Playtime, Anne, and Three Boys

Caity and Johnny's current playtime favorites:

Handball, Nerf wars, Pokémon, and basketball.

Cate and Johnny have been playing often with Hadyn and Connolly. It is always a happy night when they spend the afternoon together.  Yesterday I walked to pick them up from a neighborhood handball game, and it was so cute seeing about ten neighborhood kids part ways promising to meet again the next day. It was very reminiscent of Sandlot. Our walk home from the park was beautiful and very autumn feeling.

I watched my two oldest walk together and my heart was overflowing.

Cate and Hadyn made a Nerf gun shooting range. It was so cute.

Cate had wrangled Johnny into watching Anne of Green Gables with her. He is such a sweet and faithful brother. It is cute walking past them, and Johnny mouthing "I'm bored" but then smiling at Cate while she summarizes what is happening to him.

Speaking of Anne Shirley, a couple nights ago, I climbed up to Cate's bunk bed and she read a chapter from Anne of Windy Poplar to me. I love when she reads outloud to me! (Especially since her and I share a love for beautifully crafted sentences. L.M. Montgomery always hits it out of the park.)

Yesterday after I twisted my ankle pretty badly, Johnny came and did his homework next to me. I helped him with his Oregon slideshow, and then he decided to do a King Cobra slideshow just for fun. I found it disgusting (not a reptile person.) Johnny found my disgust quite delightful. When he gor bored of thay research, he started to author a story. It was just so fun to sit with him and learn together.

The three boys in this family are so fun. In a desperate grasp for some peace and quiet while I prepped dinner, I challenged the boys to make something out of legos to display at the table during dinner time. They took the bait, and proceeded to play so well together the rest of the night and into the morning. I love how they interact!

Matthew Little Moments

 Oh Matthew. Your tender heart!

Matthew is happiest when he is surrounded by his family. I don't know if anything stresses him out more than a closed door. What is happening behind there? How could anyone be doing anything and not want him there? He often floats between school zoom sessions, popping in to see what everyone is learning. Being left out of anything is quite heartbreaking for him. He often slumps his shoulders, and crocodile tears roll down his warm rosy cheeks. He will just melt into me as he expresses how hurt he is that Cate and Johnny are going to a friend's house without him, or William wants to take a bath alone, or his little friend needs some "personal space." Everything is very emotional and personal and this has its ups and downs. On one hand, his feelings are hurt easily, on the other; he loves and forgives so effortlessly and it brings him joy.

Matthew's Pumping Heart

One week he was have a particularly rough go of it. Matthew and I were reading on my bed. I lifted him to my lap so he was facing me, and we had the following conversation:

Me: Matthew, I hope you know how much I love you. Your heart makes my heart feel so happy.

Matthew: thank you, your heart makes my whole body so happy.

Me: and someday you are going to be such a wonderful daddy and husband! (He talks about how excited his is for this all the time.)

Matthew: Except I wanted to marry you, but Dad already said you're his wife, so I'm a little sad.

Me: Well, someday you are going to meet a really nice girl, and she is going to love you so much and you two are going have so much fun being a mommy and daddy together!

Matthew: (who is glowing with adoration as I share this.) That just made my heart go whoosh-whoosh, whoosh-whoosh. (His ands pumping above where his heart is.

We give each other a big hug. And I tell him that happy feeling is what the Spirit feels like. He smiled so big and gave about ten more hugs. He loves his hugs!

Diet Advice

When I put on a shirt that didn't flatter my midsection very well with the pants I was wearing, I asked Matthew if I should change my shirt because it looked a little silly (he chose out the outfit that day.) He looked at me with such adoration, motioned me down so he could rest his hand on my cheek and he said sweetly, "If you just stop eating your meals for a few times, your tummy will get smaller." He smiled so lovingly and gave me a hug and said, "Or you can breathe in all your tummy in so nobody knows!"  He then sacked in to show me his ribs.

Book Reading

He treats the characters we read about as his dearest friends, and he is invested in their stories. We finished a story about a mouse who ends up having a pea for dinner on Thanksgiving, and Matthew shook his head incredulously, "But Sewiouswy (seriously), that is TOTALLY a feast a for mouse." There are just always similar comments in every story. When a little girl was given the that sat angel at the top of the Christmas tree, he gives me the biggest hug and says "Now, THAT is so super special." He is the only child I remember crying during sad parts of books. He becomes indignant, (which reminds me of three year old Caity who wanted to beat up the Roman soldiers that nailed Jesus "to the T" the first time she learned about the crucifixion.) He will often insert "If I was there, I'd say, "You need to say nice fings to each other now, because this is mean." Or one time, "I would give her my blanket so she wouldn't be so cold." It's just all too tender.

Cuddle

Yesterday he randomly marched in the room and said, "Alright dad! Let's cuddle now!"

