Friday, December 30, 2005

Note to Self: More Pictures

Me: Did you read Chickenblog?

Him: Yeah...

Me: Was it a good one?

Him: Yeah. I like pictures.

Me: Oh. Okay.


Holly brought a family tradition to our home for Christmas Eve. Don't let her sweet smile fool you. She stayed only long enough to get us hooked, then she left us to toil and puzzle on our own.


FINISHED. I do not share the same obsessive drive to succeed that Geoff does, but I knew if I didn't help him we would never make it to Pasadena in time for Christmas dinner!


Aunt Becky and Grandma serving up the Christmas dinner. We stayed over night and shared the company of Paul, Ruth, Larry and Lupita, Julie and Rebekah, Dan and Olivier. Julie made fudge. Mmmm fudge. We all made Merry.


Last Friday we met Tamsyn, Carol and Gene for downtown skating. Alex and Tamsyn are campaigning for skating lessons. They were quite dedicated, inspite of uncomfortable skates and a very, very wet rink.


I think it was this rubber tree that first attracted me to this house. Soon our lease will be up and Max will not be able to call to me, "Can I go up higher? Please?"
Everyday I think of things to write about. Most days I don't manage to get to the computer and to share all my brilliant insights and reflections of gratitude.
Everyday I cook and clean and play and strive to accomplish tasks and chores, and I seek fulfillment and understanding, and sometimes I stay up to 2:48 a.m. playing
S-C-R-A-B-B-L-E against the computer. I am a busy woman.

I wish I had taken the time to write more about the activities and pastimes we have enjoyed this month.
This month has been about Christmas and time off from work for Geoff, it's been about having a lot of time to spend together as a family, and figuring out where we are headed. I can list the things we did: We ice skated twice, we rented the big bike, we went sledding at The Wild Animal Park, we made tamales and decorated gingerbread houses, we watched favorite holiday movies and sang Christmas songs while driving the neighborhoods in search of great light displays, we even went on an official caroling expedition, we played at parks, hiked and traveled, we met with friends... I can list all of these things, but what I wish I could do is capture in words the frequent moments when I was consciously, gleefully aware that I was enjoying a genuine, golden Christmas, quality family experience. Again and again I thought "I really must blog about this... I want to remember this moment forever... this is wonderful." It wasn't about perfection or great expense, or fancy place settings. Usually it was in the midst of laughter, or even in chaos, like when we were with friends decorating gingerbread houses... frosting and gumdrops, spills, elbow to elbow with children and sugary concoctions... bliss.

Geoff and I tackled the making of and baking of Bourbon Pecan Cakes, a task so huge and onerous that I only attempt it every four years. We even dared to double the recipe. Geoff's arm cramped twice while mixing the batter. I loved that he was in the kitchen with me. I loved that we took turns scooping up Maria when she tired of cooking in her own kitchen. I loved that we debated about the measuring of flour, or how dark the cakes should be when they are done. I loved that the smell of this recipe takes me to my childhood, my mother, my ideals about Christmas and sharing and giving and enjoying.

Today is my 39th birthday. Alex stayed up late last night and secretly baked brownies. They all went shopping for me. When I came to the kitchen this morning I found balloons and crazy straws, chicken napkins and presents, some wrapped in Star Wars paper. The sink is full of dirty dishes and I am still trying to recover from Tuesday's late night of Scrabble, we are agonizing over our destiny options. But I have new socks in my favorite color, and lucky bamboo, and Katamari for PS2 and a daughter that wakes up playing peek-a-boo. I have time to sit down and reflect with gratitude about my life, and good health, good friends, the many Christmas cards on our hall wall, the sound of the dishwasher running, the call from my brother and his wife wishing me a happy birthday. Alex wants me upstairs now to see something cute Maria is doing... this is going to be a good day.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Maria needs some extra TLC right now, but first let me share a bit of our wonderful day. We met Holly and Nicholas in Coronado for brunch, skating, beach time, then a BIG bicycle ride. All day fun.










Thursday, December 15, 2005

Okay. If I am going to "blah, blah, blah" and express every other emotional spark that crosses my threshold, then I guess I'd better be prepared to explain myself.

