Is this porn?

Or just gross?

Oct 31

After school, Max and Drew and I looked around for a Ninja Pirate costume. Surprisingly we didn't find one.

So we bought 10 pounds of candy and 4 almost-past-their prime pumpkins.



Oh the fun we had carving them. I just couldn't capture all the frivolity and excitement - it was oozing all over the place.

Notice they are working on already-gutted out pumpkins...

Those were their terms.

Desperate to perpetuate that ol Halloween feeling, I complied.

The results were good. Drew was overly critical of his artistic ability, but I thought it turned out awesome:

In fact, I thought all of them turned out great.

The last one on the left is mine. Can you tell what it is?


We had enough sweets to feed a small European country:

so Max was very generous when trick 'r treaters showed up. He would grab two handfuls of candy and make a point of letting our visitors know that we were blessing them big time. "You won't get this much candy anywhere else...look at this - 3 times more than you'd get at another house..." "here, have some more..."

He'd chat with the kids; "Aren't you a little old to be out getting candy? Shouldn't you be at some party, drinking?"

He got into the spirit of the evening after a few minutes and brought out our rubbermaid container of old costumes. Putting on a black cape, he continued being the Santa Claus of Halloween.

His goofy mood was infectious.

His big-heartedness was heartwarming. At one point I walked into the entrance-way to see him kneeling in front of a young girl, filling her little bag to overflowing.

As he closed the door he said to Clint, "She was trick or treating all by herself. No friends or anyone to walk around with... and her bag? It was so small. I filled it right up. From now on, I'm going to load up kids who are by themselves."

I had to walk away. His tenderness got me all choked up.

When his littlest brother arrived, Max dumped a few pounds of candy into his bag.

"Oh, Max..." he said, excitedly. "You gave me LOTS!"

He came into the house, looking things over, when Drew asked him if he wanted to play with some toys.

They went through the toy basket and pulled out anything interesting. Which was everything.

"Hey Drew," he'd ask repeatedly. "What's this?"

Typically, he got all excitied when he uncovered the toy guns. While he and Drew ran around shooting each other, his mom and dad went to Subway to grab dinner. Seconds after they left he did the bathroom dance.

"Do you need to go pee?" I asked.

Clearly he did not want to put down the gun. Or stop playing.

"Hey, Mikhail, come over here," I said. "I wanna show you something."

He walked over to where I was. "Here's our toilet in case you want to go pee."

"Sure," he said. And he stood in front of the toilet.

"Maybe I should help you get this costume off?" I suggested as I untied the back.

"Sure," he said. "Hey Drew. I'll be right back. To do more shooting, OK?"

I helped him pull his shoulders and arms free. He took it from there and dropped the rest to the floor along with his underwear.

"Uh, so do you sit or stan...OK, you stand. Here, let's lift the lid...Ok good. All done?"

"Sure," he said, "I need to jiggle..."

"Right," I agreed. "Can I help you pull up your superman gaunchies?"

"Sure," he said, yanking them up past his waist.

I straightened them out, then retied his costume.

Just then the doorbell rang.

"Trick or treat," the kids outside yelled.

"I'll get it," he offered.

He ran to the door and opened it.

He took a good look at the kids.

"I'll give them candy," he decided.

Following his big brother's example, he grabbed handfuls of candies for each trick 'r treater.

"Here you go," he said seconds before slamming the door shut.

Then he went right back to shooting Drew,

... and playing with 'muscle guys'...

When Drew tried on some old masks,

...he did too.

A few minutes later, Clint and Max left for Youth and Mark came back to pick up his little one.

And the full force of a boring Halloween settled on Drew.

He alternated between watching the Canucks and watching The Simpsons.

As far as Halloweens go, "this one sucked."

I've got to figger something out for next year...

Ideas, anyone?

Three things I'm thankful for:

1. Jack o lanterns

2. Mini O Henry chocolate bars

3. Frosty mornings

Shalom,

Halloween

It's going to be a perfect night. Clear skies. Bone-chilling temperatures. NO threat of rain.
Really, really wish I could throw a party at the farm like in the olden days.

With the ban on fireworks in every community in our area dampening our fun, and with Halloween landing on a Tuesday night (with no Pro D the following day) and with Clint and Max at Youth as per usual on Tuesday night...

it makes for a boring night for my youngest.

Somehow, between now and tomorrow afternoon, I've got to get in the mood.
Buy a pumpkin or two.
Carve them.
Pull out my 'ween decorations and make the front porch area look inviting.
Buy candy. Again. There is none left. Again.

It feels weird not celebrating with a couple dozen friends.

The good ol days are done.

Maybe it's time to establish some new traditions...



Three things I'm thankful for:
1. I'm getting together with my dorm mates from Bible School this weekend. No plans other than to chill out at Cultus and talk.
2. My dad has an extra truck that I can use while mine is in the shop getting repaired.
3. My mom applied mailing labels to 2000 envelopes for me this weekend.
I. Am. Spoiled.

