A Batty Halloween

This year, the fabulous Gramma made all bat costumes.  Abby was BatGirl, Jack Batman, Finn Robin and Ryley Catwoman (and Logan was Captain America - which he announced consistently in the cutest most confident and simple tone ever - Gramma didn't make his costume)

                                      photo by megan scheidler

In order to be superheros of course one has to have a powerful pose.  Everyone felt the power.

photo by megan scheidler                                        photo by megan scheidler 

Oh Abby. How I fear I'm failing you. You are so sweet and fun with your brothers and cousins.  You shoulder so much responsibility to keep spirits up.  The kids we hang out around are all the generation after you.  If you promise to drive super super safe always with extreme extra promises - I'll promise to let you go out alot with friends when you have your freedom to do so.  It's okay that they've all bonded first - you'll be the new and exciting one they finally get to hang out with.

But there is an upside too.  You are the surpreme cousin.  You are loved.  You are looked up to.  You are absolutely adored.  And the truth is you CAN shoulder this.  You are exactly the right girl to be in this position because you really are that great.  Also... you have a great time.  

And yes I know this is a tad heavy to be in the Halloween post.  I love this picture of Abby.

Finn had JUST fixated on a classmate's spiderman doll and so when we ran into him (he was actually another neighborhood boy dressed up) it was pretty awesome. 

Finn could barely drag his bag.  His only saving grace was that he asked Zoozy every single doorway ever so nicely, "Would you please hold my bag?"

Proper Greetings

Finn is a parrot.  More than any other child I've had.  It is very very cute.  It will someday torture his siblings, but I think I'll back him up, because he IS the third after all, he has to have some perks.

Jack is not concerned about proper greetings to anyone ever.  He has been proud of himself in the past for socially greeting the gals that open the door in carline when we drop Abby off rather than pretending to shoot them, but it's been awhile.

Jack IS more concerned about angry birds and important things like that.

Auntie Samantha bonded with Jack earlier this year by letting him teach her how to play Angry Birds.  And then talking about it with him.

SO after months and months of not seeing Auntie Samantha, Jack greets her with, "Auntie Samantha! Have you beaten the last level of Angry Birds yet?!"

Finn must have heard this.  Because everytime Finn sees Auntie Samantha he now asks her, with absolutely no care at all for the answer, and in the tone of "Why hello there, how are you?" :  "Auntie Samantha have you beaten the last level of Angry Birds yet?"  Because obviously, he has learned that that is the appropriate way to greet his East Coast Auntie.

House Inspection

Dear Kids,

Invariably if you own a home or ever do you will be on both the selling and buying side a few times in your life.

One of the many many things you have to do for both is hire an inspector to nitpick everything about the house - big and small.

This seems like a perfectly reasonable thing.  Obviously I want to know if the seller is hiding huge mutant mold fed R.O.U.S's in the attic.  Obviously I want my home buyer to have all the information they need so that they don't sue me later saying they didn't know that the stairs weren't actually an escalator in disguise.

But no matter how many times we go thru inspections.  No matter whether they are for our house or the house we want, they are invariably horribly weirdly invasive and offensive.  It's like when the nurse checks how dilated you are when you're in labor.  a) it's obviously invasive b) it hurts like hell  c) adding invasive pain when you are already in LABOR pain is just insult to injury.

And yet... no other real way is there? So...

We KNEW almost everything that came up on our Tanoble inspection (there were a few things that were not right - i.e. the dishwasher does too work - but maybe there had been a fuse tripped or something who knows.... and I don't know who broke the stopper thingee on the brand new faucet we put in downstairs but it sure as heck wasn't US) - see?? It's that weird? You know and yet it is still so offensive to have someone point out everything that is wrong with your house or might possibly someday be.

Anyway, in conclusion, don't sweat it.  Or pay someone to do an inspection, then fix everything, then try not to slug the buyer's inspector when he still finds things.

Mom

Flexible

I don't know if I prayed to be more flexible (lifewise, not muscle wise) or if Steve did or someone else who loves us.

But boy is that the thing God seems to be putting me through my paces on.

My camera stopped working.  Old faithful magic 5d with all my custom settings.

I'm lucky enough to have a father in law with a super nice camera to work on in it's absence.

