FORTY-ONE

 

Grandpa spent the long weekend chaperoning the kids around NYC.

2026 week forty-one

Times Square

Museum of Natural History

Theo's favorite food in the world: sushi. Also featuring the sushi taco. 

Matt and I felt pretty nervous sending them off for a weekend where they would need to keep their wits about them. But every time we hear from them they only have positive things to say. They're really having the time of their lives. 

NYC pizza. 

The bull on Wall Street. 

The Statue of Liberty's face. 

St. Patrick's Cathedral. 

A little Van Gogh and Warhol. 

At the top of the Empire State building. They wanted to stick their heads through the railing so I would be nervous looking at the photos. 

They went to see Six on Broadway. V loves this musical, so she was beside herself to get to see it live. 

The Brooklyn Bridge. 

The Bears in Central Park. 

The very same bears 12 years ago. 

FORTY

 

It was a week of almost non-stop fun. Sunday evening was our annual Hobbit dinner where we eat the same meal the Hobbits ate at the Prancing Pony -hot soup, cold meat, fresh bread, butter, ripe cheese, and a blackberry tart. 

2026 week forty

On Tuesday we took a day off to go to the fair. It was the last horridly hot day of September before a storm blew in and dropped the temperature about 15 degrees. Our first stop was for funnel cake. 

Then we got corny dogs. 

We had to stop by the crafts building to see Theo's WWI tank scene. He got 3rd place! 

Matt's scorpion playing a guitar got honorable mention. 

And my peach jam got an honorable mention. 

Apparently Tuesday is the day to be at the fair for no one but us. We got to ride triple the amount of rides as last year because there were no lines. We also learned that the Texas Tower is at least as good as the Ferris Wheel and much more reasonably priced. And it's much harder for my family to terrorize me than on the ferris wheel.

On Wednesday I decided that it was time for a hair cut. 

It's the same big change I make every 5 years or so, but I finally found a great hair stylist so it's probably the best cut I've had in 15 years. 

On our lovely rainy Saturday morning I drove V down to an antique mall in Dallas that was hosting a Gilmore Girls themed day. There were photo ops around the enormous shop with hidden quotes in each booth. 

Shockingly, they ran out of coffee, but we did get to try the best vanilla cake I've ever eaten. 

Saturday evening was our annual apple party. I believe we've done this every year since we got married which makes this year 15. 

It had been rainy for a few days and off and on all day, so we made the good decision to open up the garage for added seating space and bobbing for apples. 

On Sunday Matt took Theo to scouts where they learned about knife safety while V and I walked around Michael's gathering halloween costume supplies. 

On Sunday Evening we celebrated a baptism with the local family. 

Quotes:

Me- "Why isn't papa sitting with us?"
Theo- "Because he's not a socialist." 
Me- "What?"
Theo- "He's an ANTI-SOCIALIST!"

Theo- "What's polygamy?"
V- "Think Zeus."
Theo- "Oh. Right."

V- "Can I pleas put on a really spooky song while we're eating dinner?"
Me- "Fine."
V covertly smiling puts on Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You." 
Matt- "I've never been prouder."

THIRTY-NINE

Preview of school photos

2026 week thirty-nine

Theo was trying to make a goofy face. We are undecided if we will allow him to retake or just buy these ones to hang on the wall forever to discourage future silly faces. 

Matt flew to Chicago for a day to join in some work meetings in person. 

While he was gone, V decided to teach Theo algebra. He was actually a very willing pupil and worked really hard to master it. 

On Saturday, Matt went skeet shooting with his dad. They had a good time but his shoulder was pretty sore for the rest of the day. 

I embarked on the autumn girl pilgrimage to Trader Joe's, and I got all the seasonal treats and unique flowers I could. Trader Joe's has the best flowers. I really enjoyed making several small bouquets from the dramatic selection. 

On Saturday evening, Matt and I drove to Grand Prairie to see a live taping of Kill Tony. It was an absolutely sold out theater -7,000 people. It was a pretty good show with several good local comedians getting their one minute slot. There are always several acts that are just terrible and while they know a part of this venue is getting booed, I can't help but feel bad for someone getting booed by 7,000 people. 

Sunday morning horseback riding lessons. 

I love to see how happy they are getting this hour to be around these giant animals and learn this new skill. 

 

THIRTY-EIGHT

Homecoming Week. Literary Character Day. Theo is a hobbit, I am Susan from Narnia, and V is a crayon from "The Day the Crayons Quit."

2026 week thirty-eight (There was no week thirty-seven. We didn't take a single photo.)

There were three Susans and an Aslan. 

Dynamic Duo: V and her friend were Jem and Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird. 

Apple and Pi. 

Matt has been overhauling our old rain barrel stand. This was the first big home improvement he made 11 years ago. 

He, in classic fashion, over-engineered the new structure to withstand any possible calamity. 

It's also raised up higher for better storage underneath. I found this lion door knocker on a girls trip earlier this year and it made a nice door handle for the rain barrel. 

And the door is on lovely hinges now, everything is perfectly level and stained a lovely color. 

On Saturday night we drove down to Dallas to see a Shakespeare in the Park play. This year was Titus Andronicus -a rather gory play. The kids were delighted. 

We met up with some friends and had a lovely time. 

Quotes:

T-"Do I have to eat this cabbage?"
Me- "Yes, you need the fiber."
T-"But I'm skinny enough."
Me- "That is not the point of fiber."

T- "I just dont really like 'dinners'. I like raw vegetables and fruit and warm meats. I dont like things all cooked together."
Me-"What will you eat when you are a grown up then?"
T- "Pasta. Every night will be pasta."
Me- "That wont be good for you. And what about your kids? What will you feed them?"
T-"I will just let them cook their own food."
Me- "Best of luck."