Beggar's Night

Last night was trick or treat night for the city we live in. As usual, I took the day off work and spent the day running errands and preparing for the annual pre-trick or treat dinner.  Of course, it couldn't all be prep work. Lucy and I did make a couple of special visits - one to the library to visit my co-workers and one to the school to pick up the kids. I am continuously amazed by how "chill" Lucy is. She doesn't jump, or bark, or freak out. She just happily accepts all the attention. So sweet.

We had dinner for 12 last night, but with my mom's help it all went incredibly smoothly. Well that was that one incident when my nephew tried to warm up something wrapped in foil in the microwave, but no harm no foul.

A veggie pumpkin patch

Spider dip (aka spicy black bean hummus)

Candy Corn Pizza

Jack o-lantern burgers

And we finished our meal with my mom's amazing homemade gingerbread and real whipped cream! YUMMY!!

Then it was time to hit the streets for candy. I LOVE our neighborhood for trick or treat. Everyone is so friendly and you don't have to worry at all about traffic.

Super Lucy! And she really was, all the costumes and decorations didn't phase her at all. She was just happy to be out with the family - and to get the doggie treats several neighbors handed out to her!

Ryan, Kei, Wesley and Lucy!  What a great group of trick or treaters!

Sho and Cathy helped hand out candy to the kids

After our guests headed out, the kids and I climbed into my bed and watched a only slightly scary Disney movie from 1986 called Mr. Boogedy.  I loved this movie as a kid and I knew it wouldn't be too much for the kids to handle right before bed. They really liked it and Ryan only got scared enough he threatened to throw up once!  BTW - totally a hereditary reaction. Happened to me the first time I saw the emperor in Return of the Jedi. Wesley kept saying "Those people are either really brave, or really stupid" which pretty much sums up all horror movies.

The kids fell asleep with no bad dreams and bellies full of candy. I think that makes it a successful Beggar's Night

Finish on the 50

Today I tackled my next to last race of the year. If you had told me at this time last year that I would do six races in 2015, I would have laughed at you! Especially since at this time last year, I hadn't even done one yet.  But here I am 4 - 5Ks, and one 4 mile race in the bag and one 5K to go!

Today's race was the Ohio State 4 Miler. Just me and 14,999 of my closest friends racing through the OSU campus.  For the first time, Duane and the boys went along to cheer me on and wait for me at the finish, and I have to admit, it does make a difference knowing someone will be there when you're done.

The finish line on the 50 yard line.

Good pre-race advice

I am super proud to say that my finishing time was my fastest time ever - I did four miles in about the same time it took me to walk my first 5K last year - and my time per mile was well under 12 minutes.

My medal for finishing

Next year, I want to try a 10K. Who would have thought I'd turn into a race gal in my 40s?

FINALLY

Ryan finally lost his first tooth today. I'm pretty sure he's the last of his friends (and probably the last one in second grade) to lose a tooth. But it's done. The Tooth Fairy can visit our house tonight.

Speaking of the Tooth Fairy, about a month ago, Ryan and I had a little conversation about him/her. It went like this.

Ryan: I'm not sure that the Tooth Fairy is real.

Mom: You're not?

Ryan: No, I kind of think that moms and dads sneak into the kids room while they are sleeping and leave the money.

Mom: Hmm.

Ryan: But then I think to myself, 'Why would they do that!?'

We'll see where his belief stands in the morning.

Mean Old Librarian Mom

Tonight, as I sat down to dinner after a long day at work, Wesley asked posed the question I knew would someday come.

"Mom, when you go to work tomorrow, will you get me some books about rivers? I need them for school."

Part of me really wanted to say, "Yes, of course I will," but I knew, even as I was thinking it, that it was the wrong answer.

"No," I told him. "I won't get your books for school, but after dinner, we can go back to the library and I'll show you how to search the catalog for them."

You have no idea how hard it was to give that answer. After all, I had emails to send, cookies to bake, and I really wanted to watch a show on television. The last thing I wanted to do was go back to work after already putting in a full day.

But I did it.

We went to the library and I showed him how to type in his search, how to narrow it to kids books and how to look for things that were at the library we were in. I showed him where to look for the copyright date and how, when looking for nonfiction, he probably would want to look for books that were no more than five years old. I showed him where to find the call number in the catalog and made him write them down. Then we went to the shelves and read the call numbers together to find his books.  All things I have done hundreds of times, but not with my own kids, on my own time.

And you know what?

It felt good. It felt good to help him understand how to navigate what I consider to be my world. It felt good to know that I was starting to teach him a skill that he'll use his whole life. I felt a little like I was unlocking a mystery for him. 

And the cookies can always be made tomorrow.

Trunk or Treat

Last night was trunk or treat at the boys' school. For some reason they were really NOT into having any pictures taken, so I don't have a lot to post, but I managed to snap one picture I wanted to share.

I don't know what they were talking about, but I love this shot of Ryan with his arm around his big brother as they walked to the playground and parking lot.  My boys!

Playing With Fire

At our church, fourth graders can be trained to be acolytes. We asked Wesley if he was interested, and to my surprise, he said yes.  I loved being an acolyte when I was a kid. I had such a good time  - especially on communion Sundays when I got to acolyte with Amy, Shana or Chad. Many happy memories there.

