Halloween 2007, Part 1: Wardrobe Changes

One should not leave Halloween costumes until the last moment. See my SIL Terri's blog for an extreme case of costume desperation.
Anyway, Thomas thought it would be very cute to make Ian's race car driver costume by adding all the sponsors onto a jogging suit. Connor would be the pit crew worker-which I did find a sweatsuit with pit crew look-tools emblazoned on front and back.

So, we were at Target last night, wandering around, picking up Cars stickers, looking for a helmet for Ian. We picked up a motorcross outfit for the helmet. Ian decided to wear the whole store-bought jumpsuit, after T and I spent a good half-hour plastering their costumes with stickers last night. All in all, he looked very race-car after all. Plus, I didn't have to worry about the stickers over the course of the day at daycare, because we all know there wouldn't be any stickers left.

Connor, on the other hand, was the more challenging of the two. Why, you might ask. Simply because the child does not like to wear clothes. Specifically any clothes. I woke up and went in to find him completely disrobed this morning. No onesie. No diaper. He laughed at his misguided mother, who apparently thought onesies would keep some semblance of order. Now, I just think he is Houdini revisited.

So, I decided to dress him in a safari outfit (onesie underneath, as he likes to shuck the pants) for daycare and add the stickered pit crew outfit for the evening.

On a separate, related note, I would like to express my dismay for whoever is RUINING Halloween out there for Phoenix school kids. In my school district, we are not allowed to SAY Halloween, let alone dress up, sing Halloween songs, have treats-nothing. I said "Halloween" in class one day and the students admonished me for it. It was the most miserable way to teach in October, having to shelf ALL of my fun Halloween songs in favor of pumpkin songs.

I realize not everyone celebrates Halloween-I have no problem with that. I realize that some find Halloween to be too scary or not aligned with their beliefs. Again-fine. I can work around that, but do we HAVE to subtract every bit of fun out of every single holiday to accommodate the small groups who apparently run our schools here? No wonder teachers are hard to come by. No wonder I don't want to put my kids in Arizona schools. No wonder they are at the bottom of the pile when it comes to education. Nobody has any fun learning or teaching anymore and Halloween ain't gonna be on our state tests, lest we fill our brains with something that we cannot answer using a multiple choice bubble. Good grief.

Soccer Celebration

The soccer season is drawing to a close with the final game on Saturday. The Steelers celebrated at Peter Piper Pizza last night. Ian and Trevor were pretty excited about the pirate hooks they had gotten at Michael's just prior to the party.

The boys (Thomas and Ian) played several games, including race cars and Skeeball. Connor turned the wheel on several games and also desperately wanted to join another birthday party at another table where a huge chocolate cake was the highlight.

Ian received a trophy with his name and his soccer team photos. We put the trophy and team photo on his shelf.

No one really wanted to cooperate for photos but I tried. I also took a video, which I am still working to upload. The cute part was Coach calling Ian and Trevor the Dynamic Duo. I am not sure how 'dynamic' their soccer playing was, but they are quite a duo.

Friday's Feast One Hundred Sixty Six

Appetizer
Name a great website you would recommend to others.

One website I enjoy is called Zen Habits. It usually lists 10 great ways to improve your life in some way.

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how often do you dream at night?
I would say 1. Or perhaps the number is 1 based on my recall of dreams. I don't normally remember dreams -probably because pure exhaustion puts me into deep sleep.

Salad
Did you have a pet as a child? If so, what kind and what was its name?

I had the typical goldfish, hamsters and gerbils. At one point, I had a rabbit and a bird. No dogs or cats. My mom was not really an animal person and I didn't really miss having a dog because my grandmother had one. All that being said, in my heart of hearts, I am not completely certain I want to be a pet owner right now. I think I have secretly decided that I am not truly a pet person at heart. However, Connor happens to love animals and if that brings him into language and connections, than I will learn to be a pet person for him.

Main Course
If you had the chance to star in a commercial, what would you choose to advertise?

I would advertise reading. I would say turn off this crazy tv and grab a good book!

Dessert
What is your favorite kind of hard candy?

I like fireballs. I just wish they would stay fire-flavored right to the end.

In Short Supply

I have to do a quick book plug. While I do not have time to sit and read books as much as I would like, I do have one series of books that I find a perfect fit for my busy days.

