Post-Birthday Party post . . .

Oh, I forgot to tell you about the Indiana Jones get-up he bought himself for Halloween! I think the head-lamp makes it work!

Here are a few shots of Eric getting his "geek" on. That's my man. Never one to shy away from looking or acting like the kid that he really is, Eric asked for a head lamp and a Lego set for his birthday. Yep! That's right. Not a head lamp for his truck. No, no, no-he wanted one for his head! Not sure what the plans are for it, but the girls think it will be great for camping. As for the Lego's, it was an Indiana Jones set that he desired. We only gave him one box, but if Katy & Emma have their way, he may receive another set for Christmas. As you can see, they all enjoyed putting the pieces together this afternoon.

After opening the presents, we all went out to eat. My mom joined us for a great dinner at a local barbecue joint. They serve onion rings the size of a tea cup saucer and a pretty darned good pulled pork sandwich. We had to save room for dessert at home--a new Emma inspired creation. It was a "Texas-chocolate cake with German-chocolate frosting." She came up with that one the other day and it sounded really good. Easy cake to make with complicated frosting to top it off. Yum!

Eric had a good day! Thank you to everyone for the cards and phone calls. It really meant a lot to him!

"They say it's your birthday . . ."

Well, here it is, dear. Happy Birthday! Enjoy your day and don't give much thought to the fact that you have only three more of these until you reach "50!" You know,though, you do wear 47 well. It must be that the girls and I keep you looking and acting so young. Thanks for being such a great husband and dad! We love you and hope you have a great day.

Random thoughts . . .

Wow! Winter has arrived. We have been lucky to have experienced an unseasonably warm fall. Cooler mornings but temps in the 50's to lower 60"s in the afternoon for a few weeks. It was truly enjoyable, especially since I have to spend a few hours outside every weekday afternoon at the school. Well, it all changed last week. Frost on the car windows, a warm scarf around my neck, the fevered attempt to purchase a pair long underwear that wouldn't cost me the arm and the leg that it was needed to cover! I did manage to purchase a pair of boots--a knockoff of the UGG style. Seriously, $180.00 for a pair of boots. That is an amount of cash that I can find better things to do with. My $50.00 boots came from China--they must have cheaper sheep there!

Katy and Emma are well. We have managed to avoid the flu, both seasonal and H1N1. The girls have received shots for both. Actually, a shot for the seasonal and nasal mist for the other. They received the H1N1 at school through Central District Health(CDH). CDH provided the mist for staff, so I was able to get in on the fun! Did not enjoy the mist. Our nurse was a bit energetic with the application. Glad to have it, though. There was a week when at least 40 students were absent each day. I carry hand sanitizer on me at all times--no illness, but I now have the driest skin around.

Eric is working hard. On November 11, his location served more than 1,200 meals. Around 600 of those meals were served free to the Veterans that came in. He said it was an exhausting day but well worth the effort! He really enjoys chatting with his guests and the vets are always so nice to get to know. We do appreciate them all!

Speaking of Eric, he has a birthday coming up! The big 47 next Tuesday. It won't be long before he hits the mid-century mark! I am so glad he'll get there before I do. . . The girls asked him what he wanted for his big day. He told them Legos and a light that you strap to your head. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he was turning 8!

Me, I have been able to put off studying for a few months. I do not have to take graduate level classes just yet, so the GRE is not necessary for now. I need to apply and take a pre-requisite course before I can go much further. I can now spend my time preparing for Christmas. We will be spending it at home, but any and all are welcome to join us. Of course, if you plan to come, please fly! After last years harrowing winter driving expedition, we've decided it best to visit everyone in the warmer months. So, if you can't make it this winter, plan to join us in late spring, summer or early fall. Boise is a great town when you can get out and take advantage of the warmer weather!

I had hoped to post a few pictures but I am unable to get them to upload. I have spent a few hours trying to figure it out--I am giving up for now. I will have to consult Apple or my blogging friend Heather to help me figure out what went wrong. Hope you are all having a good week.

Finally Friday . . .

It is day 2 of a four day weekend for Eric, Katy & Emma. Day 1 for me, as I had to "work" at the parent/teacher conferences. By "work", I mean I had to make an announcement over the school PA system every 20 minutes letting parents know that their conference had concluded. Compared to working the playground, it was a breeze.

The weather was so dreary today. Cloudy with rain and a bit of wind in the morning. I only saw the sun off in the distance when we were up on the bench above the city. We have been up on that side of town several times this week, frequenting the local pet store, Zamzows. Bedding, cages, hay, you name it, we have bought it. It has occurred to me that many of the things we get for "free" end up being pretty expensive! When I think out loud "what were we thinking?," Eric likes to remind me that the rabbit and guinea pig cost far less than a horse. Yeah, that sure makes me feel better! Not!!

I suppose it is not all that bad. Katy has really helped out and both have taken an interest in small animal research. Ten books from the library ought to be enough, right? Katy likes to cut carrots up for Benjamin Button (slight name alteration since we figured out she is a he) and Emma enjoys picking the parsley for Snuggles (possibly also a boy, as determined by some aggressive behavior.) Eric is spending his time making a better outdoor hutch. He is in the process of converting the playhouse into a bunny condo. I was going to call it a "bunny penthouse" but those words together made me laugh! At this moment, Benjamin is sitting on the couch between Eric, Katy and Emma as they watch a movie. He is a skittish rodent and we are trying to get in a bit more social time with him.

Lucy seems to be taking all this in stride. She follows us around the house more and we woke up this morning to find her in our room, instead of in her bed. She has sniffed around the cages but has not exhibited any aggression towards Snuggles and Benjamin. We are careful to keep them separated from Lucy. As you can see, we have not left her out of the pet spending spree. She will be a "bee" next Halloween. Poor, poor Lucy. It unfortunate for her that she is so fun to dress up!

Happy Halloween!

Okay, so I have one close up of Emma. My hand adjusting her wig!

Looking good!

Here they are, Miss America and Flapper Girl. I only have a close up of Katy. In all the excitement, we forgot to take one of Emma by herself. Most of the excitement involved that wig she insisted on wearing. It would not stay put. Pretty sure it had a lot to do with the "wearer."

It was a lovely night for Halloween, though. The weather was fairly warm for Boise in October. We gave in to the girls this year and attempted to trick-or-treat down Warm Springs Avenue. I am 100% sure we will not do that next year. It was so crowded. Waiting in line for chocolate was not my idea of fun. Even the girls thought it was crazy. We ended up back in our neighborhood, very happy to see all of the familiar faces. Plus, I really missed walking around with Katy & Emma's friends. Live and learn, I say. The candy and company is not always better on the "fancy" side of the street.