October

Hard at work

Fall landed on our front porch while it was still 90º,
but the temperature eventually caught up with the season.

Clay and I spent some time creating a lion mask
for a performance he will do with his dance class in Nov.

I worked a Friday Meals on Wheels route in a different part of town,
which put me quite close to this new market, so I had to check it out.

Ruth attended a homeschool homecoming dance
for all homeschoolers in the DFW area.

We got to spend time with family,
celebrating sweet Charlotte's first birthday.

Weston stepped in as substitute math teacher one day.

The boys read a book called The Martyr of the Catacombs for their
history class and then made clay models of the catacombs.

Clay became a master popsicle maker.

Weston and I watched a local grocery store make all the popcorn.

Max was selected to help with the pledge at Arrow.

Ruth and her besties attended the HSAA homecoming game.

Jeff and I had a date night to Lucile's during Lobstrama.

Jeff and Ruth attended an Air Force Academy information meeting
and happily shared their new-found knowledge with the rest of us.

We attended the Taste of Denton event at the Armadillo Ale Brewery.

Rain, rain, and more rain

Chicken Oil Co. is always a hit with our crew
when we're in College Station.

Ruth and Weston finished up the cross country season
with the homeschool state meet at Texas A&M.
The course was a mess, but at least it wasn't raining.
We're so proud of their hard work this season!

While we were in College Station, we met up with Jeff's
brother's family for a long-overdue visit. 

No trip to A&M would be complete without ring pictures.

Got in on the first day of early voting

Clay taught me how to play Ticket to Ride.

Ruth finished up her public speaking class.
They created vision boards on the last day.

Clay managed to lose another tooth to make himself
look like a vampire just in time for Halloween.

One of my book clubs met at Sloan and Williams Winery
in Grapevine, which was a special treat. 

Max took on another paying job
filling up holes in our yard.

We got to spend a lovely weekend with my MIL at Lake Buchanan.

We had our first-ever online consultation with a physician
when Weston developed a severe rash and a sore throat.

We came up with a reward system for the boys for getting their
schoolwork done, which involved, in part, a large shipment of used Legos,
which had to be washed before I would allow them into circulation.

Ruth rocked her skeleton costume
for her CAP Halloween party.

The boys have a couple of events coming up at Arrow that
necessitated us turning our kitchen into a factory of sorts.
We made homemade marshmallows, homemade chocolates,
homemade brownies, and homemade goat milk soap.

February

To be the shortest month of the year, February always seems so long. It's after all the holiday hubbub but so far from the next school break, and all the shine has worn off the excitement of the new year. It's cold and dark and, this year,  so very wet. And, though we usually have an extremely healthy household, this February brought us the flu and some respiratory gunk. And, a dead rat appeared on our back porch. It was a hard month. But, even with all its gloom, there were many wonderful things about February, which must be documented. And all of it is being documented at once here because, apparently, I'm on the once-a-month blogging plan.

We had our first ever Groundhog Day celebration.

We celebrated Max's birthday at Main Event.

We acquired a new-to-us vehicle.

I had a fancy makeover done.

Weston had a basketball tournament in Austin,
and he and I got to spend a long weekend together.

We soaked up as many Olympic moments as we could.

My nephew turned six, and the younger boys
and I got to go celebrate with him.

We FINALLY got around to celebrating Weston's
birthday at The Melting Pot.

The Cub Scouts had their Blue and Gold Banquet,
and Clay was thrilled to have his grandparents in attendance.

Weston was honored in the Scouts' Court of Honor with many pins
showing his advancements in rank during the last few months.
He is now at the rank of First Class Scout.

Ruth achieved the rank of Cadet Airman in CAP.

There are also several notable things from the month that aren't pictured:

• The boys earned a trip to the trampoline park by working extra hard on their school work.
• Max tried out a couple of yoga classes.
• Some of us got to spend a couple of nights with my parents.
• Ruth attended the CAP banquet.
• Weston had his bottom braces put on.
• Ruth had her first track meet.
• Weston had a camping trip with Scouts in which he got to try some shooting sports.
• Max was invited to join a special Ninja Warrior team class. 
• I was released from my knee surgeon's care.
• Weston finished up his basketball season.

I'm thankful for all the hard things this month and for all wonderful things!

A Hostel, Tantalus Drive, and The Punchbowl

Originally, we had planned to land in Honolulu, change planes, and continue on to Kona, on the Big Island. But, because of our International Date Line crossing, the airline got a little confused and scheduled our connecting flight for today rather than yesterday. When we discovered this little snafu a couple of months ago and realized we would need to have a place to stay overnight, we began exploring our lodging options. We could not find anything available for just one night in any price range. Just when we were beginning to think we might just have to sleep in our rental, I found a hostel with availability and no minimum night requirements. We had never stayed in a hostel, so Jeff and I thought it seemed like a great adventure. The kids, however, were not too sure about our family being split up into boys and girls dorms and sleeping in rooms with strangers. (At one point, Weston uttered a Freudian slip while talking to my parents on the phone and told them we were staying in a "hostage.") But, the accommodations turned out to be great, the kids were able to broaden their horizons, and no one was taken hostage.

Well, unless you count Weston's stomach, which seemed to have been taken hostage by an overlarge Philly cheesesteak he had at the food court yesterday that didn't sit too well. We lingered at the hostel this morning to give him some time to recover, but, eventually, we hopped in the car and headed out to see some sights before our flight. First, we cruised along Tantalus Drive, taking in the lush tropical forest and the amazing lookouts along the way. Then, we stopped at The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, better known as The Punchbowl. My grandmother's brother's name is listed on the Honolulu Memorial, along with the other MIA soldiers. It was an honor to pay tribute to him and to the other soldiers who have paid the ultimate price for our country's freedom. 

Diamond Head, from Tantalus Drive

Diamond Head and some of the high rises of Waikiki

Tantalus Drive

The Punchbowl, from a lookout on Tantalus Drive

Entering the national cemetery

The Honolulu Memorial

Diamond Head, from the plane

A whole bunch of not much

After all our sightseeing and subway riding on Sunday, we were pretty pooped, so we did what any true-blue, red-blooded American football lovers would do: We had a very brief rest and then stayed up all night to watch the Super Bowl, because the game started at midnight, and we didn't have the ability to record it for later. Not everyone watched the whole game, but everyone definitely needed a day of recovery. So, we just spent Monday around the house, which was fine, because it turned out to be a cold, wet day. Then, yesterday, which was also cold and wet, Ruth was not feeling well, so we had another slow day, though we did go out to a fun little French cafe at lunchtime and consume enough delicious French food to get us through the rest of the day. After all that down time, we needed a playground day in the worst way, so when we saw the sun peeking out this morning, we made a beeline for the nearest playground and spent several fun hours climbing, running, jumping, picnicking, and soaking up some Vitamin D. Now, it's time to pack up so we can move on down the road tomorrow, to the south of France, where we will be skiing during the next week.

We found these cute bears at a shopping
mall near the cafe where we had lunch.

Loving the French food!
Here you can see a shrimp and guacamole crepe, escargot,
creme brulee, chocolate mousse ball, and, of course, French fries.
Not pictured are some other wonderful French specialties we've tried:
French onion soup, chicken and mushroom quiche, coq au vin,
macarons, and an assortment of delicious breads and pastries. 

Sometimes you just need a day at the park!