Avast, Matey!

What does that mean, anyway? Eric might be able to tell you, but not me. One of the things I love about him is the randomness that he offers on a daily basis. If I were to ask, and I will, he would have some crazy story to go with these Lego pirates. It would be one that he'd make up on the spot, which both impresses and concerns me . . . I'm not sure that's a skill I wish for him to have . . .

Giving Thanks

This week, we are thankful for our family, with whom we celebrated Thanksgiving. We are thankful for the food we shared and the fun we had. We are thankful for the toys and ideas that kept us busy and inspired. We are thankful for pilgrims and homemade butter. We are thankful for beautiful days and outside play that came with warm weather. We are thankful for football games and card games. We are thankful for fuzzy jackets. We are thankful for a place to rest our heads, especially when we're sleepy. We are thankful for each other.

Kitty Softpaws

When we went to see Puss in Boots, I had no idea how much Sarah would identify with one of the characters. Every day, for over a week, she dressed up as Kitty Softpaws. Last weekend, she wore her cat face all day long, in and out of the house. (I am fascinated by her lack of self consciousness.) She stopped only when they learned about the first Thanksgiving at school. She then decided to dress up as a pilgrim instead. I'm curious to see if she starts dressing up like a cat again, or if something else will capture her imagination . . . Whatever she chooses, I'll shake my head and smile, admiring the little girl she still is.

Elizabeth Mitchell, In Concert

I'm not a huge fan of most children's music - I often avoid playing it, because I'd rather listen to music that I enjoy. That is, unless we're talking about Elizabeth Mitchell. She has such a beautiful voice, but that's just part of why I love her music. She is insightful, inspiring, and hopeful. She sings about the joy and wonder found every day life and nature. She sings in Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, and English, among others I'm sure to be missing. I can't recommend her music, and the life lessons it quietly teaches, enough.

So, when I saw that she was coming to town, I bought tickets and we went to see her perform. We downloaded our bird masks, decorated them, and headed off to listen to music. The kids wore their masks and chirped during most of the car ride - both unexpected and hilarious. During the show, Eric pointed out songs that we knew, "Mom! We know this one!" I grinned and said, "I know! Isn't it great?!" We sang along as best we could, did all the moves, and, like true fans, Sarah and Eric eventually left their seats and stood by the stage. Grandma came with us, and I was glad for that - it felt right to have her with us experiencing the show.

Sidenote - I really appreciated her husband's sense of humor and references to grunge and punk rock. I wouldn't have guessed that The Misfits would've been mentioned, but they were.

And! As you can tell from the last picture, we were super-lucky and got to say hello and thank you after the show. The kids were shy, but Elizabeth and her daughter, Storey, were so gracious and kind. They were exactly who I imagined them to be, and I was so grateful.

self portraits

They were taking pictures with the camera the other day - nice, right? I think that Eric took both of these pictures. I'm guessing that he had the same expression while he was taking Sarah's picture as he did in the one of himself. Focused and goofy at the same time - who knew it was possible? As for Sarah, the fact that it was Halloween may have played into her lovely look, or it didn't.

a superhero and his sidekick

Notice any similarities? Eric asked me if Lucy was a part of the family when he picked his Batman costume. I told him she was. He said, "That's why I picked it. Because then we could match. She could be my bat dog." What a pair they are . . .

Halloween

Yesterday, Eric and Sarah discussed whether they liked Halloween or Christmas better. They decided that they love both holidays the same amount. I think they're crazy (and I told them so) - Christmas wins, hands down - but I get it. I remember how exciting Halloween was, how fun it was to get dressed up, how delicious that usually-forbidden candy tasted. This year, they had the day off from school, and so they spent most of the day either in their pajamas or in their costumes. I let them watch too many Halloween cartoons in the morning and one more in the afternoon - not what we usually do, but so much fun. I get it, but I still think Christmas is way better.