Happy Halloween!!!!

I lied.

Yes, I'm feeling better. But, no, no update on the Clare Bear. We've got many festivities planned for All Hallow's Eve tomorrow. And, I'm sure the sugar will keep us flying high for several days. Hang tight folks. Funny stories and fabulous pictures are a comin.

Top Ten: Little Known Halloween Facts

I'm always a sucker for Cliff Claven knowledge. If you don't know who Cliff is, then I guess I'm officially old. Anyhoo, enjoy this week's...

TOP TEN: LITTLE KNOWN HALLOWEEN FACTS

1. The holiday has Christian origins.

2. Pope Gregory IV is responsible for when we celebrate Halloween - way back in 835. He moved the commemoration of Martyrs (later All Saints Day) from May 13 to November 1.

3. Ever wonder where we get that name? Well, the night before All Saints Day became known as "All Hallows Eve", i.e. "holy evening" and eventually "Halloween."

4. Some gool 'ol Irish Catholics are the reason we celebrate it here in the states. Raise a pint to that.

5. Irish farmers prepared for All Saints and All Souls Day the night before by going door-to-door collecting food for the village party. If you gave, you were promised prosperity, if not, well, shame on you.

6. "Trick or treat" was born when those good Irish immigrated here to the states.

7. I don't know who invented that horrific black and orange wrapped candy - but they should be brought up on felony charges. That stuff is horrible! I digress...

8. The first All Saints Day Mass was held at St. Peter's in Rome back in 1835. After that, it spread to the global church.

9. Not only did the Irish bring with them "trick or treating", but jack-o-lanterns (part of that food collection origin) and costumes as well.

10. While the early years had lots of folks in scary costumes, some of us parents have taken a gentler approach in recent years. Hooray for that!!

Alive, Barely

Ok, that might be a bit dramatic, but this allergy/sinus infection/whateveritis is totally kicking my tail. Today is monumental - Clare is 16 months!! - but the monument and mommy bragging will have to wait until Thursday. I have a stellar Halloween top ten tomorrow (which I was smart enough to do LAST week), so I'm not a total slacker.

So. Thursday. You, Me. And an update on Clare.

QOTW: October 24, 2008

"Mom, my brain needs to refresh before I do any more homework."
Will

"It's froggy outside."
Anna-Laura commenting on the early morning "fog".

We're up for soccer again this Saturday. Somehow we managed to draw the 8am games for both boys - yikes the early morning temps are a wee bit chilly for us Texans. For once, it should be a laid back weekend, which we're really looking forward to - finally! I hope to get caught up on some picture downloading, blog posting and work. Y'all have a great weekend!

BOO!

The hunt was on. Last weekend we finally made time to get THE pumpkins. In Texas, if you get them too early it's so darn blazing hot, they go bad on you!! Anyhoo, we found them and the kids had a great time. Maybe next year we'll make it to an actual patch. A mom can dream, can't she?

Top Ten: Our Day in Aggieland

Otherwise known as the other Holyland - Aggieland still carries the same qualities that drew Scott and I there more than a decade ago. Game day embodies what we love so much about AMC. From march-in, to passerby shouting "Howdy" to the occasional horn Hullaballo Canek! Canek! honk - there's just something special about College Station. It may not have a major metropolitan airport or even a downtown, but I can't think of a better place to spend 4 years of my life than wearing the maroon and white.

Saturday was the 100th anniversary celebration of yell leaders. Every year, the former yell leaders gather for a reunion and every 5 they hit the field and show off how well they remember (or don't!) the yells. In light of a fantastic day, here are our...

TOP TEN: OUR DAY IN AGGIELAND

1. Getting to go through the tunnel and stand on the field. I'm not sure if the picture really captures just how excited the kids were to be that close to those big football players. I guess it just captures how excited the big kids were :-)



2. Seeing old friends. Recognize these guys? Scott '95, Steve '94 and Scott '95. Mr. Mark left his tickets in the car and just missed the festivities. Man, the 1993-1994 season was a great one. We all just picked up where we left off. Fun times.



3. Seeing the offspring. Now we're all parents. Weird. But fun to see little people running around that look like the people you spent way too many fun nights with at A&M.



4. Memory lane. Yes, we walked on it and it was fun. Little sore the next day, though.




5. Seeing the evolution of tradition. There's just nothing like seeing 80 guys (Class of '42 to '08), stretched across the entire length of the field leading the Big 3. I'm telling you, it's a good thing I was taking pictures, because I surely would've teared up otherwise.



