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.

FORTY-FOUR

 

Pickolas Ridicolas

2024 week forty-four

Miss honor roll got her celebratory ice cream this week on our date. 

Happy Halloween from a family of zombies and a Charlie Brown ghost, and another family of Dalmatians. 

The only cousin who was not afraid of Matt's face paint. 

This dress is really something from *behind*. 

On Friday our school had our Fall Fun Fair. My student bid the most tickets to win the ability to pie me. 

He was a little nervous, so he was very gentle. 

V felt like it wasn't nearly good enough, so she jumped in to show him how it's done. 

Pure delight. 

I got him back a little. 

Cudgel fighting. 

After the fun fair, Matt took the kids to a local haunted house. 

Movie and dinner date with Grandma and some cousins. 

Sunday afternoon was really rainy. Matt took the kids to In-N-Out for lunch and they got some free hot chocolate. That sounds so nice, but *I* got a quiet clean house for an hour and a half. Mine was better. 

Quotes

V- "Ooh. I just had shivers up my spine. I like to call those love echoes."

FORTY-THREE

 

Before school with some critters. 

2024 week forty-three

We've had some really hot weather lately- rather hotter than normal. But because we had that surprise wet and cool week back in September, my garden never quite died this year. And now we're being rewarded with plants absolutely dripping in peppers and tomatoes! 

 I have never had my tomato plants survive August, let alone September, and here they are with more tomatoes on them than I had in June! I am desperately ready for the weather to cool down, but if it wont, I hope it stays long enough to ripen our tomatoes. 

The Halloween festivities have begun. First was the Spooky Cake Contest for Scouts. Theo helped me make the "Exploding Spider Cake." It was rather creative, and may have won a prize if four other people hadn't brought very similar cakes. Oh well. We had fun making it, and I'm sure the little boy who got to take it home was thrilled with all the fake spiders. 

Then we were invited to a Trunk-or-Treat with friends. V had been sick all week with a low fever and coughing like crazy. She missed the whole week of school. She was finally feeling well enough to leave the house for a bit to get some candy and see some friends. Theo decided to forego the mask and just be an army soldier, and V was the Charlie Brown Ghost. Luckily, she didn't get a single rock. 

After dinner on Saturday, Grandma painted and carved pumpkins with us. 

The final pumpkins. 

Quotes:

V- "Can you pick your license plate numbers?"

Matt- "Yes. For a fee."

V- "Mine would be FIZZ666"

FORTY-TWO

 

Kippy in her "Too Cute to Spook" dress from our neighbor. The kids love it. She tolerates it. 

2024 week forty-two

Theo turned nine this week. In the spring we saw a video about a sushi cake, he has reminded me weekly since then that that is what he wants for his birthday dinner. It was easier to make than we thought and really tasty. 

Birthday boy. 

The dessert he wanted was meringue with custard, whipped cream, and raspberries. 

Oma sent money so he could get a new bike. This is the one he chose. He's eagerly anticipating daylight savings time, so it's light enough in the mornings for us to ride to school. 

Instead of a birthday party, Theo just wanted to go to Six Flags Fright Fest. He wanted Grandpa to join us for all the rides and spooks. 

Before their first real roller coaster. 

There was a lot of waiting in line and chatting. The kids loved every ride we took them on. I was probably the most scared of the bunch, though after 10 hours of amusement park fun, Theo was so exhausted that he just sobbed during the last ride. 

They also got to go through their first haunted house. We went to the Stranger Things house, which was just the right level of spooky for them. They immediately fell asleep as soon as we got back in the car. 

On Sunday, my very oldest friend in the world brought her family over to have dinner with us. I have known her since I was 6 years old, but I hadn't seen her in years. It was such a pleasure to meet her husband and son. 

He can totally be an honorary Texas cousin. We will take him. 

Quotes

V, to Theo who was talking about sea monsters and cruise ships -"I'm so proud of you Theo! You live in a fantasy world. Just like me!"

Theo's teacher, to me - "Did Theo tell you what he did to me last week?"

Me, prepared to hear anything at this point-"No."

Teacher- "He walked up to me at recess, opened his mouth, and a moth flew out!"

Me, definitely not prepared for that- ...