Giving Thanks

There are many things for which I'm thankful:  family, health, and the community in which we live.  This year I'm especially thankful that we didn't have to drive far to enjoy the weekend celebrations.  The party came to us!

Gimme a Break

Gimme a break!  Gimme a break!  Break me off a piece o' that Kit Kat bar.

Mother Russia

When I married a Russian I didn't expect to see nationalism in my home.  Yet here it is:

Molash!

The kids were sick a few weeks ago and I had three consecutive nights with very little sleep.  So little that when I saw this text plastered on the MBTA I was very convinced that I was entering a dilirious state of mind.

So I snapped a photo and kept looking at it... until I realized that thankfully, my brain was still functioning.

The spell check for EF North America, however, is clearly not:

May "molash" be with you in your travels, friend.

For those who don't read Hebrew, the language is written from right to left, unlike English which is left to right.  EF has used the correct letters for the word "Shalom", but in the wrong order.

Spooky Spectacles

Yes, it's the post you've been waiting for:  Halloween!

Where's my other child?  He was too excited to hang around for photos because I told him he was old enough to walk by himself up the street to our neighbor's home.  What was the attraction?  A Halloween party, of course.

Before the other two ran out of the house, I managed to snap some photos:

Wicked Witch of the West (Wizard of Oz)

Dragon (also known as "Bubble Butt")

And here's one with all of my spooky creatures:

Date Night

I always wondered what was happening at home when MLD and I would go out for a date night.  Now I know!

Preschool Check-In

The preschool sends home photos every now and then to prove that the children do stop crying at some point after drop off.  Here's one with Mr. T crafting a birthday cake:

Mini Minnie

I call this photo Mini Minnie.

Sheep-ish

Mr. T loves his class at Drumlin.  Amanda snapped these photos of Tate getting up close and personal with some of Drumlin's wooliest residents:

This is almost as soft as Nanee!

Look at them in there!  All of the straw!

Hey buddy.  What are you doing?

Hah!  Eating!

Being nice and gentle.

Whoa!  I'm almost as tall as the sheep!

Tee hee hee!  You are funny!

Here sheepy sheepy... here sheepy sheepy.... come to me....

You came to me!  How nice!

Can I bring him home?

Mommy Goes to the State House

Mommy was nominated to serve on the Designer Selection Board for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Part of the process was to go through a background check (boring), fill out paperwork to become a "special State Employee" with badge privileges (mildly interesting) and then be sworn in to office.

Yowza!

Sworn in? At the State House? Whoowee!

Daddy didn't want to miss this, so he and a "real" digital camera made the trip with Mommy to 24 Beacon St, Boston.  It was a slightly gray day, but that didn't dampen our mood.

Here's the State House:

If you look toward the light at the top of the gate, you can see a balcony behind the portico.  No, not the roof line, silly.  The big colonnade, like where a President might stand to deliver an address.  That's where I was sworn in!

View from the balcony of the Boston Common

Here's me (and my photographer) getting ready to be sworn in:

And then I swore (just a little bit):

Then it was official!

After that, Mr. Palleschi quickly showed us an interesting spot in the State House:

Mr. Palleschi's grandfather served here, in this room, as a State Representative in the 1930's.

Daddy and I took a little tour of the remaining public spaces. One day in the not-too-distant future we'll bring the kids so they can learn about Massachusetts history and their Mommy's teeny-tiny role in it.

Us the Hall of Flags

Near the Grand Stairs

In the Hall of Flags

What an exciting day!  Now the work begins!

Sunday Morning

We haven't had a lazy Sunday morning in a long time.  MLD snapped some photos to prove that every now and then, we have one.

Carlson, Take 3

Yes, we liked Carlson Orchards so much that we returned for a third time this season.  This time Tate really warmed up and gave a performance that only a mother (or grandparent) could love:

Daddy tried to save the day by adding his skills to the performance:

Paul and Art

I doubt that even in their wildest of wild dreams, would Simon and Garfunkel have imagined that a child in 2017 would be singing their songs in the backseat of a minivan.  And yet here we are as a family, singing Homeward Bound:

Mind Your Manners

In this adorable clip, Tate shows us his fine manners:

Thank You Google, Part 2

Then Google treated me to a video montage of Mr. T:

Thank You Google, Part 1

Google's photo assistant is fun!  Every now and then I'm surprised by a blast from the not-to-distant past.  In today's post, we get to watch Ashley (and to a large degree, Adam) grow up.  Grab a Kleenex and settle in:

Motor Musings

Every now and then Adam muses about which car he will buy one day.  It's got to be fast.  It's got to be fun.  It can't be too expensive.  Every time he thinks about it, he changes his mind.

Let's see what he is thinking about today:

Light Up My Drink, Baby

When it gets cold and dark in November, whatcha need is a light up cup.  And boy oh boy, do these deliver!

Pumpkin Pickers

MLD took A+A to pick some P this year.  Need a translation?  Look at the smiles in the photo and that will tell you all you need to know.