Daily Photo

Daily Photo(s)

Downhill

Our sloped front yard is finally seeing some action. It took William George to discover the simple beauty of rolling down a hill.  

Daily Photo

As Britney said, "We're country!"  

Disclaimer: They only drove through the neighborhood at a very slow speed.

Fall, Part Two

And.... more fun in the street.  

A Glimpse of Fall

Fall has really gotten away from me this year, and I am yet again behind on photos.  This year has been incredibly busy, with so many activities, and it turns out that being someone's caregiver (which we are thrilled to be able to do) is essentially a full time job. A funny story about caregiving. When we first coordinated rehabilitation at a local facility, the therapists were initially hesitant about addressing me, asking if I was a caregiver... or what, exactly? "I'm her daughter," I responded. When they nodded, I continued, "She wishes I were a caregiver so that she could fire me."  Ha!

Anyrate. Once the heat broke, the trio needed to be outside, and every weekend we have made outdoor play a priority. They have had their cars in the cul-de-sac, and it wouldn't be fall without Skip throwing the football with them.

Fall is truly my favorite season.

PS: Those pumpkins are still there.

Play Time

We have been looking forward to the weekend. The trio's plans involve lots of playing.  It will look a lot like the below. Have a wonderful weekend.  

Daily Photo

Bring it, arctic outbreak.  

Bubbles

So last month George's treasure box at school was a little heavy on bubbles. Since George is a behavioral superstar at school (we are as surprised as anyone), he often comes home on the highest color, treasure in his hot little hand.  His sisters, a couple of bubble-making pros, quickly taught him the fine art of making bubbles on the deck.  

Also, apropos of nothing, the duo found a pacifier in George's room. William George never utilized a pacifier, having disdained them from the outset. But for some odd reason, he decided to taunt everyone by using a pacifier that day, although it was quickly discarded because why in the world would we create that habit now?!  I couldn't resist a photo of him with that impish look in his eyes.  

He quickly got the hang of bubbles, and Grace and Lauren had fun revisiting one of their favorite activities from toddlerhood.  

Friday's Quote

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.

-William Arthur Ward

A Long Year

The above photo was taped to my dad's iMac.

After he died on 11-07-13, I volunteered to put together photos for his memorial, and that gave me about 15 minutes in his office to look for displayed photos and through albums. Although we used to stop by his basement office any time I visited, I had not been to that room in a few years, probably since George was born. He used to joke that all of his worldly belongings were either in the basement or his office. I guess he was an early adopter of the man-cave, and William George could have done some serious damage to the basement.  My dad spent a lot of time in his office, and being there, however briefly, was very important to me.

I had seen the decades-old photo many times, of course, but as I sat in his chair and saw the prominently placed (top/center/eye level)  image, it struck me how important the photo was... what it represented. About a week after my dad's death, Tom Hussey's images were on various online outlets, capturing a similar sentiment, and it made me appreciate the photo even more. I'm glad the photo was important to him, and I'm grateful to have learned that... to have had the epiphany of how he saw himself... as a young man, physically strong... confident... with a young family... and a bright and long future. I'm grateful to have been part of it.

We miss you, dad.

Halloween Party

Since kindergarten, the duo have been friends with a fellow set of twins at school. We have come to adore this family so when their mom invited us to a play date/party at the park on the afternoon of Halloween we jumped at the chance for some play time. She actually had gone to a good deal of trouble to decorate on a windy day, and she had pizza, drinks, etc. Their family is comprised of four children, and we were there with our three. Another group of children were there, making it a fun group to play together.

The afternoon was cool and windy, meaning that there was really no one else at the park. What others would consider sub-optimal conditions was positively heavenly for me.

There are some great pictures of the entire group decked out in costumes, but I didn't get into the whole blog thing in order to get permission to post photos. The cuteness... it was too much. At one point, V, the male twin, got into a little trouble. As he came bebopping toward his mom in response to her calling him, I had to look away to keep from laughing. How could she scold him when he was so perfectly dressed as Luigi?

The trio had a wonderful time playing with their friends, and we stayed until the wind became problematic. Some type of nut or golf ball-sized fruit was being blown out of the trees and threatening to cause injury. We reluctantly packed everything up and set out to trick-or-treat.

For the record, I enjoyed the blustery conditions and would have stayed longer. The wind... the leaves... it was a perfect fall day.