Thanksgiving

The Plump Otters went to Carlsbad to have dinner with G-ma Carol and G-Pa Arnie.
Much fun was had!!!!!!


The Rocket Scientist carving the upside down turkey.
and yes...he really is a rocket scientist



The gang



Carol and Matt



Mac (aka "Most obedient daughter")
makes crazy symbol near her father's head.



Food!!!!!

I am Thankful for this Dancing Tree, among many other Wonderful Things!...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone...
Here's the poem we say every year before we feast, by e.e. cummings, with our family "changes".......and we are sending it out to all of YOU...with an extra helping of LOVE!

i thankyou universe for most this amazing day
for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky
and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes
which is love.
Bless grandmas
and grandpas
and aunts
and uncles
and cousins
and brothers
and sisters
and mamas and papas
and babysitters
and circus people
and everyone we love...
may they be happy and healthy
and have love in their lives
and heartsight.

still my favorite t-shirt...

...gave the bumper sticker
to some pottery students last
year! May have to spread the
love to the garden folks!

I (Mac) made a doll!!!

Today Isabel and I made dolls. Isabels doll's name is Mandy and my doll's name is Juliet!!!
Isabel and I are very proud of our dolls. We are giving them to people in our family, but we won't tell who!!

I love this picture of us...(above)

...the "banner" at the top of this blog, that is. It was taken last year... ChristmasDay-Night...you know, when it's all over and everyone is mellow, finally. There's some family movie on...I think in this picture it was "School of Rock", and everyone is just tired enough to finally SIT, even the baby...yes, it's a great memory... yet I remember what comes the day after this picture...and it's not so calm and content...
...the next morning, after about 2 hours of straight organizing all the CRAP...there is this moment when the mini-breakdown begins...when I can't get up off the floor for fear of finding another chore that I have to do that leads to yet another ... (example: you go to put some kids new Xmas plastic JUNK away but first have to make space so you go into the garage to get one of those storage bins but first you have to wade through the Xmas garbage and boxes in front of it. So you try to do that but you need a box cutter which sends you back into the kitchen where the dryer buzzes... and on... and on...)
It seems that this is the moment I just run out of steam and enthusiasm... after weeks of shopping (I hate everything about shopping) and wrapping. Also the cooking, smiling, singing, decorating and adding more and more stuff the an already full house, an already maxed out to-do list... It's just TOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the funny thing is that I love Christmas, I really do. Annoyingly so, to my husband. I love it so much that I have raised the bar way to high for the kids...cocoa nightly during the season, walks around the block before bed to look at lights, Christmas lights in their rooms for gods sake(!), gingerbread houses, and on and on...I just squeeze out every little bit of holiday goodness I can and since I am not that fond of "consuming" insanely, this is done by the giving of TIME. My Time. Well, on December 26th the good times are OVAH! It's time to hide from mama. QUICK!
Anyway, I am trying to figure out ways to avoid this horrible post-holiday feeling this year. Really the only thing that would totally eliminate the "pain" is 6 straight hours alone to do this massive clean-up by myself, with Mary Poppins booked for childcare. But since that won't happen I have decided to take another approach. I think I will leave the day after Christmas. Just leave the house altogether. Go to the beach, go to the library... somewhere... and leave it up to Matt and the kids. I am sure they would do a good enough job especially if I am not around to watch the progress and comment on the speed or the ordering of tasks. AND, after a day of rest, I am sure I would be back to normal and, yet again, able to organize the rest. Maybe.
So, its a bit early...but anyone want to go the movies the day after Christmas?

one of the moments Matt has been waiting for...

...Mac and Emmett meet Mel Brooks "Young Frankenstein"!! And Mac sees Madeleine Kahn, one big reason we named her Madeleine!

today is the day HE WALKS!!!

Sunday Morning Sink-Painting...

...for quick clean-up! And it fits right in with this boys obsession with water.
Meanwhile Mac and Emmett play hours upon hours of "Nothings" adoption...which some of you know about as your kids have adopted a few nothings of their own.
How is this adoption done? Well, you reach your hands out and scoop up a nothing. The girls fly the boys don't. This game was created on the last day at Cami and Craigs. While we frantically packed, they caught NY nothings. Now they have an entire file box full of stats...age, description, children, likes and dislikes etc... as well a family tree so a nothings can't accidentally marry a family member. It's all very ingenious and solidifies my idea that kids really prefer just about anything to toys...at least mine do. Christmas gets tricky when I realize this. I may as well just give them a gift certificate to an office supply store...or a shoe store...since their best ideas are born from a shoe box.

