So, I'm not going to give you the last 2 months in pictures. Most of you are my friends on Facebook, and you see plenty of them there.
All kinds of funny, random, interesting things have been happening to us, I'm sure. I just can't remember any of them.
Let's see, my last post was October 9, right before a visit from the NC faction of the Kees. One of the highlights of the weekend was a visit to a local farm, Roger's Farm. There we enjoyed a giant bouncing pillow, the pony rides, a corn maze, and an ingenious rubber duck racing invention that I want to build for my own yard.
I haven't blogged about how Malcolm had three different Halloween costumes. First, he wanted to be a fireman for his school party. He didn't like it because the suspenders bovered him. The we went to Trunk-or-Treat at Trinity, and he wanted to be a ghost. That was a disaster. Don't ever let your 4 year old kid be a ghost. I know you. I know what you are thinking. Ghosts are classic! A true piece of Halloween Americana! Costumery at its finest! And they are CHEAP! Well, they also don't stay on very well, offer little to no peripheral vision, and are hot (a major disadvantage in Florida). The next night was Halloween, and I was not going to let him be a ghost agan, but he was crying at the mention of being a fireman. After a last minute text to my neighbor, he ended up as Spiderman with a mask that barely stayed on his giant head.
Spiderman, the sleuth, and, no surprise here, a black cat
Aaaaand that's all I really remember from October. I don't know about life where you are, but around here, October has become December junior. Parties and festivals and birthdays. It's ridiculous. And exhausting.
November came and is almost over even though I barely blinked. We had the Jones stay with us at the very beginning of the month, and I snuck up on this:
They were out there sitting on the wall FOREVER. Just giggling and talking. Eily is one of Henry's best friends, and one he probably can't remember NOT knowing. It is very sweet.
That same weekend was UF's Homecoming weekend, and Patrick and Henry walked in the parade with FLVS. I did not get a good picture, otherwise I'd post it. When they went by our rather large faction (Kee/Jones/McDermott/Barnett/McCready --about 10 adults and 10 children) we all yelled out their names and cheered. You should have seen Henry's face! It was awesome. You may be wondering why he only brought Henry. Henry is a trooper. The other two would have never made it. Ceci would have started complaining in the first five minutes, and Malcolm would have been hungry the whole time.
We also had not one but THREE parties that weekend. It is so hard being popular. One of them was a baby shower to which I brought Ceci. I thought she would enjoy the games and crafts and such. She sat in the corner and read most of the time. Until she discovered she could sneak down to Ansley's room and read in quiet. I almost forget her there.
On Veteran's Day, my friend Allison and I took our children (six between us) to the Jax Zoo like a couple of crazy people. It wouldn't have been so bad if the rest of Jacksonville hadn't also decided to go to the zoo that day. They have this awesome play/ climbing area, but it was a madhouse. I just prayed the whole time that I would be the one to leave with my children. It was impossible, no exaggeration (you know me; I'm no exaggerator), IMPOSSIBLE to keep track of them. Anyway, I did leave with my own children and no extras (the last thing I need). We also got to pet stingrays, eat funnel cake (after washing our hands) and ride the train. All in all, we had a really good time.
Things mellowed out after that. We had a nice relaxing Thanksgiving here in town with the James and Koppich families. We got our tree on Friday, decorated it, made cupcakes, and watched Elf, which the kids thought was hilarious albeit baffling. We ordered Chinese with the Bachmann's on Saturday and let our kids run around screaming in the yard in the dark. I had wanted to do a little shopping to support Small Business Saturday yesterday, but I am nowhere near knowing what I am getting anyone for Christmas. I will tell (warn) you that we are planning to do a primarily local/ handmade Christmas. I am disgusted with the shopping excess of the holidays, and it was only exacerbated by the Black Friday extravaganzas. Opening a store at 9:00 PM or midnight on Thanksgiving Day is unnecessary and is in direct opposition to EVERYTHING Thanksgiving is about. It is about being thankful for what you have and enjoying time with family NOT getting the best bargain. This is a free country, and everyone has the right to buy whatever they want. I wouldn't want it any other way. But I think the culture of our country is more than a little embarrassing sometimes.
Well, that is all for now. See you in 6 weeks...
No comments:
Post a Comment