Horse Racing

This is from a few weeks ago, but she does this almost every day.  The song she likes "sounds like a horse race" and is about 4 minutes long.  She gallops the whole song then skips it back and starts again.  Usually she runs 5 or 6 races before she takes a break.  Crazy.

Oh, and she is always the winner.  Of course.

Oh, November

Every year, November is the month that I take the least amount of photos.
I have a few ideas for why that might be. 

First, our kids get more wild when in closed in space for too long so they are constantly in motion when they are inside.  Running laps around the house every day, dancing and galloping in the basement, jumping into pillow pools on the floor.... all the photos I have tried to take are blurry. 

Second, we seem to be "busy" in November with winter and Christmas planning ahead.  Doing more than I am used to and thinking of days other than right now are not typical for me, so everything feels off and the camera just sits there.


Anyway, we are doing well.  Here's a bullet list of goings on in random order....

* The kids have had the CD players on constantly.  They have the Skippyjon Jones audiobook which they have memorized.  Then there's the Carmen Suite (featuring the music from Up where the main character is going down the stairs on his chair lift -- Evan loves that song) which inspires all kinds of silliness.  The whole disc is quite good.  They are also loving the Rudolph and Friends Christmas mix that we pulled out yesterday.  Jingle Bells on repeat 75 times anyone???

* It still hasn't snowed.  I have all the necessary winter gear ready to go.  This year we are planning to sled ride off the deck, down the stairs, into the yard.  There is also talk of sliding off the shed roof if the snow gets deep enough :-)

* Thanksgiving was lovely.  We had some worries about not getting our fresh organic turkey this year, but it all worked out in the end.  And I say for this yearly feast, the simpler the better.  We had mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce.  It is perfectly acceptable to  be without veggies at dinner for one night of the year, don't you think?  Especially when one is out of pans. 

* We are thinking of watching Elf this year with the kids.   They have no idea that an entire category of movies awaits them someday since we never watch movies at Christmas time.  Last year we tried watching the old Frosty the Snowman cartoon together and Evan cried when Frosty melted.  He was so upset -- my little sensitive little soul.  He won't even listen to the Frosty song on our Christmas CD.  So Elf?  I think he'll laugh.

* Evan and I are currently reading "On the Shores of Silver Lake" and I imagine it will last us awhile as the Little House books get progressively longer and more detailed.  I'm so glad he has never seen the old TV episodes fictionalizing this family.  The books are incredible and the stories on the show were just current events set in a log cabin and don't do this family justice.

* We do a lot of shopping as well as selling online in November.  I am at the computer way too much.  My back hurts and I miss my kids. At least it's only for a brief season.


* Our home improvement projects are still going on.  Our bathroom is now a pretty shade of light green instead of electric blue. And I've been collecting things to hang on walls, making some things and repurposing stuff I have.  I'll take pictures as it comes together..... or maybe you'll just notice it in the backgrounds.... I've not been to good about posting here lately.  And I'm not good with deadlines.
*We recently borrowed the movie "The Adventures of Milo and Otis" from the library.  (Evan was not a fan of poor Milo being alone for so long..... ) So now he and Chloe are often pretending to be those characters, again talking in British accents. First with Thomas & Friends, then Star Wars -- it's adorable, and completely impossible to get on video.

* I just finished reading "Jane Eyre" for the first time in my life.  And since I like to mix things up a bit, I'm now reading "The Trillion Dollar Conspiracy."  Both are really good :-)  I've been practicing the piano more frequently too in an effort to learn "Clair de Lune" -- an extremely challenging piece which will be amazing when I perfect it (in five years...)


So, that's November.  Sorry for the lack of posts.  We should be back to normal in a few days as the calendar shifts to December!!

Currently

Usually I can put together a quick bullet list of all that is going on in the individual world's of my two kids. Lately, however, I cannot.
They are side by side together all through the day, in good times and bad.


:: They go in their room and close the door where all I can hear are giggles and stories and loud thumps and bumps (and fights... but let's not spoil this lovely picture....).

:: They go outside and play behind the shed in "Car City" -- their made-up world in the dirt -- until their fingers are frozen and their pants are caked with mud. 

:: They go downstairs and make elaborate play spaces with pillows, blankets, train tracks and every piece of furniture until they are sweaty and their hair is a mess. 

:: They retreat to the art corner in the living room (the only one of these spaces that I can sort of spy on) and draw, cut, tape and color to their hearts content while talking and laughing all the while.



So what's currently new with each of them?
I have no idea. 
For the first time in eight years, I have no idea.


But these two turkeys sure do love each other, for better or for worse.

Lessons From a Big Brother

"Old men may be weak, but very, very agile."

Random Snapshots

 

Love this girl in her stripey pj's

 In every nook and cranny of our house there are horse set-ups.

 I did her hair like this for church on Sunday :-)

This is what my kitchen walls look like:

 Evan's posters are on the left 

(with the exception of the cow) 

and Chloe's are on the right.

Hugs

Picking each other up

 Swinging on the ropes in the tree

Sporting a sweet new smile with big guy teeth -- he looks so different to me.

Amazing kids

Chloe's Space

We pulled all the art off the walls in the kids' room recently to prepare for painting it the color of the sky.  But, since Todd's schedule is always unknown, their walls have been bare and boring (with big hole patches) for weeks with no end in sight. 

Chloe just couldn't take it anymore.

Last Night

Last night we had a birthday party for Todd with homemade pizza, brownies, pumpkin pie and a lovely fruit basket.  It was a delicious birthday :-)

Christmas Wishes

This year I put a Christmas wish list together on Amazon to help anyone interested in shopping for the kids.  Some of the prices there are ridiculous but it is just a list with helpful pictures and descriptions.If you're concerned about getting something that someone else might get, just ask us.

Here it is.

Stretch of Warm Days

We have just been out and enjoying this last stretch of days that were sunny and warm-ish and not at all what November in Erie is usually like.

Lessons From a Big Brother

Chloe, your horses are made of CELLS. 

These trains...are made of cells. 
These tracks.
These blocks.
Every THING is made of cells!

Except our voices. 
They are made of something called waves.

Make a Pile and Jump In