November 20th

Jens played outside almost every day. The cold did not deter him. He loved the snow and got very adept at putting on all of his own winter gear.

November 20th

There was snow at Grandma and Grandpa's house. After church, it was all the rage to go and check it out. This was the extent of Sylvie's winter clothes:

That means we had none. But doesn't she look adorable?

November 24th

I am taking the rest of the week off. (read: last week was so traumatic with the death of our dog, plus ten thousand other things--volunteering at school, play dates, park days, book club, YW board meeting, a volleyball game, company for dinner, painting cabinets, parent teacher conferences, frantically cleaning the house about five times, etc. that I didn't take any pictures)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I will post again on Monday.

It has begun.

We have resurfaced the counter tops. Now I am painting the cabinets. Stay tuned for further kitchen changes, but don't get too excited. The budget for this project is $20.

Being Thankful

As it is Thanksgiving week, I am in the mood to think of some things I am thankful for. So here is my list of ten. It isn't a "Top Ten" list because really, I am grateful for so many things, I don't think ranking is possible.

My husband. He is kind of nerdy and very silly. Sometimes I wonder how old he really is. But he is an awfully good match for me, and I am thankful everyday that he is who he is, even if he is trying to stick his finger up my nose. He is a good father, an entertaining companion, a steady partner, and a great best friend. Lucky me.

2. Health and fitness. I have worked hard for it, and I feel really good this year. Bodies are pretty amazing--when I think of all the things mine can and has done, I am amazed. I should take better care of it.

3. Family. I have a tremendous family. I was born into a really great family, and I married into a really great family. That doesn't happen for everyone, and I really think my family is one in a million.

4. My children. They irritate and frustrate me. They have very loud, shrill voices. They are also beautiful, healthy, smart, and interesting. They have grown me in ways I never thought I could grow, and I feel fortunate that I get to stay home with them and monitor their progress up close. Parenting really is a rough, poorly paying job. But the job satisfaction is pretty great.

5. Good friends. We have been blessed with many and love you all dearly.

6. Pizza. What else is there to say about that?

7. The earth. It is one of the things that truly testifies of a Heavenly Father who loves me on a daily, concrete basis.

8. Comfortable jeans.

9. My house. It is strange looking and has no grass in front. But I really do love it. It has become a comfortable home, and all the work it requires keeps me busy and engaged. In a day where many people have lost homes and the economy is tough, I am grateful that we were able to find something that is comfortable for our family. And I don't really want it to burn down, even though building a custom home would be great.

10. Everything else. There really is a lot, and I thought of so many things to put in this spot that I decided to blanket cover the rest.

November 17th

This is one of those weeks where being a grown up really stinks. I remember when my parents had to put Annie down--both of my parents shed tears, and we kids felt sad but didn't really understand. This week Mike and I had to make that same hard decision. Casey was 16, and the last two years have been rough ones. Her vision and hearing were completely gone, and she was losing other faculties as well. She has been a special part of our family and we will really miss her. She was our first experimentation with responsibility, and she was awfully sweet about it. A few favorite things about Casey:

She was so smooth and shiny like a seal.
When she wanted more pets she would throw her head back and her ears would flop back. I always called it airplane ears.
She could find any fraction of sunshine to lie in, even at the end when she was bumping into doors and couldn't find her way into the house from the backyard, she loved basking.
When Jens was a baby, she would some with me in the middle of the night to feed him. I had to get her a second bed so she had a place to sleep while she was keeping me company.
She used to bark whenever the doorbell rang, even if you had the front door open and were looking at her when you pressed the bell.
Once she escaped on a plane ride and went trotting up the aisle.
Sometimes she would get little things stuck on the tip of her nose, like a paper hole punch.
When we first got her she would still get frisky and like to play.
Even though she was super stiff and arthritic in the end, every once in a while she would caper for her treat.
She was always sweet tempered with me, even though she was an old granny.

November 14th

Ready for church.

November 13th

A peaceful Saturday night. Jens and Dad cooked dinner from Jens's recipe book--"Kids Can Cook!" Jens has been very excited about having his own recipe book and often exclaims "Kids can cook!"

