FIFTY

This cute photo ended very poorly. Once I pulled into the parking lot, Kip jumped out the window. She ripped the leash that was in my hand. I stopped the car and jumped out and ran around to the side of the car. There she should looking very embarrassed. For the rest of the ride home, she wouldn't even look toward the window. 

2024 week fifty

Theo and Kip have been enjoying playing in leaf piles in our yard. 

Wednesday night date with V to get a hot chocolate. 

Matt made these scorpions playing guitar for a couple white elephant parties this year. They were a big hit. Despite being a little strange, they are extremely impressive. He's honing his bug-pinning skills.

Wednesday was St. Lucia day, but we celebrated on Sunday. Everyone had fresh Christmas pajamas, and Veronica and Theo brought us coffee and cinnamon buns in bed. 

After a few tense words in their struggle to get everything prepped and served, they calmed down enough to join us in bed for a sweet breakfast. 

Pickles has decided that the Christmas tree blanket is actually his blanket. He keeps tearing it away from the base and snuggling in it.

 

Quotes:

Theo

This week Theo got in trouble because he couldn't figure out how to handle a delicate situation as a gentleman.
His friend, quietly- "Did you hear that she had diarrhea in her pants again?"
Theo (who could have just asked "What did you say?" instead chose, loudly to say)- "Did you say that she had diarrhea again?!"
When his teacher corrected his behavior as rude, he dug in deeper, loudly saying- "No! I was saying, 'You didn't have diarrhea.' Right? You DIDN'T have diarrhea?"
Later he and the friend were asked to write apology notes for loudly embarrassing this girl. In the quiet of independent work time, Theo loudly asks his teacher, "How do you even spell diarrhea?!"

I really do apologize to everyone involved in this. 

Veronica

What she means to ask: "Would you french braid my hair, Mama?" 

What she really obnoxiously asks instead: "Would yar fronch brod ma har, Marmar?" 

FORTY-NINE

 

Snapshot of V in science class dissecting a cookie.

2024 week forty-nine

School Christmas Pageant. 

Theo has been getting ready for school as quickly as possible so he can read Harry Potter -preferably with a cat on his lap.

Happy Sinterklaas Day! St. Nicholas visited us on Friday morning with an orange and candy cane for both kids. 

St. Nicholas also visited the 4th graders with an orange. This is one of my favorite traditions. 

After school on Friday we visited Santa at Bass Pro Shop. I didn't realize the kids were still in their school spirit shirts until I saw every other family dressed in their Christmas best. But because we were in our Founder's shirts, Santa said he knew our headmaster Mr. Misko. When we asked if Mr. Misko was on the naughty list, Santa said it was still undecided. The kids were beside themselves with glee.

On Saturday afternoon, we went to visit the Nativity display at a local church. V and her cousins also signed up to play Christmas songs for a 30 minute window for other patrons. 

Sunday morning we met up with Mrs. Jones at Northpark Mall for pastries and coffee at Eataly. While we chatted, Matt and the kids did some Christmas secrets shopping. That afternoon we went fishing with the scouts. 

No one caught anything but we had a good time in the lovely weather anyway. 

Quotes:

"I just want to live here. *sigh*" -Theo, lovingly, about Bass Pro Shop.

FORTY-EIGHT

 

Lovely Sunday morning walk in Oklahoma. 

2024 week forty-eight

Salem was so happy to have Kip back after a weekend away. 

Happy Thanksgiving! My friend Alexia brought this gorgeous charcuterie board to add to the spread. She makes amazing things! (@lavelleandboards)

Chickens play an important part of every family gathering. 

I'm so happy to have Alexia here in Texas for a while! 

Thanksgiving 2024, we had 31 people in our house. It is so fun to have a house full of guests with delicious food to enjoy together. 

I made a beautiful pear tarte tatin. Theo and I were happy there were too many other pies on Thanksgiving, because we got to enjoy this by ourselves over the weekend at tea time. 

V and I went to see her friend Jane in the Nutcracker. We also ran into other friends there too! 

Quotes:

V- "How do you pronounce 'O-U-I-J-A'?"
Me- "Wee-jee. Where did you hear that word?"
V- "From Calvin and Hobbes... Anyway, it seems like something fun for me for Christmas."

