We're good...

Thanksgiving 2011 was good. Good food, of course. Good company... yes.

A few days before Thanksgiving, Faryn came over for the day and we made Thanksgiving cookies. We had to get creative because we didn't really have any cookie-cutters shaped like Pilgrims or Indians or turkeys or stuffing or cornucopias or ... anything related to Thanksgiving. A hand-shaped cookie cutter sufficed to make a quasi turkey, though. Hey, they had fun... and that was the point.

We spent Thanksgiving Day with the Pearson side of the family, had our traditional Thanksgiving food, and just enjoyed each other for the day. Flint managed to sleep through the meal, which lowered the stress level at the table to nearly zero. He was missed, though.

The kids played in the backyard and the big dogs frolicked and cavorted as big dogs ought to. Maya managed to sniff out a nest of rats hiding in Dad's woodpile. Believe it or not, in 6 years, this was her first kill. Poor baby rat.

I guess this is the part where I'm supposed to insert my spiel on how thankful we are, right? Well, we are. We've got an overabundance of most things (apart from millions of dollars... and it just doesn't feel right to complain about that one, somehow) and enough love to last many lifetimes. We're good. Life is good. We're thankful.

Cheers!

Lyla at her Thanksgiving Feast at school.


:)

Halloween, 2011

TRICK OR TREAT!

Lyla and Flint had a very Happy Halloween as Queen Lyla Celeste and Sir William Flint!

This year, we trick-or-treated in our own neighborhood (a first!) and with... just ourselves (also, a first!). We stuck to Vista Greens mainly because Luke wasn't feeling tip-top, and certain 3-year-olds hadn't napped. And while we had a very pleasant and private evening as a family, we did miss the hub-bub that could have been. And we missed being with our favorite peeps, of course.

Our Halloween-related discoveries were as follows.

• When children are permitted to wear their costumes to school on October 31st, have a backup ready for trick-or-treating, or send them in a different costume (see paint pictured on Lyla's dress).
  

• Our children are adorable.

• Our neighborhood is lame on Halloween. Well, it's lame any day, but on Halloween in particular, our neighbors are either non-participants, or the overwhelmingly obsessed with Halloween types. Fortunately, our children found that amusing, though we had to travel halfway around the whole neighborhood to hit enough houses to bring in a decent haul.

• Lyla prefers the company of her cousins and/or friends, and is fully accustomed to having her grandparents present at all meaningful (and most of the less meaningful) events.

• The evil cycle of complaining and candy, which shall now be referred to as the CCC, applies to babies with exponentially dramatic repercussions. It goes like this: Flint's complaints are quickly eased by a simple piece of candy. Candy is quickly consumed. Flint's complaints resume and while the original complaint is assuaged, the newer complaint is far louder and more urgent. Repeat.
  

• Candy + Baby = Sticky

• There are far too many princesses. Which is why we were relieved that Lyla chose to be a queen.

• Lyla might be the most bull-headed person I know. Ever. Despite repeated warnings from both parents and despite several prior experiences involving tripping over the front of her lengthy dress whilst running, she continued to run at full speed. And every time she tripped over the front of her dress and fell, we would demonstrate how to either hold the dress up while running or simply walk. She would promptly stand and continue on her merry way of stubbornness. Maybe her hard head lessens the blow when she crashes? Who knows. This is why we wince when she runs. The fall is inevitable.
  

• As Gabba Gabba says, "Too much candy's gonna make you sick!"

• What happened to giving out the good candy?

• Mmmm. Candy.

Long story short, we had fun. Here are some pics and videos.

More photos available HERE!