Shalom,

For the first time ever, I left the boys home alone for one night. It was hard to drive away on Saturday afternoon...

The drive to Cultus was lovely. The trees on the mountainsides were spectacular and the new Chris Tomlin CD was sing-along-able.

After I arrived, had unloaded the food and turned the furnace on, I walked out to the beach, enjoying the balmy air. I prayed that I'd make it through the weekend without losing it. PMS has been brutal this month, and tears flow at less than a second's notice. Yes, it is embarassing.
Above all else I did not want to end up sobbing uncontrollably during some touchy feely sharing session.

When it got too dark to see the colours around me, I went back into the cabin and made it ready for the girls, lighting candles and melting chocolate.

I imagine I'll do things differently for the guys retreat. Less candles, more meat.


For the guys, there will be Nintendo and poker... the girls?

Nail polish, facial masks, foot baths, massagers and chick flicks -

Chocolate fondue.

Uh, yum?




This morning the weather turned ugly and by the time they were ready to leave we had 80 km winds and pelting rain/slush.

There were white caps on the lake.


I was in no hurry to pack up my truck. So I hung around the cabin for an hour, fighting off Alzheimer's by doing a Sudoku puzzle, wishing my kids were there with me. Finally, my missing them became a stronger emotion than my loving the solitude so I prepared to head home.

I stepped onto the deck and saw:

The storm had passed.

I drove around the lake under a canopy of brilliant yellow umbrellas:

Then stopped every five minutes to photograph leaves. It took me almost two hours to get home.

The house was not as clean as I had left it.

No. Not at all.

But it was still standing. No fires. No explosions. No rotting food odors.

Clint worked on Saturday night til 9:30, so Max stayed home with Drew and had a few friends over. Once Clint got home they all watched an old Kurt Russel movie, then played Nintendo til 1:30 am.

Max made sure Drew had his alarm clock reset then "acted like a dad" and turned out Drew's light.

Max is on set-up this month at church, so he walked over by 8:00 to put out the chairs and signs. Drew's alarm went off at 9:30, he got himself up and ready then ran to church by himself and sat with with Max.

Afterwards twelve of the youth went to A&W for lunch; Max took Drew along and paid for his meal.

By the time I got home, Drew was at my parent's place, Max was napping on the couch and Clint was getting ready to go back to his church's evening service.

No one missed me.

No one cleaned up after themselves.

But they got along.

Looked out for each other.

And went to church.

I coulda cried.

But I didn't.

October's PMS is over.

Three things I'm thankful for:

1. I have a wonderful place to go on weekends.

2. They went to church.

3. The awesome leaders our youth have.

Saturday afternoon. Ah, to be 12...

And I'm off to the lake.

To be with girls.

I'm scared silly.

A bit of this and a bit of that

Friday Night at Flip City...

Seeing how as the girls are coming up to the cabin for a "Girls's Only Youth Retreat" tonight, the guys had their "own" night last night.

Clint decided they'd do his two most favorite things ... a couple hours of Nintendo ...

... then a couple hours at Flip City

Drew, technically too young to officially be considered a "youth" was in there like a dirty shirt. NO WAY he was missing out on a perfect evening.

Adam, flipping out ....

Drew, flying over the "wall" with ease.

Jon, the football player, going over with the style and grace of a ballerina.

Max, choosing his favorite position (sitting) to clear the "wall".

Clint, twisting and flipping like he used to on our beds at home.





Last Sunday, Clint and Max were invited to a girl in our youth group's 16th irthday party. "Mom, can you pick up some flowers? We'll buy a vase"

So I bought an armful of cheerful every-colour-of-pink avalable carnations.

"Those are perfect!" they declared when I brought them home.

But I had my doubts when I saw the vase the three of them (Clint, Max and Kevin) picked out.

"It was the biggest one there."

They plopped the flowers in the top.

"That's a mighty fine gift." Kevin observed.

From top to bottom it stood over 3 foot tall.

Proudly they took turns carrying it through the streets of our neighbourhood over to the birthday girl's house 6 blocks away.

Three things I'm thankful for:

1. The warm, mild evening yesterday. Wearing just track pants and a t-shirt, I stood in the parking lot of Extra Foods last night for an hour, chatting with a friend, and it felt like a Palm Springs evening in early March. Could've been the weather. Could've been the pre-menopausal, overweight state I'm in. Hard to say.

2. A "Rythmic Abnormalities Specialist" is going to see my dad next Friday. Inspired by a friend who is correctly diagnosing her parent's aches and pains using the wonder of the internet, I googled "weak heart" and was relieved. Beta blockers were discovered/invented for such a time as this.

3. I'm just in charge of food for the girls' mini retreat. Other leaders will be running the show and doing all the touchy feely stuff. (Chocolate Fondue at 9 pm, Nachos at midnight, French Toast and fresh fruit at 9:45 am) Easy.

Shalom,