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| Emma's Autumn Concert at Midway Middle School featured African music in honor of the school's sister community in Uganda. The Ugandan student choir has visited Midway to perform and share musical ideas. After the concert, we went across the street to McAlister's for a late dinner. Emma and Joyce (and Al in the background.) |
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| Shanana and Emma in Midway Panther blue. |
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| The menfolk: P. Tom and Al. |
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| Isn't she the cutest thing? She's only 9 weeks old and weighs a little over 3 pounds. I think she and Sista Donna are going to have a lot of fun times together. |
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| Lazin' in the grass. |
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| Family time with Piper |
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| Mya and Papa Tom horsing around |
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| After everyone was dressed and ready, we headed to the Eliada Home Fall Festival. |
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| Brandy and Mya tried out the corrugated pipe slide down the hill. |
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| The pacifist Quakers may have shot rice from guns but we shot corn cobs at Jack-o-lantern scarecrows. |
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| Jumping in the giant spiderweb. Luckily, we didn't see the spider who spun the web! |
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| In the corn kernel box. So warm and relaxing! The mingled smells of corn and hay reminded me of playing in my Pepa Meek's barn when I was a little girl. |
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| We buried Mya, at her request. |
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| Oh, those feet are begging to be tickled! |
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| Quick trip through the corn maze then Papa and I had to leave for the airport. Waah! Can't wait for our next visit! |
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| Mya practiced skating. I told her to be "Mummy Mya," with her arms out straight in front of her, so I could pull her forward. |
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| Time to dump out the "Batty Cat" pillowcase full of Halloween goodies and quarters for Mya's piggy bank and River's pockets. |
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| River used his Jack-o-lantern sticker to transform John Lennon. |
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| Papa Tom and River built a long railway for Thomas the Tank Engine and friends. |
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| We had lunch at the mellow mushroom. River concentrated very hard on coloring his place mat. |
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| River didn't feed the fish but he tossed pennies from his pocket into the fountain. |
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| Mimi and James joined us for lunch. James was also visiting from Austin! |
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| Papa with the Halloween Ronald McDonald at Mellow Mushroom. |
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| Piper had yams for lunch, I think. |
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| Back deck fire pit ready for marshmallow roasting |
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| Sharing our roasted marshmallows |
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| River and Ryder got haircuts |
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| River rode his glider. The glider has no pedals which allows younger children to learn how to balance themselves in preparation for bike riding. |
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| I drew a monkey for River. |
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| We hung out in the playroom. |
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| We visited the pumpkin punch at Granddad's Orchard. |
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| River chose a little pumpkin for the front porch. |
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| Mya is on her way to kindergarten. She rides very well without training wheels. |
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| Papa carried Mya's lunch for her. |
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| We took the shortcut home on the hiking trail through the woods. The trail was closed on Friday due to a bear sighting. Yikes! |
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| Jade likes to be wrapped up after her bath and shown off as "the sweetest baby in the world." |
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| Jade asked to sit in a little chair for dinner, so Papa pulled the infant swing seat out of the closet for her and we put her dinner on the little bamboo chair that Aunt Jan gave Ryder when he was a baby. |
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| Otis, outside the Emerson School. The school is a charter school in downtown Portland. We got to meet his teacher, Tiffany, when we visited in August. She said the first priority at the beginning of the year is to build a sense of community and inclusiveness. |
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| OK, I just have to say it. Isn't he handsome? |
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| Papa Tom is moving the compost heap from the back corner of the yard to make room for a greenhouse. We have so many plants and so little space for them inside when the weather is cold. The greenhouse will be their winter home and also a place to start the Spring garden. |
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| Papa Tom is a two-fisted worker! Drill bit in the electric drill and a screwdriver in the cordless drill! |
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| Thanks to LaWanda Renee Ollison, Papa Tom and I received passes to a sneak preview of "Captain Phillips," which we saw October 2 before the film opened in theaters. As part of the deal, viewers must turn in all cell phones and recording devices upon entering the theater. We tried to convince the phone taker that there is no way our phones are recording devices, but rules are rules. She bagged up the phones and gave us a claim ticket. |
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| Jade was a great little shopper with us on Tuesday: we hit Sprouts and Costco. She helped put Papa Tom's bread-and-butter pickles in the basket, choose plums and tomatoes, and supervised Millie's opening of the cat food bag when we got home. |
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| Baba decides to eat right out of the replenished cat food container. |
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| We finally got some much needed rain last Saturday. We're still in a drought, but it isn't yet as dry as the drought of record from 1947-1957. Roy and Papa Tom visited on the front porch during the thunderstorm. Did you know Roy is going to be a grandpa? Very soon? A grandboy, who will be named "Jackson," is on his way. |
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| Anjanette, Jade, and I toured the Northwest Austin Montessori House of Children Wednesday morning to consider enrolling Jade there. Anjanette and I thought the school is great but the determining vote was cast by Jade who hung back and told us "Bye" when it was time to leave. Here, at KidzNPlay afterwards, Anjanette fills out the school application. |
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| Jade bounced and played |
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| She loves to drive the Zoomer. She'll say "Song?" then turn on the alternator and radio. |
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| We don't have a pumpkin patch, but we have Papa Tom's peppers. Turned this one into a pepper-o-lantern before gobbling it up on a salad. |
