Thankful

This year, I am thankful for...

1. FIRST and MOST IMPORTANTLY: The health and well-being of my sweet family. I am truly blessed, and I recognize those blessings every single day.



2. That we are nurturing tiny creative people who care as much about others as they do about themselves.



3. That these babes are surrounded by family who wholly love and support them



4. That my hilarious 71-year-old mother greeted all of us on Thanksgiving Day in a turkey costume, complete with a colorful tail and giant yellow feet.



5. That the stunning dinner table at the Sands house put me in direct line of sight to a special wall in their Great Room. On this wall hangs a nearly life-sized portrait of my gorgeous hubby as a HS Senior, rocking the gold chain and an "I'm too hot for this" smirk. I spent the entire meal quietly making up new "ladies man" lines and wishing I could have known him back in the 90's, although I'm sure we would have fought about things like hairspray.



Yes indeed, life is good.
And God, you have given me everything I have ever hoped for; sometimes that meant the things I didn't even know I needed.

Thank you for that...and for everything else you've got planned for me, and mine.

Trilobites over Gigabytes

It was one of those weekends full of torrential downpours and gray skies, so we spent Saturday doing laundry in our sweatpants and hoodies. Then Sunday came...and everyone was a little stir crazy.


Carson nested himself inside a plastic laundry tub, staring blankly at the TV. He spent his time during commercial breaks crouching down and attempting to flip himself over like a turtle. I was humored by this until it had been going on for about 20 minutes. Derek and I exchanged glances and decided it was time to fold the last of the laundry, turn off the TV and kick Ella off of the computer. We needed a little fresh air.


Derek decided on a fossil hunt - so we headed to Germantown Dam.




Their smiles were instantaneous.
Carson splashed in puddles! He threw rocks!
Ella climbed fallen limbs and searched for fossils!

I have acquired a knack for skipping rocks as a result of a childhood spent almost entirely outdoors, so I was excited to share this with the kiddos.

I released the smooth stone toward the water and watched...as it bounced across the cold surface ELEVEN TIMES!

By the time my gaze shifted to the kids, they were both jumping up and down and clapping. It was a proud Mom moment.



O-H-I-O!

(me, patting this rock)
So guys, can you show me where Dayton is? Point to where we are!

(Carson, pointing to himself with both thumbs)
"Carson...right here, mommy!"




and alas, I am a mean mom. Ella was completely embarrassed that...
a. she had to pee outside
b. she became familiar with the term "drip dry"
c. I took a picture of her in the pose.

I warned her that in this family, it's but one of many times she will squat in the woods...so this moment needs to be marked in history. The look on her face was priceless.

California Girls

Just when I feel like I'm in a rut at work, I am whisked away on a plane to do some work in a lovely location like Los Angeles.



Add to that two of my very favorite colleagues (= consequently, good friends) and there you have a nice break for three gals with very tiny children and insane schedules.



I got to my hotel and opened my bag to find 6 things: the first was my usual slip from TSA stating that they searched my luggage. This happens every time I fly. Perhaps it's they assume that most drug smugglers carry a feminine, bright purple suitcase like mine. (?!)

The remaining objects in the stack were little handmade notes and drawings, labeled by the day of the week. Ella made them...with the philosophy that if my love notes in her lunchbox cheer her up every day, then she should do the same for me.

Of course I missed my routine and my family—but I can safely say that the culture, the sun, and the art of the West Coast offered just the break that I needed.

Three highlights:
the most amazing sunset I have ever witnessed
a yin yoga class that was so good it brought tears to my eyes
and the Santa Monica Farmers market, held on a sunny 72-degree day in November.









Hear that?

It's me, exhaling.

Ghosts & Goblins

First, it should be noted that Ella is not a fan of Halloween.
She is disgusted and horrified by all the creepy people wearing bloody masks and carrying plastic weapons. I have to say that I don't blame her a bit. So, each year we go on the quest to find her something sweet but not childish...cute but not racy. (Oh, don't get me started. The Halloween Stores should be shut down for the sale of "Naughty ________(insert kitten, maid, nun, waitress here)" costumes they sell to ages that span the female demographic range.

So a baby leopard it was, complete with knee-length skirt and a little bow. Meow-rific, she said. So Derek's mom gave her (sorry) the purr-fect face:



and Carson was thrilled to be Elmo even though he's never seen Sesame Street.
TV bores him when there are so many things in the house to climb and destroy.

Regardless, he said "HA! Funny eye-balls!" and off we went.

to Anne and Max's house...



to Mimi and Papa's block party...



to Granny and Poppa's house...



then to a carnival at church, where Carson reigned at plastic-pin bowling.



20 minutes after I shot this photo...he stood up, broke a sweat, and barfed all over the front of his Elmo costume.

So we got the trick; they got the treats.
Yes indeed, it's Halloween!

The Annual Week of Whatever

Last year, I discovered something strange upon reading Ella's school calendar: their entire Elementary School has a week off every fall. I took the week off at the last minute out of necessity, because we had no coverage for the kids while Derek was in class all day. I had no expectations - and I hate to say it, but I was a little concerned about us just "hanging out" for a whole week with nothing to do.

Little did I know what fun we would have. Life brings us so many surprises, and let's be honest - most of them aren't delightful:
"Carson, is your mouth bleeding? It's what? You ate my lipstick?"
"Replacing one part in our fridge is HOW MUCH?"
"What is that smell coming from the back seat?"

But the surprises that week brought were remarkable. We spent the entire time without an agenda, doing what we chose to do each day, fully present to each other and the fact that we had 7 days together with one goal: to have fun. From that point forward, I vowed to take that week off every year.

This year, here's how it went down:

We moved all the furniture and filled our family room with every plastic ball we own. We rolled, threw, played tag and keep-away. Ella flexed her soccer skills as our goalie for almost an hour!



Hidden Valley Farm's Fall Festival. Family favorite: baby piglets.





Pumpkin carving and several karaoke performances on the back deck with Heidi.

'


Serious sliding, bouncing, climbing, shooting, and jumping at Bounce U.



An array of incredible outfits donned by Carson, but this one is my favorite. He's wearing Ella's boots, a diaper, and showing Mimi his "big eagle birdie" tattoo.



Disney on Ice: I was impressed by Ella's interest in dressing the part, despite the fact that she's "just not that into princesses anymore."





The final weekend: off to Lexington to see the Isenhours, including:

time with baby Owen. Hands down winner for best baby in the family. When he's not sleeping, he looks just like this:



then some outdoor time at the Arboretum...I snapped this sun-kissed shot of Cindy and Ella lounging on the grass:





Our week was only missing one thing: time with Chris and Andrea. We caught up with them for a few minutes in a complete twist of fate. I thought Ella and Carson would never let go.



My sweet kiddos, I suppose you will read this and look back on all the "events" of the week. But here's the thing: our best times during Fall Break were the moments when the camera was not in my hand. It was about the two of you standing on our mattress, falling backward into our down comforter with belly laughs. It was the look of shock—then elation!—on your face, Ella, when you beat me at our first thumb war. It was the care that you took with your "job," Carson, the first time I let you move the clean clothes from the washer to the dryer. Those tiny moments are the ones that are fleeting, which is why they're so easy to forget. How do you capture that?

Or maybe you don't. Maybe the trick is to slow down enough to be present to those little things. To notice them and send up love and gratitude...

in that moment

for that moment.

Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action.
Mother Teresa