The Best American Short Stories books are one of my favorite reads. This year's edition is guest-edited by Stephen King, who helps to read thousands of stories and narrow the selections down. While King is not my favorite author (although I have enjoyed his book On Writing and also reserved one of his books recommended by my friend Julie), I had the opportunity to listen to him on NPR's Here and Now talk about the American short story. In the introduction of the book, he describes several wonderful magazines with short stories kept on the very bottom shelf in the bookstore, competing with best-selling and celebrity authors. Many readers never find the little gems that some of these stories truly are and if this form is slowly ebbing away. I hope not.

For me, I love short stories, ever since my junior high school days. Now, they enable me to complete a story before I fall asleep (sometimes, not always) and allow me to feel a sense of completion without taking two weeks to read one book. What a great form of writing. Check out any of the Best American Short Stories if you are looking for something to read. I have really enjoyed them and found some truly amazing writers in the process.

Time Travel Tuesday

Yep, I am a day behind, but I have the day off due to probably exhaustion and a brewing cold. Slept on the couch at 8:30pm last night, once the boys were in bed, I crashed. Ian was up at 5:30am with a horrible cough, so we slept on the couch for awhile. I continued to rest until 11am! That will probably not happen again ever, so I have enjoyed my moment in the sun. No one in this house sleeps until 11am. No one.

The topic question is: What is the most serious accident or illness you have had?

I really haven't been in a serious accident (knock on wood) so I am off the hook there, at least for now.

My most serious illness began on a regular Saturday, about one month after I had gotten married. We were living in good old Poughkeepsie, NY at the time. The day was spent probably cleaning, watching a little TV or crafting. All was normal. My husband was playing drum set for a musical at the local county theater that night. My mom, my friends Dan and Stacy and I had tickets to see the show-I don't even remember the show name! We got to the theater, found our seats and I was sitting next to Dan one side and a few older women next to me on the other side. During the first half, I began to feel a little queasy and felt a good stomachache coming on. I was wiggling in my seat, trying to sit comfortably and having a difficult time paying attention to the story of the show. At one point, I was almost leaning on the woman next to me, who clearly was annoyed with my fidgeting.

At intermission, I popped up and ran to the bathroom, where I felt nauseated and warm. My stomach was killing me by this point, but I got back to my seat. I found that the two ladies next to me had changed their seats. So, the show continued and I sat next to Dan, practically laying on him as the pain in my stomach was becoming much worse and more localized. Mercifully, the show ended and I raced back to the bathroom, cut the line of ladies and proceeded to vomit and cry. My friend Stacy was on the line and saw me come out and helped me gain some composure, along with a few other ladies who rubbed my back and offered tissues. Stacy walked me out to my mom.

A note about my mom. My mom is NOT one to get excited or worried. She is the type to tell you buck up and move on. This has been forever, so I didn't expect any real reaction out of her.

WRONG. She asked me what was going on. I told her I had incredible pain on my right side, vomiting, feverish. She looked at me and said "You have to go to the hospital. It sounds serious." For my mom to say that, it's serious. Of course, I just wanted to go home, lie down and go to sleep. Nope. Dan and Stacy raced off to get the car. My mom tells my husband, who is hanging out with the musicians in the pit that we are going to the hospital and meet us there. Thomas is completely flustered, having to then quickly pack up his drum set, get the car into the loading zone, get the car packed up and get to the hospital.

The drive to the hospital was actually pretty funny-I have to thank Stacy because she made me laugh so much even though it came out like tears. We arrived at the hospital, did the urine sample and bloodwork while waiting to be seen. Dan and Stacy waited until Tom arrived before they went on home. My mom and Thomas waited with me and stayed during the exam. The ER doctor was trying to decide between appendicitis, urinary infection and something else (I forget). By now, the pain was excruciating. This doctor then actually asked me to stand up and hop on one foot. I refused. He said that I had to and then he would know. I thought this sounded stupid. Thomas told me maybe you should do it, he is the doctor. I lifted my foot and curled over in pain. That was enough to call in the surgeon.