V was sick on Thanksgiving and had to be locked in her room the whole time feeling sad, "I just laid there listening to all the laughter trying to guess who each person was who was having fun without me."

FORTY-SEVEN

 

V got to do a make up face-pie-ing with her math teacher a few weeks ago during study hall. The students were thrilled.

2024 week forty-seven

Waiting for everyone to be ready before school. Right now, he has Christmas songs to practice and is requesting that I sing with his piano accompaniment. It is everything I've ever wanted.  

On Wednesday we went out for birthday hamburgers with Grandpa. Happy birthday!

Theo really enjoyed himself. 

Thursday was our Medieval Times field trip. 

The students have such a wonderful time. They remember this as a highlight of grammar school. 

On Friday evening, we drove to my kids' favorite place on earth: Oklahoma. As soon as the sun came up, they were out in the pasture riding horses and shouting with joy. 

"Good morning, Papa. I caught a duck. Would you like to pet it?" -V

Quotes

Theo, "Girl, howdy!" (Instead of boy howdy because he was referring to Veronica.)

FORTY-SIX

 

Happy 6th Hatchday Funyun! We had a "Funyun Party" in my class. We sang happy birthday to the snake and everyone got a mini bag of funyuns. Funyun also shares a birthday with my brother. Happy Birthday to you too Jared!

2024 week forty-six

This plant is going wild in my classroom.

Theo's class did a muscles lab and they got to touch different muscles. Theo was thrilled. 

Theo and V had a Grandparent night while Matt and I went to dinner with our friends, the Lows. They took us to Lucia in Dallas. It was hands down the best dining experience of our lives. Every single thing we ate was better than the last. Of course the squid ink risotto, house made salami, and oysters were amazing, but even just the bread and butter was so good you could hardly believe it. It was a decadent evening of pure gustatory delight. 

Quotes

Me to Theo, "Are you going to have courtesy today?"
Theo, "Kool Aid."
Me, "What does that even mean?"
Theo, "Ohhhh Yeeeeah."

FORTY-FIVE

 

Matt got to chaperone Theo's field trip to the Perot Museum this week. 

2024 week forty-five

Theo was so happy to have him there. 

Our garden is in full bloom right now. It's better than it was in June! We're eating tomato sandwiches again which is rather indecent in November, but they are delicious. 

At the park, trying to use sister as a step stool until they were both attacked by ants. 

We met up with my old friend Alexia again and her family at the park. Then we went to one of their favorite pizza places: Parry's Pizza. It was a lovely evening. 

Theo also had a Roman celebration at school to mark the end of their Ancient Rome unit. 

Matt and Alexia (half) teased me about dressing fancy to go to work. They said I ought to start an account called "Back to Class" or something of that sort, showing what I wear to teach. Here's my "first" post. 

And here I am looking unhinged later that evening, flanked by cats. I'm clearly telling Matt something spicy. 

On Saturday evening we went camping with the scouts. It got down to 45 which for me is excellent camping weather. Matt and I zipped our sleeping bags together to make a super sized bag. It was warmer and felt like we each had more room. V was chilly, so she crawled in with us in the morning. Matt would have had a better night if we had noticed the huge rock on the ground before we set up our tent. 

Matt used Sunday afternoon to help a friend finish staining the fence they built. 

Quotes

At dinner with Alexia, her son wanted Theo to hold him. Theo cheerfully carried him all the way to the table. The adults were joking that Theo is about ready to start babysit.
Austin- "You feel ready to babysit and make some money?"
Theo, milking it- "Holding Alton is the payment."

Everyone- "Awwwwww."

V- "Mama, look at the moon! Look how bright it is!"

Me- "I know! I tried to show Papa but he didn't care."

V- "Papa has NO poetry in his heart."

Me, to Theo- "You should sleep in a sweater tonight or you'll wake up miserable."

V, to Theo with a dramatic sigh- "Like me every morning when I realize I still live with you."

V- "Mama, I'm trying to tell him a story about how being vulgar will ruin your life!"

V- "Stop! You're making Papa smile at me!"

To be fair, Matthew does have a very pesty smile.