Santa loves Chick-fil-a too!

practice makes perfect... or at least less wobbly.

For posterity and future personality tests.

Miles came to me last night while I was reading The Lost Symbol and wanted me to read to him. I told him I would as soon as I finished the chapter (Dan Brown chapters are 3 pages long). He asked what I was reading & I told him, "It's a mystery book. That means something strange happened at the beginning and we have to read to find out why and who did it."

And HE said, "Just flip to the end and see what happens!"

The roof is on fire!

For the last few months, Miles's school has been doing a "Learn not to burn" unit on fire safety. We've been making escape plans, choosing meeting points and stop, drop & rolling all around. Yesterday was the grand finale with a fire department presentation at his school. Since it wasn't his normal class day, Audrey & I took him to participate. Here he is with his buddy Eli trying to smile for mommy. Too bad the noon sun was right behind me! They showed the kids all around the fire engine, but the absolute coolest thing (for them) was when one of them got to open the storage door on the side. See the blond head behind Miles? That little door was the best!

Here's Fireman Sparky (seriously?) with all his gear. He dressed out so they could see what a fireman will look like and not be afraid. Audrey was afraid.
There was a miniature house where they reviewed fire safety and then got to practice climbing out a window. We still need ladders for the kids rooms, but he has practiced opening his window.
In other news.... Santa can cancel his trip to our house this year. Miles already has the greatest toy in the world: a big cardboard box. It's not as big as the huge box from our kitchen remodel, but it is just as much fun. His favorite thing is to trap himself inside with Audrey. They just sit there & giggle & peek out the cracks. This one might stick around for while, it is GREAT entertainment!

my little faker...she was acting sick 30 min. ago. Not so much anymore!

candy!

For the second year in a row several families from our street gathered here to set out for trick or treating. Unfortunately, the forecasters were wrong (shocker!) and the rain held on through the evening. Despite the fine drizzle, we all traipsed up and down the street, knocking on doors and ringing doorbells. We had the wagon train going again, but ended up walking for the last half of the trip. Audrey got the hang of it pretty fast. The photo in the top right was after the first house when she discovered they put CANDY in her bag. By the last house she was grabbing treats at the houses with the best of them. She walked right up and said everything she was supposed to, although too quietly to be heard.

Miles wavered between Superman and Imagination Mover Rich and I made him decide earlier this week, since Rich required some work. So after the GRE was over (oh yeah, I did it! and I'm pretty happy with the results. thanks for the prayers) I got to work making the shirt. A few iron-ons, some red duct tape and a glow stick for a scribble stick and viola, he's a mover. I'm sure no one knew who he was, but he loved it.

We got a later start this year so it was dark by the time we wrapped up. Both kiddos held in long enough for a treat when we got home - Rice Krispie Treat for Audrey & 4 pieces for Miles. They loved their costumes so much they wore them Sunday to the playground. Miles has already decided to be a witch with a pointy hat next year, we'll see how that goes. Might have to introduce him to Harry Potter.