So Thankful

We had a lovely Thanksgiving with a nice blend of fun and quiet. Fin was so happy to be with Em and her grandparents. Everyone made her feel special and loved.

On the way home, we stopped for dinner and Fin has her first cheese stick. The cheese stick won.


She was a busy girl on Thanksgiving Day. She danced the "cha cha dance" then taught it to Emmy.



She also helped Grandpa wash two cars.


We went to town on Black Friday, but not until mid-morning when the craziness had passed. We went to see Fantastic Mr. Fox (which was fantastic) and Fin got to write a letter to Santa at Macy's.



Fin spent alot of time with Emmy and they enjoyed each other's company. Whether they were hunting wildflowers, kung fu fighting, or tree decorating, they were two peas in a pod.




We got to go see the adorable Vince and Beth who were in town to visit their grandparents, too.



Saturday night brought about a belated birthday Fin had been planning for my dad. She loves to throw parties and she loves her grandpa, so this was quite the celebration. She insisted on fighting my dad in karate to see if he would get his presents. Luckily, he won. She bowed before presenting him with each gift.


It was a Thanksgiving filled with things I am thankful to have. Home, food, family, friends and particularly my quirky, energetic, delightful daughter. I hope your Thanksgivings were special!

RIP Rainbow

Fin's birthday fish, Rainbow, made it 2 months. Not a good record for a fish. We found him this morning. She wanted to touch him since she wasn't allowed to pet him when he was alive. She is sad, but dealing with it. Tonight, she disappeared into her room then called me in. She had drawn a memorial to Rainbow and taped it onto his tank.

As explained to me, the first picture is of Rainbow alive and we love him. The second picture is of Rainbow dead and we love him.



I believe there will be a Rainbow 2 joining us soon after returning from Thanksgiving.

Four in a Row!!!

Congratulations to the 48 team!

Popping In To Say "Hi!"

So, what's been happening? The biggest thing was the Nor'easter that moved in on Veteran's Day. It pummeled the area for three days and there was flooding left in places that Hurricane Isabel didn't even reach. One of those places was the lower level at my office. A large social hall, kitchen, and storage areas were flooded. It was a mess. The schools were closed, so Fin was with me, and she was thrilled to find we had installed a pool.

We are now getting ready for Thanksgiving. We leave Wednesday to spend time with family. (And by "spend time with family" I mean "shove her in the general direction of her grandparents and take a nap.") I can't wait. She can't wait, either, and is planning a belated birthday party for her grandpa whose birthday was yesterday. She is in the kitchen painting something now.

The picture above was from Fin photo-bombing a picture I tried to take of my friend Marie in her graduation gear. Her graduation is just one exciting thing December brings. We are also going to enjoy visits from Grandma and Grandpa, NASCAR Championship Week (I hope), a visit from the P family, seeing our Richmond friends and the Higgins family, and being home for a week at Christmas. It should be a busy, fun month!

Silence is Her Sworn Enemy

Today we ran a few errands and stopped by Boston Market for lunch (kids eat free Saturday and Sunday!). Fin, as usual, never stopped talking. Oh. My. Gosh. This child goes on and on and on until my ears are bleeding. She saw their big oven of rotisserie chickens and started talking about taking chickens to Africa to feed the cheetahs. She had probably been talking for 3-4 minutes before I took out the camera and set it on the table.



Lately, it isn't just how much she talks, but what comes out is more unexpected. On Friday, we were unpacking the groceries and she opened the bag with our baked chicken in it. She inhaled deeply and said, "Oh, yeah. That's my baby!" Today we were playing with Playdoh and she wanted me to make a dragon. I said I couldn't make a dragon so she picked up a ball of dough and said, "Watch and learn."

She's six.

I am so out of my league.

Saturday Morning TV

After channel surfing, one thing really caught Fin's attention...


not Spongebob or Dora or the Litte Einsteins crew today, but...
Bob Ross.


He even intrigued Charlie, who kept trying to capture his brush.


He inspired yet another budding artist.




She painted for almost 3 hours. Bob would have been pleased.

Photo Clearinghouse

Just a few pictures from the past couple of weeks that didn't fit in other places.

Mom took these two when she and Dad took Fin to the gardens... leaving me home... alone. Yippee!



This was taken at Elizabeth's birthday when mom found out that taking pictures of moving children is hard. I think this was as still as she got.


This was just a cute picture of Fin overwhelmed by the balloons we bought for a party.