A not entirely appropriate video from Lauren...therefore HILARIOUS!

check it out!

Love You Dad!!

Thankyou Bebe!

Planting!

OK I have decided my favorite kind of party is a work party. (Does that make me weird!) Lots of energy, very little small talk and a wonderful feeing of community accomplishment.





check the garden blog for more (and better) pics!

the great thing about a large dress-up chest...

...you can change costumes whenever you want!

a dragon tamer, a rich ghost and a monkey...

a flower, a showering lady, a GI JOE

Happy Halloweeners!

the kids get into character!
mac freaks me out as a ghost-girl
emmett is an emperor!
(you gotta click to enlarge for full effect!)

a slightly cranky Elephant Silas...

the gang

the boys

the flower mama

more later...the day has only just begun!!

Funniest Bumper Sticker...

Dick Cheney Eats Kittens

why don't you just paint a tree on it?...

I didn't paint this tree but it cracks me up whenever I get that feeling...like I should be painting a tree. Matt and I have this, now infamous, argument we often refer to where he says, "you can't just make it all better by painting a tree on it!" Well, I think I can and that's one of the things I like about myself. So, now that the air is clearing over San Diego and the mists are rolling in thankfully, I will send out some TREE LOVE to all my friends and family...and if you look closely, this is a Halloween Tree...for the babes.
So far it looks like the kids have decided on very homemade costumes by the way, entirely salvaged from the dress-up chest and blessedly involving zero tweeking from me...a lost ghost girl and a chinese emperor. Silas is, as of yet, undecided. Amy will be happy to know I have committed to being a flower in honor of the garden which is NOT a flower-child and involves more than my usual clothes by the way, although not much. (Still think she should be Zsa Zsa from Green Acres!! ) I can't wait to see the Halloween posts...especially from you far away folks I won't get a chance to see. Hey, C&C&F...what are you guys gonna be...is Finley still a deer tick? (HILARIOUS and a bit twisted!)

FIRE!

Well, this is where I have spent the last few days. I have been working at the Harris Fire. I have done evacuations, coordinated rescues, drank a lot of stale coffee (Starbucks gave it to us for free!), inhaled some ash, patrolled for looters and lookie loos, and watched the mountains I work in burn to the ground. The Patrol usually doesn't get the credit for the amazing amount of work we do in these fires that the Fire and Cops get (we work the 16 to 24 to 36 hour shifts too!) but that's not what's important. I have seen some brave rescues and some amazingly stupid people refusing evacuation. I have seen charity and stubborn attachment to "things". Send good thoughts for the injured firefighters, and of course, for the folks who have lost everything.

Matt

just look at this picture of Mac and Morgan...

...came across it by accident and its just so sweet! First day of kindergarten!
Mac has grown so much and Morgan hasn't changed one bit...love 'em both!!!

Great Idea for all the Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunts and Uncles and Cousins and Brothers and Sisters and Baby-Sitters and Circus People out there...

(idea borrowed from my friend Lydia...)
The kids have a "jog-a-thon coming" up where you can pledge a certain amount of money per lap they run and it goes to their school. Keep in mind that last year Emmett ran 36 laps and Mac ran 19. (her course was bigger, she'll want you to know!)


Here's Emmett 'running for the money' last year!
It's a really fun event actually. I even LIKE it and that's saying a lot as I am not the hugest sports enthusiaste and generally avoid fundraisers.
So, if anyone is interested let us know your pledge!

we've only just begun...

Amy and I had this idea that after Oct 20th we would sleep like babes...the big project being over. But at about 2:00 am, with my mind racing I realized that this is the beginning.
I can't tell you how cool it was to see everyone working yesterday!

I always wanted to be a part of a "barn raising" and this felt like just that.
Unfortunately I didn't take very many good pictures...but Emil did and soon there should be some before-and-after shots at the sdccs garden blog.
Of course, nothing is planted yet (that's where the kids come in!!) so its a mere blank canvas...but thanks to some incredibly hard workers, its an awesome beginning.