Creatures of the Night

I'm getting ready for bed. It's late--for me. 10:53. I love getting into bed and snuggling up in my down comforter. I love feeling the muscle tension melt away as I realize there will be no demands on me for the next eight or nine hours. But tonight I'm thinking about all my friends who are just getting ready to queue up for "Twilight." They are probably touching up makeup and stuffing leftover halloween candy into their purses. Truly, I think the whole idea of seeing a movie at 12:05 am on the official release date is just delightful, but I need my sleep. So to those droves of Twilight fans, just about to hit the road, I'm with you in spirit. It's not that I didn't like the book. It's not that I'm not excited for the movie. But I do not regret the fact that I'm about to crawl under the covers. Good night!

Let me know if you liked it, but don't give too many details, k?

today I am thankful for...

...a thirteen year-old who fasted and prayed today while his grandpa A. was in surgery for cancer.

...a grandpa who seems to have 9 lives and counting! We got the happy call today that the surgery went very well.

...our cat Milo. He came home! After a week of sadness we were reunited with our lost kitty. He had taken up residence with a family up the street...so we'll know where to look if it happens again. I didn't know how much I cared until he was gone (insert cheesy love song). So it's a love fest around here. In this picture he is sleeping:



...a boy who gets up and makes a good hearty breakfast for himself nearly every day. His specialty? Omelet with sausage and cheddar. Way to go, Sam!


...a friend who occupies Maia so I can stain my new fireplace mantle. Thanks, Emily!


...my little photographer, Maia, who is the only person (other than me) who has ever shown an interest in documenting my life :0)


...a husband who is mechanically minded enough to actually want to tackle problems like a broken electric sliding door. (He's going to replace it with this fine piece of Japanese engineering, the non-electric mechanism, because the electric is >$1100. Yikes! I think we can shut our own door, thank you.)


...a van that runs well despite the fact that several pieces of it are strewn about the garage right now.

...the dude who is hopefully coming to pick up Oreo and Panda, the rats I am done owning.

...the family of strangers who are coming to stay in our house while we are in California next week. I am thankful for them not because they will feed Milo and take out the trash, but because they have motivated me to clean every nook and cranny. Even if they don't show up they will have blessed my life! Thanks, strangers! (Okay, I know you'll ask, so really they are cousins of friends, so not so strange.)

What are you thankful for today?

October Montage

My kids and I agree that autumn is our favorite time of year. I love the crisp sunny October days (great for photos), but I also love the early nights and gray rainy days that make me feel like hunkering down with the kids and some hot soup. Time to cuddle up and read some good books. But October was crazy fun. As I finally downloaded all my pictures, I realized I could have gotten about 10 posts out of October events. So I'm going to hit you with a seemingly-random string of events and thoughts. These are the highlights, anyway.

You've heard of the six-million dollar man. How about the boy with the
six-thousand dollar smile? (Berk got his braces off.)

And Sam was soon to follow.



Mom and Syd got to go see Swan Lake, an entrancing ballet.
Thanks for the date, Syd.

Next, a big thanks to the Vials and our friend Nicolina for a sunny day in the country.
Nothin' beats eating chili in the hay.

Well, maybe jumping in leaves.

Or carving a pumkin in a barn.

Or touching the sky.

Next up:
Have you ever met Oreo and Panda? I took this picture with the thought of possibly putting them up for adoption on craig's list. We are divided on this though. Some of us subscribe to the notion that pets are a life-long commitment. I, however, am tired of reminding the kids to feed and play with them. What do you all think?


WHICH BRINGS US TO HALLOWEEN:

I burn myself on the oven. Sydney thinks fast and grabs some ice--
Maia thinks fast and grabs the camera.

I can't believe I didn't get a picture of Berkeley the alien-ninja with his friends on Halloween, but here are Sam, Syd and Maia with friends Gretchen and Parker.

And finally, friends, would you let your daughters go out with a boy like this?

How about a boy like this?


I love 'em both!