1. I am not depressed. I do get severely bummed, but in an explicable, non-chemical-imbalance kind of way.

2. I agree, Chickenblog should not be my public forum for all my dirty laundry and unseemly thoughts voiced aloud.

3. I disagree. Chickenblog is a perfectly suitable place for me to let it all hang out... we all need an outlet for our issues and stresses... for some it's coffee, then gin, or coffee and gin, for some it's running, shopping, manicures, or online poker, the perfect lipstick, yoga... Writing about my fears and disappointments, worries, wrinkles, gray hairs, backed-up sinks, and other daily grime is a means of managing reality, and it never overrides the predominate feeling of awe, wonder, gratitude and amusement I feel about my life.

4. Darn. I don't have a fourth point, but I really felt like I was on a role, and having a fourth point seemed like the best way to make my insights legitimate.

5. My mom made a point... next time I feel slighted I need to address the issue head on, so I don't let it fester (my words, not hers) and stagnate and spill-over and make me feel pitiful and small and unworthy and confused... something like that.

6. William just told me there will be a sequel to Elf. Elf 2! 2007! See? Life is a balance. And now, even though Maria has a mystery rash, El Nopalito burned down and I still haven't found the nerve to call Bob the landlord, I feel happy, optimistic, hopeful, encouraged.


Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Canada is one of our possible options, so I tried to find interesting Canadian facts for William, who does not want to leave his motherland.
There are Famous Canadians. And you can make beautiful train trips in Canada via Rail Canada. In Canada you can prepare figgy duff, fried cod tongues and other Canadian Recipes. A first glance at the "Introduction to the Government of Canada Official Web Site"shows they like red. William likes red.

He probably won't appreciate that I am trying to make light of all this, trying to find the silver lining. Life is taking a new direction and, until we stop spinning, we aren't even sure which direction we are heading. It won't be easy for any of us. Yesterday I didn't want to accept anything, except disappointment. Yesterday all I could think about were the things I lost, the plans that were dissolving, the effort that seemed to be for nothing. It's still utterly frustrating. So, maybe I shouldn't rib William about Canada's good points, or insist he see the bright side. Like me, he may need to slowly find his way to accepting the inevitable changes. We have a lot to get used to, and we tend to consider everybody's feelings, so emotionally this has become overwhelming.

... let me interrupt myself a moment... I was sharing some of our concerns with some people last summer, explaining that in Hawaii jobs are scarce so if we lived there we'd have to be careful, and someone responded, "So, you'd have start to living like the rest of us." I should have asked her on the spot, "What does that mean?" I have been wondering what she meant ever since. I should have asked her to explain: "How have we been so unlike everyone else, so unlike her?" She seemed to hold some particular beliefs and opinions about us, and the way she delivered her statement left me hurt and confused. Shame on me for not taking up the issue directly. I just recently learned about myself that I am so fearful of rejection that I won't stand-up for myself. I think I had better learn to believe that rejecting myself is far more damaging than calling someone on an ignorant and chicken@#&! remark.... anyway, that's a deep thought I just needed to put out there....

The boys are still coughing, but gone are the 105 degree fevers. Maria got sick too. Her first illness, poor baby. Christmas is 11 days away. Tomorrow is Holly's birthday. Next week we want to go see Grandma in Pasadena, make tamales, send greeting cards. I'm just going to take things step by step, enjoy what's good, figure out the rest.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

I was away for awhile. Did you miss me?

First I Googled "How to stop being bitter."

Then I looked for other blogs. There are millions. Most of them are more sophisticated than mine. A Bored Housewife in Utah posts artistic photographs of her cleavage, and wears jewelry in her nose. Plus her house looks really clean. Not just surface clean, but genuinely sanitary, organized. Another woman is enjoying literally thousands of visitors to her blog. She says she's a 'geek' and wants to 'explore geek subjects like internet marketing.'

My Google search for petty emotions yielded several gossip sites and an article about weddings and how they make people jealous.

So, I wasn't actually away, gone. I was just surfing the w.w.w. After awhile of slipping from one link to another... from Utah to New Hampshire, to New Jersey then to Amsterdam, you start to feel like you have left your own corner of the world. I did. I felt far away.
Maybe we should get back on the road and just be Under Aged RVers.
We're still trying to zero in on a place to work and live. Maybe we can put this tool to work for us. "Pin our Tails on the Planet."

Monday, December 12, 2005

Peppermint Memories

One of the candy canes was broken. I slipped a red and white shard onto my tongue and let the peppermint dissolve. Candy cane tastes like visiting Santa at the mall, shop windows painted with wreaths and holly, the glow of stop and go lights on the rainy drive home. I'd like to let my mom brush and braid my hair. I would like to wear new pajamas and watch Christmas cartoons in bed. I'd like to slow down, without falling behind, slow down and absorb a little more peppermint.

