December Dodderings ... so far

So far this December we've had an addition to our family - Charlie! Well, Charlie Alexander the 3rd, to be precise. He is a Chinese Water Dragon and we think he is adorable.

And on the 3rd we celebrated Erik's birthday - he is FOURTEEN. Yep, 14. A whole new world of teenage-ness has opened up - Stake Dances, EFY, High Adventure - ack! 

(Some pre-present-opening extravaganzas ...)

Cake! This year he requested a twinkie filled Bundt cake. So that's what he got. It actually tasted pretty good ...

It looks like this post is all about my eldest. Here he is again, WRESTLING. GRAPPLING with some strange kid. (He is the one in black.) Look at those skinny legs! I've discovered that watching my son wrestling is a strange experience - it is funny to see such an intense side of him, and to see him so aggressive with permission from the adults surrounding him. I'm proud of how much he enjoys it and how hard he works at it, but it is still rather discomforting to watch. And yet, I will keep watching. It's just what a Mom does I guess.

And here he is again, in what was absolutely the World's Best Concert. I caught a little flack when I expressed my annoyance at school concerts last year on Facebook - let me defend myself. I love seeing my child perform and I am grateful for the intense amount of effort and preparation and time that their band directors put into each and every song. BUT ... sometimes there is poor planning involved in these concerts, which make them less than pleasant experiences. Usually too many bands/choirs perform - I've often sat through a 2 hour concert and only seen my child for 15 minutes of it. And then those too many bands/choirs perform song ... after song ... after song. If you choose to have multiple groups perform, meaning multiple parents are in attendance, meaning it is usually pretty crowded in the audience, then please oh please limit the music selections to a handful each. I don't mind hearing a couple of songs from someone other than my child - but listening to an endless number of songs (and, can I be honest? in elementary and middle school each song KIND OF SOUNDS THE SAME) makes for a long and boring program. But this year it was perfect - even though my heart dropped when I saw the program listing the Concert Choir, Band, and Jazz Band - each group only performed 3-4 songs, everything was organized well enough that delays between groups was brief, and the whole concert lasted barely an hour. It was PERFECT.

 

And MAYBE, just MAYBE, I won't wait a whole year to talk about the rest of December. 

:)

November Narratives

Ha ha! Hee hee! Ho ho! November!! November was FUN. My sister friend (no, too Big Love - kindred spirit? Spirit sister? Very favorite bestest friend?) came to see me and it was my birthday! We went to New York, wandered around, visited the library (I know! Nerds! But it was SO COOL! We saw Charlotte Bronte's writing desk! And the ORIGINAL Winnie the Pooh and company!), went to a Broadway show (Daniel Radcliffe was awesome!), and had famous Crumbs cupcakes. We had a fantabulous time.

And then the next day we had cake. My Hubby got adorably creative with it this year ...

November also had leaves! 

And last but certainly not least, my darling Peanut turned 4. Four! I can't even pretend that four is a baby. >sniff<

October Occasions

Oh my will I be happy with my monthly alliteration is done. At the end of September/beginning of October we went up to Boston to visit family, go to a wedding, and spend time with our Edward "cousins". Ages ago we were group home parents for a handful of boys, and in October we got to see one of our boys get married. It was a proud moment. 

We also got to play with our pseudo cousins! As you can tell, my kids have no fun at all when we're at their house.

 

(Yes, my husband is part ghost. Deal with it.)

We also got to hang out with Poppy and Nanna and Poppa.

AND ... Diva had a birthday! Happy 9th my darling girl!

There was also a little silliness in October. Shocking, I know.

And of course HALLOWEEN! This year we had a banana, a trash can, a jelly fish, a Jedi, and a sword wielding ghost. 

September Stirrings

September! (I know! I get so excited that I've reached another month. I am SO CLOSE!)

September we moved. Again. This time only 90 minutes south, but it was still a move! And because we closed on our house two weeks after school started, we decided - in a moment of insanity - to commute our kids to the new school for the first two weeks. Yep. It was totally crazy. But we survived and it was worth it!

Here is everyone looking slightly exhausted at Friendly's ...

Goodbye old house! Old ward! Lovely friends! 

Goodbye corn field across the street! We will miss you on Sunday afternoons when we are looking for a place to stroll.

Hello new house! New ward! Hopefully sometime soon new friends!

And in the midst of moving chaos, my hubby and Erik spent a weekend helping flood victims in other parts of PA. Aren't they both so scruffily handsome?

August Abroad

Okay, not really "abroad" as in "outside of the U.S.", more like the less commonly known meaning of the word, which is "outside of Pennsylvania". Who knew.

August! August was fun. First, we had a haircut. No worries, fans. He currently looks much more like the first picture than the second.

In August we also went to the first ever Zundel Family Reunion. It was FUN!! Here we are, ready to leave. Notice the hands sticking out of the window ... you can almost hear the "help! let us out!"

There was canoeing ...

 and swimming. 

Cousins and cousins and even MORE cousins ...

  

and even a Granna and Grampa.

 There were airsoft wars ...

 ... and a lovely temple sealing.

 There were minimal frowns ...

 ... which were quickly recovered from.

  I love my family!!!!! Aren't they cute?

After the reunion, real life invaded fairly quickly with the death of my husband's grandma. Darling sweet Nanny, we will miss you! My kids got to see all of the family on both sides within a span of two weeks. It was a sad reason to get together, but it was still nice to be together. 

And then ... school! This year Dane is in 1st grade, Diva is in 3rd grade, Jace is in 6th grade and Erik is in 8th grade. I ALMOST have a high schooler. Ack.