Dr. Modi was very kind, pressed on my abdomen even though I instructed him not to and told me that we would be going into surgery right away. I was transferred to a gurney and given a drip of morphine, which let me just say-I STILL remember how blessed that morphine was. The nurses continued to be impressed with my ever-polite husband, who thanked them profusely and won himself into their good graces. I was wheeled into the operating room, discussing my substitute plans at length-how I had copied them all out, how they were in a pile on my desk and I hoped Shannon, my colleague could figure it out and maybe I'd get back into school on Monday....then I woke up in even MORE horrendous pain following the surgery. It was off the charts and I remember screaming anytime they moved me. The nurse gave me more painkillers and I slept for a bit.

In the hospital, after abdominal surgery, you are made to walk and move so that you can pass the extra gas pumped in. Pleasant, I know. I could hardly move. The belly buddy pillow they gave me had to be pressed onto my staples (no laparoscopic here, regular incision) and I wanted to curse out anyone who made me walk anywhere. It was awful. I was in the hospital for a few days, eating jello and broth. I hate jello and I hate broth.

Finally on Tuesday evening, the surgeon came in to say I could go home that night or the next morning. To my husband's dismay, I opted for sooner. Which meant he hadn't cleaned up at home or done anything to get ready for me to arrive at home. But home we went, in the bumpiest car ride ever-we still kind of laugh about that. He arranged the futon in the living room for me to sleep on so I could watch some tv. I was a fixture on that futon for about a month. I could not return to work full time for a month and following that I only worked half-days for a few weeks. Working took every ounce of energy, even just walking down the hallway to my room.

As it turned out, my surgeon saw me to remove the staples and check my progress. It was then that he informed me that I was not going to recover as quickly as expected with most appendectomies. My colon had become infected and distended, which they found during surgery. They had a very difficult time putting the colon back where it belonged-so the incision had to be larger and the manipulation probably caused a longer delay in healing too. Topping it off, I also ended up with bronchitis from fluid in the lungs following the surgery (trying coughing after abdominal surgery) which was another setback.

The good news- I lost at least 10 pounds and that was great for my 10 year high-school reunion. Not the suggested way to go about losing weight though. I also still have that little belly buddy pillow. It was a great little pillow made by someone who donated them to the hospital.

At one point, my friends Dan and Stacy came over with some comedy movie that we watched while Thomas was playing another gig. They were "babysitting" me essentially. I remember pressing that little pillow into my side and laughing this crazy, careful laugh that sounded like I was gasping for air. My mom made some decent soup for me and I got a ton of wonderful cards from my students at school.

That's really been it for me-no falling into trees like my sister-in-law or crashing into walls like my husband did as a kid. I am just waiting for my boys to begin my real orientation to the world of accidents and all.

The Sweet Treat Award

I was awarded this Treat from Jeni at Down River Drivel. I happened upon her blog via my sister-in-law Terri's blog. She has a really great blog, so I hope you will stop by. And a huge thank you for choosing me, Jeni-WOW!

The stipulations of this award are that you pass it on to a fellow new blogger that was a TREAT to discover.

I am going to send it over to one of my very best friends, Cindy over at Team Wines.

Yesterday was her birthday and so I invite you stop over and wish her a happy belated birthday. She has been my pal since junior high (again, we are not counting years known!) and I could not ask for a better friend. And we have the next generation of best friends up and coming in Ian and Trevor, which makes it a very sweet deal!



Her blog is like mine-mostly about the kids. She also is the co-contributor to Sc2toggers, the number one Arizona crochet blog. We ordered a bunch of yarn yesterday, so hopefully you will actually see some projects in the near future! I know she has one project almost done. Don't say the word "granny square" to her for awhile though.

The Interview Meme

Found this on Stacy's blog

What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? I am embarrassed to say only Grins and Giggles lavender hair/body wash for babies. I am looking at a great Avalon Organics huge pump bottle of lavender body wash, waiting and waiting for it to go on sale.

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? No-in fact, I tossed a bunch of old watermelon two weeks ago. Yick!

What would you change about your living room? The sofa and have some nice MATCHING furniture! I would also add some bookshelves, but it is not a very big room.

Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? Clean. (again with the bold not turning off!-apparently this is a special question) And my son helped "wash" the dishes (only the plastic ones, which was a good call considering how he was tossing them into the dish drainer.)

