which way to norway?

though we will miss ancestor day in owen's class on friday since we will be in nyc, we had a great time doing his project. he chose to report on norway...liking that my mom's relatives owned a popcorn farm. after researching, i am ready to move there...wish i spoke the language. the

countryside is stunning...the food not so much.

we are confirmed!

just in, our confirmation for tea NEXT friday! so, in one week we will be walking the streets of nyc heading to the american girl store! can't wait!

turkeys trotting

lured by the thought that wyatt's class was going to race, we loaded up yesterday morning long before the sun was rising to participate in the turkey trot 5k thanksgiving race. to our surprise, we were the only group there representing the students...but, it was great...much better to race as a family. by the end, owen's little legs were growing tired, but he kept on. wyatt, on the other hand, could have probably easily done the 10k...no signs of fatigue for him. it almost put everything in perspective walking together in the cold. we are very thankful for all we have and each other. hoping all had a great thanksgiving!

it's a bowling party!

owen's best buddy imran celebrated his birthday with his brother faisal at the bowling alley. we are so sad to see them move away next month, but we are glad we got to celebrate with them bowling style!

ahhh...finally!

i awoke this morning to a stove placed back in my kitchen after 8 months! it felt SO good to make breakfast this morning (eggs from paty and bonny's farm) and toast buttered by grace...ahh to cook. then to the grocery store to buy ingredients for cookies, cakes, breads, muffins, fajitas, meatloaf, baked chicken, crescent rolls, garlic bread, baked ziti, and SO much more! SO HAPPY! anyone for a home cooked meal?

happy birthday averi!

we had an awesome aquarium time at averi's 4th birthday! get this, the scuba diver in the show pulled out a treasure map from his wetsuit and it said happy birthday to averi! she got to give him a high five through the glass and we even got to pet an alligator (go gators)! thanks to skip and amanda for such a nice afternoon!

harvest feast

for a thanksgiving celebration, the boys school does a harvest feast every year with a traditional thanksgiving meal for all the students and a pow wow presentation. it always end with pie and whipped cream (sometimes served from the school secretary directly into the kids mouths from the can--priceless!).

building the pyramids

following studies of ancient egypt, wyatt's 4th and 5th grade group performed skits on the making of the pyramids. wyatt was vizier imhotep and architect factah. he was precious...leaving his seat with his friends between skits to come sit with his grandma...such a good kid.

family night

well, we almost got the whole family home into town for dinner last night...though missing a few family members, it was a great evening. the kids did a show complete with gymnastics, tree climbing, singing, and a light show. have i mentioned that it is now less than 2 weeks until nyc? woo hoo!

percy jackson

wyatt's absolute favorite literary series is the percy jackson books. they are stories of a current day boy that finds out his father is the greek god, poseidon, and tells of his journey through greek mythology. conveniently, the local library held a percy jackson event last week. wyatt absolutely loved it.

iron man

where some in our neighborhood would disagree, we always are so excited when the weekend morning once every november comes around and the iron man racers run our streets. grace came in full princess dress complete with wand to wish them luck and the boys ran along the sidewalks. it was so great to see so many women running and we even saw two sets of tandem runners running, one leader with one blind racer. very inspiring! it was kind of nice to be blocked on for the day---it allowed us to slow down and forced us to relax. maybe we need a monthly race around here!

night of the ninjas

a portion of owen's book report was to make a diorama depicting a scene of his story. he has been waiting for this since he was in preschool and wyatt made his first diorama 3 years ago. and on ninjas...could not be better for him!

did you know?

warmth from my mom and dad

have i mentioned that nyc is only 25 days away?!!!! i am SO excited! i am also so thrilled (and thankful) to my sweet mom and dad for getting me these adorable comfy items (with a little help from my sister). i am going with a black and grey theme for the family. now all we need is shoes...boots i am thinking!

appreciation dinner

some people you meet simply are kind. my friend luz hosted an appreciation dinner last night for 12 of her girlfriends and i was lucky enough to be invited. we were instructed to write 11 notes thanking each of our friends and letting them know what they mean to us. when we arrived, luz had made personalized appreciation boxes that we filled with the notes, much as young children would fill a valentine's box. she adorned a beautiful table for a sit-down dinner and before we ate she read us a lovely poem about what friendship means to her followed by a heartfelt speech on how we as a group have been important in her life. it was a special evening. thank you to my friend, luz.

you are both...

"Of two sisters one is always the watcher, one the dancer." ~Louise Glück

happy birthday to my wonderful sister!

3 zoo animals---and a giraffe

fortune of hidden messages

i think in times of economic trouble, the chinese food industry has resorted to subliminal messages to boost sales. this has to be the funniest fortune we have received yet...todd and i laughed for quite a while from this one.

day of the dead

for spanish class, wyatt was to make a contribution to add to the class shrine to celebrate el dia de los muertos. molly and chloe are always missed :)

The Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos or All Souls' Day) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.

trick or treat

as usual, halloween was a huge success with the kids. the day always plays out the same year after year...start the day by decorating the front yard, carving the pumpkin, and then ending with a pizza party. then it is time to begin the evening. the kids always get in costume early and are ready to begin the first round of trick or treating. we do the same "early" streets and then come home to pass out candy for a few hours. then we close up the house and head out for a second round of door knocking. our neighborhood is always good for fun. many kids have golf carts that they decorate and drive around and several houses have big haunted houses and parties. we only entered the foyer of the main haunted house this year and then turned back...one year we have to make it down to the basement...i am sure that is where the real haunts occur. then to bed for a "scary" showing of wyatt and owen's favorite show "the othersiders" and then off to bed! another year of halloween fun! owen fell asleep saying "i really do not think i can wait a whole entire year until next halloween. i hope it goes fast." not me. hoping time moves slowly this year!