moon.

we love to watch the moon over our backyard. we have the perfect view from our dining room. granted this scene may be taking place not long after 4:30pm this afternoon, but wow! isn't it beautiful??

thanksgiving.

thanksgiving morning belonged to the birthday boy, who requested a game of trains. then the turkeys started showing up... though why i don't have more photos of the handprint turkey craft, the turkey crown, the actual bird, or the fun-loving cousins is a bit of a mystery. guess we were living in the moment... or maybe it was the distraction of the remote-control blimp. take your pick. ;)

craft.

"happy birthday, uncle o! this is me & you & auntie c in a boat! see the sun & the birds & the cloud & the wah-ger!" -crafting kj to her adoring fan

overheard.

during bedtime prayers tonight...
daddy: our father
kj: who art in heaven
daddy: hallowed be
kj: thy name
...
daddy: and lead us not into
kj: appendix
daddy: but deliver us
kj: from evil
and so on & so forth
indeed, we have been reading 'madeline' several times a day recently, in which madeline gets her appendix out. from the tongues of nearly-three-year-olds! ;)

blacktie.

what a treat to get dressed up and eat a divine meal together with friends at the very classy glensheen mansion last night! to top it all off, the kids & grandparents got along smashingly. a huge win for all!

spelling.

"look mom, i got my name!"

dress.

kj to mommy today-- "i think i better put on a dress in case i want to twirl."
and so it goes! our girl has entered the dresses-only-please stage. good thing we have a few hanging in the closet!

crawling.

eight months and three days and lj crawled on his knees for the first time! here we go, buddy! now things are about to get really fun... ;) other milestones of the past week include pulling up to standing & playing the ever-entertaining game of peek-a-boo by himself. yet another growth spurt is upon us, and we welcome it wholeheartedly!

surprise.

oh how surprised poppa was to discover that his birthday gift this year was a full weekend with his three boys! these brothers know how to treat a father right! a trip to the brewhouse, a lecture with robert f. kennedy, jr., a ski swap, lots of (rousing) games of trains & pinnochle, an orchestra concert, a pizza, some football, and a whole lotta love. happy birthday to dad/poppa!

oxbow.

don't ask me why it was a balmy 74deg in rochester today, but we weren't complaining! what a wonderful weekend to spend in southern minnesota. i (rj) had the sweet opportunity to go to a moms' conference called hearts at home, and kj & lj had the best time spending all day with nanna & great-aunt jr! a great time was had by all at oxbow county park/zoo, visiting another dear friend in rochester, and playing in jr & dr's lovely home. we are so thankful for their hospitality & for nanna who made the adventure with us three wild ones! (and more thanks to jr for the photos!)

cheerios.

lj's first time eating cheerios! he was soooo proud of himself. mommy might have been a little bit proud of him, too. ;) and, would you look at those teeth? so handy for cheerios!

trickortreat.

we had a delightful time seeing what would happen when we rang our neighbors' doorbells & oh-so-politely exclaimed (or whispered), trick or treat!! this year we made it down three blocks with good friend wr leading the way. ;) here's our little tiger & her sidekick, dino. oh, and a batman in the mix, too.