The dog ate my homework. Seriously.

Amelia came home with a family homework assignment to decorate an 11x14 turkey.  It had just two requirements:  that we work on it as a family, and that we glue something on it.  

So we went to the store, and Amelia picked out Fruity Pebbles for the feathers, I'm sure because she knew there would be leftovers for eatin'.   Fruity Pebbles are delicious!  We carefully sorted them by color, and glued them to the feathers.  We used oatmeal and plain rice krispies for the body.  Then Madeline found some beads to use for the feet.  There was LOTS of glue involved.  The turkey was gorgeous.

And then we went to bed and left the turkey to dry on the ottoman.   Can you see what's coming?  Why didn't we?

The next morning, we're loading up backpacks for school, and where's turkey?  Did Dad put it somewhere?  Amelia, did you put it in your backpack already?  And then I see two beads on the floor.   Turkey toes.  But nothing else...I wander the house and find no turkey remains.  Usually Gabby isn't so thorough.  Amelia is reaching hysteria at this point, still thinking turkey is just misplaced.  And then I find a piece of paper, maybe one inch square, a bit soggy, with just one glue soaked blue Fruity Pebble still attached.  

Amelia bursts into tears, hating her dog, who just last week chewed a hole through her trick or treat bag and ate all her Halloween candy. 

Madeline bursts into tears, afraid that Elmer's Glue is toxic and the dog will die, forgetting that Gabby survived the toxic chocolate and plastic candy wrappers from Mia's trick or treat bag.  

Amelia cries harder because her sister is such an animal-loving jerk.

Eventually, the drama ebbs and the girls go to school,  Amelia armed with the very believable excuse that the dog ate her homework.  

We've come a long way, Baby.

I am proud of us.  I believe that Barack Obama was elected not because of the color of his skin, but because Americans have faith that he will be a good leader.   This was a tough election.  Our country is fighting two wars.  We are facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  We have people losing their homes daily.  Unemployment is escalating.  Many families have to choose between buying groceries or buying antibiotics.  It's a daunting task for any leader to take on.  We had two great candidates, and I really believe they both would have done a fine job.  They are good men.  Americans really searched within themselves this election to determine what mattered  and vote for the candidate they felt best represented the issues important to them, rather than just voting down party lines.  That in itself is huge--that we as citizens of the United States really honored the privilege and responsibility of voting.   And for that, I'm proud of us.  We showed up in record numbers.  We showed that we as a country care. 

The fact that our country has progressed to the point where we could elect a black man, that many Americans looked within themselves and faced the ugly remains of racism in their hearts, and decided that color doesn't matter, it still moves me to tears.    I am overwhelmed by emotions when I see this photo.   It makes me proud that we have come this far.  That this is the country my children will grow up knowing.

Just fifty years ago a hospital could turn away a dying black child because of the color of his skin.  Fifty years ago we had separate bathrooms and drinking fountains for blacks and whites. Fifty years ago blacks had to ride in the back of the bus.  They had to sleep in their cars when weary from traveling because they couldn't find a motel that allowed them.  In some states they were prevented from voting.  And horrible atrocities against them were overlooked, and sometimes even perpetrated by law enforcement.  But today we are brothers and sisters.

For me, since Tuesday, not much has changed.   Although I am proud of our country for coming so far, the world still looks the same to me.  But for those little children living in the projects on the Southside of Chicago or New York, they have new hope today.   This  American Dream, this belief in equal opportunity for all, this belief that we can be anything, achieve anything, that the sky's the limit.  Now these kids can see it.  The sky is is not just the limit for white kids, the sky is the limit for all kids.    

I heard this Cat Stevens song while driving to school on Election Day.  Hearing it, I was overwhelmed by feelings of hope for our country.    

"Oh, I've been smiling lately,

dreaming about the world as one

And I believe it could be,

Some day it's going to come."

This morning we're eating my grandma's Swedish Pancakes.

Love you, Grandma.

Bedtime routine

Kolby sings to the girls at night as part of the bedtime routine.  It used to put Amelia to sleep, but now they love singing along.   I especially love listeing to them sing this Tom Petty song.  

I apologize for the terrible job I did filming.

Show off

I went to the gym with Kolby this weekend so he could show me some of the stuff he's been doing with a personal trainer.  It was all going pretty well, I felt like I was getting a good workout and learning some new things.  

Then he picked up a big leather ball and said, "Okay, we're just going to throw this medicine ball back and forth.  It's heavy, so get ready."  

"OOOOOOF!"

Once I was able to inflate my lungs again, I picked myself up off the floor and we found something else to do.

Trick or Treat!

We survived Halloween. I worked on parties for both girls' classes all week, so I spent most of the day getting ready for those. At 2:00 the kids had their costume parade through the school, and then class parties.  (I only worked in Amelia's).




Some knucklehead decided it would be fun to pull the fire alarm, so we could all stand outside in the mud and rain for the last 15 minutes of school.  

We were debating all day where to do our trick or treating because of the rain.  Microsoft has trick or treating and parties around campus, but we were told you should choose either the neighborhood or Microsoft because traffic was insane getting off campus.  After school the rain stopped and skies cleared a bit, so we decided to stick around the neighborhood.

People at school had warned that we get lots of trick or treaters.  I had already bought 6 bags, but asked Kolby to pick up a couple more.  He came home with 6 more bags, which I thought was a bit extreme.  He headed out trick or treating with the girls and  I never got a chance to sit down.   We went through 12 bags of candy in two hours.  When Kolby and the girls got home, they even dumped their Mounds and Almond Joys in the bowl (big sacrifice) so they could keep handing out candy, but eventually we hit the bottom of the bowl and had to just turn off the lights and stop answering the door. 

And now we're gorging ourselves on candy.

Pumpkin Party

Last night was the third grade pumpkin carving party at the school.   Have I mentioned how much I love this school?   This is the first time the girls will get to wear costumes to school on Halloween and have a real costume parade and class party like we did growing up.  I'm ridiculously excited about it.

Last night we carved pumpkins in the cafeteria with all of the third graders and their families, and then lined all the jack-o'-lanterns up along the walk outside the school.   We went to the classrooms for a delicious buffet of high fructose corn syrup in every form imaginable, while someone lit all the pumpkins.   And then we did the pumpkin walk--went outside and walked past all the jack-o'-lanterns to inspect the handiwork.

 And then the sugar-rush kicked in and all hell broke loose.  It was Lord of the Flies--crazily clad third graders running and screaming all over the hillside.

Mr. Elms, Madeline's teacher who started this tradition 17 years ago, was standing next to Kolby observing all of this.  He said calmly,  "Now this right here is a great example of the difference between last year's class and this year's.  Last year I told the kids they weren't allowed on the hill, and they all stayed down.  This year...."  And there was Madeline right in the thick of it,  running and cackling in the forest like a crazy person, with her spiderweb cloak billowing behind her, acting like she's been at this school all her life.