22

 

Twenty-two and counting

 

 

David has bought me roses every anniversary for twenty-two years.

Even cooking chili over the weekend did not keep him from coming home Sunday night with a dozen roses.

 

Happy Anniversary!!

We aren't the post office, but....

 

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers  students from the swift completion of their appointed rounds  field trip to Huber's.

 

 

In spite of the rain, we went.  The kids didn't seem to mind the cold and the wet.

Grant with his pumpkin

 

 

 

 

 Watching the men sort the apples

 

Lunch time!

 

 

Lots of kids wore their pajamas.

Grant opted for warmer clothes.

 

Wise choice young man!!

Crazy Crazy Crazy Days

 

 

Some days are bad hair days no matter how hard you try.

 

Other days are bad hair days BECAUSE you try.

 

 

It is Red Ribbon Week at their elementary school this week.

 

Monday - Wear Red Day

Tuesday - Crazy Socks Day

Wednesday - Crazy Hair Day

Thursday - Pajama Day

Friday - Spirit Day

 

 

The kids are having a lot of fun with the crazy days.  Tomorrow is pajama day.  It also happens to be Grant's class field trip to the corn maze.   Pajamas and corn fields...not a good combination.  I'm thinking there will be some cold wet kids by the end of the field trip.  He insists he will wear pajamas tomorrow no matter what. 

 

We'll see who wins that one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sort of tired of the crazy days theme at school.

John and Emily had spirit week last week which meant

 

Costume Day - Halloween costumes in high school

Pajama Day

Purple Pride Day

Mismatch Day

Black Doom to Manual(the rival team) Day

 

 

 

 

The school had a movie night, powder puff football game night and their regular game against their football rival, Manual, on Friday night.

 

 

NOW

this week is homecoming week.

 

Neon Day

Favorite Cartoon Character Day

Spirit Day

Class Color Day

Favorite College Team Day

 

 

So this weekend is the actual homecoming football game and dance.

 

 

 

Enough already.

I think after this week it is about time to get back to the books (and the uniforms).

 

 

 

How about Sanity for Mom day?

(smile)

 

Of course there are no pictures of John and Emily dressed up for their 'days'.

You don't really think they would stand still for that do you?

 

 

 

So instead, how about some more crazy hair?

By the way, Grant is representing the Illini well....

 

blue and orange hair.

 

 

 

 

 

who needs ADT?

Take a box full of cows

 

 

 

 

add a few calves

 

 

 

 

 

and a few foals

 

then scatter them randomly across the living room floor

 

 and turn off the lights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and if you have one handy, add in a dragon for good measure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a sure way to keep criminals out of your house.

 

Or at the very least it will leave them writhing on the floor in pain from stepping on unknown objects in the dark.

 

Cheaper than ADT.

Right?

 

 

 

 

When walking through the house in the dark I perform a step I like to call the Midnight Toy Shuffle.

Pain is a good instructor.  I've stepped on one too many toys in the dark.

 

 

Concerts and Kids

John and Emily performed in their first high school band concert last night.

Here they are all cleaned up before leaving the house...

 

 

They have this thing with black in our school district.

This was required attire for all performers.

 

 

 

 

 

On a much more casual note, I went in to eat lunch with Grant and Grace today.

I took this of Grant. 

I think he was more excited about the Happy Meal than about me being there.

 

I failed to take any pictures of Grace.

I was too busy keeping up with the many conversations being directed at me all at once.

Her class is full of chatterboxes!

 

 

 

Once more with the Shupe musicians...

 

 

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Dance!

Climbing up to where she begins her performance...

 

 

Cue the music...

 

 

 

 

Maybe that swim lesson money should be reallocated to some dance lessons.

Hmmmm.

Good-bye Summer

I took the kids to have portraits done during the last week of summer break.

While I had John and Emily as a captive audience, I took them downtown to sign up for their online class they needed to take this year.

 

While downtown, we took a trip across an old rail bridge that was recently converted to a pedestrian bridge.

 

 

 

John being his typical goofy self...

 

 

Quick visit to the splash park before we left downtown.

 

Happy Thursday, everyone!

A Family Divided

I have always said John and Emily though twins by birth shared not much in common other than the actual date of their birth.  Oil and water symbolize the dynamics of their relationship with one another.

Now it has come to this.

They each have their own family crest.

 

 

 

 

 

Emily's work of art

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John's creation

 

 

 

This was for honors English class (I think).

Looks more like art class to me, but no one asked my opinion as usual.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the rest of the crew gettin' their art on too.

 

Grace has discovered the fine art of potholder making...

 

Grant workin' the paints...

See the tongue stuck out? Yes, he's concentrating.

 

 

 

It appears he's skipped right over Halloween and went straight for the holiday that gets serious about food...Thanksgiving.

 

 

Grace's painting of a horse, of course.

 

 

Lego creation complete with solar panel for extra power boost

 

See the bracelets on his arm?

 

Here is Grace making one of them.

Grant can be found with about twenty of these things on his arm most days as he heads out the door to school.  I have to remind him that he can not wear them to class.

 

The kids around here are wild about these things now.

You cannot find the bands to make these in any craft store in town.

They sell out so fast.