bright eyes + blue eyes

my girl

A few weeks ago, we got an email from one of the administrators of our school, asking if Pumpkin would be willing to speak at the upcoming Open House.

Our school has an Open House twice each school-year for prospective families.

Pumpkin was absolutely delighted to be asked.

Within minutes, she had a pencil and paper in hand....she was ready to begin jotting down ideas for her speech.

She adores her school, so it was really easy for her to come up with lots of specific details.

* * * * *

Tonight was the Open House!

She did a fantastic job.

I love this sweet girl so much.

What a joy it has been to watch her bloom and grow.

(sidenote: For me, the phrase 'bloom and grow' immediately brings to mind Christopher Plummer singing Edelweiss...)

Grandparents: she would love to say her little speech for you when we see you at Thanksgiving!

One of the many things I've always loved about Pumpkin: she cracks me up when I ask if I can take a few pictures of her.

She will give me a few normal shots....

...and then suddenly we are ushered into the world of high drama.

She starts striking all kinds of hilarious poses.

She started doing this when she was LITTLE and has done it ever since.

Isn't it so amazing how you can see a little personality emerging even at such a young age.

I have pictures of her silly poses from ages 2, 3, 4....all the way up.

I've never really commented much about this cute little quirk directly to her.

I don't want her to get self-consicous and turn off the drama.

I know that day will be here before I know it.

I'll enjoy every one of these sweet little girl poses while I can.

 

 

gingi shoes

I've been a mom for a little over 10 years.

Throughout that time, I've had the priviledge of hanging out with my parents at least twice each year. Sometimes even three or four times per year. It just depends on the year.

Our time together is wonderful, and I treasure every minute of it.

Today I'm going to tell you about one little tiny aspect of our time together that has become very special to me.(and my kids)

Usually, at some point in our visit, my mom (Gingi) will say to me, "So, do the kids need any shoes?"

Sometimes it's a no.

But many times, it's a yes.

Fellow parents, you know how it goes.

You try to keep your little critters fed, watered, and clothed.

And you try to keep their feet shod. (not sure if that's a real phrase, but you get my drift.)

The thing is, those little feet grow so quickly.

And sometimes you have a shoe that fits perfectly in July, but it's no longer the season for that type of shoe. (winter boot, for example.)

There are quite a few moving parts: growing feet, what time of year is it, is there money in the budget for a new pair of shoes?

When my mom asks, "Do the kids need shoes?", it is such a gift.

It's so thoughtful.

It's so generous.

It's so helpful, in a practical sense.

And it's so much FUN for the kids to go pick out a new pair of "Gingi shoes."

I remember being with my sister-in-law, Allison, last year. As we were talking I said, "oh, I love those cute little shoes she is wearing" (pointing to my niece's feet.)

Allison's response: "Oh, those are from Gingi!"

I should've known!

Gingi shoes.

(So Mom, I know you'll read this at some point: I know we've said it before, but I'll say it again--thank you so much for all the shoe love! I appreciate it so much, and you know the kids do, too!)

If there are any grandparents who are reading, take note: here's a wonderful blessing you can give to your grandchild....offer to buy that cute kiddo a new pair of shoes!

* * * * *

I was just looking through a box of hand-me-downs the other day.

Manzo is wearing some hand-me-downs from his big brother. And some hand-me-downs from his cousin, who is 4yrs old.

Anyway, I opened up a box that said, "Boy shoes, infant to size 6"

What a delight.

A little boy's feet grow so fast--most of the shoes in my box are in GREAT condition.

And when I look at them, the memories of Superboy being that age just flood back to me!

Makes me happy about the past (Superboy as a 2 yr old) as well as excited about the future (Manzo as a 2 yr old.)

Thank the Lord for little feet, little shoes, and beloved grandmothers who pour out love and blessings on all her little people!

a little settlerz

Joe & Khani came for a visit last weekend.

Strategy Games Update: Superboy and Pumpkin are now old enough to hold their own in Settlers. (for the most part.)

Yay kids!

Game-playing sessions like this make me so happy.

I don't play along myself very much anymore, but I really enjoy the "game atmosphere" and enjoy watching all the fun everyone is having.

I also enjoy feeding everyone.

I didn't cook at all for this particular game marathon.

But when I do have the opportunity to cook, I get a big kick out of bringing goodies to the table that everyone enjoys while they're in game mode.

I have a daydream about the future--all my kiddos have grown up... everyone is sitting around the table laughing and playing games. I'm busy supplying the food.

Good daydream.

* * * * *

Khanjo, we loved having you here! Come back soon!

xoxo -abbie

 

 

spring break '12 : cousins

Matching little girls = super cute.

Here are a few pictures of Pumpkin and her cousin from our spring break trip.

Pumpkin could play with this little "Bug" (family nickname) for hours on end!

I'm excited to watch the friendship between these two grow over the years.

So thankful for these sweet little girls!

spring break '12 : family time

Cuddles on the couch.

Cuddles with the littlest cuddlebug. (Our new nephew! This was our first time to meet him.)

Cute little cousins.

Reading books together in the playroom.

More fun reading books together in the playroom.

GPoppa taking care of grandbaby #5.

GPoppa taking care of grandbaby #4.

Playing a little Settlers.

Playing outside.

Enjoying a delicious crab dinner together.

* * * * *

We were able to spend a week together. Tons of great family time. Loved every minute of it!

{posted by Abbie}

 

 

farewell dinner

After three and a half years of working alongside Hunter on campus, our dear friend Erin is moving on to the next chapter of her life.

We'll be loading up her U-Haul on Sunday evening. She'll be departing on Monday morning. (Philadelphia bound!)

What an amazing woman she is. We'll miss her SO much.

Tonight the three of us had a farewell dinner at our favorite tapas place. It was a lovely evening. Fun conversation & delicious food.