What is in your fridge? It's sad really. Milk, peanut butter, jelly, bread, apples, veggies on the verge of extinction, cheese, leftover chicken from tonight. I really need to go to the store.

White or wheat bread? Wheat, not just because it's healthier-I actually like it better!

What is on top of your refrigerator? Nestle Quik, apple juice, Dr. Pepper, phone books.

What color or design is on your shower curtain? I just bought a nice new one -it's blue, yellow and white stripes, but very shimmery looking. My husband has an ancient green one in his, but I checked his liner the other day and was horrified.

How many plants are in your home? I killed three desert plants that needed minimal watering. So, no live plants. I do have two fake ones.

Is your bed made right now? Yes, but we need new bedding. I am trying to figure out what to buy. I love my SIL Terri's bed covers, always extra cozy. Maybe she will tell me what the secret is.

Comet or Soft Scrub? Neither. I use borax, vinegar and a million little "recipes" from my Better Home Basics book. Thanks to Suz.

Is your closet organized? Not really. My side is better than T's, but that isn't saying much. I am hoping (new project flash!) to paint the closet and change the set up.

Can you describe your flashlight? I don't personally have a flashlight. But we have a gazillion yellow ones about the house. I have a reading headlamp. The boys each have their own too.

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? I like plastic or mugs. I don't like drinking out of glass unless I have a straw. For some reason, many glass drinking glasses have a funky smell that really bothers me. (And NOT just mine at home!)

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Huh?

If you have a garage, is it cluttered? Sigh. Yes. If my husband would allow me to purge without his permission, it would not be very cluttered at all. :)

Curtains or blinds? Just blinds. I am busy buying new ones as I have money for them. I am not going to do curtains for many reasons. One of which is I am just not.

How many pillows do you sleep with? One

Do you sleep with any lights on at night? I can sleep in any type of light, blinding or soft. I like nightlights, but my husband cannot sleep with lights on at all. If he is trying to sleep and I am reading with my tiny headlight, he tosses around. Luckily, I am usually the first one to bed and first to fall asleep.

How often do you vacuum? That depends on how many Cheerios and snacks have been eaten during the week. Right now, there are Goldfish ground into the one carpet.

Standard toothbrush or electric? Regular one

What color is your toothbrush? Purple

Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? Yes, it has fall colored leaves on it and actually says “Welcome” in the center! - I have the same kind as Stacy! Cool!

What is in your oven right now? My cookie sheets. Some icky gook on the bottom of the oven.

Is there anything under your bed? Nope!

Chore you hate doing the most? Cleaning T's bathroom-I have left it for him to do and I am afraid things are starting to grow in there. I also don't enjoy taking out the garbage. I did clean his bathroom today and he owes me BIG for that.

What retro items are in your home? Retro. Hmmm. I have my great-grandmother's dresser (my mom has the rest of the set). That's about it.

Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? Well, we have a computer in our main room but I have my desk and laptop in the guest/office room.

How many mirrors are in your home? Four.

Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home? No.

What color are your walls? Well, the main rooms are taupe with white trim. The office is white with green trim and the master bedroom (sorry Terri!) was just painted taupe/white trim after being an earthy red color. The boys' room is light blue and green, but Ian informed me that he wants to paint his room red, orange and purple.

Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home? No, except whatever comes in handy as a weapon in the house.

What does your home smell like right now? Nothing special. At least no diaper odor!

Favorite candle scent? I am really not a big candle person anymore with two curious children. I do like pumpkin and cranberry at this time of year.

What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? none

What color is your favorite Bible?

Ever been on your roof? I am too afraid to be up that high. Thomas has and I think Michael too.

Do you own a stereo? We do have a jukebox style stereo that holds 50 CD's. We also have a new iPod boombox for school and home use.

How many TVs do you have? One (it is about 11 years old now!)

How many house phones? One. I hate it.

Do you have a housekeeper? Besides myself? Ha, ha, ha!

What style do you decorate in? Affordable! I am a pretty classic person-I don't like very many prints. My style would be clean and solid color, and MATCHING furniture. Someday!

Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? I only like solid colors, except stripes. I do not like flowery or busy patterns of any kind.

Is there a smoke detector in your home? Yes. I pray they don't set off, because the sound of the beep makes my brain click into frozen "TURN IT OFF" mode!

