Pumpkin Face

Tonight we carved a pumpkin for the first time in years. This year was so much fun going to the pumpkin patch and picking our perfect pumpkin, but as Halloween was quickly approaching I feared it would be another year that our little orange friend remained faceless. Neil did all the heavy scooping while Tristan flung strings of pumpkin goo in Cooper's face, and Cooper ate as much as he could (which could be really gross in the middle of the night tonight). We had to call it quits when T started to slip in the goo and he went off to the bath while I mopped the floor. As I type, Neil in true great dad fashion is carving the face of Mickey Mouse in our pumpkin while Tristan is fast asleep. I can't wait for him to see it in the morning!

Table For One

I had a lovely date with myself tonight. I went to the movies and saw a comedy that was not funny and a bit blasphemous. I followed that up with a nice dinner of salad and wine at CPK paired a good book (The Shack). Somewhere in the middle of dinner, I was so into my book that I tuned everything else out. When I "came to" for a drink of wine, I noticed that it was quiet in my corner of the restaurant. I thought everyone had left while I was in my own world, but actually the tables had all turned over. I was surrounded by people who probably looked at me and felt bad for me that I was by myself. There were people from all stages in life: a family of five, a mother and teenage daughter, and a couple in thier fifties. They did all have one thing in common... nobody was talking. I waited a few minutes to see if I had just caught them in a lull, but I hadn't. The silence at my table was the only comfortable one in the place. I made a little vow in my head to try to enjoy my times with my family as we grow. I hope we laugh and talk more than we sit and stare.

Pablo Conway- Rose Period

I took Tristan to his first art class today. I went with high hopes of bringing home a Rothko-like painting for my wall. Maybe I set the bar a little high, but I still LOVED watching him go!! The first activity was a class mural and T did really well. This was the first time he ever painted with a brush and when I dipped it in the paint and showed him how to drag it on the paper you could see the excitement start brewing! The picture of the painting is the section where he painted. He didn't paint the orange or pink, but the rest of it was all him. He was SO proud of himself. After story and snack there was another project to do. The kids were to make a ladybug out of different pieces. I let T do most of the work himself as I fetched him the pieces. He was happy and I was impressed. As we were leaving the room I saw, to my surprise, these PERFECT ladybugs being carried out. All the spots evenly spaced and beautiful antennas right on the top of the head. Two things came to mind:

1- I'm proud to have a son who does art in the style of Picasso and not Thomas Kinkade
2- These are all the moms that will be up until 2am doing science projects in 10 years

I was glad that I was there to see the sparkle in his eyes when he first dragged that brush across the paper, and I can't wait to see all the beautiful colors in his future!!