6. Burgers at the Chicken Oil. Oh my, we were ready to eat before we even rolled into College Station. The burgers were still greasy. The cheese fries still messy. And, the atmosphere still the same. The kids are asking when we're going back!



7. The kiss. I know it's blurry, but the cuteness factor? It definitely made the top ten.



8. The Bonfire Memorial. Some of you may remember when Bonfire collapsed, killing 12 students. It's a night we will never forget. In all the times we've been back to CS, I've never been. It was a moving experience. If you've never gone, make time to go.



9. Time as a family.





10. Good conversation. While the kids slept on the way home, Scott and I had a chance to visit. Those are always some of our best conversations. I love you. What a birthday weekend!!

Are you kidding?

The other day I took the kids to the local Wally World to pick up some odds and ends. While we were there, I promised them a trip through the costume aisle if they made good choices. Lo and behold, they did! But, man, did I regret it. Not because they wigged out - that would be me!

Chain gang member? Check.
Scary person from a movie. Got it.
Some guy with blood on his head. Yep.

As soon as I saw those three (and they were on the top of the pile), we high-tailed it out of there. Where were the Spiderman or Princess costumes? Bumblebees, turtles, ladybugs, pumpkins? Bueller? Anyone?

ARG. When did Halloween get so sinister? Since when is taking your kids down the aisle in Wal-Mart cause for a talk about good choices vs. bad choices in the van ride home. I'm frustrated because I should've known better. And, even more frustrated that the "family" big-box store can't seem to clean up their act.

Oh, and in case you're wondering what the kids want to be for Halloween - Pigs, Batman and a 12th Man football player :-)

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

I love birthdays. I love that it's Scott's birthday. We had a fun day today (and a really, really fun day yesterday in Aggieland). We'll have the big family bash on Friday, but until then...

Happy, happy, happy birthday, Scott. I love you.

QOTW: October 17, 2008

"Cware wants her sippy cup!"
Anna-Laura, after I asked her what Clare wanted from Sonic.

"Ava is my girlfriend." Do you love her, we asked? "Yup."
John Paul, on his love life.

"YES!" (complete with arm pump)
BOTH the boys when we told them they got to go on the track at the A&M football game to see Dad join 80 other yell leaders for the "Big 3" yells and "Aggie War Hymn".

Yes, tomorrow we're off to Aggieland for many fun yell leader festivities. I'm sure we'll see some familiar faces...and the offspring that look just like them. We can hardly wait. Pictures on Sunday!!!!

Top Ten: My iPod Favs

Just when you think you know somebody...and then they bust out with songs on their iPod. I mean, not that you sit around wondering what I listen to (screaming, yelling, laughing and crashing mostly), but in the rare moment it's quiet around here, I crank up my iPod and listen to...

TOP TEN: SONGS ON MY IPOD (in no particular order)

1. "Red Dirt Road" by Brooks and Dunn

2. "Glory Baby" by Watermark

3. "America" by Neil Diamond

4. "Live Out Loud" by Steven Curtis Chapman

5. "Next Thing You Know" by Matthew West

6. "How to Save a Life" by The Fray

7. "Radiance" by Sarah Bauer

8. "Amarillo by Morning" by George Strait

9. "You Never Let Go" from the VBS 2008 soundtrack

10. "We Live" by Superchick

Will for President!

If you're still undecided, perhaps you might consider Will as your write-in candidate.

Class Project

Last week, Will had to create a "sculpture" or "collage" for school, using only household items (buttons, toothpicks, cereal boxes, etc.) Since we have plenty of useless junk lying around, narrowing it down became the problem. They had a week to do this and guess who was up the night before getting it done?

After 5 days of trying to get Will to FOCUS and get this thing done, I put Scott in charge. 45 minutes later, the sculpture was complete. Why is that? I'm guessing that it's the patience factor. The project really turned out great. He had alumnium foil snakes, sticky dots for flowers, a golf tee with a cotton ball on top for a tree - and my personal favorite - rocks from the playground for boulders. Yep, those came from inside his shoes. At least they weren't cycling in the washing machine this week!

I've got it figured out, Scott is the math, science, class project guy. I'll come in handy during the middle school and high school years when it's history lesson and book report time. Here's hoping.