The person who trained the new acolytes told me that Wesley listened really well and seemed like "such a nice young man."  I was really touched. But then she sent me these pictures.

Any guesses as to who the goofball in the crowd is? Yeah. Worship may never be the same.

Vocabulary Lesson

Overheard an argument between the boys this morning

Ryan: Stop judging me just because I don't want to play your game.

Wesley: I'm not judging you!

Ryan: Yes you are!

Wesley: I'm not. Do you even you know what that word means?

Ryan: I'm guessing not! 

Hello There

Yes, we're still here, in case you were wondering. It's funny how the days can be so busy, but there isn't much going on that I feel the need to blog about. It's just routine.

Here's what life look likes right now

Sunday - we go to church and Sunday School, where Duane and i might teach or staff the welcome table. The boys are both doing choir this year - one by choice and one by parents choice - so that's after church and Duane and I are still involved in our small group. Wesley has decided he wants to be an acolyte this year, so we have training for that coming up too. 

Monday - work, school and scouts. Wesley is a Webelo this year and Ryan's a wolf. Plus Duane is in charge of the popcorn sale through the first week of November.

Tuesday - this is supposed to be our free night, but something always comes up, or Duane has trustees meeting at church.

Wednesday - soccer practice

Thursday - soccer practice

Friday - ukulele lessons for Wesley and its grocery shopping night.

Saturday - two soccer games and whatever else we've filled the weekend with. 

That doesn't include things like PTA, stocking popcorn, other errands and special events. Buts it's going okay. That doesn't mean I won't be a bit relieved when fall soccer ends this week!

The only other news around here is that Ryan FINALLY has his first loose tooth! We were starting to wonder if that was ever going to happen!

So that's our life. I'll keep you posted.

Dream a Little Dream

Ryan is such an animal lover. He adores dogs and cats, and luckily they seem to love him right back. Even our old lady cat, Sadie, is amazingly patient with Ryan when he decides she needs attention.

This morning Ryan came downstairs in tears. "Mom, I feel bad," he sobbed.

I immediately started rearranging my day in my mind, trying to determine what would need done if I had to stay home. "Oh buddy! Where don't you feel well? Are you sick?"

"I had a dream about Sanders," Ryan sniffed as he climbed on my lap. "And I just miss him so much."

And right then, my heart broke a little. Not just because I still miss Sanders (our cat that died almost three years ago) but because Ryan was hurting so deeply. I decided my shower could wait and we spent several minutes on the couch looking through pictures of our best cat ever. Then Ryan went and got the box of Sanders ashes and sat with it on the couch until he felt better. 

I hope the animal kingdom realizes what a friend it has in my seven year old.

An Interesting Simile

This morning I made Wesley a scrambled egg with sausage and cheese. 

"It's exactly the same as the inside of a breakfast burrito," I told him. "Just no tortilla."

Wesley grinned as he sat down to eat, "That's okay, Mom. Breakfast burritos are like people - it's what's inside that counts."

Birthday Weekend Recap

I'm starting off the work week as a brand new 42 year old. Feels an awful lot like 41, but I have a weekend's worth of good memories now.

I took Friday off work to extend my birthday weekend.  After dropping the boys off at school, my mom and I went to the North Market for breakfast and a little shopping.

After that I finished reading a book for review and actually got around to writing the review so I wouldn't have to think about it all weekend. Then Lucy and I got in the car and went to pick up some barbecue for lunch.

Dog is my co-pilot

I spent the rest of the afternoon snuggled up on the couch with Cleo and Lucy, reading and drinking tea. It was such a treat! I read an entire book and started a new one before the boys got home from school!

My reading buddy

Wesley had a birthday party to go to Friday night, so after he left, we took Ryan out to dinner at his favorite pizza place.

Saturday was another full day. I had signed myself up for the Run Like a Girl 5K as a birthday treat for myself, so of course the weather was miserable - very cold and rainy. But a 5K does not wait for Mother Nature, so off I went.

Ready to run - well, walk

My sweet mom got up at the crack of dawn in miserable weather to support me and cheer me on. I love her so much!

One reason I decided to do this race

And here's the other reason

I did my fastest time ever!

I got home in plenty of time to get ready for crappy weather soccer. How crappy was it? Well,  none of the refs showed, so the coaches all did double duty. At least the boys games were at (approximately) the same time so we didn't have to stand out in cold rain for too much extra time. Wesley's game started 20 minutes late, but that was better than a hour gap between the games.

Ryan scored his first goal of the season. Last week, I told Ryan I'd give him a dollar if he scored a goal and various family members said they'd match it. As soon as he scored he turned around, threw his arms in the air and yelled, "I get three dollars!!"

After soccer, Duane and the boys headed off to scout camp. Yes, camp. If it's awful weather and my birthday weekend, it MUST be time for scout camp!  Can I just say, I love NOT camping!

While the guys roughed it and searched for Bigfoot, I went out to dinner with my mom and stepdad and did some more reading with some of my fur babies.

My actual birthday dawned bright, sunny and noticeably warmer. I had a nice relaxing morning at home before the guys returned and I headed out for lunch and shopping with a couple of my closest girlfriends. Cocktails, shopping and laughter was just what I needed!

I ended the evening by having a light, late dinner out with Duane and the boys. Just a perfect day.

Wesley's chocolate coma face