Funcle Matt and Miss Jane

Well, we finally made it to Virginia after nearly missing our flight. Our bags came on the flight after ours (that’s a whole other story...) but the fact that we weren’t delayed an extra four hours was a great relief. Unfortunately, our camera was packed in the bags that were delayed those extra hours, so I didn’t get any fun pictures of our greetings with Grandma and Grandpa, or our (not-so-brief) stay at Chik-Fil-A (I spend way too much time there). Grandma met us in the airport with big hugs and lots of smiles, and Grandpa picked us up after he picked up a car seat we borrowed (mine was on the way, part of that “other story”...) for the day. We headed to everyone’s favorite chicken restaurant and got lunch. My brother met us there along with a couple of other friends from my home town. My brother...Funcle Matt. You see, he’s a “fun uncle.” Saturday we prepared for a dinner with Matt and his girlfriend, Jane. We got food ready, set the table, and cleaned up our mess (it looked like a tornado hit my parents’ living room with our stuff everywhere). Michaela loves to do this kind of thing, and appreciates the aesthetic element of having company over. Christian also loves to help; Grandma gave him a job... Eliana was also very busy. It wasn’t all work for everyone else and fun and games for Eliana... The anticipation rose as the time for Uncle Matt to arrive got nearer. The kids couldn’t wait for him to get there. Even Eliana was there, waiting to see who was going to come in through the door. And Jane is with him... One of the first things Matt noticed was this... He said,“Is that for Jane and me?” He’s so silly. He’s not quite the right size... He is quite a storyteller, and the kids are always a captive audience. He saw a book on the couch, The Wizard of Oz, and told the kids how Frank Baum came up with the name for his famous city. They were entranced. I have to say, so was I. Matthew isn’t the only one who can captivate an audience, though. Michaela did a little entertaining too. And captivated audience... Uncle Matt can get Christian really crazy. He likes to do so right before he walks out of the door and goes home. But this time I gave them permission to do the “silly face” before the “good picture.” That’s nice, isn’t it? While the boys were being silly, the girls were having some serious discussion on, well, it’s a secret. And Eliana continued to entertain herself. She went from snowman, to Grandpa, to exploring these new surroundings. It’s always nice to see something familiar when you’re far from familiar... We were so glad to see Funcle Matt and Miss Jane. The kids had a great time, dinner was wonderful (thanks, Mom), and everyone was exhausted by bedtime! I wish we could see Matt more often, but I’m so grateful for the time that we get to spend with him when we do visit. Distance is a hard thing but somehow our family has a bond that overcomes that obstacle. So, even when we are far from home, we’re still home.

All Guts and No Gory

We bought pumpkins and made homemade pumpkin puree.  I'm not sure why Michaela had the idea, but she got it in her head that she wanted to "do something" with the pumpkins we purchased at the store the other day.  I'm looking for some good pumpkin recipes, so if there are any suggestions I'll be happy to take them!

Christian and Michaela thought it was kind of cool and kind of gross to scrape the guts out of the pumpkins.

They did a pretty good job, and I helped a little by loosening some of the really stringy, pulpy part.

These two tend to take things very seriously...

Michaela's was the smaller of the two, and Christian's was a little bigger.  And tougher!

We had to put a little more effort into this one! 

Christian was trying to scoop the goop out of the pumpkin without touching it...

We got most of the pieces arranged on our baking stone...

And the baked pumpkin looked just a little more goldeny brown...

She loves this stuff!

I pureed the pumpkin and now we'll see what good things come from all our hard work! 

S'more Good Memories

Yesterday Christian told me that several of his classmates were going camping (a YMCA thing) and that he really wanted to go too.  Well, we were not prepared to take him camping, but I said,"How about we toast marshmallows here, make s'mores, and you can sleep in your sleeping bags on the floor?"  He and Michaela both thought that sounded like a great idea.  A camp-out, in. 

We didn't end up doing it last night, but tonight looked promising, so after Eliana went to bed, we "lit the fire" and toasted up some marshmallows, had some graham crackers and chocolate ready, and made yummy, sweet, little sandwiches out of it all.