Like father. Like son.

Seriously?

Smelling salts, anyone? ANYONE? Yes, we're on day 3 of flying solo and let's just suffice it to say that I have amazing admiration for single parents. How do you do it???

If you were a fly on my wall this weekend what would you have seen? Wonder no more my friends.

1. No alarm clock needed. Wake-up calls have come at 5:50AM, 6:05AM and 6:11AM. Hey, maybe tomorrow I might actually be in the shower before the entire household invades my bedroom. That sounds like fun, doesn't it?

2. A very, very, VERY clean kitchen. John Paul was helping me, bless his heart (he really was) put some Dr. Pepper's in the fridge. Hey, I'm just a mom in need of her 23 flavors. Somehow one of them sprung a leak and I'm not talking about a slow drip either, this was a ticking time bomb and it went ev-ree-where. Cabinets - wiped clean - all 16 of them. Floor - mopped - twice. Counters - ditto.

3. A very sticky outlet. See, while I was standing in carbonated stickiness, Anna-Laura decided it would be fun to take the really cool purple glue stick and rub it all over the outlet and wall in Will/JP's room. Great if we were making a wall collage, but otherwise, notsomuch.

4. 8 loads of laundry.

5. 2 tylenol.

6. And, yes, a nice cold Dr. Pepper.

Give it up for Nana and Papa who came to my rescue tonight. We had a lovely dinner (somewhere other than my NICE CLEAN KITCHEN) and they put them all to bed while I went up to school for a meeting. Actually, it was a beautiful hour I spent listening and learning about the roots of reconciliation. The second grade parents are busy preparing our little ones to receive their First Reconciliation in December. It was fascinating stuff...I'll share later this week. Too tired, too late and too much information to process.

I did way too much yelling and heavy sighing the past few days. Tonight was just what I needed.

QOTW: October 11, 2008

"I'm strong!" (complete with muscle arms)
Anna-Laura after opening the door for me at church. Why, yes, she has older brothers.

Ok, this next one requires the story before you get the quote. The other day, ALG was screaming (SCA-REEMING) for me to get a puzzle down for her. Mind you, I was an enormous distance away - 3 feet. I was having a calm moment (shocking) and squatted down to her level and said, "Anna-Laura, if you want the puzzle you should say, 'Mommy, can you please get the puzzle down for me?' Doesn't that sound better than screaming?" Her reply?
"I can't talk like that Mom." Oh 16, it's gonna be fu-un.

"Bye!" (complete with arm wave)
This is Clare's new thing. Anytime she goes anywhere, or anyone else for that matter, she yells out 'bye.' Oh, and it's in the cutest Texas accent you ever heard. You know, because she's the cutest child alive. I'm just sayin.

"Oh, for the love of Pete."
All of us. I say this quite often and now the kids are, too. Hey, it could be worse.

Today is yet another "Soccer Saturday", and "Choir Saturday" and "No Husband for Five Days". There's a part of me that looks forward to the challenge of being Supermom for five days, then I come to with the smelling salts.

Make it a great weekend!

A day to remember

For some the year has gone by quickly, for others, I suppose a little too slowly. Either way, today is a tough day.

Some of you knew Scott's assistant, Dawn. She was truly the laughter and light in the Stewardship & Development office. A year ago today, at exactly 9:29am, Scott called to tell me the shocking news that she had died unexpectedly. 33 years old. Mom of Hannah. Wife to Robert. Gone. Just like that.

As a wise man once told Scott, "Young people are in the obituaries, too." Dawn's death reminds us that our time on earth is gone in just a blink. So, let go of the little stuff. Enjoy the time you have with family and friends. Be thankful. Be patient. Love your life.

Dawn, we miss ya, and we hope you're making heaven laugh today...

Aggieland!

Sorry for the delay folks. Your patience is appreciated...

Like, a year ago now, the boys joined Scott for the big trip to Aggieland. They were thrilled. It was First Yell - a new tradition since 'ol Army days - and the 'guy trip' is starting to become a tradition around here.


Since tickets now require you to auction off your first-born, the guys opted for the 1/2 price bleacher seats. Better anyway because the kids can run, high five the players, play football behind the bleachers, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Before the game, they played...



Then high-fived...



