Various

We passed, perhaps, the most pleasant Halloween ever last night.  It didn’t involve the familiar husband-on-call, hiding-upstairs-with-the-kids, watching a movie trick.  Nor did it involve last minute face painting to send kids out with their dad to collect a bag of loot I’d rather not have hanging around the house anyway.  We enjoyed a lovely, out-of-the-city dinner with friends.  Before dinner activities involved playing in the most leaves I have ever seen in one yard, dads building a make-shift plow out of a metal shelf and mounting it on the lawn mower tractor to push leaves off the lawn, and multiple rake-wielding children.  After dinner involved face painting and the transformation of eight ordinary children into: two Uruk-hai, one dark elf (Drizzt Do’Urden by name), a fairy, a storm trooper, a pirate, a tiger, and Clifford the Big Red Dog.  This variety of characters stampeded out into the night to play for a long time on some straw bales and piles of leaves.   Inside, the adults (and some little people) enjoyed a fire, tea, and good company.  Eventually, a storm trooper curled up on my lap and fell asleep, while his younger brother – Clifford – smeared red face paint on several pieces of furniture and clothing.  We headed home very late, thankful for such good friends, good times, good memories, and such a great escape from Halloween in suburbia!

I am heavy with child.  For most of this pregnancy I haven’t had time to really consider this new little person. Of course, I’ve considered her – and all I eat and breathe and do always has the life within me in mind, but now, as the kicks demand my attention, and the weight of baby on my loosening ligaments is keenly felt, I begin to really think about a new member entering into our family.  I can barely wait to meet this little one, this newest member of the family, this little….. sister…. to so many big brothers.

Also, it is November!  This is the month I plan to have the baby.  Though, if history is repeated it will more likely be mid-December.  Still, we’re getting close.