Boys vs. Girls

Not only are we learning to spell around here, we are pretty dang proud of it. Especially when Henry tries to spell "Pops" and it comes out "Poops".
There is NO END to laughing at that joke.





Svea does not see her age or lack of kindergarten training as an obstacle (thank goodness) and is keeping up well with Henry's taunting over "sight words" and "patterning". Go Mrs. Howanitz!





At least we all know which rooms we are allowed in around here...

November Family Portrait

(minus the adults, of course)

Gobble Gobble 2009

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!




Here's Henry designing the table's centerpiece:

Srsly Yawl.

Some quick updates from our home...



Svea poked all of her Fritos straight up into her sandwich bread and then made Henry sing her Happy Birthday at lunch the other day.




They both got to go to part of the BSC Homecoming football game last Saturday and Henry reported that, "Birmingham Souther-en played Honeydew and Honeydew won." So much for the Huntingdon Hawks.




Svea leaves a trail of glitter wherever she goes (it's even in the part of her hair) and sings the soundtrack to Little Orphan Annie whenever the mood strikes. Which is often.




We survived an awesome birthday visit with Uncle Brad.




Henry made a thermometer at school recently using a shoestring that he colored red on the bottom half. I overheard him explaining to I, Husband what "Fahrenheit" meant. It was awesome. He wore his new t-shirt from Pops of Herb at Fretted Instruments and got Sugar to pose with him for half a second. Svea ran and got her coconut tree she made back in August to add to the scenery. I think it fit nicely.




Fritos, thermometers. coconut trees, birthdays and honeydew. Dude, are we loving life...

Halloween Fun-ness

We had a great time trick or treating this year with Optimus Prime and Cinderella-Turned-Black Cat.

(what can you do when you don't have a full-length mirror? Why stand on the sink, of course!)



Svea was Cinderella for school on Friday, but Saturday was a whole new day which requires a whole new look. Thank goodness for eyeliner pencil.

Our neighborhood was really quiet when we made our rounds. Who knew that it wasn't cool to go door to door at 5:30pm and that all the totally awesome kids starting rounding at 7:30pm? We'll know next year.

The best part was coming home after hitting about 5 houses because the Black Cat's nose was running from the cold and Optimus Prime was tired of holding his bag and watching the two of them get SO EXCITED about handing OUT the candy. I mean, they gave handfuls and handfuls away to each kid. Then they would giggle and giggle in anticipation of the next round of Tinkerbells and Michael Jacksons and Incredible Hulks.
It was so awesome to watch their glee in giving.
We did run out of candy and ended up handing out bags of goldfish crackers. Again, we'll know better next year.

"It's the Day of the Show, Y'all"

...for all you Parker Posey fans in "Waiting for Guffman"...

It's the day of the show!



It runs from tonight until December 23rd and should have some Christmas gift ideas...will let you know after I see it all tonight.

Pillow Talk

Turns out...that most people don't know what a tea cozy is. Most people have to Google it if you tell them that you are sewing tea cozies. Who knew?

Not me.

So I sewed some tea cozies for an exhibit and that was really exciting. This time, I sewed a few pillows.

Which was equally exciting.



I have never printed on fabric paper before, then quilted it into pillow form. Some images I printed were scanned in from solar plates made from photographs by other artists. Some images were scanned in from Henry and Svea's sketchbooks which was particularly endearing for me. They didn't seem to care. But that's okay.

The labyrinth was meditative and is supposed to be a path to follow with your finger as you hold the pillow. Running the angles through the machine was a different form of contemplative practice I hope to revisit.

The exhibit opens this Thursday at the Litebox Gallery at the Pepper Place. Eight of my pillows are there with silk screen prints, shredded paper paintings, felted scarves, pastel drawings, oil paintings, glasswares and photography.
It'll be awesome.

Come by if you are in the area!