In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip? My boys. My camera or laptop.

Here We Are

And here we go.

Yes, I expected this. I did. I knew, as most mothers and parents might. The little voice in your mind tells you this is so.

But to see the confirmation in handwriting.

Diagnosis: Autism.

To hear it spoken in words and acronyms we don’t understand and then broken down into spoon-fed bites. I am still choking on these words.

This is my son. This is my little boy. And his path is uncertain. Maybe it will change and the path will be less cumbersome.

He plays happily. He loves generously. He learns slowly. He cries heartily.

Loving him is easy. Teaching him is frustrating.

We have to be honest with ourselves and know that we can do many things for our children, for ourselves. But we cannot subtract the things we do not like about life. We cannot take away the difficult.

I can stand here alone or gather my people around me and let them love all of us collectively and individually. We can admire the boy that is within our midst instead of looking for the boy we never had from the start. We can all roll our sleeves up and get to work.

Deep in the heart, we are given challenges. Suffering. We are not just given what we can handle, sometimes it is greater pain than we can bear, whatever that challenge may be for each of us. Words become tears. Tears release us into peaceful acceptance and courage helps us take the first steps along a path we didn’t choose for ourselves. Here is where we are today. And here we go.

-I actually wrote the above on the day of the diagnosis. Today is two weeks later-hoping the therapies will begin soon. My husband asked me why I didn’t write about Connor on the blog sooner, instead of alluding to something wrong for weeks. The truth is I didn’t want Connor to be a poster child for delays or autism. I didn’t know how personal I wanted to go with this. And all along, I was writing and grasping at the bigger picture without sharing. The only reader was me.

The self-prompting came along once I realized how many blogs I had read by parents whose children have autism. I read and read and read some more. Looking for how they managed, what their lives are like and trying to gain my own footing on this. We spoke to many parents who were willing to share the good, the bad and the worse with fierce honesty.

And it dawned on me that my son is in an extremely rare category-he was diagnosed very, very early. He is only 18 months old. Many children are not considered until they are age 2 or 3, some even later than that. We have an amazing chance to grab this autism early and give it the best fight we can. It takes strength, it takes consistency, it takes all we have to give, plus some. And if there is some parent out there wondering about those little things that don’t seem quite right—trust your instincts. We almost chalked it up to “he’s a late talker” or “maybe he doesn’t hear well”. Instead, we hauled ourselves into the pediatrician for a hearing check and came out with the word autism swirling around us. And here we are. Not where we wanted to be, but my son has a tremendous gift of time that some children do not get.

I realized that the power of our individual stories give all of us comfort, validity and friends to walk alongside. So, if our story brings any of these needs to someone else, then I cannot be afraid to share it.

For now, I’ll leave it here. And a book that I loved is called the Zen of Parenting, which gives simple (and surprisingly difficult!) tools for us to consider how to accept challenges. This is the one that I am working on for the rest of this year. It’s never felt more appropriate and fits a million situations.

Tool 1: Let go of expectations and unfulfilled dreams. The past is gone. Try to keep it out of the present.

Crazy Eights Tag

From Terri's blog:

8 things I am passionate about:
1. Thomas

2.Ian

3. Connor

4. My family

5. My Friends
6. Blogging/Writing (I'll be better over the next few weeks!)
7. Getting the house projects under way and checked off
8. Doing more arts administration work.

8 things I want to do before I die:

1. Visit all 50 states

2. Visit Europe

3. Visit Hawaii

4. Climb Cotopaxi (Ecuadorian volcano)

5. Take some photography courses

6. Publish some non-fiction writing (so chicken though!)

7. Take a vacation without my kids

8. Make sure my kids have all their photographs and stories (blogs) in some kind of keepsake format.

8 things I say often:

1. "Where's Connor and/or Ian?"

2. "I'm going to count to three....whoever is fastest is the winner!"

3. "Pup" our nicknames

4. "That's great!" Apparently I say this a lot.

5. "No dinner, no treats."

6. Any number of Friends quotes.

7. I sing the opening chords to "Real Gone" from the Cars movie a million times a day.

8. "Hey, Ian? Guess what? I have something to tell you!....I love you (or sa-sa-sa!)

