the signs of winter...

...I do so love.

leaves falling

empty fields

cold and coats

soup

brown grass

getting dark early

crackle of a hot fire

warm milk and springerle

locking the door to the garden

asian beetles

acorns galore

Anything that points to winter, I'm lovin'.  

Snow - bring it on!  :)

miscellaneous

What we've been up to...

Grandma Sally gave these bank calculators to the kids. They were delighted. Apparently they look similar to Daddy's Blackberry, so that's how they played with them first.

On a foggy Friday, my favorite ewe (Mo) gave birth to a ram lamb right before our very eyes. The miracle of birth - amazing! Knowing what laboring meant for me, I just breathed fast and watched in wonder. She licked and licked until he moved. Seconds later, he shook his head. Five minutes later, he stood up and went searching for a place to nurse. We named him Newt.

Jared took the kids fishing yesterday. Add the catfish to the 40 others caught the day before, and you've got yourself a fish fry. YUM!

Carly's catch. There's the hook. Yep, he snapped the line.

Isaac couldn't stop raving. "This is DEEEEELICIOUS!"

"I LOVE this FISH!"

"Do you know what I'm gonna have for dessert? FISH!"

"This is SO GOOD!"

random ranting

An American Girl doll. Do the sweet girls in your life have one? Yesterday, we got an American Girl magazine. Don't ask me HOW they found us, because I don't know. This magazine was filled with 55 pages of AG supplies, from $40 doll outfits to $8 glasses and $14 head gear. Seriously. Head gear. But they called it a Healthy Smile Set. See for yourself:

l kept the magazine open to this page so I could rant to Jared. Instead of starting off with a rant though, I asked, "Do you think Carly needs one of these $100 dolls?" His answer was the one I wanted: "NO!" I told him, "Let's hope she never wants one." Later that evening, Carly found the magazine and began thumbing through it with awe. I told her those dolls were too expensive...as much as TEN Thomas-the-Trains. (That's how we measure money around here. If Isaac looks like he's going to break something, we tell him what it's worth in numbers of trains. He seems to understand well.)

first days of school

It makes me feel old to consider how my anticipation of the first days of school have changed over the years.

As a new kindergartener...no recollection. As a young kid...excitement for using really sharp pencils and new crayons. Ahh, the smell of those crayons! As an adolescent...tremendous excitement! We always thought it would come faster if we went to bed reeeeaallly early. That didn't work; we could never get to sleep. As a high schooler, I loved going back to school, mainly for social reasons.

As a college student...I'd wince at my checkbook as I prepared for the first day of school. Being in college was fun, I guess, but being away from Jared was a big drawback. My main goal in college was to get done as soon as possible.

As a new teacher...gut-wrenching anxiety. The principal had told me my kids were "the classroom from hell." As they strutted into the building that first day, I crossed my arms across my chest. A teacher on my team walked with me and said, "Don't cross your arms; if you don't look confident, they'll eat you alive." The first days were indescribably educational.

As a parent...10% excited for this new opportunity. 90% wanting to hold on a little bit longer. In a year, I'm sure the inside of my cheek won't be so bitten raw.

flu shots

Flu shots are free for military families, but we'd been putting it off. I didn't want to deal with the terror and wailing that typically accompanies the shot. The kids despise them with a passion. After each flu shot, Carly is so mad, she refuses to take the measly sticker the nurse offers her, and she stomps out the door, whimpering (that's after the wailing has stopped).

Last week, I told the kids the ever-dreaded news. "Kids, we need to go get our flu shots." The whining started. In an attempt to start comforting the kids before we even left the apartment, I told them that maybe we'd be lucky this time and get the flu mist squirted up our noses instead of the shot, because that's what they give Daddy. Carly started getting a belly-ache from worry. I stuffed my pockets with Smarties for a post-shot prize.

We drove to the clinic on base. Carly desperately tried to fall asleep on the way, thinking this would make her exempt. Isaac did the same. When we got to the pediatric wing, Carly's expression was grim. When they called us in, she walked slow almost protesting. As soon as the nurse told us we would be getting the flu mist, relief flooded over Carly's face. She didn't have a clue what the flu mist even was, but SURELY it was better than the shot.

All went well. And this time, Carly even picked out a sticker.