My dad is visiting this week and the kids and I have several things planned. Whether or not we will get to all of those things remains to be seen. I am using the plans more as suggestions than mandates on how to spend time. Hints or ideas to be reminded of if need be. So far they have played Wii Monopoly and the Harry Potter game we bought at the Lego Store last month? Or the month before. We had dinner last night to celebrate his visit and they watched the first of what will most probably be many Harry Potter movies. I think they started with #2. Possibly #3. Eva is set on getting the first one and we checked to see if the library had it today. Next stop will surely be Blockbuster as the kids and I are due to finish up The Half Blood Prince in a few days, if not tonight, and we will need to watch that movie lickety split. We can rent The Sorcerer's Stone at the same time. As my dad has never seen any of the movies or read any of the books, the place to start would seem to be at the beginning. As it turns out, however, starting in the middle is fine too.

Tonight we went out to dinner at Pizza Fino where my sister Ellen and her partner Evan work. It has turned into a sort of tradition for us to eat there when he visits. Eva insisted on it this time and was very excited about her dessert brownie. She talked about it all day and I am happy to say the brownie once again lived up to both her imagination and memory.

And now everyone else is either still playing Wii Monopoly or getting ready to finish the Harry Potter movie from last night or- wait- they are in fact watching Coraline, one of Eva's favorites. One thing I love about my dad visiting is how the kids like to gather up all of their favorite things- movies, books, games, stuffed animals, foods, walks, ideas- and share them with him. I enjoy reflecting on the ways the kids have changed from the last time he visited and the ways they have stayed the same. It is a great snap shot for him of the people they are becoming- the people they are in this moment of time- and a nice reminder for me of all of the ways that we spend our time each day.



Today at the park...

back in the garden

We usually go pick apples to celebrate the autumn equinox but this year the kids were sick so we picked out some plants for the garden- kale, mesclun mix, beets and three mums. Eva and I planted the veggies yesterday finally and while I was out there I noticed that the seeds I had planted several weeks ago are also doing really well. Let's hear it for a bumper crop of kale. There are also quite a few carrots and a few types of lettuces. The beets I planted wow last spring are doing so well and ready for the juicer. How many beets can one person eat? We shall soon find out. I still can't get over how many carrots there are out there.

My dad is visiting right now and I am hoping if the weather allows it that we will go pick apples tomorrow. We took him to see the swifts {a second time for us} on Sunday night and out to play miniature golf yesterday. This has become quite a tradition and the kids look forward to it every time he comes out to visit. This time I thought we might try out a new miniature golf place but we ended up at our same old place. It is definitely a little run down and a tad over priced for the lack of upkeep but we like it. I would say one of the perks is that we are usually the only people there and the kids can go through as quickly as they want. This time Eva went through very quickly on her own and then came back to walk through again with us. This year also marked a milestone in that it was the first year that we actually kept score all the way through with Samuel.



Eva on her own course.



Samuel in the mini-golf flow.

Wowee! So excited! I commissioned my cousin Kristin to make a quilt for me and it arrived yesterday (last delivery of the year!). Here is Eva on the new quilt, all spread out for us to see more closely and a detail of one square on the quilt. I am so excited and can't believe I am actually going to use something so beautiful. I have a quilt that my grandmother's grandmother made (the same woman who started the Christmas cactus I have a clipping off...) and it has never been used? Is that possible? When it was offered to me I was cautioned against using it as well. Of course now it is so old it can't really be used. So nice to have such a lovely quilt! Thank you Kristin! The kids are already asking for their own :) Today we made pants for barbie out of some left over bird fabric!

merry christmas and eva lost another tooth this morning (both bottom middle teeth are gone)! a second tooth in about 12 hours! she is a little hesitant about how her mouth is feeling right now. she wondered how good it could be for you to loose teeth, whether that hurts you? could you die if you lost a tooth? she is anxious for the new teeth to come in and also feeling nervous at that new sensation as well. so many changes for eva. she feels at once proud and excited that she has lost her first teeth and also apprehensive at what this means for her (and her teeth!).



fun christmas games with aunt ellen and new barbie- GRRR! ROAR! (oh yeah check out ellen in her new hat!)

The christmas cactus started booming! This plant is a clipping from a plant that my grandmother's grandmother had.

