Christmas Choir Concert

Gavin and some of his friends

My camera batteries went dead during this performance so I wasn't able to get very much of it. There is a little blurp of Gavin singing one of his favorite songs. This was the first year the choir director had his concert choir sing the "Hallelujah Chorus" and I must say, I was very impressed by those young kids. Again, it's too bad those batteries went dead! (Oh, and in case you might be wondering, Gavin sings Tenor, for now).

Orchestra Concert

Allie had her first orchestra concert last Friday. (Gavin also had a choir performance at the University Mall, but I didn't remember to bring the camera...he felt neglected). We were pleasantly surprised at the ability of these 7th graders who hadn't ever picked up an instrument (for the most part) until just a few months ago. "Kudos" to the teacher.

The Ugliest Sweater Award

I was a "mother-helper" in Allie's english class last week. Funny how it came about actually...I volunteered while under the influence of a sleeping pill and the next morning I couldn't recall a thing about it. I was taken by complete surprise when the teacher replied to my unknown email and thanked me for my willingness to help! (Needless to say, I have asked Richard to keep all electronics and phones away from me after I take my pill at night to avoid any more involuntary acts of service). After I realized I had said I would help, I discovered that my assignment involved dressing up like an old person, an "Elder" from the book, The Giver. I was to wear all black and pull my hair up into a bun.

I did the best I could considering I wasn't really in the mood to do it all. I threw on some jeans, a black shirt and my old grayish/brown Finnish sweater (which is about four sizes to big these days). I stretched my short hair into a stub of a ponytail and showed up for duty. When I got there, all the other mothers were wearing black skirts and the mother I was to sit next to had done herself up all model-like so the contrast between the two of us was quite glaring. As I sat there talking to the pretty mom, Allison came in with her class. When she saw me she smiled, but as soon as she looked at my costume, her smile fell off her face.

"Mom, WHY did you wear that UGLY sweater?!"

"I'm supposed to look old"

"Yeah, but that is the ugliest sweater!" At this point her friend scolded her for being mean to her mother. The next five minutes went by as the other classes gathered in and settled down. And as if twice wasn't enough, Allison again embarrassingly asked me why I wore the ugliest sweater I owned. I just laughed because I knew just how pretty I didn't look.

I was completely surprised when we were all done and Allison wanted me to walk back with her to her classroom...HAND IN HAND with the Ugly Sweater Wearer!

(By the way: I really like my Finnish sweater!)

Ahhh...tis the Season!

Is it considered child abuse when you send your son to football practice and he continually comes home with blue-ribbon bruises?


Allie and Smokey taken right after soccer practice. She was trying to get a profile photo she liked for her new Facebook account.


This is the only picture I got of "Halloween" and it has nothing to do with the holiday. It was wacky wear day at school and this is what the kids came up with. Slippers on Gavin and Moose socks on Allie. I think they are the ugliest socks I've ever seen and I can't figure out how they ended up in her closet.

I love this time of year, minus the Halloween part. (I know, I know...what a party-pooper I am). This year the kids had friends over for night games and then we had our annual Dinner party with the Graves. We had different kinds of pasta with salad and a fabulous dessert. The kids love this tradition and this year it was made so much simpler. We didn't dress up until after they had ordered their mystery food and then while the parents prepared the meal, the kids went downstairs and dressed for dinner. With make-up and three boxes of dress-ups to choose from, it was fun to see what they came up with. Allie ended up in a hoop skirt complete with a fancy dress and every ounce of her face caked in make-up. Meanwhile, Gavin put a cloak with a hood on and called it good. If only I had thought of taking the camera...

The Bain of My Existence

It's been awhile since I went upstairs to the kids' rooms and overhauled them in the sort of way that only their mother can do. After a grueling day of cleaning, I am taking issue with a couple of things:

1. Airsoft BB's (Have you ever kneeled on one? Think Legos... They are all over our yard, bright green, white, red, like large plastic fertilizer pellets that never melt away. When Gavin ran out of them during his last airsoft war, he decided to just pick up the ones lying on his bedroom floor to recollect. In one pick-up he hauled off quite a pile and that was before he checked under the bed or in the corners. I found those while I was vaccuuming - after he'd said it had already been done!)

2. Perler Beads (Those colorful plastic beads you make designs with and then melt together. I had a whole refrigerator covered with designs made into magnets at one time. Usually the designs get made and then sit around Allie's bedroom waiting to be ironed. I'm constantly setting them aside to get dinner ready or they have to be carefully moved off her bed and onto the dressers so she can sleep at night. While I was vaccuuming her room the other day, I thought I saw something colorful in the heat vent. Amongst bobby pins, a Scooby-Doo Bandaid, pistachio shells, yarn and who knows what else - I didn't inspect further - I found handful after handful and I still didn't get all of them.)

And, of course, these things don't like to be sucked up by the vaccuum hose. I try every time only to end up picking them up by hand. Is this something I'll miss when they grow up? I think NOT!