fred and daphne

Meet our two new pets, Fred and Daphne. Or is it Daphne and Fred?




Isabela put her name in at school to bring one home. She came home with two. Apparently, her container was big enough for two.

Things I did not know:
they can live for 15 years
they eat bloodworms

Things I knew, but forgot:
free is never free

But they are super fun to watch. One of them (Isabela can tell them apart) wasn't moving too much last night. We're hoping she was just a little tired. Isabela laid her rosary on top of the tank screen...she said 'in case Daphne dies'. Very sweet.

blue monster

Diego and I have a little secret.

A blue monster lives in the closet in my room. When it's nap time, if the closet door is open, Diego says with surprise, "Blue monster got out!" And I'll karate chop him back in and close the door.

I'm not sure why I karate chop him, because we actually like him. And Diego will get mad if someone tries to hurt him (like say, Joaquin).

Last night at the gas station, I said, "Look! There's blue monster!" and Diego laughed and laughed so hard. I kept it going with, "How did he get here? He must have rode on the roof!" And he laughed a hearty belly laugh some more.

But the other day, I broke the cardinal rule of all moms everywhere...I ignored the 'too quiet' baby in the other room because I was too lazy to get up. When I finally did....

...he was doing exactly what I knew he was doing but hoping he wasn't.

He had the weapon in his hand....a blue Sharpie.

And he was turning himself into a blue monster!

He had colored an entire hand, front and back, with blue Sharpie and was well on his way into the second... and a nice large drawing on the window sill, too.

I gasped and grabbed him up, feet dangling in the air, headed straight for the bathtub. Diego's sweet voice asking, "What, Mom?"down the hall.

And it happened just as it did in The Cat in the Hat....the blue came mostly off of his hands, but is now on my tub!


The baby who refused to wear a costume on Halloween has turned himself into a real blue monster! I wish I had taken a before picture, but the evidence is still there and shall be for a long time I imagine.

friends from Uganda

Mulimutya!
That means 'how are you all?' in Luganda.

This is the choir that came to sing at our church this past week. And we were honored to open our home to two wonderful boys, John and Gabriel, and their choir director, Evah. John is the one with the big smile, and Gabriel to the left of him.


I loved learning about Uganda from Evah. She quickly dispelled the idea that lions and zebras were running around in the bushes. She said they are only in the zoos. And she taught us that the Nile river starts in Uganda! And, yes, there are crocodiles lurking in it.


John and Gabriel were so kind and great examples to our children. One night at dinner, Joaquin was showing off and John told him in Uganda, he'd be sent from the table, not eat...and maybe even caned. Ouch! (That really didn't deter Joaquin, but great try, John!)


The choir sings beautifully and came to raise awareness for the AIDS crisis still alive in Africa and money for their school.


They told us that instead of piano, or guitar, children in Africa learn to play the drum.


But children are children no matter where they are from, and they loved watching Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry just like my kids.


We tried to show them a good time despite the rainy, cold weather. We hit Chuck E Cheese one night and Juan Pablo's indoor soccer game another. We braved the rain to trick or treat on Halloween. And they got to see Isabela perform in her third grade Veteran's Day program. We were also able to arrange for the choir to sing for the third, fourth, and fifth graders at her school. Much better than reading about Africa in a book!


The last day we were filled with happiness for our new friendships and sadness that they had to go. But now, somehow, Africa doesn't seem so far away. We wish them a safe journey home. You can see a short video of the choir from the Times Dispatch here.

halloween

I heard it exclaimed several times last night....while trudging through freezing rain, stepping in streams of water flowing down the sides of the streets, as paper candy bags burst and spilled onto the wet sidewalks, "This is the worst Halloween ever!"
But for some, I imagine it was the best.

Kermit!

Thanks, Aunt Nancy, for the photo! Here's that Kermit the frog costume I was talking about.
I can still smell the paper mache.

tuckahoe plantation

Last weekend, we visited Tuckahoe Plantation for a picnic with the Farm Table. Known as "Thomas Jefferson's boyhood home", I thought a little education might be slipped in, as well.
Not much learning happened, but we did breathe deeply, taking in presidential air.

TJ's view growing up. Very pretty.