8 books I have recently read:

1. The Out of Sync Child Has Fun -this is a very cool book!

2. Loud and Clear-Anna Quindlen

3. Think Out Loud- Anna Quindlen

4. When Things Fall Apart- Pema Chondron (thanks Suz!)

5. Buddhism for Mothers- Sarah Naphati

6. Curious George Goes to the Movies (I am going to digress a moment here-what is up with the man with the yellow hat leaving George alone EVERY TIME - in the middle of a Manhattan store at Christmas, at the movies, at Grand Central, on and on. Does this man never learn??? I love Curious George, but I would love to smack some sense into the man with the yellow hat.)

7. Curious George Goes to the Aquarium

8. Dora's Costume Party

8 songs I could listen to over and over:
1. Real Gone- Sheryl Crow from the Carts Soundtrack. We actually DO listen to it over and over, but I still enjoy it.

2. Sunday Morning Overcast-Classical Guitar music from Ian's CD.
3. Under Pressure- David Bowie/Queen

4. These Are The Days- 10,000 Maniacs (surprise!)

5. In Your Eyes- Nancy Wilson remake of Peter Gabriel song

6. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant- Billy Joel

7. Ella Fitzgerald Wishes You a Swingin' Christmas- GREAT CD

8. Mi Viejo- folk song


8 things that attract me to my best friends:
1. Sense of humor
2. Listening

3. A different perspective
4. Ability to laugh at themselves
5. Forgiving
6. Trustworthiness
7. Similar interests
8. You really look forward to the next time you'll see them!

8 things I have learned in the past year:
1. Things are never easy. Everyone suffers in some way or another. (Pleasant start, huh?)
2. Living in the present and learning not to dwell on things I've done and cannot change.

3. To accept other people at the place where they are in their life.
4. How to crochet an owl.

5. Sometimes my husband watches pretty good shows. (sometimes not)

6. Having time for yourself makes your relationships better

7. In mini golf, the person with the ball closest to the hole goes first, not in people order as I originally argued.

8. How much my family loves all of us collectively and individually.

If you want to consider yourself tagged, great. No obligations!

Catch the Vibe!

After a few months of researching and test-driving different cars, I decided to buy a car yesterday afternoon. My old car, a 95 Geo Prizm, owed me nothing. It was my first car when I started teaching, it lasted a million trips between Poughkeepsie and Long Island, across country, out to CA and brought home my first child. It really held up admirably. Over the last year, it was showing its age, especially with peeling paint and steering wheel play. With all the traveling I do for school now and most importantly, the precious passengers I carry every single day, I really wanted a better car.

I test-drove a bunch of cars, but I was limited by my budget. Michael, budgeting guru, helped me figure out some different ways to calculate how much I could afford. That naturally subtracted all new cars, with the exception of maybe a Yugo. I knew that I couldn't afford to have less space, so I looked at small SUV's. All of which were nice and roomy, but again, I wasn't finding a great model in my price range. My friend Cindy has the Toyota Matrix, which is a sporty little car. They were out of my price range too, so I just kept my eyes open and waited.

Finally, Howard (the dealer) found a 2003 Pontiac Vibe that was black. It drove nicely, with a nice higher seat, okay trunk space-but the seats fold flat and the backseat seemed roomy enough. But, I didn't want a black car in Phoenix and I wasn't too crazy about it. He then found a Kia Sportage, which was a beautiful-looking car with some bad Consumer Reports ratings and reviews. I did notice he had a blue Pontiac Vibe on the lot and asked to see that instead.

It obviously drove the same as the first Vibe, but lower mileage, one year newer and a better color. The price was in a good range and although I stretched the payment a bit longer, I found I could fit it in the budget. Thomas and I looked up the Carfax report and Kelley Blue Book and all seemed fine. Consumer Reports rated it better than the 2003 and most reviews were good, some wanted a peppier engine, but it seemed fine for my needs. I decided to go back and see what the numbers would be. And I ended up taking it home.

When I got home, Thomas had taken the boys to the park. After I told him something was in the garage, he said, "You BOUGHT a car??" He said that a few more times and then we went to check it out. He liked the roof racks (apparently very important) and the hatchback part. We even discussed if it would be better on road trips and how we could pack stuff. The trunk space isn't much more than a regular car, but you can fill it up higher. Honestly, when I thought about it, I don't think I really truly need all the trunk space, even in a small SUV.