Four Is Just Right



I know 4 children is supposed to be a lot, but looking at the picture of them piled together, happy, healthy, they don't look like too many to me.

Unless... maybe when they're hungry and at a restaurant they order five dollar quesadillas, and then ask for seconds.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Our Oregon Trail

Last week's family vacation photo show was just a smattering, so pop some corn, kick back and feign interest, 'cause here are a few more precious moments...


Every trip has a beginning. I like the first 15 minutes of a roadtrip, when the energy is high and the anticipation is peaking. It was early in the afternoon and we weren't sure how far north we would get, but we were prepared for the adventure ahead.


Well, we were as prepared as we thought we needed to be. We could have used a little more cold weather clothing. When traveling from Southern California it is always impossible to anticipate extremes in temperature. Geoff and Max are wearing socks for gloves in the 37 degree Big Basin morning.


There are tales of a large, strange beast in the Red Woods... could this be...?


It was chess after breakfast and checkers before. This is at the Benbow Inn, which is a cozy, luxurious contrast with the natural setting of the red woods. I would like to stay in Richardson Grove State Park for natural beauty and then get pampered at the Inn for the beauty of warmth, comfort and service.


Outside at the Benbow Inn.


Geoff gave Maria a boost so she could get even more uncomfortable about the humungous blue ox.


Here's a better picture of Geoff and Maria.


We thought Bill and Alison would be with us for Thanksgiving. Mom was cooking so much even Maria felt obliged to help her. Bill and Alison wimped out on us (something about colds...) so we had to eat all the pies ourselves.


Mmmmm pie.


Okay, if you aren't convinced that you should be planning a roadtrip to Oregon, then take a look at these dinosaurs! South of Bandon, north of Brookings, somewhere along the 101 there are giant dinosaurs. I'm telling you the trip is great, with no end of astonishing sights and opportunites to bond and grow. Next summer there wil be warmer days and lots of berries for picking. See you there?

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Over the Rainbow

We are still sick. It's bad. It's record breaking. When Maria coughs it's heartbreaking. We are doing *everything* so please don't ask whether we've had vitamin ABC or meditated with healing crystals. We do seem to have turned the corner. The boys have been awake more, eaten more, complained more... it's time.

Check this butt posterior out:



This is a mandrill b00ty. My camera is not doing it justice. This guy had the biggest rainbow b00ty ever. His butt was a fleshy, colorful rainbooty. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I'm not saying I was attracted to him, but you can sort of appreciate his appeal with the lady mandrills.

You know, there are many important and significant things happening in the world, and with my family and friends. I am having deep thoughts, serious concerns. Christmas is coming. Loved ones are doing marvelous things and going interesting places. But for now, all I can produce is a grainy baboon butt posterior photo.

*Updated and "censored" April 18, 2011: Unbelievable how much traffic is generated by this post. I assume it is because of the butt. Good grief.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Oregon Thanksgiving

We are a bunch of sickies. Look away! No, don't look away, look at pictures...


Big Basin. California's first State Park.


The drive-thru Chandelier tree, in the redwoods, somewhere. It was cold.


On the 101? Hungry? Stop at the Benbow Inn. Our breakfast was good and the setting was great. It was a pleasant treat stopping here.


The Trees of Mystery, Paul and Babe... we skipped the $13/person tour.


Alex and his Grandma BooBoo went right to work making a bracelet for Tamsyn.


Maria and her Grandma had their quality time together too.


I loved being in Oregon, snug and happy with family.


I also loved stepping out for brisk walks in the Oregon forest with Mom and Dad.


Our visit was over too soon....


... saying goodbye...


Alex is checking the sights from his comfy perch.


Nature!

Quick. Pretty. Oregon.... now I have to go wash barfy sheets and dispense more Tylenol.

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Oh woe is me... my camera battery won't charge. I think the battery is good, but the adapter-charger- thingy doesn't seem to be talking to the camera. All of our beautiful pictures from our Oregon Adventure are trapped.

Downstairs is a family room where we hold school. A few months ago, William and I devoted a couple of hours to hanging up posters, timelines and learning graphs. We made the room look a little more like a standard classroom. And even as we slaved away, I thought to myself: 'This sticky adhesive seems kind of weak... I bet it comes down when the weather changes.' Gee, I hate to be right. Charts and graphs have been peeling off the walls with every fluctuation in temperature.

