Cool House of the Day

We didn't even break into this one. It was a really beautiful Tudor, which had been professionally decorated by several groups as a fundraiser for the BSO. We called the listing agent and went to see it with her. It is far enough out of our price range that we will not be buying it, especially as it needs a whole lot of work, according to the realtor. She seemed to think it would still come down quite a bit in price. However, we did have a great time touring it.

After the realtor left, we were heading out and decided to walk around the grounds a bit. We found an old chicken coup with pens for other animals. It was amazing. I was naming my chickens and picking out my goats. It even had electricity already wired out to it. Unfortunately, I was so captivated by my agricultural fantasies that I didn't notice until too late that I stepped on a nail that was sticking out of a board. It went right through my Uggs and well into my foot. Note to self: must get more appropriate shoes for these activities. We moved our adventure to the urgent care for the rest of the afternoon so I could get a tetanus shot and some x-rays. Even though I have been hobbling around for two days, it was totally worth it. Isn't it gorgeous? Here is the link.

I was listening to a news story about how Baltimore has more housing than people by something like 30 percent. I keep thinking there has got to be an opportunity for a house lover like me there somewhere. If only they were giving them away!

Leaves!

Even More Halloween

Trick-or-Treating. Dirk really outdid himself with the pumpkin this year. He should start entering competitions. Isaac, Emma, Gwendolyn, Brody (who is now a bear, with Dash Incredible underneath, just in case), and Gideon head out into the cool night for a record haul of sweet junk.
I am pretty sure this is the best night of his life so far.

Angel Hannah.

Scarecrows Omijo and Bessa.

More Halloween

School Party

Halloween

Oh, I just love this little getup. Doesn't it remind you of the old Karate Kid? The bones glow in the dark. Adorable. What a handsome fruit bat! And just in case the world needs a superhero, he is Dash Incredible underneath.


Two Princesses.
Darth Maul. Yikes. My sweet boy looks so scary!

Gwendolyn and Princess Valya in Ocean City

Primary Scavenger Hunt at the D.C. Temple

Cute Baby

We're so glad . . .

When Uncle Doug comes to town!

Faerie Festival

My friend Long Lost Linda (used to live a scant one-minute walk away and has since moved. Boo.) invited Gigi and me to join her sweet girls for an adventurous day at the faerie festival. It was so much fun!

Gwendolyn is five

This year, Gigi had a party several days after her birthday. Pictures to follow. Her family birthday was very sweet. We opened gifts first thing in the morning because, as she says, "Don't you remember how I don't like to wait?" And she got to be queen for a day, deciding what we did and ate all day long. She shares her birthday with her dad, which is always special for her. We love this little girl so much!

She is so vivacious! Our lives would be dull without her. She uses every muscle in her face and body to tell a story . . . it is really something to witness.

When she is saying goodnight, it is always several hugs, kisses, and zerberts, then a promise to keep sending them through the air after we are gone.

She often wakes up during the night (I think she is nocturnal), but has been convinced by Dirk that waking me up is not a considerate thing to do. So, unless she needs me (bad dream, urgent questions, etc.), she will just make herself a little bed on the floor next to me and sleep the rest of the night. I have stepped on her once or twice, but now I know to always check before I get out of bed.

Her pouts are adorable. Clenched fists, arms straight by her sides, face upturned, and a look that could kill. Fierce.

She loves her friends. She towers over most of them and enjoys picking them up as part of her goodbye after a play date.

She already has a testimony of prayer. When she is scared, we say prayers together, sometimes more than one. She is sure that Heavenly Father loves her, and has no second thoughts about asking for what she needs.

Loves to chew gum.

Loves all things girl: nail polish, lip gloss, froofy dresses, tap shoes.

She assumes she is in charge of our lives! One morning, she woke up and announced that we were having a dance show and I needed to call all her friends and invite them over. She set up all the chairs in the house for her audience and asked me to make popcorn. Another day, she proclaimed all Fridays as "Girl Days" and said we needed to have a tea party. I would resent being bossed around by a five-year-old, except she is so convincing! When possible, I try to help her make her stuff happen. Only one friend came to the dance show, but with the boys and me, we made a good audience. And the tea party was a great success. Fortunately, there are enough girlie girls around and not yet in school to people her parties.

Don't leave a five-year-old in charge of a baby.

Even if you are just going to unload groceries from the car. "Help Tristan be happy" could have turned out worse, though, so I really cannot complain.

Gwendolyn's Friend Party

Costume Dance Party!

Children's birthday parties and my sweet husband . . . a sometimes explosive combination. He did very well for this one, though! He must be getting the hang of it, because with four children, our everyday life feels a bit like this.

What I learned with this experience of the joy and anxiety of a pinata: either get a really tough one, or get a couple. The kids at the end of the line will definitely cry if they don't even get a chance to hit the thing. Word to the wise.

Brody is Three

Happy Birthday Brodo Baggins! Some fun things about my third:

1. Loves trains. And helicopters. He seems to be in a constant debate about which he likes more and which he needs more of.

2. Quick temper! My goodness, I pity the inanimate object that crosses him. The other day, I asked why he had to punch the door and then his own head when he ran into the doorknob accidentally and he said, "That makes me feel better."

3. So loving . . . He often grabs me around the neck after I've found something he was looking for or given him a treat after lunch and he says, "You the BEST, Mommy!"

4. A very sweet tooth.

5. He loves to know the rules. Once he knows them, he never breaks them. Rules like not eating outside of the kitchen, saying 'excuse me' if someone does something rude, saying 'sorry' when someone gets hurt . . . he enforces these rules like the chief of police.

6. Dad has been calling him Brodo Baggins to be silly, so now he calls himself Brodo Dragon.

Best Friends Dress Up

Let me introduce you to Sir Jedi Batman. He wears two capes . . . just in case.And here is his crime-fighting partner, Lady Nightgown Mardi gras.
When they cannot find any bad guys, they practice fighting each other.