A Few of My Favorite Things {p,h,f,r}

{Real} First of all, this is my vantage point for at least an hour of driving each day... That's the reality of driving kids to activities no-so-close to our house. We make the best of our time by listening to LOTS of books on CD... Spending this much time in the van is not my favorite thing, but...

It allows Lucy to participate in something she absolutely loves:  ballet.  Here is a performance from this weekend.  She is so {happy} to be on stage.  (And {pretty}, too!)  Seeing her in her element is definitely one of my favorite things. 

 

 

Another activity which is a favorite of mine and the kids is... Legos!!  Miss Felic did this all by herself...  I love the creativity these fun little blocks foster.  I'm not so fond of the mess, however.  Oh well.  

 

This is a {funny} 'chariot ride' created by a certain big brother. 

 

 

Over Thanksgiving weekend, we had Uncle Ashley and Auntie Shruti (and their sons!!) at our house for 3 whole nights!!  The kiddos were thrilled, as you can see in this picture...

 

 

 When I was a kid, I thought I was a dog person.  I mean, I really loved our dogs, and cats, too, but I thought the dogs were more interesting.  Now that I actually have primary responsibilty for these creatures, and after owning the world's worst-behaved dog for 5 years, I have changed camps.  Kitties are the best.  They are cute and snuggly, very independent, and have tons of personality.  Add the fact that they also keep the rodent population down, and I am completely sold on our family felines. 

 

 

{Real}  This is where Tiger and Hamlet were hanging out yesterday... a top shelf in our garage. 

And, of course, no post is complete without a picture of Little Man who is loving his solid (using that term loosely here) food these days. 

 

Linking up with the Ladies at Like Mother, Like Daughter today!!

 

Happy Thursday!

 

Grammar Matters

After a visit with Santa this past weekend, my articulate 7-year-old informed me that he had definitely not encountered the real Santa. 

"How can you be sure?" I asked.

"Because he said the word 'ain't.'  The real Santa would never use that word."

Alrighty then.

Giving Thanks

Still no pictures to post, but wanted to take a moment to say Happy Thanksgiving to all...

We are hosting part of Eustace's family tomorrow, will spend Friday at my parents', then will march headlong into Nucracker boot camp on Saturday.  There's a 7 day period of intense rehearsals ( they've already been rehearsing for several weeks ) followed by 10 days of performances.  Our general policy is to go very easy on schoolwork during this phase. It's exhausting for everybody.

But, our plans for the next few days involve lots of cooking, eating, relaxing, and enjoying family.

Here's our Indian-American menu for Thursday:

-turkey wrapped in bacon ( not even gonna attempt my m-I-l's specialty spicy turkey)

-chicken tikka masala

- chick pea curry

-my M-I-L's pullau ( rice with veggies and spices)

-spinach salad

-corn with mustard seed

-sweet and spicy sweet potatoes

- steamed broccoli

-rolls

-samosas

-way too many desserts

Hope you and yours have lots to be thankful for!  We sure do...

Catching our breath

I apologize for the lack of pictures.  We got a new computer, and I'm still figuring things out!   Thank goodness for my husband who handles all things tech-related in this house...

So, after a very full weekend, I realize that not only have I failed to upload pictures, but I also failed to take any new ones in the past several days.  Some important events I missed:

First wheelchair basketball tournament of the year.  We traveled to Michigan.  Ignace's team took 2nd.

Lucy singing at my parents' church.  After nearly 10 hours of ballet class and rehearsal between Friday and Saturday, she pulled off a quick singing practice and a song during their service Sunday morning.  I have never seen her so tired as she was Sunday evening.  She stayed with grandma and pada while the rest of us went north.

First snow of the season this morning.  It's all melted now, but was fun while it lasted!

Completed jack o'lanterns.  Oh well.

Leo in his cheeseburger costume.

Our new kitty Tiger.  I'm so sad about Ophelia's death ( our other new kitty from this summer), I can't write about it.  But, Daddy brought Tiger home last week, and he and Hamlet are getting along splendidly.

Now that I've filled you in on what you're not seeing in pictures, I vow to get the camera back in action ASAP.  I'm taking a day of catching up after a crazy week and weekend, so hopefully I'll be thinking more clearly.  We shall see...

Have a great week.

Another Day

So that's that.

All these months of campaigning and prayer, and here we are.

There's nothing to do but carry on.

And keep praying and fighting for truth and freedom.

Nothing will change unless hearts and minds are converted.

Ronald Reagan said, "all great change begins at the dining room table."

So, that's where I'll keep my focus, especially today, when I know the small people in this house will wake up to be terribly disappointed.

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding...

A Week in Pictures

Attempting a Christmas Picture

 Parent Observation week at ballet class

Trick or Treating

A Ninja

A Duckling



Troy Polamalu

Dressing up for ballet class on Halloween

An Alien

Carving Pumpkins

Just enjoying the show...



Happy Feast of All Saints!!