Greetings of the Season

Merry Chrismas from our home (cough cough) to yours:

Western Trek of 2017

This is still a post-in-progress; no commentary yet.  We're experiecing computer difficulties and are trying an experiment to salvage some pictures.

Welcome to the sick ward.

I hope they all get over it before Christmas, at least.

All the couches were taken, but thankfully he's small enough that he fits comfortably in the easy chair.

Prayers that Miriam doesn't get it, so she can sing in the choir, and that I don't get it, so I can actually ensure Christmas prep happens, greatly appreciated!

You know you're doing homeschooling right when...

...your 15 year old says, "This reading from Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is fascinating!!"

Pasta Night

This is what making pasta for dinner looks like in a household with food allergies:

that's every pot from my cupboard

Clockwise from bottom left: hamburger for everyone, gluten-free noodles for two, white sauce for 6, wheat noodles for 6.  On counter is small pot waiting for space to heat up tomato sauce for 1.  (One person got plain noodles and hamburger with dairy-free cheese b/c said person can't have dairy OR tomatoes.)

We're almost at the point where we're considering having certain family members ingest a parasite, just so their bodies have a real enemy to focus their fighting energies on, rather than themselves.

Sheesh.

The Trials of the Artist

subtitled: Why Miriam is Going to Get to Heaven Before the Rest of Us

For the curious: Miriam is wearing gloves b/c her hands were freezing cold.  [Turns out her perpetually icy hands and feet are actually due to Primary Reynaud's Disease!  (which is basically Scary Medical Speak for "colder hands and feet than most other people")]

Audition Season... again

When you're practicing 16 bars of music for an audition, your siblings get to know those 16 bars reeeeeeally well.

Keep in mind that Miriam is not singing at her best -- she actually sounds better than this.  I can't imagine what could have been distracting her....

So even though she's currently in the middle of rehearsals for Elf Jr., to be held in December, auditions are going on for The Music Man, to be held in June -- thankfully rehearsals won't start until the New Year!  She actually got a call back to try for Marian the Librarian -- which surprised us all! (although it probably shouldn't have!)  Keep your fingers crossed!

Toothless Interlude

We owe you a couple good, long posts -- namely about Banica, and our Grand Midwestern Tour.  In the meanwhile, please enjoy this classic shot of 7-year-old Daniel, aka Toothless:

November Walk

Jumping back in time again...

We've started a tradition of going for a nature walk near our anniversary date in November.  This past year, a zillion other things were happening at that time, so we waited until after Thanksgiving to go.  We chose Lake Accotink park which has a nice walking trail, a cool (and terrifying) dam, and of course a playground.

the first few shots I took are all washed out -- it took me a while to figure out why the settings were all messed up

have snack, will travel

Katie was not feeling her best :(

these two, however...

I just love all the contrasts of colors you get to see in the fall

 

Mr. Pickles had to take this one.  being close to the railing -- and seeing the children close to the railing -- gave me the heebie-jeebies, so I had to keep away

After our ramble, we spent some time on the playground.  One of the slides became a Hungry Monster.

first you catch your prey,

then you feed him to the Hungry Monster,

then he gets eaten!!!

LOVE the static effect on toddlers' hair :)

It was a beautiful afternoon.  It's so important to get to know all the lovely places tucked away in the city.

On Lessons in Detachment

So, last November this happened:

:(

I'll give you 6 guesses who caused this, and the first 5 don't count.

Dominic aka Conan the Destroyer was sitting on my lap while I was slowly sipping my morning cup of consciousness and attempting to have a rational conversation with Katie, when he lunged forward at light speed and knocked the bally thing off the table.  The worst of it is that Katie and I were both RIGHT there -- but he was so dang quick that we could only watch in horror as the mug landed with a heart-rending smash.

What makes it so sad is that this was my china shepherdess:  it was given to me when I was a student in Gaming, Austria, and had survived a transatlantic flight and several moves over the last 20 years.  I loved the shape and used it for my morning cuppa every day.  The kids all respected it and wouldn't touch it, lest it get broken.  I think Katie mourned over it as much as I did.

Well, all things must pass away, I suppose.  And really, you can't get angry with a baby.  It's not allowed.

So I got out the super glue and patched it back together so I could at least keep it as a reminder of that amazing semester.

It's not usable for its inteded purpose, however.

Enter My Hero, Mr. Pickles.

He did extensive research to try to find a mug to replace my Austrian one.  He couldn't find an exact match, but he came pretty close!

and not one, but TWO!

He is so good to me. :)