Hunter and I have come to the conclusion that if we sneakily let the air out of the U-Haul tires late Sunday night, we might be able to de-rail this whole thing.

{posted by Abbie}

khanjoe's visit

Uncle Joe and Khani came for a visit in October.

Here are some pictures of everyone playing in the front yard.

This visit was also the first time J & K got to meet Manzo.

It was a FUN night.

izzy : our new puppy

izzy : our new puppy from ellie and abbie on Vimeo.

 

last weekend

Last Weekend Was Lovely:

(1) My marvelous mom & dynamite dad came for a visit.

(2) My beneficent brother and his glowing girlfriend came as well.

{Throw the salt, glisteningly, into the pan...}

(3) Together, we went to Pumpkin's final soccer game of the season.

(4) My mom & dad were hilarious at the soccer game. My family of origin is not very "soccer-ish", if you know what I mean. Sure, we like it--but none of us ever played it for very long. (Ellie & I didn't play at all, Robert & Joe played for a few seasons I think.)

(5) Consequently, mom & dad didn't quite know what words to use to cheer Pumpkin on from the sidelines. (I'm in that category, too--I don't really know any soccer phrases, besides "defense!" and the other obvious ones.) So mom & dad ended up settling on, "Bend it like Beckham!!" --simply because they knew that had something to do with soccer.

(6) They also found it necessary to counterbalance Hunter's strategic advice to Pumpkin. Hunter is prone to "coach" her from the sidelines. {i.e., "Run down the field! Get ready! Look, there's the ball!..." etc.} He's a very enthusiastic sportsman, and that definitely comes out in his cheering. Well, mom & dad provided the yin to Hunter's yang, with comments like, "It's just a game! You're doing great! The only reason we're here is so that you can just HAVE A GOOD TIME." Good advice to Pumpkin, encased in a bit of good natured teasing, directed at Hunter. It was really making Hunter and me laugh.

(7) We went to IKEA and got a great little trundle bed to go under Superboy's twin bed. {Thank you, mom & dad!} The trundle is guaranteed to be used about 436,895 times.

(8) Our dear friend Kim came over to babysit while the adults went out to dinner. Our dinner together was one of the best meals I've had in a long, long time. I had delicious rainbow sushi, which tasted, to me, like the DEFINITION of health and freshness. Yum.

(9) Worship together on Sunday morning. Fantabulous.

(10) Tomato soup alongside smoked turkey sandwich for lunch. Perfect food for this weather. 

(11) We had plans to trick-or-treat with a group of friends, starting at 5:30.

(12) The children got in their costumes. We snapped some pictures. Superboy looked very fierce as Iron Man. Pumpkin was a cute Dorothy.

(13) I particularly like the idea behind these photos..."what would Dorothy do if she actually saw Iron Man??"

 

 

(14) Trick-or-treating was a blast. Every year I get so caught up in how much fun this night is for children. It's such a departure from regular life/reality. There's so much neighborhood excitement....everyone is out, walking around. Everyone is giving out candy....the children are all fascinated by the various costumes. {And Ellie, YES, much to my delight, the children did in fact sort and categorize their candy. That's the best part, right?}

(15) Here's a Seinfeld sketch about trick-or-treating. I think of it every year when we're getting the kids' costumes on. The best part of this routine: "What is this? What did you say? Wh-wh-what is that you said about people giving out candy...??" Cracks me up every time.

Jerry Seinfeld on Halloween

yo quiero taco bell

(please do not take that title literally--I actually cannot remotely stand even the idea of Taco Bell. Yuck-o. How do you make a sentence negative en espanol? I don't know. But I do know a bit of French. So I will merge the two together: "Yo ne quiero pas Taco Bell"....ha ha)

In the summer of 2008, Pumpkin's cousin got a little bitty dog. A teacup chihuahua, to be precise.

 

I myself grew up in a "big dog" family....not a "small dog" family. The whole idea of a chihuahua was unfamiliar to me. Nevertheless, it was fun to be around little Cocoa. Hunter & I both got a kick out Cocoa. ("He's sooo little!") Superboy enjoyed him as well.

But Pumpkin.....

Well, let's just put it this way: To say that Pumpkin *loved* Cocoa would be a major understatement. She would sit on the screen porch for HOURS playing with Cocoa. We would have to coax her away from Cocoa to eat her meals.

That has been the consistent theme ever since Cocoa joined our extended family. Pumpkin basically counts the days until she gets to play with Cocoa again.

Meanwhile, in our own immediate family, Hunter and I have been wanting to get a dog for YEARS. We've toyed with the idea of a Weimaraner. We've toyed with the idea of a Black Lab. We've toyed with the idea of a Boykin Spaniel (based on Abigail & Matt's great experience with their new dog.)

Hunter would love to train a hunting dog someday. The problem is, those first couple of years of dog training (for a hunting dog at least) are crucial...and we just don't have the time right now. Hopefully we will in a few years.

So we have struggled with dog fever. For years.

Well. Here's where the story takes an unexpected twist.

We got a phone call from Hunter's sister last week. Her neighbor's sister has a dog that she needs to find a new home for. The dog is healthy & happy; she just needs a new home.

And the dog is a chihuahua.

Hunter and I talked and talked about it. What should we do....this isn't what we were planning on....but the kids sure would love to go ahead and get a dog....maybe this will be dog #1, and dog #2 will be a hunting dog....

After much analysis & contemplation, we've decided to go for it.

We're going to have a 1 yr old chihuahua join our little home in about a month.

Not sure if our new perra poco will be much of a help in the duck woods (ha!! can you imagine?), but she will definitely provide some smiles here on the homefront. 

(These are all pictures I took of Cocoa when he was a teensy puppy.)