Snow Day

The first snow of the season felt too early to me. I was still soaking up the golden autumn. I'm not ready for the cold. But, once I got out in it with the kids, I loved it. I did feel a little too old, though, to be digging for sticks in the neighbor's yard. We made 4 snowmen that H and his friend promptly kicked down. I expected Zelly to stay out for only 3 minutes, the cold wimp that she is, but she surprised me by staying out for almost 2 hours. Glorious Day. Winter might not be so bad after all. And, a parting poem, more lovely than the snow itself.

The snow
began here
this morning and all day
continued, its white
rhetoric everywhere
calling us back to why, how,
whence such beauty and what
the meaning...

...and though the questions
that have assailed us all day
remain—not a single
answer has been found–
walking out now
into the silence and the light
under the trees,
and through the fields,
feels like one.

--Mary Oliver, "First Snow"

Frightfully Fun Halloween

Despite the fact that October was an extremely stressful month for me and that I returned Saturday morning from 2 conferences in Arizona, our Halloween festivities were frightfully fun. We didn't manage to hit Frightmares at Lagoon, much to the big kids' sorrow, but I took the littles to Cornbellies, we made sugar cookies, we had our P family Halloween party, we carved pumpkins, and of course, we trick or treated. H had his bag of candy gone within a couple of days and Sweetie still has most of hers (the little hoarder).

 Cornbellies

 These next few pics are classic H. They give you a glimpse of what it's like to go places with him.

Right in front of the signs that say "no jumping into the corn."

 Notice the belly full of corn. He takes the Cornbellies name literally.

P Family Party

Wrap the mummy game. H is not happy because his own mummy stinks at wrapping the mummy (couldn't resist the cheesy word play).

 Pumpkin Carving

California Dreamin'

Well, I uploaded these pictures weeks ago. And I meant to add captions and a recap. But here I am weeks later, and I'm just going to press "post" and call it good. We went to Newport with the P family and it was a good time, as always. We have great memories of our almost-annual trip there. This time we added some extra fun with a night of Jimmy Fallon games. Our favorites were Water War and Dance Your Hat (and Gloves) off. We love our family!!