We had a fire and the kids were so cute watching the flames.

Sylvie took a 4 hour nap, so we all stayed up kind of late watching some abysmal football. How could the Gators be such losers with a fan like this?

November 13th The End of Soccer

Saturday was the last game of the season. Jens liked soccer, and although not as competitive as some of the boys, he has some athletic talent. He just isn't aggressive. Does that sound familiar? We loved our team. The families were all so nice, and the boys were cute guys, even if they did fool around at practice sometimes.

Sylvie liked the soccer games and especially enjoyed stealing my chair.

Mike was one of the assistant coaches.

Jens has been carrying his trophy with him everywhere. I think it would have slept with him that night if we'd let it.

Sylvie Says:

"I love Isaac" (Isaac is a boy who plays on Jens's soccer team)

As she and Mike are playing Legos: "Bad Guy. I need it! I need a gun."

She adds "eee" to a lot of words, which makes sense because some of her favorite things end with ee: blankie, mommy, daddy, doggy. She also says milk-ee and up-ee

Last night she and Mike were home alone together. She got out two cushions, one big one and one little one, and arranged them on the couch. Then she sat on the little cushion, patted the big one and said "Go Gators." She was ready to watch football with Mike.

I bought her a coat yesterday. She did not want to try it on until she patted it and realized it was soft like her Halloween costume. Then she didn't want to take it off. She calls her coat "doggy."

November 11th

Veteran's Day owls. We made them on Veteran's Day at the park after the kids gathered acorns. I love how each one has its own personality.

November 9th

The Thanksgiving turkeys are out at our house, and this year they have a devoted fan. She carries them from couch to couch, puts them in her rocking chair, gives them naps. I hope they don't get too loved.

November 9th Super Girl!

Prepare yourself for a slight picture over load. Sylvie found Jens's superman pajamas. She tried to put them on herself.

I helped her out a little, and then she was off.

Sylvie to the rescue!

PS: She is a girl who wears tights well.

November 7th

Welcome home, Mom and Dad. Who doesn't like to come home to this?

Lately she is forming opinions. She lets us know "I wike it!" or "No wike it!" In particular, she doesn't "wike" the wind up bath tub duck. She does "wike" the 2 screws that are sticking out of a cabinet door in the kitchen that I couldn't get out when I removed the cabinet hardware. She also frequently requests dancing music, likes to get dressed up, and snuggles with me for a minute in my bed when she wakes up (it is cold in the mornings!).

November 5-7 Monterey

We finally did it. We left our kids for a weekend away together. And it was really REALLY great. I think we both enjoyed spending time together and having a break from the little people. We were happy to see them on Sunday when we got home, but never once did we wish they were with us on vacation!

We stayed in a funky little guest cottage, which was very old and very charming. I did bump my head on the hanging loft twice, and have a sore spot to prove it.

It was nice to have our own space and a little kitchen for snacks and breakfast.

Friday we went straight to Carmel where we ate dinner on the beach and watched the surfers and the dogs and the sun set. I turned around at one point and realized there was a lady taking a picture of us watching the sunset with her camera phone. She took a few pictures for us--that is where the first picture on the post came from.

Saturday we slept in, then went to the aquarium because it was drizzly. The aquarium was amazing--we especially loved the sea horses, the jelly fish, and the sea otters. We ended the day with another beautiful sunset at Asilomar State Beach.

And we returned there Sunday morning for a ocean side run before heading home.

November 4th Art Class

I have been doing a little art class for Jens and two of his little friends, Maren and Nathanael. This week we talked about mixing colors and made fall trees. They all really enjoyed having their arms painted.

November 1

Friends

Sylvie and Ruth actually interacted with each other, playing and trying to entertain each other. It was pretty cute.

ABC Song

Sylvie learned to sing this overnight, it seems. She is a little distracted by her snack, but she does pretty well. The best part is "L-M-N-O" where she usually just says lplplplp.

One more Halloween Post

We were very well decorated this year. Jens finds a lot of inspiration in Halloween themes.

October 31st

One more of our little puppy dog.

Okay, two more.