Carving with Dad

Thankfully the kids have a very fun and very patient dad, who loves to carve pumpkin heads with them every year!

 

 

Ha!  Cleaning the pumpkins out is the boring part.  The kids totally ditched Kevin and here he is all alone doing the dirty work.

Clara drew this face on her pumpkin.  Kevin told her, "Sorry babe, but I don't think I can carve that."

 

Sophia loved her happy "baby pumpkin."

 

Kevin helps Clara revise her pumpkin face design:

Nobody really likes them but we always toast pumpkin seeds.  It's tradition.

 

All lit up and enjoying the glow.

Meredith:

Clara:

Sophia:

 

I Hope You Dance

Some moments in life are just too precious for words but I will try. 

Often at dinner we ask the kids what the best and worst parts of their day was.  We had a good day yesterday and if I had been asked the best part of my day, I could have mentioned a lot of things.  But one thing stands out that makes me smile and makes me happy: Clara’s love of life. 

We had gathered at a friend’s house.  The moms had tea and talked.  The kids played.  After a while my friend asked her son to play three piano pieces that he had been working on for a recital this weekend.  I sat my large pregnant self on a comfy couch and the kids sat opposite me, on a long bench, to listen to our friend. 

The third song was particularly upbeat and happy.  All the kids were swaying and smiling. 

Suddenly I see Clara’s eyes shine brighter and her dimple get deeper.  She turns to a little boy next to her, smiles at him sideways, and holds out her hands.  The look in her eyes says, "You know you want to."  He ducks his head and then he smiles bigger too.  Then he takes her hands and they both get up and do a jig right in the middle of the living room floor.  They swing around and around and dance their hearts out, to the laughter and delight of all the children and adults. 

Clara, I am proud of you for choosing to dance.  I am proud of you for being the one to seize the happy moment.  In good times and in hard times, I hope you always choose to dance.

___________________

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance 
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin'
Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'
Don't let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance 

- Lee Ann Womack

Pink!

Oh yes, and an important development for Meredith.  Her long-awaited dream of having her own room came true.  I let down my defenses for a moment and agreed that she could choose her own paint color ... whatever she wanted.  So, this is what we got!  Actually, she did let me talk her down a few shades of pink. She originally wanted it much darker than this.  One night when Kevin worked late I painted the room all by myself and I do think that it turned out nicely.  We ordered a picture from the Costco image gallery--which I love!!--and hung up a few other pieces of art we inherited from a friend.  Said friend also gave us this Pottery Barn bedspread, that her daughter had outgrown.  And wha-la!

We decided to buy this trundle bed for Meredith because we still want Clara to be able to have sleepovers with her sister.  And, in fact, nearly every Friday night they have a special sleepover together.  I want them to keep the bond they developed from sharing a room these past five years.  Clara is always asking, "Is it Friday night yet?"  

Meredith especially likes her French Memo Board.

How did I get such girly girls?  They are super into nails and love to give each other pedicures.  Actually, I can't complain.  Meredith can give a pretty decent foot massage and I have been the happy beneficiary on several occasions! 

 

Out and About

One of the best new discoveries this year was Hoosier Outdoor Experience, which is held near Indy every September.  We will definitely go again!  It is put on by the DNR and the goal is to encourage a love of the outdoors in kids.  We had a blast.  There were so many activities it was impossible to try them all.  

Sophia is a fearless third born.  Here she is trying her hand at rock climbing. 

And here, my lefty is teaching my righty how to swing a golf club.

One of the kids' favorite activities was canoeing. Near this pond was a demonstration of fly fishing and that was Kevin's favorite.  It was fun to meet people who are passionate about various outdoor sports and learn from them.  

And the pictures below are from a family art night where we had a dinner and learned about etiquette and then did our own paintings.  The kids loved it.  In the first picture, the kids were learning that they should wait 90 seconds between each bite of dessert they take.  Kevin set the timer on his phone to show them how long that is exactly.  It was excruciating for them! 

 

 

 

 

Apple Picking 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall Walk

 Oh autumn.  How beautiful you are.  How fleeting you are.  We have enjoyed a lot of fall walks these past few weeks ...

 

 

 

 

I love that Sophia rides her bike with her tongue hanging out of her mouth.  This girl has endurance and can pedal her bike for at least a mile.