Thanksgiving - 2014

We started thanksgiving off with a local turkey trot. Grandma Barbara came in 3rd in her age category, and Zoe and Mia had remarkably stronger endurance than the last time we did it. Way to go!

Not only did grandma Barbara and Grandpa Ed come, but Ed's daughter Debbie and her family came too. Zoe was delighted to have a sleep over with grandma one night.

 Scott was psyched to have Debbie, Brian and William come for Thanksgiving so he had a band mate.

And everyone was happy to have Oliver join us for his first Thanksgiving. 

One other highlight of Thanksgiving with grandma and grandpa here is that we have a visit with Gene. Gene and Grandpa Ed went to college together more than 50 years ago! We adore him.

We also had our post-Thanksgiving traditional brunch with friends and family. We serve the entire Thanksgiving meal again plus bagels and nova. The kids are almost getting too big for the kids table!

Choir

Zoe and Mia both joined the choir at temple this year. Mia is in Shir Joy and Zoe is in Shir Harmony. They both really enjoy performing and are proud to be in a choir. It's fun to watch.

Here is Mia at one of her first concerts. 

Mia is in the front row, center with her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Here is Zoe in one of her first concerts. 

Games We Play

We play a few games in our house. One of them is the "I love you more than you love me" game. This game makes no sense, has no rules, and has no winner. It consists of the kids telling me in their most convincing way that they love me more than I love them, and then me telling them that it's impossible because I love them more. The kids are also, unrelated, really in to all things "spy" including code making and breaking. 

After being out of town for four days, I walked in the door to this:

Translation: I love you more than you love me!!

A very, very sweet way to come home!

Sophie Speak

Sophie: Here are the skills I want to learn:  Chinese, English, Spanish and bird feeding.


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These comments happened within about a 10 minute time window. In order, here's the conversation highlights:

Looking out the window while we're driving:
Sophie: I wish I was a tree because trees lose their leaves but grow them again and can live forever.  (two second pause) Will we become extinct like the dinosaurs?...and is Moira extinct since she died?

Walking in to Target, Sophie sees a large Santa display. At full volume at the store entrance:
Sophie: Mom, did you know Santa's not real?

Mom (while shopping for cat stuff at Target): Sophie, how do you like having a kitten?

Sophie: He's as cute as a baby lizard.

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Sophie: Mommy, I feel bad for you.

Mom: How come honey?

Sophie: Because you have to stay up.

(This was an incredible amount of empathy. She was paying attention to how much I had to do to get things ready around the house for school and work, while they got to go to bed.)

National Theater

We go to the children's programming at the National Theater every so often. The shows usually include theater, puppets, music or dance, and it's often a multi-cultural experience in some way. 

This program was decidedly different. This exotic animal engagement included a few unexpected close encounters.

Sophie introducing herself to an 18 foot albino python.

Zoe Birthday Celebration - 9 Years Old

Zoe, we had so much fun celebrating your birthday this year. We followed our regular traditions on your birthday. You came downstairs to find the kitchen decorated with your presents, a balloon, and our red "You Are Special" plate that tracks our family happy milestones.

 You opened just a few presents before school. Needless to say, that was a lot of fun for you.

At school, you brought in a treat of zucchini bread. This is one of your favorites. You also donated a flock of ducks from Heifer on behalf of the class.

We let you pick our dinner plan, and so after school we headed to the American Girl doll store for dinner. You think this store is heaven on earth.

You had a gymnastics party the next day. You spend much of your free time at home in your gymnastics leotard practicing splits and round-offs, so you were very excited for this party.

 I made you a cupcake pull away cake in the shape of the number nine. You picked out your colors and sprinkles. The gymnast cookies were a surprise. The cookies only tasted so-so, but they looked really cute, and the cupcakes tasted good.

 At your request, your friends brought donations for a local animal shelter. You dropped them off the next day. This was especially happy for you since we'd adopted a kitten the day before.

Catching Up and Falling Behind

It's November again...time for National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo). I'm a bit rusty, but also highly dedicated. I envision this blog as a bit of a diary for my kids that I hope to print and pass on to them in future years.

That said, I seem to do an excellent job of catching up only to fall behind again almost instantly. Hence, I will commence binge blogging to catch up. This NaBloPoMo I'll catch up on the posts I've written in my head since May, the last time I wrote a blog post. I will be posting regularly, but I'll be backdating them. Here we go...

