Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The Roses, In Photos

I've been feeling guilty about not posting, so I quickly shot some photos tonight, and here they are.  Rose #1 was playing outside with the neighbor kids, which, if this was an occupation, she would certainly choose it.Here is Rose #2, also outside playing with the neighbor kids.  You know it is darn chilly when she is voluntarily wearing a coat!
And Rose #3, posing in a very fetching manner!  She is so cute these days, I just want to gobble her up.  Really.  She can construct 5-word sentences (Hattie Bean Upstairs Watch Movie?) and she is a darling.
Look for Halloween updates soon (we have a Luke Skywalker, a Pikachu, and a giraffe...).

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Biska Basking

Imagine the clearest, crispest fall day.  Three beautiful girls, their mom, and their grandmother (aka Guppy).  We went walking down a couple blocks at Guppy's house to go biska basking.  What is biska basking, you might wonder?  Why, that is the name in our family for gathering fall leaves.

You start with a few crunchy pathetic brown leaves, graduate to a few more promising looking yellow leaves, and then when you come to a sugar maple, you find the most glorious red leaves, some with spots of yellow or green.  Some even have some purple mixed in.

We walked to Cochran Park in my mom's neighborhood and sat in the sun.  I was thinking of the Simon & Garfunkel song about sitting on park bench like bookends.  While we were at the park, which has a little shelter structure that looks like a small part of a medeival castle, the Roses were cooking up little imaginary games, about hunting deer and serving them for lunch. 

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Wednesday night is class night

Tonight H has class, so it is mom and girls night.  The Roses were performing the song they learned at mouse choir at their cousins' church on Sunday.  They are very shy and modest, as you can tell, Rose #1 in particular:
Rose #2 specially liked doing the actions.  
Rose #3 just wanted to be in on the action, as usual.  You can see on Rose #1 in the background the shirts that we brought back from Florida ("Blame My Sister - Marco Island, FL")

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Back from Florida

No pictures - too crazy here yet - but we are back.  We had a great trip.  We went to Bonita Springs, FL and stayed in Aunt Boo's aunt-in-law's condo.  It was FABULOUS.  We could see the Gulf of Mexico from the balcony, and there was the clearest blue pool to swim in after the beach got too hot.  Boy, was it ever hot!  Each day it got up to the high 80s, and the humidity was HIGH.  But when you don't have to go to work, it doesn't matter that much!  We did a lot of sleeping, sitting by the pool, reading, watching TV and DVDs and eating.  

The girls had a good time too.  On Friday night, Uncle Eli and Aunt Brenna stayed at our house with them.  They got McD's and a Pokemon movie and lived it up!  On Saturday, the girls went to Andy and Tonya's house, and stayed over.  They slept over and went to church with them on Sunday.  On Sunday night they came back home and stayed here with Aunt Boo and Baby Kate!  Aunt Heidi helped too on Sunday night along with Guppy.

We are so grateful to have family here to watch our girls so we can get away.  After 10 years of marriage, it is a beautiful relief to realize that you still really love the man you married.  He is a good man.  He let me hold his hand really tight on the airplane.  And he got me a 10th anniversary band.  It is beautiful (back at the store for resizing!).

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Off to Florida on Friday

H and I are off to Florida to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary on Friday!  We are going without the girls.  I am very excited for our trip but I am going to miss my girls.

This week Rose #1 turned in her neighborhood community project, and she did her class presentation.  I wrote her a little "good luck" and "don't forget to look at the audience while you talk" note, and she surprised me by keeping the note in her pocket all day long.  She is so sweet and earnest and I love her so, so much.  

Rose #2 has been talking about new friends on her bus.  Alexis, Hannah, and Huachi are her bus buddies, and they take turns being loud and covering their ears.  Poor Rose #2 just wants to be big like Rose #1, and go to chess club, have projects to do, etc.  Rose #2 is lying next to me right now playing dollies.  She is one determined little thing and I love her.

Rose #3 is talking up a storm.  I think she must have had a bad dream about bugs in her bedroom, because she always looks at the radiator near her bed and says, in an unsure voice, "No bugs coming.  No ants coming."  She also goes potty on the potty, and has her very own independent ideas (like it is OK to color on the walls).  She has chubby cheeks and curly hair.  I love her so much.

We want to thank, in advance, Uncle Eli, Aunt Brenna, Uncle Andy, Aunt Tonya, Aunt Boo, and Aunt Heidi for taking care of our girls and giving us the chance to get away.  Thanks!  Thanks!  Thanks!

Friday, October 3, 2008

Morning at the Children's Museum

When Tam was sick, H took Rose #3 to the Children's Museum. Here she is touching a SNAKE! Very brave, young lady. The most popular destination at the Children's Museum is the face paint table. Oh, we love that table. Here is Rose #3 selecting the very best hue for her cheek masterpiece:
And here she is cutting her eyes to the side to get just the right effect:
When Rose #1 came home from school she saw Rose #3's face paint, narrowed her eyes, and said: "You went to the CHILDREN'S MUSEUM!" (i.e., "without me!"). That's the problem when you are in first grade! No more spontaneous daytime trips to the Children's Museum!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Rose #1's Community Project

Rose #1 has her first big school project.  She has to document people and places in her neighborhood community.  So, part of our project is taking pictures of our friends at their houses.  Pictured here, thanks to Rose #2, is (from left) Rose #3, me, our friend "G" and her dog Sophie, and Rose #1.  We were in G's backyard.  It was a fine autumn night and we had ridden our bikes/rode in the stroller/walked to G's house.
After the photo session G sent us home with very fresh crisp apples.  G, thanks for letting us intrude on your night!!

Guppy, Baby Kate and Rose #3

Yesterday our nanny was sick, and I "split" the day with H.  So I was home in the afternoon, and Guppy came over with Baby Kate.  Baby is a MUCH happier baby now that her momma doesn't eat dairy anymore (WTG Boo!) and it was so much fun to see her smiley cute face.  Here she is eating a book with Guppy and Rose #3:
Here are Guppy and Rose #3 adoring Baby Kate, which is SO cool.
I love it that Guppy lives 8 minutes away (if that) by car and she can come over whenever.  And I love it that all the cousins play with each other and love each other.