He's Growing Up.

My sweet LittleC.  He is a blessing. Enjoy the picts.

The Nutcracker Ballet

Lucky me, what a sweet weekend.  After our excursion to The Pimpernel, the next morning MissC and I got to have a little date and see The Nutcracker Ballet put on by Clytie Adams, MissC's dance school.  This is a lot of culture in a weekend for a 5 year old I know, but it's just the way it worked out.  We got dressed up and she looked beautiful. She is such a little lady.  I hope it was as sweet a memory for her as it was for me.  The ballet is so beautiful.  Now for me the Holidays have officially begun.

The Scarlet Pimpernel

This weekend, we took the opportunity to take Gman and MissC to the High School Production of The Scarlet Pimpernel.  I grew up going to the Taylorsville High Productions.  Dad always took us to them.  I think this is why I love theatre and especially musicals.  I want the kids to be exposed to this as well.  They did great too.  I thought Gman was bored to death, but when asked who wanted to go to another one he gave an emphatic ME!  MissC  looked over at me after every scene with big bright eyes and grinning.  She loved it.  This was truthfully more thrilling than the show (watching my children experience it).  But, that said, I loved it.  It is one of my favorite books, and they did a fabulous job.  One of our Laurels had the lead, she was great.  It was lots of fun.

A True Gem

My brother asked me the other day where "MissL" came from.  Her personality is not like her mom's or dad's or any of her siblings'.  I told him she's a gem.  She is silly, loud, fiesty and naughty.  Yet somehow never gets in trouble.  She controls all that goes on in the house.  She is the boss.  MissL has rhythm,  especially when she gets naked.  She loves to shake her bootie.  She likes everybody.  She has been known to make friends with large construction worker type men at the Home Depot.  She has a sweet way of making people feel good.  MissC likes to dress like a princess, MissL likes to dress like a fruitcake.  Thank goodness for her, she brings the life into our home.  The best thing about MissL, she LOVES!

Who doesn't LOVE fall?

Actually, it's my favorite of seasons.  I love the colors, the crisp air, the smells.  At my house around October it starts smelling like grape juice from the concord grapes ripening on the vine. Love that! It is so beautiful in our neighborhood at this time of year.  Enjoying fall with your children makes it even better.  The only thing I don't love is the impending winter.  

Post-election inspiration

OK, I know it's well past elections, but I can't help it.  I still feel passionately about the issues of our day.  Those who have not already seen it, go to catholicvote.com and watch an inspiring video from our catholic friends.  I cry every time I watch (I admit I've seen it several times).  

I'm On My Soap Box Today

Watch out!  I'm on my soap box today.  Uggh! I am so tired of the crap on tv, I'm literally sick.  Let me preface this by saying, I have a guilty pleasure of following fashion.  I like Project Runway, anyone watch?  I like Tim Gunn, I think he's cool.  Heidi Klume is the host of this show.  We thought we liked her as well.  Heidi Klume, you are no friend of mine.  For those of you who are going, "huh?" I will explain.  We're watching some show the other night, I don't know, probably sports of some kind.  Then out of the blue, here is Heidi in a tiny little black bra and panties, jammin' with the guitar (commercial for guitar hero).  It was a throw back to the old "Risky Business" scene with Tom cruise.  Anyhow, it had us scrambling for the remote.  MissC (my 5 yr old daughter) says, "I closed my eyes, because she wasn't being modest."  Well it was a lot more than that.  Any ways I know I'm a prude, but the last little while it's been worse than usual.  Then, after one of those ridiculous Viagra commercials, she asks, "Mom, what's sex?"  Oh boy, I am so sick of what my kids are exposed to on a daily basis.  I know my hubby thinks I'm a crazy Nazi, but I'd love to not have to deal with this anymore.  Sorry 'bout the angry note folks.  I'll try and wait a while before I am on the box again.

Some Of My Favorite Kids Books

So these are some of my fav children's books.  Though there are many.  The art book is a recent find.  I love it!  It tells about a famous piece of art, what makes it exceptional.  Then it tells about the artist.  On the next page it shows the child (or me- I always get tempted to do it too) art techniques, or tricks to make their own version of the masterpiece.  It's cool.

I Like me is perfect if you have little girls.  It encourages the reader to embrace their talents, body image and everything that makes them who they are.  It teaches good health habits and the art of picking one's self back up and trying again after making mistakes.  It is so sweet and simple.

So Say the Little Monkeys is just fun.  It's about procrastinating little monkeys who sing, "jibba jibba jabba" as they jump and run.  Will they build a warm house or will they eat and play?  We like to makes the sounds.  "comes the rain, plinka plinka, comes the wind whooya, whooya, comes the jaguar, gurya, gurya." It's a cute book. 

And My Many Colored Days is for little ones and helps explain how we feel.  It assigns colors to our moods.  "When my days are happy pink. it's great to jump and just not think."  "Green days, deep deep in the sea, cool and quiet fish, that's me."

FREEDOM DAY

To get the most out of this post, scroll down to the music at the bottom and play Lee Greenwood.  Really, go.

So, with the recent election (and the year preceding it) TY and I have been totally immersed in politics.  Our ideas about government have evolved.  We both read "The Proper Role of Government" by E.T. Benson when he was the Secretary of Agriculture- Read it!  It is very revealing.  Anyhow, it again reminds me how important our freedoms are and how blessed we are to live here, where we have a voice.  I want my children to know how I feel about our great country.  I'm thinking, FHE tonight.  So, when I was a teenager on a European tour with my dad (and 40 high school students), our bus driver had this trick.  After we've been away from home a few weeks, in many different foreign lands, he pops in Lee Greenwood, Proud To Be An American.  Not a dry eye on the bus.  Ever since, I can't hear this song without tearing up.  I love the US of A!

Catching Up: Halloween

The girls were actually butterflies, but ended up looking quite angelic.  Gman was so sly as a shadow ninja.  LittleC was sporting the traditional golf getup like our fav golfer, Payne Stewart.

Catching Up: Latest Addition

This is our new oh so handsome and sweet little guy.

  

We love him.  He gets LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of love!  

He puts up with us though.  Now that we have him, 

what would we do without C ?

That Thing With Feathers

Let me explain.  

My favorite poem has always been, "Hope" by Emily Dickinson.  

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,

and on the strangest sea;

yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

I have somehow always kept this in my memory, yet as the world grows more frightening and uncertain, this idea of hope becomes of more importance.  Hence, That Thing With Feathers.