  They thought this was VERY fun.  And it was very fun to watch them.  And no one burned their fingers or caught their hair on fire. 

Here is our blazing fire, lighting up our room and keeping us cozy warm on this cool evening.

Unlike its outdoor counterpart, our fire had to preheat...so the kids waited patiently...with sticks and sugar-bombs ready.

Still waiting!

It took a llittle while to get warmed up, and even still, I'm not sure that it really ever got as hot as it was supposed to be...but FINALLY!

This was serious business...

It also took a little while for the marshmallows to get warmed up and soft; sooner rather than later Christian decided that his was done.

So did Michaela, and they assembled their delightful, toasty, treats...

and took a little bite...

and decided they wanted s'more.  (I'm sorry, I had to say it.)

  Eating and heating.

Note how differently they eat their s'mores. Michaela keeps hers whole, while Christian eats his in separate parts. Such individuals.

"How can you tell I've been eating chocolate?!"

Everyone knows it is foolish not to have a flashlight when camping out...

I think she just heard something rustling nearby; maybe a bear or a fox...

Indoor s'mores maker: $19.99

Graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate: $5.89

Seeing them glow in the "firelight": priceless

A Fair Day

One of these shocking statements is true...can you pick which one?

a.  Christina ate a cockroach.

b.  Christina took her kids to the state fair.

c.  Christina bought the family a labrador retriever puppy.

The correct answer is "b!"  Mike and I did take the kids to the fair today, and what an experience.  It was "Over-the-Top-Ville!"  The smells, the sights, the sounds-something was coming at us from EVERY direction.  People were everywhere.  Food was everywhere.  Colors were everywhere.  And it was SO noisy.  Michaela and Christian loved it!  They were busy taking it all in, from the smell of the horses to the shouts of the gamers; from the music on the rides to the colors on the Midway; from the taste of the pizza to the smell of fried whatever-you-can-think-of (i.e. cheese curds!?).

  

When we first arrived we visited the horse barn and, of course, there were tractors out front: 

Right after checking out the horses, we tried to make a plan for our time at the fair, and headed to the Midway: 

We spotted the swings and both the big kids were going to ride but Christian was too short.  Michaela was brave, though, and she went on by herself.  She seemed to like it, and I just couldn't believe she was flying around in the air like that on her own.  She looked so big!  I was nervous she would be afraid or feel a little sick, but she was all smiles. 

Since Christian was a little small for the rides, we headed over to the games.  Both the kids enjoyed trying to hit their targets, and Mike got in on the action, too! 

We were able to watch some motorcycle stunts and some daredevil tricks:

Mike and Michaela enjoyed a ride on the Texas Star, our world-famous Ferris Wheel (well, maybe not world-famous), while Christian had a "Lemon Chill."

 

Here are some final images from our extravaganza:

Lucy!

What does the name "Lucy" bring to your mind?  I think of The Chronicles of Narnia, and how Lucy is always the first one to see Aslan.  Oddly enough, "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" also pops into my head.  Charlie Brown's antagonizing friend Lucy also comes to mind.  Oh, and doesn't everybody love Lucy? 

I bet no one ever knew that there is another Lucy, happy, loveable and quite popular.  She is around here anyway.  Please, meet Lucy!

 

This is Michaela's creation.  And let me tell you, she is SPECIAL.  So don't mess with Lucy. 

Speaking of mess, though, Lucy is messy.  You can see that some of her features are deteriorating.  Sad, but that is what happens as we age, isn't it.  And this is especially true if you are colored with washable markers. 

Even though Lucy isn't quite as in tact as she used to be, she still receives lots of love and attention.  And Lucy enjoys all that love and attention.  In fact, her good mood and delightful disposition tend to rub off on everyone she comes in contact with. 

 

I wish I left such vivid traces of my sweet disposition and great attitude on everyone that I  came in contact with!  Maybe that can be a goal for me.  We can learn a lot from you Lucy, and we love you, even though you are a mess!