A Daddy and His Boy

I'm so grateful that Craig (seen here trying to get some stuff done on his work laptop amid the chaos of family life on a Saturday afternoon), no matter what he has going on, is always willing to take a few minutes to sit, snuggle, and even share his soda with little Mister Spencer.

"Every father should remember that one day his 

son will follow his example instead of his advice."

November Beginnings

Ah, the beginning of November. Christmas is just around the corner, but before we jump too far ahead, let's savor some things that this month has to offer.

After all, November is a great time for:

{morning Pero}

{and going shirtless}

{tossing out rotting pumpkins}

{before-school art projects}

{making a Thanksgiving shopping list}

{using up the Halloween crafts}

{finishing up the Halloween candy}

{commissioning a portrait }

{reorganizing the cupboards}

{feeling grateful}

What do you do In November?

The Five-Year-Old Vacation, Day One: Chicago

In November of 2009, our family (which consisted of just Craig, Julia, Savanna and myself at the time) went on a vacation to the mid-West to visit Craig's extended family (both on his mom and his dad's sides.) Probably because I was very pregnant at the time, attending school, and because it was right before the madness of the holidays, I never wrote anything about it on the blog, except for this convenient list of things to consider while traveling with children. (Apparently we were pretty traumatized by the experience because we have not flown with our children again since then. Take that, family-unfriendly airlines.)

So, when I was going through old pictures looking for something, and I came across the, as yet, undocumented Double-Thanksgiving Extravaganza of 2009, I thought, what the hey? There's no statute of limitations on posting old vacation photos, right? And, since I am trying to post every day this month (both because it's National Blog-Posting Month and also because I'm a little bit crazy), it's quite a convenient place to insert this wealth of pictures from five years ago.

Two birds. One stone.

Enjoy.

First, we flew to Chicago

The first stop was for Chicago-style pizza. The girls were so hungry at this point, and the pizza took so long after we ordered it that they were eating Parmesan cheese out of the jar while we waited. Mmmmm.

The next day we visited some steamy indoor botanical gardens 

which were a perfect break from the cold Chicago fall.

 On our way downtown, we saw some funny sights...

...and then visited "The Bean" at Millennium Park.

We followed up with a late lunch on the millionth floor of the Hancock Tower...

...had a blast at the Chicago Children's Museum,

enjoyed the night-time view,

and crashed into a dead sleep.

Good grief, Craig must have planned this vacation. I'm tired just looking at the pictures.

And this was only the first day.

Stay tuned for more, if you dare.

Sometimes It's Just a Long Day (and Other Tales)

Sometimes, when you are seven, the day is long and hard. Sometimes you get tired of playing with and being bossed around by your older sister. Sometimes you are worried about tomorrow because your teacher has warned you that she'll probably be cranky after the full moon tonight. Sometimes, your little brother gets into your things and your little sister keeps turning off the keyboard that you are trying to play with. Sometimes you just want to cry for a minute and snuggle on the couch with Mommy. Sometimes you are so exhausted by your day that you decide to skip volleyball practice, which you love. Sometimes you eat dinner, take a shower, read scriptures, say prayers, and kiss everyone goodnight.

Because, sometimes, the best cure for a long day is to just go the heck to bed.

Other Tales:

Julia's class went on a field trip to the symphony today and I got to chaperone. She marveled at the beautiful, clean bathroom in the Phoenix Convention Center with its fancy carpet and lighted mirrors, and announced, "If this place has soft toilet paper, too, I'm going to be in heaven."

Alexa was in a huff tonight after I asked her to put two nightgowns away that she had left on the floor. She folded her arms and turned away from me dramatically and said, "You keep making me do all these hard jobs! And all I ever, ever wanted in my life was to be a singer!" 

Spencer spent part of his evening alternating between brushing his hair with a light-up princess brush and trying to unscrew the girls' bunk bed screws with a tube of plastic lipstick. Clearly he has influences all around him. And, although he still refuses to say "Mama," he declared five times today, "I love Dada!" (Which really sounds more like "Da duh Dada!" but I get the message.)

Flat Tired

I know that my girls love each other, but there are definitely times when I question the depths of their sisterly devotion. Well, I don't really question Savanna's because she is Savanna and she loves and hugs the crud out of everyone. Julia, on the other hand, isn't often outwardly affectionate with others so I do wonder sometimes how she really feels towards her sisters.

Yesterday, in a sweet and unexpected showing of emotion on Julia's part, my fears were laid to rest for a time.

With our cooler temperatures, the girls have been riding their bikes to and from school. Yesterday after school, Julia went ahead of Savanna and got home before her, but was expecting her to show up at any moment. After spending a couple of minutes putting her things away, she started to get worried when Savanna still wasn't home. She came upstairs and told me that she was worried because Vanna wasn't home yet, and I ran down and got in the car to head to the school to see if I could find her. In a sad and anxious voice, Julia told me to call her and let her know as soon as I found Savanna because she was so worried about her.

I got to the corner of the main road (which is just around the corner from our house) and saw Savanna immediately. She was walking her bike with a flat tire towards me and crying openly. She told me that her bike was riding funny and when she got off to inspect it, she realized the tire was flat. By this time Julia had already ridden past her and had assumed that Savanna would catch up at any moment. Instead, the poor little chickie got stuck walking her bike all the way home by herself and J never looked back to check that she was coming.

Just as I was trying to comfort Savanna and figure out the logistics of getting her and her bike into the car for the 10 second ride back home, I heard a desperate cry coming from the front of our house: "Savanna! Savanna, where are you??" Julia was calling out with such genuine concern that it pricked my heart.

As we pulled into the garage, Julia came running to Savanna, apologizing, telling her that she didn't know that she had stopped, and how scared and sad she was when she didn't know what had happened to her. Savanna, as per usual, bore her no ill will and all was forgiven immediately. We made a new rule that the girls need to be sure they stay together for the whole ride home so that something like this doesn't happen again. We were all a little shaken up and feeling very grateful for our story's happy ending.

The other happy part, of course, is knowing that Julia does have it in her to be the caring and concerned older sister that I want her to be, though she doesn't always show it.

Now, if I could just get her to do it just a little more often...