Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Grand Dadda


My dad has been so kind to come up once a week for the last month or so to spend time with the kids and give me a couple hours off. Though I've become quite efficient at tile shopping, carpet hunting, and meeting with sub-contractors with the kiddos in tow, it's aaahhhhmazing to be able to do some of these things in quiet solitude!

The kids love spending time with Grandpa reading books, playing games, and taking walks. It touches me because these are the things I adored growing up. My dad always had time for us, and there were so many Saturday mornings that he'd take us kidlets to Griffith Park to ride ponies and the merry-go-round, feed the ducks, or to play at the park. I know he genuinely loved doing these things with us, and it was evident in the chats we'd have with him, all his picture-taking, and his singing while playing the drums on the steering wheel of the car as we'd travel.

I realize these are some of the things I'll do with my kids, but it's a much better legacy that Grandpa gets the chance to make these memories with them.
Thanks, Dad.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Halloween Evening


Dad with Darth and 'Gator

Though often unkind to her cousin, the holiday spirit brought out a Cass who wanted to hug and watch out for Jason.

The love those cousins. And how nice for photos when the majority of kids are in masks!


My kids are taking after their dad. They love holidays (I guess that's only noteworthy if you're an adult...all kids love holidays!). What they've been obsessed with most recently are the lawn decorations. Every day when we'd pass this one house with a graveyard, heads, and skeletons, they'd beg to drive by it (twice: once so the yard was on Cass' side, and once for Boston). We've been to the Halloween stores half a dozen times. Cassidy adores the spooky displays and creepy noises. I'm sure next year she'll lose some of this fearlessness, but it's hilarious to watch. There was a dummy in a body bag that basically shook on the floor and she'd just clap at it trying to set it off over and over. The disturbing baby statues with spinning heads and gorey faces were even more intriguing. At one store there was a holographic mirror with a mummy image inside that would shout, "Help! Let me out! Can anyone hear me?" She'd whine when we'd have to leave it. Is it weird that it would melt my heart when she'd wiggle her hands and reinact it for Dad? She is her own person.

Cassidy picked this out to try on. Boston and Boomer followed along.

We hit up Bridget's trunk-or-treat early Halloween evening, then checked out a few spooky houses we'd been admiring, and then hit our neighborhood (apparently there's a guy who rides on a real horse as the headless horseman--we missed him this year, but next year we'll see him!). We finished the night off with munchies at Bridget's house.


My friend, Kelly, let us sift through her overflowing costume supply. Cassidy went right to the alligator (dinosaur? you decide). Maybe next year she'll consider the cute butterfuly or fairy costume.

Halloween Morning and The Boston 5


My blogging may be somewhat abridged. By the time the late hours of the night hit and I have a quiet house, I'm not necessarily motivated.

On Halloween morning we let Boston take his neighborhood buddies to Chuck E. Cheese for his 5th birthday. He loves this place and was thrilled that he and four friends would get to ride there together, play, eat pizza and cake, and of course share in some gift fun. I managed to squeeze 5 boosters in my van, and I was tickled to hear them interact with one another. They sang songs to me the whole way home (go sugar!). It made me think of my birthday gigs long ago: pool parties, ice-blocking, and slumber parties. I wonder if some of these little dudes will be soul mates.

Tanner, Tad, and Adam

Boston and the Boomer

Cassidy loves snuggling creatures. Watch for an upcoming 'raccoon' posting.