When you're weary...

A few minutes ago, while scanning old photos, I realized, "Oh no! It's too quiet!" Scott was not with me in the living room, reading. He was not in the kitchen, drinking Ovaltine. He was not in the bathroom, playing at the sink. He was not in his bedroom with his penguin.

Here is where I found him:



..in my room, curled up in a suitcase full of clean clothes (not yet put away from our Thanksgiving travels - I know, I know, it's on my list!).

Welcome to the jungle...

The boys are wild with excitement. Our apartment seems to be in a state of constant pillow-throwing, punching, shrieking, wrestling, and general pandemonium. (I am counting down til Scott starts kindergarten. Yes, I am aware that it is going to be another two years.) We are all looking forward to Uncle Dean's arrival and Christmas.

Scott: Mom, what day is it today?

me: It's Saturday.

Scott: Is it the first Saturday?

me: It's the second Saturday.

Scott: When does Uncle Dean come?

me: In a week.

Scott: No! He is not coming on Sunday. He's coming on Saturday!

me (agreeing): Yes, he is coming next Saturday.

Scott (very excited voice) : Then he is coming on the THIRD SATURDAY!

To convey the general mood of giddiness and (ahem) goodwill, here are a few photos the boys took of each other while I was on the phone discussing important Primary business.





For your viewing pleasure, here is Santa Scott in front of our tree. Ethan stuffed him with extra clothes so his body would more closely resemble the Santa stereotype. Ho, ho, ho!

Tag

Erica tagged me, and I had fun thinking about this. I spent my million selfishly:)

5 Placed I've Lived

• Alberta
• Minnesota
  
• Michigan
  
• Belgium
  
• California
  

5 Snacks I love

• Homemade nachos with salsa that's been through the blender
  
• Popcorn and apples, especially green ones
  
• Dill pickles and Doritos
  
• Baguette, cheese, and red grapes or pears
  
• Crispy, thin crust pizza
  

5 Jobs I've Had

• Fille au pair
  
• AAA auto travel specialist
  
• French teacher
  
• Apartment manager
  
• Violin teacher
  

If I had a million dollars I would.....

• Go on a date with my husband every single week
  
• Buy a new set of scriptures
• Sign my boys up for swimming lessons and music classes
• Buy a headboard for my bed, get my kids a dresser and find a new kitchen table and chairs
  
• Redo my kitchen counters so they were one piece instead of tile
  
• Max out my IRA for the next 25 years
• Buy a new swimsuit
  
• Get a pedicure and a haircut
  
• Go violin shopping and take lessons again
• Hire someone to clean my house/grocery shop/cook while I practice violin
• Give my car to Shaun and buy a Prius
• Sign up for one of those morning boot camp classes
• Go to an LA Phil concert at the Disney Concert Hall
• Get some vegetables into my food storage
• Take my family to live in France for a summer or maybe a year
• Anonymously donate a large sum to my favorite institution of higher education, BYU
• Build my dream house in my dream location or if I couldn't, because I had already spent too much, at least put down a sizeable downpayment

5 things I love

• Surprises
• Making plans, even if they never happen (It's called a plan of the moment.)
  
• The world as the sun is just coming up
  
• Live chamber music
  
• New beginnings
  

5 people who should do this tag...

• Do I even have 5 readers??? "Anyone who wants to" can do this tag, and if you're visiting here, leave me a comment so I can come read your blog.
  

Halloween festivities

Hard at work, carving a pumpkin.



Ethan was surprised at what was inside the pumpkin. He tried to get me to do all the dirty work. "Mom, I don't have enough STRENGTH to do this. You have to do this." I helped a little, but he did most of it. I forgot to take a picture of our masterpieces, but we had one smiley pumpkin and one scary pumpkin.



Here they are on their way out to go Trick-or-Treating.

First day of school

Ok, things have been pretty serious over here for a while. I finally found both the camera and the cord, so without further ado, here are some shots from Ethan's first day of school:



No excitement here, nope, not a bit.



Ethan loves to go to school, loves to do his homework as soon as he gets home, and likes to get his backpack ready to go the night before. Here's hoping this lasts through high school graduation.