Feasting with Yoda

Happy Thanksgiving!

Who's ready for turkey?!?  I decided to serve Thanksgiving dinner on paper plates this year, since we already had a gazillion dirty dishes in the kitchen before we even started eating.  Phillip thought it was a shame to serve a fabulous dinner on paper plates though, and since he washes the dishes I'll let him make that call next time.

Personally, I was happy to be sitting down after a long day of cooking.  We always shared the cooking load with the Martins back in Maryland, and I had forgotten how much work it is to cook an entire Thanksgiving dinner by myself.  It was worth it, though, when I heard the kids cheer as they came around the corner and saw our big feast ready and waiting.

As we ate we had a serious discussion about the things we are thankful for, then we played the traditional, semi-serious Thanksgiving Alphabet Game that we learned from Pink Grandma.  Some things on the alphabetical list were things we're genuinely grateful for, like family and Jesus.  Other things were a little on the silly side, like milk products, chlorine channels (it's a neuroscience PhD thing), and Yoda ('cuz we're geeks, and it's hard to think of things we're grateful for that start with Y).

Very thankful we are.  Hope you had a happy holiday we do.

Cold Sunday, Hot Chocolate

Today was a chilly, rainy Sunday . . .

. . . so we made some hot cocoa . . .

. . . with lots of marshmallows . . .

. . . and baked some brownies.

Nothing improves a chilly day like warm, chocolatey goodness!

Daddy's Choir Concert

We headed up to Pepperell this afternoon to hear Daddy sing in a new community choir.

This was their very first concert, and they did really well.  I enjoyed their haunting rendition of "Alway Something Sings" and their whimsical song about the tortoise and the hare.  Long after we got home, the kids were still singing bits of "Sing" and "Turn the World Around."  My favorite part of all was seeing how emotionally engaged Phillip is in every song he performs.

Phillip asked Joy to record a video of each song.  She looked less than thrilled that I decided to document her service for posterity . . .

. . . but Todd was happy to have his picture taken with his assistant school teacher.  She came to the concert with her daughter, who had a friend singing in the choir.

Staircase Sledding and a Worldwide Broadcast

Last week, when I said it was time for the kids to bring playtime indoors . . .

. . . I didn't quite have this in mind:

Staircase sledding.  Who knew that could even be a thing?

Don't leave without Luna!

Later in the evening, we relaxed and watched a worldwide broadcast . . .

. . . in which an apostle and other Church leaders explained a new program for children and youth.  It sounds like it will be fun, but also provide good opportunities for individualized goal setting and growth.  I'm looking forward to seeing how it will work, and what impact it will have in our kids' lives.

Our Trampoline is Hybernating

The forecast calls for snow later this week . . .

. . . so Joy and Daddy disassembled our trampoline yesterday.

Well, most of it anyway.  We didn't have room to store the frame in our shed, and we don't think winter will do it any harm, so we left it in our backyard to wait patiently for spring.  The kids will miss bouncing on the trampoline for a while, but that's autumn for you.  Time to say goodbye to warm weather activities . . .

. . . and snuggle up inside with a good book and a squishmallow.

Fro Yo Hodgepodge

I'm starting a new tradition of taking one child on a little Mama date each week.  This week it was Joy's turn, and she asked to go to Menchie's for frozen yogurt.  I told her she could pump and sprinkle anything she wanted into a fro yo cup, and we would share it.

Joy's ideal Menchie's creation contains about half a dozen fro yo flavors, with a wide variety of toppings.

I let her eat the toppings while I excavated the frozen yogurt hodgepodge underneath.  Her crazy fro yo combination was surprisingly tasty, but I still prefer a cup of just cookies and cream.

Leaf Piles and Rollerblades

 Today is election day, so school was cancelled.  I'm not sure whether that is because our town is very civic-minded, or because they use the schools as polling locations.  Possibly both.

Either way, the kids made the most of their time off.  The oak trees in our yard have shed tons of leaves lately, and the kids gathered them into a big pile . . .

. . . so they could run and jump in . . .

. . . with varying degrees of grace.

This afternoon, Joy went rollerblading out front . . .

. . . while Anna rollerbladed inside.  She still feels a little unsteady on rollerblades, so she prefers to skate on a surface that isn't as hard or slippery . . .

. . . where there is a couch to crash into if you need one.

Todd Turns Six!

Today was Todd's sixth birthday!

He requested a "Globey cake" for dessert, so I baked the cake, and Joy decorated it to look like his toy elephant Globey.

Then we all put on glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces . . .

. . . and sang to our favorite kindergartner.

Todd, thanks for bringing a cheerful attitude, impressive math skills, and some serious cuteness to our family!  We love you!