Upstairs we are face to face with Maria's skills: She can open cabinets, climb chairs and sofas and wreak havoc. She pulls out cereal boxes, opens the oatmeal tub and loves to help *sort* the utensils in the dishwasher. Her own kitchen, which Max has generously donated for her use, is a disaster area (she may get this from her mother.) Someone needs to get things under control. Someone needs to purchase ingenious devises that lock cabinets, toilets and dishwashers. Someone needs to sort through the baby's kitchen and organize everything, setting aside the surplus dishes, gadgets and rubber tomatoes.

And while Someone is at it, I hope she will clean the rest of the house and find a safe place for a Christmas tree, and hang new lights outside (the old ones are still up, but inconveniently falling down... it looks really tacky.) Someone could follow my recipe for bourbon pecan cake. Once the cakes are baked they need plenty of time to sit in bourbon soaked cheesecloth. While the pecan cakes are maturing, Someone should set aside an afternoon to prepare tamales. We'd like about 4 dozen. Make that 5, in case we have company. Could Someone find us nice, clean clothes and pose us for a Christmas photo, then get 50 of those printed? The car needs cleaning, inside and out. Chango needs shots...

Good grief.

I was writing all of the above, sort of making fun of how hectic life is, and then I was derailed and never even returned to post it until today... two, three days later. At least we got the battery charging again. Pictures soon, I promise.

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Maria is One

We are home.
We are sick.
Cough. Sniffle. Sniffle. Cough.

I tend to get weepy and frustrated when life interferes with my plans, or fantasies... yesterday was Maria's first birthday. Though she had no expectations of the day, I naturally envisioned a homemade, organic cake with butter-cream frosting, fresh flowers in vases, Maria in a dress with her hair gathered in a bow, maybe pony rides, and certainly friends and family gathered around, sipping chilled chardonnay, nibbling clever finger foods. We are really too sick to have friends over, so instead we went out to infect total strangers at the zoo.

Maria is one year old, and a day. She is wonderful. She makes us laugh and she makes us sing. Because of her we find cause to celebrate every day. She loved her day at the zoo, where she gazed in awe at the monkeys and marveled at the giraffes. She fell asleep before we reached the elephants. Isn't it grand, she saw new sights and laughed and enjoyed all and was never disappointed? She doesn't have the cold we have. She is healthy, happy, safe and adored, and without hand printed invitations, pony rides or satin bows, she had yet another very good day.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Hello!

I feel so far away, and yet I am right here. "Right here" is Oregon. Did I mention we were going over the river and through the woods? And now we are with Grandma and Grampa in their coastal woods, with the misty mist and fog. On our way we saw elk, raccoons, stellar blue jays, redwoods, a myrtle wood factory, the Benbow Inn, Paul Bunyan, Babe and the Trees of Mystery. We've been biking and hiking. Hiking is just walking. We almost adopted two kittens, but common sense intervened. Too bad. I might have named them Squanto and Pilgrim. We had bad barbecue in SLO. Not horrible, but simply disappointing. We ate 3 boxes of Cuties California Clementines; go buy a box now. They are delicious.

It's a very long drive to go from there to here, but somehow we made it. L.A. traffic was typical; slow, then fast, then slow again. We saw lots of fall color and the wine country was romantically aglow with fading grapevines and a jeweled blue sky. The waning moon has been following us north, but every day we see less and less of the sun. Last night Geoff and the boys were asking about bed and sleep, but it was only 6:00 p.m. We stopped at the nature center in the Avenue of Giants; we learned about the giant redwoods, floods on the Elk River and a man who could sing bird songs... can't think of his name. Stopping makes a long trip manageable. Of course driving is what brings a long trip to an end.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We have a lot to be thankful for. Actually I feel gratitude everyday. I can't help but frequently feel really, really fortunate. We made it to my Mommy's home, where we are welcome with warmth and happiness. We will see more amazing vistas on our way home. We will enjoy a home cooked meal, prepared with love and thoughtfulness. We have gloves, hats and quilts, and propane, so we stay warm. We have a laptop and DVDs, so on the road, we stay sane. We have eachother, so we have laughter and stories, encouragement, company.

