November Nothings

My apologies for my alliteration addiction--I should probably see someone about that.

Right. So, not that much actually happened this month. Theo and Addy started indoor soccer to stay warm, now that the temperatures are plunging. Emerson and Sera are pretty much just trooping around to playgroups and stores with me (not Christmas shopping, thankfully—I managed to get that done early for once in my life). We’re building up a nice supply of Christmas decorations, as I’ve been taking Theo to an awesome Christmas craft time at the library each week, and Addy has been attending a different Christmas craft class at the local arts center—I might be able to make it through the holidays without even braving our somewhat disorganized storage room!

Aside from that, here are some ups and downs and a few pictures. The Christmas cards are pretty much ready to go, so if you’ve moved, make sure we have your new address!

Ups and Downs

• Sera
  ↑ talking up a storm—our favorites: “mom-mom,” “waddy” (water), “zoom-zoom” (her favorite song)
  ↔ mostly potty-trained—unless she doesn’t feel like being potty-trained
  ↓ the child cannot keep a scrap of clothing on her body for more than a minute



• Emer
  ↑ so funny we can hardly stand it—recently: “did you know these jammies used to be Santa’s when he was a kid?”
  ↔ fancies himself quite the pianist since he insisted I teach him a few things so he could earn treats like Theo and Addy
  ↓ staying up way too late at night under the influence of his nocturnal brother



• Addy
  ↑ reading fluently now—Green Eggs and Ham is her current favorite
  ↔ enjoying kindergarten, but struggling a little bit to get comfortable with all the new faces
  ↓ Sera has started pushing her around, literally—to the refrigerator, the cookie jar, etc.



• Theo
  ↑ earned money for ice-skates by making a flyer and selling cookies—what an entrepreneur!
  ↔ such a sweet brother lately—he helps Addy read, teaches Emer French, and loves snuggling Sera; still working on the temper though
  ↓ organizationally challenged—leaves rotten fruit in his locker for days and his bookshelf is a bit, um, ugly



• Britt
  ↑ does a pretty darn good job teaching Sunbeams with Aaron—those kids are spoiled, not gonna lie
  ↔ tries really hard to get all the shopping/cooking/cleaning/etc. done, and occasionally succeeds
  ↓ was ultimately rejected by the agents who requested her book—and having trouble finding time to write/edit more



• Aaron
  ↑ snagged the cover of the choral journal last month with his article on Misa Criolla
  ↔ rehearsed like mad all month long—we can’t wait to see it pay off in great concerts
  ↓ has too many projects on hold—and won’t let Britt take over and finish them

Scenes from Life

Theo bakes and sells cookies . . .

. . . and earns skates!

Theo at soccer

Addy at soccer

It's winter!

The littlest virtuoso

If you missed it before . . .

If you haven't seen our October/Halloween pictures (I added them late), click here--they're cute!

Congratulations, Mr. President

I am proud that I spent the final days of this campaign making phone calls to get out the vote for Barack Obama. And I'm proud that my home state, Ohio, pitched it's support behind him this time. YES WE CAN!!!