Then ran into an old friend. Quick, gotta a little Aggie trivia for ya. Recognize this fellow? The Aggie Angel in me never forgets these guys. Joe Wilbert! Not only was he a great player (one of the few we actually had), he was a super nice guy. He and Scott spent some quality time at the Maui Invitational in Hawaii. Wow. So rough to be a yell leader. And a basketball player.



You knew Scott had to snap a picture of the yellboys. Once a yell leader, always a yell leader.



Funny story to share about how much the boys enjoyed the day. If you'll notice above, Will has his hat turned around like Quarterback Stephen McGee. He's obsessed. Just the other day, John Paul was telling Will about his new friend "Stephen". Will asked what his last name was. John Paul replied, "Just Stephen, Will." I swear, Will's eyes got as big as silver dollars. He practically screamed, "John Paul! You mean Stephen McGee???" Um, no. That would be 4-year-old Stephen at Parent's Day Out. Hey, a kid's gotta dream.

GIG 'EM!

Better than a Top Ten

Click here, I promise this is better than any post I could've done today. Shannon, I almost cried I loved them so much.

SURPRISE!!!

My mom is one funny bunny. Or, should I say that we finally outfoxed the fox?? We've been trying for FOUR months, people, to surprise her on her birthday. We didn't get the party done, but that's another blog post. BUT. My dad is one amazing guy. He bought her 60 roses. Yep, 60. They were gorgeous. He, Daniel, Clare and I were oh-so-sneaky and surprised her at work on Tuesday. The look on her face, as the MC folks say, was priceless.

GOTCHA.








And, after the rose shock wore off...we all met for dinner. It - was awesome. Happy Birthday (again!) Mom.

On the move

This morning, I joined a good friend in downtown Austin for the Alzheimer Association's 5K Memory Walk. We walked in honor of her dad...and I had an added incentive to walk a little faster.

Mr. C.M. "Toots" Farnum.



My paternal grandfather was a great man. A funny, fiesty, hard-working guy. I may have only been in middle school when he passed away at age 79 from Alzheimer's but the impact it had on me was greater than I imagined.

I suppose there's no list - nor should there be - with rankings of the hardest diseases in which to cope. I just know that this one robs us of our most precious gift, our memories of those things we hold dear.

Today, seeing so many people affected by Alzheimer's was a bit overwhelming. I walked to honor Grandpa Toots' memory and, in a small way, let him know how much he was loved.

As a kid, I remember his great apple pies, his love of his grapevines out back, his crazy hair... But, the most vivid is the image of him sitting at his jewelry table, working intently on a watch. His hands steady, his magnifying glass around his head. He was a master jeweler. Today, I've never been more proud to wear my "Farnum" watch, crafted by my grandfather.

Grandpa Toots, we love you.


Grandpa Toots and Granny Mary at a jewelry show in 1982

Top Ten: My Favorite Flavors

I've been working WAY too much lately. So, while at the store today, I took a quick turn by the ice cream aisle. The kids had been great and I figured why not? If you know me even a little, you know how much I LOVE, LOVE ice cream.

And, let's be clear. There is only one maker worthy of the creamy stuff - Blue Bell. Let the midwest have their Blue Bunny. Ben & Jerry's - no comparison.

Perhaps it's because the two brothers who inherited the family business are dairy science majors from Texas A&M... Whatever the reason, this stuff rocks. Feel free to chime in with your favorite flavor!!

TOP TEN: FAVORITE BLUE BELL FLAVORS

1. Banana Split. Hands down, this is their best. Scott's dad and I always had room for a scoop, or 2 or 3, for this one. Everytime I eat a bowl, I think of Bryant sitting in his recliner saying, "I love Banana Split, Kathryn, don't you?"

2. Homemade Vanilla. The artist must have a clean slate in which to work, no?

3. Mint Chocolate Chip. Ever since I was a kid, this has always been a favorite flavor of mine.

4. Moolenium Crunch. Wowza. It was a friend's favorite and she served up a scoop, I've been a fan ever since.

5. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. This one brings back good memories from my time in Mosher Hall at A&M. Lots of late nights down to the store before studying!!

6. Chocolate Covered Strawberries. NEW FLAVOR. Yes, this is the one we picked up today. YUM.

7. Cookies 'n Cream.

8. Tin Roof.

9. Rocky Road.

10. Centennial Cupcake. This one is in honor of my beloved Texas 4-H. Not only does the ice cream taste great, but 4-H paid for half my college education. I should be buying this stuff by the truckloads!