I know we are not all enjoying a bountiful harvest. I know that not all of us can be with our family, and we cannot be with all of our family... maybe like me, you are missing brothers and sisters, cousins or aunts. There are some special people I am especially keeping in my thoughts and prayers right now, and everyday. I pray they find a peaceful place, kindness, comfort, hope.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Fall and Family

It took some time to recover from my shame, but I must admit our local librarians were cool and reasonable (I think it helps to grovel while holding an exceptionally cute baby.) So, they suggested we extend our lending time, so we could look for the book. But guess what? Sometimes no amount of searching is going to recover a missing item...

We made a spontaneous visit to Aunt Becky's. Uncle Dan, Julie and Grandma, Aunt Becky, Fiona and Molly gave us the red carpet treatment over the weekend. We squeezed in a movie, and another carousel ride, this time at the big mall. We rode bicycles. We found denim shorts for Max, also at the big mall. When we weren't running around having fun, we were at the dining table being fed. Well fed. Alex and Max played with Julie's Legos. William and Alex did some drawing... just like last time... and just like last time they used large books like a clipboard under their paper...

Guess which book they used and presumably left in Pasadena during our last visit... ? Yup! I SPY Treasure Hunt has been hanging out with the periodicals on the coffee table at Aunt Becky's. JOY! Relief. Redemption. It was a very good weekend.


Alex caught a tiger.


Maria rode the zebra.


Max, on a seahorse, followed Julie on her horse.

Today I will send our Pasadena family a thank you card for their exceptional hospitality. I will go to the library and return the missing/recovered book, and thank them for their patience. And finally I will pause and acknowledge that perhaps I have become a better library patron. Maybe I have matured, somewhat. The thing is, while I was fine tuning my life skills, we introduced four new lives to the world and they create a whole new set of variables. Ah, life. Except when I can't find my keys, the check book or my sanity, life is really, really good.


Uncle Dan brought out his motorized scooter... "Scooter" is now on at least 2 Christmas lists now!

When we got home we noticed our Autumn tree had really begun to drop leaves. Alex and Max love to rake the leaves. They learned the joy of raking with their Aunt Laura in Wisconsin. One tree, once a year leaves time and room to appreciate the job.




Fallen leaves can be appreciated on many levels.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Unstress Me, Please

Hand over the secret formula. I need the power of unstress. We cannot find a library book. I SPY Treasure Hunt is missing. Hey, that's sort of ironic... I wish I could spy the I SPY book. Humor is not undoing my stress. The house is clean, so why is 1 book so impossible to locate? Seriously, can anyone explain why when we need to find something (keys, wallet, cell phone, library book, nose ring, bundt pan) it remains lost, very inexplicably and profoundly lost?

After much effort in searching Max sighed and said, "Well, I guess it's anywhere we haven't looked." This particular lost article is especially vexing because it is Max's lost library book. Max is diligent, responsible, organized, orderly. Max knows the book was near his bed. Now we don't know what the book is near, but it certainly is anywhere we have not looked yet.

I guess the stress I am experiencing is partly from my bad library Karma. Trying to be a good library patron has been a lifelong ambition. Yet, for as long as I can remember I have failed to fulfill the basic expectations entailed in a library relationship. I have always misplaced books, returned books overdue, owed quarters. This time I resolved to be 100% responsible, efficient, good. I enjoyed library dialogue with the kind women in the library, so that by establishing eye contact and a relationship of trust, I would reinforce my desire to do good. I chose educational, beautifully illustrated and well written books. I separated the borrowed books from our home books and kept them on their shelf. I felt certain that for once my library experience was going to be simple, routine and uncomplicated. Alas. I am undone. Today I must make eye contact again with the kind library women and I must admit my failure.

Here life has provided me with yet another opportunity to pass my knowledge on to my children. "Boys, Maria you too, borrowing is a responsibility and responsibilities must not be taken lightly. We have agreed to take books from the library and we have agreed to return them. The librarians know us, they have helped us and they trust us, and so now we must endeavor to retain their trust by finding the missing book..." and as I tell them all this I must remain calm. They should see the effort it takes to fulfill an obligation, without the drama and teeth gnashing, hair pulling utter frustration from trying to find one frickin' @#$% book. I must show them how to accept consequences with dignity and humility.

Everything is on computer these days. I imagine my 38 year life of library misdemeanors is all on file. I imagine the librarian will type in my whole name, middle name too, like a scolded child, and pages of history will appear on her screen. Every late fee, every missing tome, every misstep will be before her and then the gravity of my sordid past will make her shoulders square and she will suck in her breath and turn slowly to me... Max asked whether we'll be doing any jail time... her look of contempt, of disappointment will be my jail time. I will be caught in her bureaucratic gaze, and writhing in her look of loathing.

