKIN PARTY

We rushed home from dance, changed Cora into something more bouncy house friendly, got James to pick a costume (harder than you'd think!), and met daddy downtown to play carnival games (with each tied to a different Bible story), eat free hot dogs, and bounce around for a couple hours!

(She was determined to have her picture taken by the photographer in the photobooth, all by herself)

In case you can't tell, the kids went separate ways once we were inside the church's gym, so Jay and I split up too and just did our best to keep up with them!

DRESSED-UP DANCERS

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Happy Anniversary David and Taryn - we love you!

COSTUME CRAFT

What better day to have the kids put together the costume crafts that Auntie Robyn brought them back in March than a rainy day near Halloween? They LOVED putting them together (and tied the "feathers" and stuck the "spines" and everything in between all by themselves, so they were very proud). Sometimes rainy days are just the best days...

MR. BONES

It seems everyone except Buster likes Mr. Bones...

A SNACK AND A SHOW

Watching the rain from the edge of the carport - it was amazing how silent they were, just listening and looking. We decided to sit long enough to follow the leftover pizza with popcorn (a snack and a show!), then the kids moved into the sunroom to play while Jay and I enjoyed the turn to dark and a yummy libation. Hooray for quiet family evenings.

PRE-PATRICIA PARK PLAY

Our little friend Willow (who is here with her mama on detail with ERDC for 6 months, and is in Kindergarten at Southpark and also in Cora's dance class, and on the kids' Junior FIRST Lego League team) joined us for some running around and energy burning before the storm rolled in (we skipped our planned Boo at the Zoo adventure due to the incoming rain).

They were doing ninja moves...

SOCCER SWEETIES

11 AND 15

It was warm and humid again, but it didn't stop the 11 of us (Lori was taking the picture) from having a good, fun run around town and the park! I ended the morning with 15 miles and a smile on my face!

LIBRARY FRIDAY

 We go every 2-3 weeks and it's always fun to watch the kids get excited about what they'll find in the new arrivals section!

JUST SMILE

I'd love it if all my friends and family would take a moment today to think about Christopher and picture his beautiful, smiling face. Remember his strength, focus on the joys he experienced, and send up some love to surround Robyn and Stephen. A year is long, yet feels so short. I think the best way to honor Christopher today is to remember that his joyful personality was as contagious as his smile, so as you go through your day, just smile. Appreciate the joys that surround you and make an effort to help someone else put a smile on their face. Sending my smile up and out to Maui!

CANDLELIT BREAKFAST

OK, not really a candle. Even better. A light-up Halloween decoration that Robyn sent for my birthday!

GRAPES AND GRAINS

Tonight I attended the first semi-annual Grapes and Grains at Martin's at Midtown, along with Christina and two of our good running buddies, Amy and Francine. The idea was to have the Martin's two beverage reps compete against each other (wine vs. beer) for the best pairing across four courses, designed by John and Lisa. Each food item was paired with one beer and one wine (so it was a lengthy Girls Night out as we sat around for a long while chatting after the meal in order to let our heads and tummies settle before driving home). We all voted at the end, and it was a near tie, but the brews technically won. It was a really fun evening and I hope I can attend the next one (and that Jay can come along)!

The first of four pairings, and my third favorite. I picked the Pale Ale as the better pair to the spicy shrimp tacos. The next pairing, with the surprisingly yummy sausage and squash dish (it looked like mush to me, but it wasn't, and the flavors were pretty incredible together), also won with the beer in my opinion. The Lazy Magnolia 'Me and the Dev Ale' was SO GOOD that I took Jay back the next day for lunch so we could fill a growler...

This third pairing was the best of the night! I wasn't sure I'd like the lamb (let alone the balsamic onions - don't worry mom, I wasn't rude and I didn't pick them off), but it was so good on Lisa's homemade slider with the chimichurri (us ladies actually debated stealing the carafe of the extra sauce to take home...) It was a draw between the Delas Cotes du Rhone and Lagunitas Brown Shugga, and it really was perfect with both. I chose the wine only because WOW - it was good.

The last pairing was a weird one all around... the avocado cream was NOT dessert, in my opinion... and Martin's hosts one of THE BEST dessert makers in town (Lisa's sister, Shel), so I was pretty bummed not to find chocolate and stout on the menu. Maybe next time... The Hoegaarden was good enough (though not one of my favorite beers) and the Brandy Old Fashioned was fun (the beverage rep lit the orange peel on fire as he tossed it into each glass, so the aroma was incredible), but neither could win for me with avocado and lime...

OUR DAISY GIRL

Cora started Daisy Scouts this afternoon and absolutely loved getting to see some of her friends from dance and the YMCA, crafting (with GLUE, which is apparently a coveted activity), and learning her very own Scout Promise and Law. They will meet once/month and have a field trip once/month, so I don't think the time commitment will be too hard on her (or us) and I thought the leader was extremely well organized and very nice. It should be really fun for us girls!

Those aren't all Daisies - the Troop is mostly Brownies

These little cuties are the Daisy girls

Personally, I'm hopeful some of these Girl Scout qualities (ahem... honesty and respecting authority) transfer over to her everyday life very soon...

GOOD REPORTS ALL AROUND

The kids brought home very good report cards today for their first 9 weeks (especially Cora, who managed perfect scores all around!) PLUS they had been on GREEN/PURPLE for multiple days in a row (5 days for James - that's a record folks!), so we celebrated with Orange Leaf after dance. And then Jay and I did a happy dance! Super proud of these little smarties!!

James:

(And no, I don't know what all the specific scores mean for James on that top right page, but I do know they were taken back in August along with the STAR exam, so they can compare to the progress each students makes by the middle and end of the school year). 

Cora:

SERIOUS BUSINESS

Cora helped mama grocery shop and bag the goods while James and daddy were at soccer practice #1 of 3 this week (and yes, I usually use my reusable Baggu bags, but wouldn't you know the one time I take a picture at the store, I forget them...), and it's serious business, as you can see. So much concentration that when the real bagger showed up, she didn't notice him and continued on with her work.

RAWR

BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS

I started my birthday weekend off with a lunch date on Friday, continued it with a long run and Halloween party on Saturday, then finished it off with family time and the Fairytale tea on Sunday. It was a wonderful weekend!

Cora was showing me what she wanted for breakfast (we had DOZENS of cupcakes and cookies leftover after the party...) and James sat down at the table and declared he was ready for a feast!

My birthday cards from them... a light-up lightsaber from James (complete with sound effects) and an Elsa card (complete with 'Let it Go', of COURSE) from Cora. It was very hard to get her to stand still long enough for a photo, since she was creating snowflakes and twirling in circles while singing to me. I had to beg to have my cards back...

Enjoying some late night wine in camping "glasses" (courtesy of Christina) while watching The Walking Dead to cap out the weekend. Cheers to 37 years!