Anything is Possible

Or that's the way it seems on a fresh new day-after-Thanksgiving morning as I sit by the fire with a cup of coffee and PLANS.

I love Christmas and feel like Superwoman about this time of year, planning and making lists and looking forward to decorating and listening to Christmas music - this in spite of years and years of knowing half the stuff I plan never happens - and some of things that do happen I wish I had never thought of.  And also in spite of knowing that anything we do between October and January of every year is going to be accompanied by so many feelings of sadness and regret at Mike not being here.

Last year, we could hardly function.  But this year, I think we've done well to make some memories for the girls and ourselves.  As I type this, I had to really think hard to remember what costumes the girls wore for Halloween.  So much for MY memories - I guess this blog will have to fill in things.  They had a great time though and, through school and home, made some good memories.  Neither girl minded when the spider and spooky "man doll" and skeleton door hanging on Steller Way were replaced with turkeys and fall leaves at their house.

Many years ago when we lived in Greensboro, Elise gave me a set of oversized glittery acorns that we love.  Along with some tiny pumpkin-shaped Putka Pods that Emily found in South Dakota and a few pine cones, I do this little bowl every year in one of the bowls Mike brought home from Mexico.

Graysen has never been able to resist touching them.  Last year, I managed to keep them out of reach because of Katherine being so little, but after all this is Mimi's house of spoiling, so I let them examine them all they want to now.  I have a feeling I will find some strays in other parts of the house later on.

So November.  The rains started right after Halloween and have not stopped for long.  There have been only a couple of days of cold and rain, so it hasn't been too bad.  I know it snowed, but we kind of didn't let that bother us.  It's supposed to rain all weekend, so Emily and Ryan plan to go get their tree this afternoon.  I have an ornament for each person all wrapped, so I can't take pictures until they open them.

The girls have been drawing and coloring turkeys and pumpkins and Pilgrims for weeks and never get tired of it.  So funny.  Kate is now adjusting to being left at her school 3 days a week and is happy with "my school friends."  She is singing some songs they have learned, and I think Graysen is a little puzzled that she knows things she herself didn't teach her.  She brings home her crafts just as proudly as Graysen.

I've managed to pick up some pictures from the Rooster Valley School Facebook page.  They talked about the Little Red Hen for the letter H and acted out the play and then made bread.

She seems to have been the little red hen when Brooklyn was the dog (I think, or maybe a goat) in this picture.

Then when Brooklyn was the little red hen, Graysen was the cat.

These teachers are brave to let that many kids loose with real eggs.  

Painting goats for the letter G.

The Rooster Valley Revue was Tuesday, and we had been hearing all about it.  

Last year Graysen didn't like wearing a chicken shirt and hid it beforehand and then refused to participate in the program.  What a difference a year makes!  This year she was prancing around the stage with her friends before the program, singing all the songs and having just a great time.   Sorry about the quality of these pictures and random adult heads.  It was hard to do! 

They did a skit about the Troll under the bridge, but instead of the 3 billy goats Gruff, they had numerous farm animals.  Graysen was a cat in this skit and a rat in the Farmer in the Dell one.

Emily, Katherine, and I just had the best time watching it.  Such a good morning.

We're so thankful for these energetic teachers who add so much to their lives.  There is never a morning that Graysen is not excited about getting to school and actually talks about what she did.

She has gone from thinking boys were not worth glancing at to now greeting them along with her girlfriends and even saying she has a boyfriend and says he's "funny and pretty, and I want to invite him to my birthday party,"

I have sewed and plan to do more, but that will have to wait until another post.  My morning is half gone along with my coffee and patience with finding and posting pictures.