Goodbye, September!

I'm ending September on a high note. Probably because I completed a 3-mile run this evening (runners' "high" is real), we've had LOVELY weather the last two days, and my mom is coming to visit Friday (we're so excited!).

Also, I just started a humongous load of laundry consisting solely of socks and underwear, and I'm always thankful I have a machine to wash our clothes rather than having to lug them down to a river and beat them against rocks.

I'll end with this picture, which I didn't take today, but DID take this month, and proves learning and life in general go on here.

On to October (the BEST month of the year)!

(Happy birthday, Angela!)

Ruthie's Point of View

The other day Ruthie took dozens of pictures with my phone.

Several were of the refrigerator, specifically the part where ice comes out of the ice machine. (It took me a minute to figure out what exactly I was looking at.)

These were my favorite:

The first one is the area of our counter where the clean dishes finish drying (plus mine and Chet's vitamin containers, apparently), which happened to include a good shot of the Fiesta teapot (I think it's a teapot?) I recently bought at a resale shop.

The second picture is Monster wearing his judge-y look. Clearly he didn't approve of Ruthie taking so many pictures.

Happy Tuesday!

Here's a picture of Chet reading to everyone shortly before Ford's special night commenced Sunday night:

Please don't turn us into cat social services. We are aware that Monster could use just a tiny bit more love.

Ford's Special Night

Tonight we held Ford's special night, of which I did not get a picture.

We attempted to play the advanced version of Ford's electronic Battleship game. (He bought the game for himself this spring.) Earlier this afternoon I tried to help Ford read and understand the directions, but my brain refused to process what I was reading. Thankfully, after reading the directions himself, Chet agreed that the advanced version was much too advanced for Ford -- or for he or I -- so I felt better about my brain's capabilities.

I happened to win the Battleship game, and while Ford was not an outright sore loser, he was a bit downtrodden while we were putting it back in the box. He requested we end the evening "with an easier game -- like 'Guess Who.'"

Chet and Ford each won a round of "Guess Who" (no one mentioned the term "kissy lips"), then Chet and Ford commenced hyperactively kicking each other like ninjas, which is every mother's dream in the minutes before bedtime.

It was a good "special night."

Ruthie's Special Night

We've gotten out of the habit of honoring the kids' monthly "special nights" (ideally held on their "month" day).

We're making up for lost time though, and we started with Ruthie last night.

She chose to play "Guess Who."

Her opponent was Chet, who approaches board games like an engineering problem to be solved.

Case in point...

Ruthie: "Does your person have kissy lips?"

Chet: "I don't know what that means."

Ruthie: "Does your person have KISSY LIPS. Like this."

Chet: "That seems like a highly subjective question."

Ruthie: *Crickets*

Ruthie: "Well, does he?"

For the record, Chet's person did NOT have kissy lips, and Ruthie beat Chet.

Kissy lips for the win.

Thursday

Nothing monumental to report, but we had an atypical Thursday.

The kids had dentist appointments this morning, and we swung through Hobby Lobby afterward to pick up some yarn for Lorelei. They didn't have the right yarn, but we DID find Ms. Jay at Hobby Lobby, Sydney's childcare provider when we lived in Jacksonville, FL.

After chatting with Ms. Jay, we left Hobby Lobby in search of a nearby Dollar Tree, but before we could locate it we found something called Goodwill Select. NOT Goodwill Superstore, but Goodwill Select. Do you know what that is?

Apparently it's where Goodwill Industries squirrels away all (and I do mean ALL) of the REALLY high-quality items that people drop off. The kids and I loved looking at all of the treasures (which were attractively arranged throughout the store ACCORDING TO COLOR). 

I CAN'T STOP USING THE CAPS LOCK BECAUSE I CAN'T GET OVER HOW IMPRESSIVE THE GOODWILL SELECT IS.

Find one near you. 

Happy Thursday.

Happy Fall!

It's the first day of fall!

I've had my pumpkin decor up for weeks now, and have also been eating candy corn since early September, but that doesn't make today any less exciting!

There's been a fairly constant, drizzling rain falling since Saturday, which has lowered the temperature, and also made it LOOK more fall/winter-like outside.

Sydney, Lorelei, Ford, and I enjoy sipping tea to complete the fall-like atmosphere:

Lorelei, Ford, and I usually drink Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice tea, but Sydney prefers hot water with lemon juice. Ford uses the Abraham Lincoln teacup, Sydney the cup with picture of the ring necked pheasant, Lorelei the salmon-colored Fiesta teacup, and me the one with Harry and Meghan's picture.

Happy (fall) Tuesday!

All is Calm

All is calm on Mississippi's Gulf coast tonight.

We prepped for the hurricane on Sunday, and have been praying that "Sally would flop over and die," and while she is currently dumping a ton of water on the Florida panhandle, I'm VERY thankful she didn't come screaming toward ANY part of the Gulf coast as a Category 3+ hurricane.

Really though -- all is calm here. Gulfport was originally right in the storm's path, but now we are on the west side of the storm and have experienced VERY little rain and only a little wind. We don't expect much to change at this point.

Sydney asked me to take a picture of "the perfect Dorito" that was part of her lunch today:

Happy Tuesday, friends.

Our Day

As it is for most Americans currently over the age of 30, September 11th is a somber day.

Here's what we did today: 

While I was fixing breakfast I heard "Taps" playing over the loud speakers on base. It was 7:46 a.m. (CST), 8:46 a.m. (EST), the time of the attacks 19 years ago.

The kids and I watched this video about 9/11. We talked about where I was when they occurred (taking a test at school).

Then I explained "no taxation without representation" to them using chocolate chips, follow by this little show about the Boston Tea Party.

Then I read the book Manners to them, followed by the book 14 Cows for America, which offers an interesting (in a good way!) viewpoint of 9/11.

I still needed to get ready for the day, so the kids watched the first half of the movie "Pocahontas" while I showered. We ARE studying American history this year, after all!

We visited the library where the kids like to browse, then swung by the other library which is part of our county's system. I often place books on hold via the computer at this library and then swing through the "drive thru" to pick them up.

During lunch I read them a few more books: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, We Will Rock Our Classmates, and Hotel Bruce.

It was too late to put Ruthie down for a nap, so I put her in my bed and she watched the movie "Angry Birds 2." Sydney, Lorelei, and Ford had piano lessons via Skype.

Sydney's piano lesson was last, so before that (while Lorelei and Ford were having their Skype lessons) she wrote the rough draft of her weekly writing assignment.

Finally the kids and I watched a DVD version of the picture book Fireboat (also about 9/11). (Neither library had the actual picture book.)

Chet came home from work and we had Papa John's deliver a pizza (actually, three of them). Sydney and I went for a post-dinner walk around the neighborhood, which was VERY quiet, especially for a Friday evening.

Now we are getting ready for bed. It's nearly unfathomable that next year will be the 20th anniversary.

God bless America.

Teepee

Did you know teepee can also be spelled tipi or tepee? I just now learned that.

Sydney thought it was tipy, and clearly she wasn't as far off as I thought.

Speaking of Sydney AND teepees, she and her neighborhood friend built one in the woods -- all by themselves -- and took pictures with an old digital camera we have.

I didn't even know about the project until she asked, casually, "Do you want to see what we made?"

Perhaps I'm biased because I'm her mother, but I was FLOORED. These girls are 10 and 9, and did this, not only by themselves, but IN SECRET. (They are dying for a hideout that's not in either of their backyards, but that's not too feasible living on a Navy base. Between the two of them they have eight siblings they feel the need to hide from occasionally.)

Now you know who to call if you ever need a secret teepee/tipi/tepee built.