Welcome Home Oliver

We welcomed little Oliver in to our house on November 8, 2014. He was about 5.5 months old and we got him from the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue organization. We had no idea what a gem he was. He is a Main Coon, which is a super lovable kitty.

He acts more like a puppy though. He'll happily roll on his back for tummy rubs. He's very comfortable around the house and the kids. And, best of all, he's a cuddler. We're so happy to have him join our crew.

He will no doubt get plenty of affection.

Zoe - Nine Years Old

Dearest Zoe,    

Well, I can absolutely believe that you're nine. While time has been flying by, you have clearly been growing up. You crave independence, you are far more clear about how you want to dress and who you want to be friends with, you are able to manage most elements of your day including the preparation for them on your own, and we can really talk about a variety of subjects with more endurance. 

You eagerly wanted to cut your hair - about 8 inches. I took you for your first real salon visit instead of the neighborhood barber. There wasn't a moment of doubt and off the hair went. You've let us know which sports and activities you want to pursue with far greater assurance (soccer! gymnastics! basketball! ice skating!). You're a natural athlete and a good team mate which makes sports season especially fun. 

You've taken on complete responsibility for your school work and routines. You're a proud student and work hard in and out of the classroom. Your third grade teacher approaches learning in a different way from your prior teachers. He dresses up in costume to match the characters you're reading about and in general tries to bring learning to life. You're fascinated by him and his class. 

We've had several fun outings and trips this year. One you experienced on your own. We took you to a "taste of sleep away" camp at a camp in Pennsylvania. You stayed overnight for a few days and participated in all the camp activities. While I'm not sold on the particular camp we visited, I do believe that you are ready for sleep away camp. You tell us regularly that you can't wait to go too! Now, daddy and I just need to find the right camp for our family.

This year wasn't all fun and games. A close friend of yours was killed in a pedestrian accident. This has been really sad for all of us. You wanted to go to the funeral but haven't wanted to discuss it much since.

You still really enjoy your American Girl dolls and can play with them for long stretches of time. You also really like playing a game called Mancala. You like to journal and write stories and read. Two recent favorites were Wonder and Harry Potter. You also have a much more sophisticated palate. You love Indian food and will eat clams and sushi like it's your job.

Zoe, I love you endlessly. Happy, happy birthday.

Love, 

Mommy

Another One Bites the Dust

Mia, this is your season of losing teeth. This is your third tooth out in two weeks. You are delighted and also exhausted by the constant wiggling and watching and waiting. There are three more wiggling and waiting in the wings for their time.

Mia's Soccer Team - End of Season Party

After a fantastic season, the kids had an end of season celebration at our house. These Tigers were a ton of fun to watch! Mia your coach complemented you on being such a devoted player, constantly chasing down the ball, and showing up enthusiastic to each game and practice. You were so proud to be a part of this team, and it was a joy to see.

Cold Zoo Days

Sometimes, colder days are the best days to visit the zoo. The animals are all out, and it's not crowded.  During this visit, the kids took control of the camera. Out of nearly 300 pictures, here are my two favorites with people in them. 

Cuddly Sophie-daddy time

Kids conquer the statue. Mia is fiddling with an exceptionally wiggly tooth that came out soon after.

Ashlawn Eagle

Your elementary school has been undergoing a massive reconstruction. In the new part of the school, they designed an eagle in bricks. Families were given the option of purchasing bricks and engraving them. You'll find a few bricks you'll recognize when you go back one day. Your names are there. Your classes purchased bricks for your teachers which you'll recognize too. There is also a brick for your friend who had been killed in a pedestrian accident during the summer. 

The red brick in the middle reads "Zoe Moret, Mia Moret, Sophie Moret"

A Day with Daddy

A day at the museum with daddy. Mia, you wear that soccer uniform like it's your job. I love that passion!

Zoe's Soccer Team - End of Season Party

When I started hosting end of season parties for Zoe's team a few years ago, it never occurred to me that it would become a tradition, and that would mean many parties in the same week as you all began playing sports. Turns out, that's just fine. I think daddy and I enjoy them as much as you girls do. Here is Zoe's team celebrating a fantastic soccer season.

In your cowboy boots and red hats, you may not look fierce, but this team was undefeated and played their hearts out every week.