We’ve got a lot more of the white stuff over the past two weeks, and it is deep enough now that I laugh that the kids were out shoveling and playing in this tiny skiff of snow! There is something magical about it, though – the first snow of the season – and the kids…

Hooray for the Christmas season! For us it officially starts the day after Thanksgiving… and up go the tree, and the lights, and the nearly-finished stockings… we are excited. We even went outside in the (WINDY!) cold to help Nate with the house lights – he said he’d be done in 20 minutes, and an…

Nate has been switching me cars after church and taking the kids home so I can clean up after nursery now that he is around on Sundays, which is so nice. So I get to drive home in the Lincoln… with the great shocks and his nice church music and noone screaming at me from…

Ah, the joys of having a dad that’s been a student of sorts for all of their lives! He is always highlighting books, so why shouldn’t Emma do it? Her “studying” extended through most of the book… she was so proud, all we could do was smile and be glad it wasn’t a library book.

Happy Halloween! The kids in their 3 layers were cold instead of hot this time, but we still made it to enough houses to get candy for Emma to eat pretty much non-stop from then until now. (Thank goodness she is getting to the bottom of the pumpkin!) We went with our neighbors, and Zach…

What a great coincidence that the Red Sox made the world series just weeks after we got a book about David Ortiz from the library… all of a sudden Zach was the Red Sox’s biggest fan because “I know David Ortiz!” Nate was going for the Rockies… and was out-cheered in addition to being outplayed.…

Here’s Nate fixing Emma’s ripped dress before the party with his suturing skills – he quoted the Red/Green guy who always says: “If the ladies don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy!” We are lucky he is both!

Last night was the ward halloween party, and the rained-out “trunk or treat” that turned into a wild candy rampage in the hallways. My poor kids (who were prepared for the outside adventure) were wearing 3 layers underneath their costumes, and were just roasting. Nevertheless, Emma went to town – and Zach brought in more…

Last Friday was a big day. Zach went to school on Thursday announcing to his teacher: “Friday is a very special day for two reasons. 1 – I get my cast off. 2 – We are going to sleep in the tent in the basement and Daddy says I can stay up until I get…

And now it feels like fall. The kids even insisted on hats and gloves to go out and play today – their activity of choice: playing in the leaves. Since our leaves are still firmly attached to the trees and still mostly green, we are extra glad for our neighbors with early-shedding trees! And the…