Autumnal Sunday

 Sunday Morning we opted to enjoy beautiful Oregon in the fall. We first headed to Forest Park where the boys ran the trails, and John, Caity, and I lagged behind. It was fun catching up with everything going on in Cate's life. Next we headed to the historic bridge along the Applegate River. It was breathtaking and so peaceful. When we got home and went to church, I believe we were all a little more present after such a lovely morning.

Happy Halloween 2020

 Halloween 2020 was a success!

I woke up in the morning wondering how the day would go. I for one was a little burnt out after all the fun activities and treats we had been eating all month. I thought, "Did I ruin the magic of Halloween by over-killing our festive prep??" But alas, I believe I underestimated the magic of dressing up as something new and running around dark neighborhood streets after your bed time collecting candy. I mean: seriously!? What a fun holiday Halloween is.

Here is our set table for the day!

We made our traditional Jack-o-Lantern Pancakes for breakfast with green monster smoothies. Johnny and William said this was one of their favorite things we do. (Which I am glad they voiced because I aaaaalmost nixed them this year!)

Everyone helped me deliver some things for Primary. It was a beautiful, sunny fall day.

While Matthew napped, the older kids started carving pumpkins.

Now for the costumes!

Caity, age 12, MEDUSA

William, Age 7, BLACK PANTHER

Johnny, Age 9, NEWSIE

Matthew, Age 5, SPIDERMAN

He needed a picture with his Dad!

The Cummings and Hungerfords joined us for trick or treating. The kids were very excited to spend the evening with their friends.

We came home and dumped out candy to sort and trade. 

Grown ups had apple cider and stew and chatted. I am grateful for friends that feel like family.

The kids watched Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin while the Rices came over for cider and we laughed around the kitchen table. 

It was just a good night, simply put.

The day after Halloween I wanted to squeeze every last drop of the season, so I read ALL our Halloween books to the kids. It was a good couple hours, but it was the perfect way to top off a great month of October.

November the First

Well, it's that time of year again. 

Every November first I find myself in a state of grateful grief. Father Time seems to loom over me, as I contemplate the closed door of yesterday. I want to remember how I feel in this moment of slow motion nostalgia. Every year as Halloween ends, it is a hard pill to swallow recognizing next year my kids will be taller, older, and their current interests will shift along in the passing year. November first brings with it a reality check:  time is not something I can freeze because I will it do so. As I sit amongst leaf collections and candy wrappers, I let myself relish what wonderful, fun stages my kids are in. I am crying at my kitchen table, you see. Isn't that a little silly? Of course it is. Yet here I am, weepy as can be as I recreate the images of my kids running around the living room last night, excited for Trick or Treating.  I let my heart settle into yesterday's moment:

I see Caity's confidence and giddy joy as she looks in the mirror absorbing the creepy make-up and snakes pinned in her hair. 

I see Johnny waltzing around the house with his newspape' singing "That's my cigar, you'll steal a nuddah!" 

I feel the impact of William and Matthew, (or should I say Black Panther and Spiderman?) as they pummel into me while they wrestle. 

William's vampire teeth. 

Caity's Medusa pumpkin. 

Matthew's costume hanging by a safety pin. 

Johnny sleeping in his Newsie's hat. 

Four pumpkins lined up in a row.

Kids running full speed house to house. 

Crunchy leaves.

Candy dumped, organized, traded. 

Achy feet, proud smiles.

Witch's stew and apple cider.

Late night chats with friends.

Sleepy and satisfied kids dragging their tired bodies to bed.

It's amazing how invincible they feel in their costumes. Next year, there will be new costumes. Every child will be a year older, and their interests will evolve. October was special this year because my kids were home with me every day due to the pandemic. We had so many fun treats, played silly Halloween games, listened to festive music, watched spooky movies, and cuddled every day to read fun Halloween books. 

Something about Halloween night makes me feel the entire spectrum of my life instantaneously. I am a kindergarten little Bo Peep trading candy with my brothers, a seven year old Mary Quite Contrary sneaking Jack-O-Lantern sugar cookies from the kitchen. I am a ten year old lady bug sprinting to the next house, a sixteen year old girl going to Twisted Flicks in Seattle, a newly wed screaming through the Haunted Mill with John, a new mom walking a little pumpkin newborn in a stroller around Smith park, a twenty four year old playing carnival games with my toddler tiger and preschooler lady bug, a twenty-seven year old chasing a little lion around the trunk or treat, a twenty-nine year old carrying Hulk door to door, a thirty-one year old throwing leaves at my kids as we raced down the Orenco streets, a thirty-two year old planning class parties and organizing the Harvest Carnival at school....and now...a mom crying because her kids are getting older and it has been such a fun run so far, and I feel grateful and overwhelmed by all the good.

October, I already miss you. Thank you for giving me so many sweet, lovely moments. I hope they never lose their vibrancy. Tomorrow I will take down the ghosts, skeletons, and Jack-o-Lantern faces and settle into November. How wonderful that I have a whole year before next Halloween to spend with my family and cherish the time as it comes, and not always as it passes. 

Left over pumpkin carving mess that greeted me this morning.