Ian liked the color-"it's very blue!"- and the two boys proceeded to climb inside and play a bit.
It was too dark for pictures, so we came out this morning for pictures. Ian took several photos on his camera and Thomas finally got me to let go of the camera myself so I could be in the picture. (I did not want to be in the photo but it is my car, so I let him)

Thomas has plans for the roof racks-putting our bikes on top. Ian just wants to beep the horn.

Off to do some more painting before the boys come back. That is for another post.

Pumpkin Pick Bonus Shots

Okay, this was my fun shot of the night. I did a few touches-added some shadows and highlights, but for the most part, this was the picture.

This photo is from the hayride and the dust trailing behind us. I had a tricky time with this shot because it was low light, we were not just moving, but bouncing and I wasn't quite sure what setting to use on the camera.

This one came out specky-I liked the first one better and it seems truer to what we actually saw. This one is with flash. And one more shot of the pumpkin patch through the haystacks and all lit up.

4th Annual Murphy Pumpkin Pick (4AMPP) Part 3

The AMPP acronym title is for my family. They will get it. Anyway, Ian really wanted to ride on the hayride. So much so, that he actually began to cry when it appeared to be resting for the time being. However, the tractor dude obliged him after a tearful request and a bunch of families jumped on as well. Once on the hayride, Ian then didn't see to want to ride. You can see in the photo here that he is looking slightly nervous.

And the fun part: Picking and decorating the pumpkins! The boys each got a small pumpkin with their admission and several tables were set up with baskets of stickers. Ian and I rooted for all the best stickers (pirates, pirate flags, planets, letters, a sombrero, a gecko-an eclectic mix) and Connor would hold the sticker and then desperately try to shake it off. He added and removed several stickers from his pumpkin.

The light was really low now, so the pictures get much blurrier as we go. Here's Ian's triple layer pumpkin!

4th Annual Murphy Pumpkin Pick, Part 2

Ian's new camera face includes squinting or closing his eyes (he must get that from my mom, she is a famous squinter) and giving a huge smile. Either that or he smiles looking completely away from the camera. Connor doesn't usually smile on camera, so his look is more natural.

Not sure if this is the boys' favorite part, but Tom loves measuring their heights. Last year, we had to prop and hold Connor up for the measuring. This year, we had to make sure he actually stood in place.

Connor has the daredevil streak. There isn't anything too daredevil about walking on hay bales, but Connor found ways to climb to the very top, teeter as if he might fall and then run along the top. Thomas quickly served as a spotter

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4th Annual Murphy Pumpkin Pick

Given the choice between a flashlight hike, pumpkin picking or a movie, Ian picked pumpkins. We decided to try going in the evening this year (normally we go in the afternoon or late morning). The good: No crowds and no waiting. The bad: The light was not the best for photos as it became dusk. Either that, or I cannot figure out my camera settings for this yet. The boys went on the tractor first and probably could have played on that tractor for the rest of the evening.

Ian was the driver, of course. Connor decided to climb and put his head through the steering wheel openings. I had visions of all those kids in school who get stuck with their heads in the back of the chair openings, but Connor had it all figured out.

I am not sure what the appeal about placing your head in the picture of an animal is really about. These painted boards are propped at zoos, farms, etc and they just don't seem very cute to me. But, my boys ARE cute so I just cropped out the animal pictures. More to come...

Sleepy Little Brother

Play hard, sleep hard. (except at night). Connor had an eventful morning, after rising at a crisp 6am, followed by a bike ride with Ian and Daddy later in the morning. He was getting tired, occasionally dropping by to rest his head in my lap and going off to do something else. Thomas and I were in the bedroom, sitting on the floor and talking. Connor wandered in and was playing with his car for a bit. The next thing I know....he is sound asleep like this.

Thomas took a few pictures, even after admonishments NOT to include me in the photo (ha- I cropped my face out!), he managed to get this super cute Connor photo.

I tried to take a few pictures without getting up, so these two are mine-the little foot and the ever-present car in hand. If you want to wake him, try taking the car out of his hand. Works like a charm.

One Day At a Time

You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.


We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.

-Eleanor Roosevelt