We have spent the last couple of days visiting with my aunt from Virginia. We had Indian food- twice!- and took her to the arboretum, of course. We take everyone who visits us to the Arboretum at some point. We talked and talked and talked. And we did a little fabric painting on some t-shirts and napkins. I did not take any pictures of Mary Jane's visit, but I did get a picture of this crazy guy-



He is a Cecropia Moth Larva and he rolls over when you touch him. He looks like this when he grows up. As far as I can tell... He is a little over 2 inches long and quite thick- thicker than my index finger. He rolls when you touch him and it makes you wonder if that is how he gets around, rolling and rolling and rolling. It is also a little like a dog rolling over to be pet, but you get the impression from this guy that it is meant to be a deflection- roll and they will miss! Roll and they will get confused! Eva and I were enamored with his rolling, however, and probably spent a little more time loving him than he expected.

And these are the kids' fabric paintings-



Samuel painted a knight fighting a monster and Eva painted a prince and princess with their intuition.

Eva's new cart for her dolls and look who's inside...



Eva, Jack, Grandpa, Samuel at the Arboretum



Eva, Grandpa, Samuel in the back yard after one of the many treasure hunts the kids set up.

The kids have been on a Lilo and Stitch kick after Eva decided she wants to go to Hawaii. They ordered the first one and then there are two others that we found at the library. I have to say, I wasn't thrilled with the prospect of bringing Lilo and Stitch home when I first saw the cover of the video a couple of years ago, but it has since grown on me and I particularly love the end scenes in the original when the aliens and the social worker and Lilo and Stitch and her sister and her boyfriend all seem to have this lovely makeshift family. It is sweet and extremely funny.

Grandpa has come and gone and we had a lovely time visiting. He stayed a day extra this time and it was nice to have a quiet last day. Of course there was miniature golf and we took a walk at the Arboretum and ate pizza and Mexican food. Jack had daily morning walks and Samuel and Grandpa played many Shadow games with knights and legos and castles. Eva joined in some this time as well. There was a lot of checkers played and some chess and quite a bit of Uno and Go Fish.

Samuel's riding lessons have started back up after his teacher took a long family vacation over the summer. He is thrilled to be riding again and is trying to figure out how to get a horse of his own. We are going to a horse show tomorrow at the stables where he takes lessons to see some of the other people ride. Some of them are quite good and there are people of all ages and levels.

Today I made some more minestrone and some tomato dill soup- to eat and to freeze for winter. I still have a ton of tomatoes and I think I am just going to freeze them this year and not can any of them. After the peaches and pears, I am just not up for any more canning and I have my freezer in the garage that still has enough space in it for tomatoes.

I bought some kale plants and chard plants to put in the garden and can't wait until we start getting some more greens from our produce basket. I have been making lots and lots of tomato juice with my juicer- tomato and carrot and cucumber...

So that's how it is. Food and knitting and organizing. And really getting into the swing of fall. I love fall and really just cannot get enough of the clean air and the beauty of the changing leaves and the big clouds and changing sunshine to rain and back again. I miss my flip flops but have enjoyed putting on my fleece and sitting outside in the cooler air in the mornings.

Thanksgiving and then some

Leaf raking and playing on Thanksgiving.



Lot's of leaves!



Dive right in!



Samuel basting the turkey.



Eva and Katherine playing.



Everyone feasting; Alexandra at the table; Samuel and Evan playing a chess match against Danny.



I asked Eva about this photo and she said she was showing Katherine photos of pumpkins and Katherine was putting the baby in the CD player.



Samuel and Eva using hammers to break up the ice yesterday.



Samuel preparing for ice breaking today; some lovely photos he took of the oak leaves in the ice. Eva didn't join him today and he brought some icy leaves inside for her. They are now in our freezer. When we take them out to look at them, they melt a little and we put them back in the freezer quickly!



Eva said these are the Buddha's meditating among the flowers, which help them communicate when they are not talking to one another. The snakes can help with this as well.

Freshly gleaned license plate wisdom found at our homeschooling center today-

"Those who say it cannot be done shouldn't interrupt the people doing it!"

Ellen and Eva playing cards and doing stickers. Eva is dressed as a police officer.



Samuel and Evan playing the police officer/ thief game. Samuel is in full officer regalia, catching an elusive thief no doubt. And Jack never misses an opportunity to suggest someone throw the ball for him.



Samuel learning how to play chess with Evan.



Eva and Ellen doing lots of puzzles. This puzzle of the United States prompted Eva to tell me that she really wants to see more of the world.

I am really tired. I must be the only person in this house who ever gets tired, besides the cats, that is. And Jack seems to enjoy sleeping quite a bit lately as well. Samuel is playing last minute video games and Eva is having a picnic!! in the living room. Not sure what is on the agenda for tomorrow. I am sure it will be inspiring whatever it is!