But I couldn't figure it out fast enough for 2 shoots this morning.  Hoping for something great all the same.

It shot super fast.  Steve figured out settings I hadn't been able to figure out.  Now as I accept all things flexible (I figure thats the quickest way to get God to stop pushing me on it - is for me to accept I must need it and to embrace it), I wonder if I won't fall in love with this new camera.

Surly Morning Hugger

Finn woke up yesterday morning and stumbled over to me as I was helping Jack get dressed, and kinda fell on me.  And I said something like, "Wait - Finn - hold on."  And he kept leaning toward me and said, kinda mad, "I just feel hugging today!"

MUST STOP BEING SUPPORTIVE

Do you know how hard it is to change from baby cheering mama to dignified proud but NOT loudly supportive mama?

It's hard... for me.  I'm already embarrassing the boys.

Carsland

We went to Disneyland for Abby's birthday.  Spent a billion dollars or so doing it - but honestly - I think t's worth it for the freedom to enjoy the trip.  Of course it was 108.  It was pretty fairly miserable. But to be honest?  Disneyland is fairly miserable to me during the best circumstances, so the heat hardly made a difference.  And, as per usual, it's the good things - the good memories that I've kept fresh because of pictures.  Charming, sweet, hilarious pictures.   I love my family.  I love the way their characters come out in pictures. 

family pics... TWO - who thought all I'd need are cartoons to come to life.

Finn and I did a lot of watching of Lightning and Mater while Abby, Jack and Steve were on the racers ride.

Abby was so sweet with Merida.  So impressed the gal had a Scottish accent

One reason we decided to do this was because Colleen, Joe and Lola would be at Disneyland at the same time.

Because of the billion dollar hotel room we got early access to Carsland which was very super cool.  The crowd being led in an hour later was eerie.

We never got far from Carsland with the boys and that was fine with me.  I don't know how it will feel in twenty years when Carsland has been there forever.  But for us, it was better than all expectations.  Walking into the movie like that.  So incredible.  

My favorite part was at dusk they turn on the music and the neon.  

          Oh my sweet boys were IN LOVE with being able to see Lightning and Mater

                                                            And RED!

And Mater.

And Lightning.

Did I mention Mater?

Finn was not too sure about the rides.  Jack wasn't either, but he did amazing.  Must be more the repress and bear it guy than Finn;  Who got through it, but didn't exactly want to.

Oh this look.  She's growing up.  Proud but getting embarrassed by my over-exuberant support.

Three family shots?! The bliss!

Did I mention it was hot?

Magic.

Epic Post of Homelessness

The day that started it all.  Abby's art in her first art show.  I was so proud.  Steve had the boys and had asked me to go see a house 1101 E. Altadena Dr.  I didn't want to.  We had just had a big discussion about NOT moving for a while.  But I was feeling carefree and went.  That house - the way I saw it that day was perfect.  The realtor conceded without being asked that they were over priced and she was sure her client understood the true value of her home.  I called Steve and that was the start.

We enjoyed the first days of summer at Zoozy and Grandpa's house where the outdoors was just a hop skip and a jump away.

 I smashed my contact lens the first day the house was supposed to be shown.  We went to Coronado for July 4th weekend and stayed long because we had nowhere else to be.

Pastor Greg was covering Exodus during the summer - made us feel very much at home in our wanderings.  As did the fact that Aaron & Megan were also displaced as they moved into their Topanga Cyn home.  Ryley and the cousins bonded.

We went to birthday parties. I went to Washington DC twice.

Steve and I attended the Regional Emmy's - this time in Kentucky

It was a bit of a disaster but we were happy together and happy to go home.

we ate ice cream and went to the church's Road Trip children's ministry events

We spent a lot of time together since Abby wasn't involved in any official activities for Summer for the first time since she was three.

We conquered fears of haircuts and pools and bathtubs

 Finn loved Bronx the same as always

AND...

There were A LOT of naps. I'm not sure why.  I think the kids were just plain emotionally exhausted.

Everyone had their first days back to school

Daddy went out of town and everyone missed him so much they wore his shirts to bed.

And we took Abby to a GRAND Disneyland 9th birthday adventure in which the boys fell in love with Carsland.

Halloween is up next... then life and Thanksgiving... and the big question... will we be in a new house by Christmas?