Pumpkin Patch at The Farm

We have been in a blur of Fall Festivals and soccer games and trips to the pumpkin patch the past two weeks. Here are a few from Henry's class trip to the farm:



This kid can spend a half an hour in the toy aisle of Target. He was not taking his selection lightly.



This is Henry and Aryana on the hay ride. She quickly asked if she could use my camera...

...and the posing began with Gracia.

Here's a class picture after we learned about picking cotton (which was after eating lunch in a barn loft with pigs below which was after the hay ride and picking out our pumpkins. whew.)

Then we (they) got to play on the hay bales while we waited to learn about the animals in the petting part of the zoo.

I had just gone to the pumpkin patch with Svea's class and we just picked our pumpkin and ate lunch and went home. Henry's trip had so much learning involved.

Just ask me what you call a baby rabbit next time I see you.

I had to leave early so I missed the corn maze. Henry said it was awesome.

Henry and Svea have been getting candy all week wherever they turn so I hope Saturday still feels special...anyways, Happy safe Halloween everyone!

This Is My Desktop Picture

This is my niece Miriam and I can't stand it she is so cute.

We had a great, muddy, squeal-y, laugh-y, productive, bonding day up visiting our cousins a few weeks ago - more pictures to come - I just can't stand to not go on and post this picture.

Mystery Reader Fun

I was the "Mystery Reader" in Henry's class a few Fridays ago.
I gave his teacher 5 clues about myself and she read one each day. Here are my clues:

1. My name starts with an M

2. I really love coffee (I included this one because Henry always comments on my coffee breath in the morning)

3. I just moved to Alabama this summer

4. My parents' names are Robin and Stewart

5. I have a Golden Retriever puppy named Sugar

So obvious, right? Well, Henry was totally surprised to see me. Mrs. Howanitz told me later that on Friday when clue #5 was read, Henry piped up with, "But I have a dog named Sugar!!"

What are the odds?

So I showed up with The Tooth Witch (thank you Kristin and Reggie) and passed out miniature marshmallows at the end (they were baby teeth the Tooth Witch had collected, of course). Then I got to eat lunch with Henry.

During lunch, he waved to his friends and told me how everything flowed in the cafeteria. Then he pointed to the door I was supposed to go through when it was time for me to leave. As soon as the last bite of his whole wheat corn dog was swallowed, he was ready for me to go.

I think I could have stayed all day.

Here we are on our big day (I truly was nervous that morning).

The Long(ish) Ride Home

When I pick Henry up from school, he generally likes to be quiet and look out the window for awhile.
I love sneaking peeks back at him.



After a few minutes he wants to know if I've brought him a treat OR what's next on our agenda OR are we going to Target OR he explains that he can't tell me about his day because that would take too long OR that he did not like the snack I packed for him.

Deep down I think that all means that he missed me...a little bit.

Table Topper

Svea stayed home with me one day last week because she had a nasty cough. She changed out of her pajamas into new pajamas for the day. Then she wanted to color on top of the dining room table.



I couldn't think of a better place for her to enjoy her art.

Fall Portraits

The air has changed here but



not the poses



for a little Fall moment



around the 'mums.

Preschool Open House!

Svea's Preschool had an open house recently.

Her teachers are so EXCITED and LOVE the kids and spent so much time making this RAINFOREST for the BIG NIGHT. And since we live in the SOUTH, everyone at this preschool adds SYLLABLES to their words and SINGS their questions and answers in kind of LOUD VOICES. And all of this is PERFECT for PRESCHOOL.

Our little tiger on safari:

We all got to wear these hats that Svea is modeling and even KEEP them. Awesome.

This is my favorite picture. Here, the director is showing pictures from the Chapel time the children have once a week. Across the bottom are papers numbered 1-7 for the 7 days in which God created the world and all life as described in Genesis.

Some of the older kids illustrated each number drawing what was created on which day.

On Day #7, the picture is of a man on a couch holding a remote control pointed at a TV. And on the SEVENTH day, God RESTED and watched FOOTBALL on HIS television using his REMOTE control and ALABAMA WAS WINNING.