Dread, dread, dread, dread.
The library closes at 5.
We've got only 6 hours to find the book.
Everyone. Remain calm.
This is not a drill.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

Cold Morning... Warm Memories

Brrrrr.... Because of the time change, I am waking up earlier, but it's way too cold to consider actually getting up to greet the brand new day. The floors are cold, the shower stall is cold, the air is cold, the kitchen is cold. It's all cold and so I pull the covers up around my shoulders and try to think productively. I try to think of what needs to be accomplished, how I might get things done, what I will put off for another day, what needs to be done as soon as possible, where I should go and who I should see.

Then I grope around the bed clothes and under the pillows for the TV remote, and I watch the news. The morning news is my coffee; I need to check on the world as part of my waking up ritual. When an anchor is showing *Dogs that Look Like Celebrities* or debating whether Americans like Diana better than Camilla, then I sigh with relief, because a slow news day beats the hell out of suicide bombings and natural disasters. There are not many slow news days, not really...

Brrrr... it's still cold, especially downstairs, but the day has begun. Max is hungry, so is Maria. William and Alex were brave enough to shower. I guess it's time to gather my productive thoughts and put all my good ideas to work. Rise and shine. Grab a sweater, comb my hair. It's a brand new day. I am sending warm wishes to all, thinking of you and hoping you are enjoying a slow news day, productive thoughts, a tasty breakfast, a bright outlook. Good morning.


Remember I said we've been very busy lately?
Did I mention that before pumpkin carving, after Wild Animal Park, we went to The Big *D?*
Maybe I really am "A-." We played all day and in to the night. Wanna see some more pictures?


Sharpshooters. Not PC? Ah, come on... target shooting is strangely gratifying.


While the boys were hitting fence posts and tombstones, Minnie and I listened to the fiddler playing tunes for Woody and Jessie.


This will always be a favorite memory for me. It warms my heart, and my limbs.

Friday, November 04, 2005

Here's Geoff...
surprised?





You Have A Type A Personality



A





You are hyper, energetic, and always on the mood
You tend to succeed at everything you attempt
And if you don't succeed at first, you quickly climb your way to the top!

You could be called a workaholic, but you also make time for fun
As long as it's high energy and competitive, you're interested
You have the perfect personality for business and atheltic success


Thursday, November 03, 2005

Personality

How many trivial things can one person find on the internet? Many.
I wonder whether I would have published the results of this *personality* test, if they didn't sound so flattering?




You Have A Type A- Personality





A-





You are one of the most balanced people around
Motivated and focused, you are good at getting what you want
You rule at success, but success doesn't rule you.

When it's playtime, you really know how to kick back
Whether it's hanging out with friends or doing something you love!
You live life to the fullest - encorporating the best of both worlds




I am experiencing another calendar wake-up call: It is November! Panic? Maybe. The sun is setting so early, even Geoff and the boys are caught off guard by the sudden darkness. It's already time to countdown the days until Thanksgiving, Christmas, Maria's first birthday, my 29th birthday... just kidding.... Seriously, time is moving. Shakin' and groovin'. Alex wants to be enrolled in a robotics class. My Mom is inviting us to Oregon for Thanksgiving. Max wants to know what kind of party we will be throwing for Maria. Other things are in the works, and so we are in our usual state of limbo. Wait and see. Wait and see. But it helps to know I am "balanced, motivated and focused." It gives me assurance to realize I know how to "kick back and live life to the fullest." Who knew?

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Pumpkin Highlights

Out of order. We really have been busy this week. Before Halloween, and costume contests, we had friends over for some pumpkin carving fun. Lots of fun. So even though the order is mixed, I think I should share some highlights and the awesome skills these children possess.


Tamsyn and Gene up to their elbows in pumpkin guts.... eewww!


Max's Specialty: 1 pumpkin, many faces.


Adam and his new friend.


I am loving William's happy pumpkin series.


Okay, Jacob borrowed a pumpkin.


Alex recreated his award winning scorpion design.


Tamsyn with her *white is the new orange* creation.


Holly and Nicholas together, carving a ginormous pumpkin. Gee, is it just me, or is Holly glowing like an expectant mother? Looks like a little Pumpkin's coming soon.