Can't you picture Thomas Jefferson doing this same thing when he was little?


This precious girl just keeps growing up.



A friendly little cat..she let all the children pet her. Diego still loves the kitties.


Me and my new favorite boots. I bet you'll be seeing those a lot, come colder weather. I can't wait much more.


Oh, the story behind this picture. While Juan Pablo and I debated about whether or not someone lived in this home, Joaquin headed up the steps to go in. We tried to stop him. But yes, it was the gardener yelling across the yard, "That's someone's home!" that actually sunk in and made him turn around. (I was wrong by the way. I mean, why would someone actually live in Thomas Jefferson's boyhood home? Shouldn't it be a museum or something?)


I hesitated to post this picture of me. Have you ever looked at a picture of yourself and not even recognized you? This is not what I look like, but somehow it is still me.


An action shot. Juan Pablo took most of the pictures in this post. He was quite proud of this one. I thought it was blurry, but he said, "That's the whole point!" He's got an eye for these things, you know. :)


A friendly scavenger hunt for the kids....but....those intense looks tell me they are only 'in it to win it'. I guess Juan Pablo and I are somewhat competitive, and I fear it has rubbed off.


And here's Isabela with the prize! So happy!


Me and the kids...glazed over...I guess it's time to hit the road.


It seems fitting to end with some quotes by Jefferson. Enjoy!


A coward is much more exposed to quarrels than a man of spirit.
Thomas Jefferson

Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.
Thomas Jefferson

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
Thomas Jefferson

If God is just, I tremble for my country.
Thomas Jefferson

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.
Thomas Jefferson

There is not a sprig of grass that shoots uninteresting to me.
Thomas Jefferson

a spooky halloween!

Old halloween memories are so great.

There was the time my friend peed on someone's porch because she couldn't hold it anymore, and wasn't ready to go home. Or the time I froze as a hawaiian dancer because to wear a coat would ruin the costume.

You don't know this as a child, but what you choose to be for Halloween will be with you forever...although some costumes are more memorable than others.
There were the store bought ones, with the plastic mask that got all wet on your face after breathing in it for a few minutes. My odd choices were Woody Woodpecker, Woodstock (from Snoopy), and a storm trooper, which isn't so odd, except that Juan Pablo just told me that was for boys.

Then there were the homemade ones: a clown, a safari guide, and one of the most memorable--Kermit the Frog (picture a green leotard, green tights, yellow felt collar, and a GIANT green paper mache head. Oh, I hated that head!)

And when I was about three, I was a witch (gasp!). Nowadays, dressing up scary is met with mixed feelings...so when my kids chose 'ghost' and 'witch' this year, my initial response was NO.

But it's true that I'm easily influenced, so when a friend said her daughter was going to be a vampire, I thought, "Why not?"

And when they're this cute....

....and this silly, how could I not say yes?


Now this one, I'll admit, is pretty scary. It's homemade...out of a goodwill sheet...but the idea was from pinterest, of course.


There's nothing better than getting to wear make up at age 8...


...and lots of it!

Practicing his ghost face...and then it was off to the fall carnival.

Are they thrilled, or what? (There are those pumpkins I was talking about.)


Diego discovered party favors and blew it until it fell apart.

And I was shocked, but Joaquin won for scariest second grade costume. I'd warned them well that they would NOT win this year...so when Joaquin did, and Isabela didn't...it was upsetting for her. But she held it together well. I did my best to reassure her, and she agreed it was better for us to be happy for Joaquin, instead of being sad for her.


Diego had had enough by 8pm and was reduced to playing with a toy car in the middle of the school hallway.
And I let him.
He was happy, people were walking around him, so I just went with it.


And my favorite image of the night...waiting in line at the last stop, the giant inflatables.


And I thought I'd share how photo editing can change an awful image into a good one. In the first picture, I forgot to adjust the white balance on the camera.

Do I know what that is? NO.
But it's easy to adjust and makes the colors come out right on your picture. So if you forget, you can turn the picture into a black and white. But don't stop there. Increase the whites of the image by increasing the exposure or highlights. Then increase the blacks by increasing the contrast.
I learned that at Katie Evans Photography and I LOVE IT. Read it.
This image was edited in picnik, and best of all, picnik is free!