A child seriously said that.

Again, people, sweet home Alabama.

My Teenaged Four Year Old

This is what Svea likes to do while she sings along to her music, waiting in the kindergarten pick-up line.

Weagle Weagle

Henry said War Eagle!



I actually did not hear him, but I imagine he did in this environment. He was very concerned that people would think he was a permanent Auburn fan, so when he talks about going to the game, he reminds everyone that he was ONLY a fan for Brooke WHILE at the game and that very night he changed BACK into an Alabama fan. Okay, kid.

Hooray for Aunt Brooke! And her sweet BF who I think could be Matthew McConaughey's cousin.



And hooray for Mimi and Papa for taking Henry to a fun day in Auburn!



I think they stayed for the whole first quarter. Woo hoo. Go Tigers. Or whatever.

Beach Bums

We got to escape to the beach for a few days last week and it was perfect in almost every single way.
Emphasis on the almost.



We left at about 7p and got there about 11p. The kids did great sleeping in the car, but both were a dazed version of wide-eyed when we got there. Henry walks in to the 2BR, 1Bath condo I found on VRBO and he said, "Mooooooom, this bathroom is SMALL."
Brian starts to giggle.
I'm looking around.
Svea starts to walk around and says, "Mom? Why are there crumbs on the floor?"



Brian face plants onto the bed in hysterical, high-pitched laughter and his feet hit the fold-out sofa, blocking the door to the balcony...and I can reach him while standing in the kitchen...that has crumbs (sand) on the floor. I'm still opening every door looking for the hallway, or at the least, the other bedroom.



There's a big fat NOPE on that second bedroom. The bathroom has a door at least, even if you have to stand in the kitchen to wash your hands in the bathroom sink.



The balcony was a Must on my list of requirements (which was obviously short) and you could get on the balcony if you stepped over the sleeping kids' bed. Two chairs fit out there, side by side. A Warrior II pose could be achieved at a diagonal.



Who needs a big condo at the beach, though, right?
It kept us outside in the awesome weather, volleying between beach and pool most of the day. We had lots of good, close, family time and we were so grateful for the getaway and the good attitudes.



I think maybe next time I'll let Brian book the condo since I look at lots of sites and then get their details confused...see the price on one and say YES before I double check the square footage...



Again, it was awesome. I'm so glad we went.
So are Henry and Svea.

5.6

In the drive from Svea's school to Henry's, we cover 5.6 miles and pass about 7 churches.
Sweet Home Alabama.



I say "about" 7 churches because a few of these are in homes, so it's hard to tell unless there is a marquee in the yard. And there is also the random marquee on wheels by the empty gravel parking lot that reminds you that the Salvation Army Wants You To Know That God Is Love on your way to school. No church building, but definitely a message.



We all receive, in some way, unsolicited advice everyday. Some call it Marketing. I want to believe that people are mostly good and nice and that they want to share with me what made them feel good that day.



There are days when I meet someone with a shirt on that says, "Satan is Ugly as Sin" and I don't know where to begin with our conversation. But I still want to have that conversation. I just hope S/HE starts it.



Then I see a sign that says "Forbidden Fruit Creates Many Jams" and I just want to travel that thought journey with whoever came up with that caption. It's truly clever when you think about it long enough, with lots of references solid to the Southern Bible, but when it catches me off guard on the church marquee I almost run off the road every time.



The Abundant Life Church right by our house just changed its sign to read "Instructions for Abundant Life Inside."



I'm just trying to stay open here. I'm starting with noticing what's on my daily drive: church marquees, cows and Starbucks.
I can't believe I just typed that. I will say (or type) that though Google can only satisfy some of my searches and since Abundant Life has an address, I will embrace this gratitude to be where I am right now, here, with all the advice and suggestions, in the form they need to be.
Again, Sweet Home Alabama.