Hugs in the fading sunlight

Got a few photos of these two in just as the sun was going down.

Happy Thanksgiving!

There is nothing like eating until you can't eat anymore, taking a walk to help that settle, and then having dessert consisting of three different pies (four total, counting the duplicate apple pies!) and ice cream! And it's the first time in two years we've had occasion to get out the good dishes. Glad to spend a little time with Joel and Beth, too.

Apple Pies!

Before-and-after photos of apple pies for tomorrow! I decided to try a lattice and Elisabeth went for the leaf cut-outs. Both look and smell delicious and both made a big mess in the oven...!

...but I want to wear Graydon’s soccer stuff so badly!!

I found Portia sitting under the desk in the office trying sooo hard to put on Graydon's socks and shin guards. Not too much longer, then she'll get to play, too!

Big Girl Bed!

Completely unexpectedly, Portia transitioned into her "big girl bed" last night. The mere suggestion that "big girls" sleep in big beds was enough to seal the deal - despite the fact that Portia refers to herself as a "big baby." The emphasis is on the "big" of course!

In any case, we had no issues with bed time or sleeping through. We'll see if this sticks before taking down the crib that has been in continuous use for just shy of eight years now. Mami is both happy and sad, as usual. Our baby girl just keeps getting bigger!

Story time

It's hard to resist the request for a story, even if you just finished a long work day with a grueling three-kids-screaming-in-the-car ride home from soccer practice. Thanks to Elisabeth for being such a trooper!

Guess who’s caught the reading bug??

Graydon is following in the footsteps of several generations - he caught the reading bug! He came home from school with his homework already done and went straight to his latest Hardy Boys book - he's going through about two per week these days. He and Kiwi are hanging out with me as I work from home today. Elisabeth and the little ones are out at a park somewhere getting their requisite dose of fresh air. So it's nice and quiet around here!

Wiley’s Soccer Season

Wiley's first recreational soccer season ended this weekend. Wiley has fun, mostly during practice with all the fun little games they play there. For games, Wiley is still working on his attention span. :) In any case, whenever he asked whether he thought soccer was fun, we always got the answer "yes!"

Sleeping at the soccer field

Portia passed out cold on the way to soccer tonight. Großmama has the privilege of holding the sweaty bundle... I don't think she minds too much.

I JUMP!!!

Portia likes to jump off things these days!

Halloween (a couple days late)!

We did actually trick or treat on Halloween proper. It just sometimes takes us a little bit to get the photos up... sometimes kids also don't cooperate for photos...

The Pumpkin

Just before Halloween, Graydon finally got to harvest the pumpkin he's been growing over the last year.