It's beginning to look a lot like Hallowe'en

Halloween is cropping up all over our house. It has long been one of my favorite holidays so our halls are decked with pumpkin and bat lights that have journeyed with me since college, the front window is stuck with spooky clings, the bushes are decked in faux webs, the wreath is up, the box of costumes is out, the pumpkin cookies have been baked, the candy has been bought. Ahhh.

Tomorrow night will be pumpkin carving, after a day of partying in town and with our homeschooling group. We celebrate Hallowe'en via its historical and cultural roots, going all the way back to Celtic traditions and the festival of Samhain, so tomorrow night we'll read Halloween (for only the third time this week) and have Irish boiled dinner before we carve the pumpkins. This weekend we'll attend the annual Halloween Concert on campus (in costume, of course) and read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (for only the fourth time this week). Calvin has been cuddling stuffed pumpkins and ghosts and designing jack-o-lanterns like crazy. He's in love with anything bat right now, and any spooky story we can come up with (amazing what old folk tales will do for you). Yes, this is definitely a favorite holiday.

Some silly Halloween stuff (a portion of which is interesting):
Halloween printable activities
Coloring sheets
Activity suggestions (mostly arts and crafts)

Labor Day in the park

Happy Valentines Day

North for New Years, 2010-2011

It has become a tradition for us to head to Harbor Springs for the new year, and we don't mess with tradition around here, so with an ice storm looming we packed up a day earlier than planned and headed north on the 29th. It was as relaxing and enjoyable as ever, with a little extra fun since Lonnie adopted a really great yellow lab named Blue and Polly brought her 4 month old daughter over to play. Unfortunately the first two days were warm and wet, but the next two were frigid and snowy to make up for it. Again with the pictorial account:

Keyhold Bar for perch sandwiches. Yum.

Long walks with beautiful scenery.

Snowman with snow hat. :o)

Snow man, Calvin cam (note that while Jon is in the picture, the focus is clearly on the centered snowman).

Dinner with the Kiffer family. This is Calvin giving me a "don't get any ideas" look.

This is me giving my mom a "don't get any ideas" look.

Making Pot Pie/Bot Bie with three generations of Kiffers.

The rather hilarious New Years gift exchange (free or nearly free gifts only, basement shopping, regifting, or passing back and forth highly encouraged).

Jon dancing to his "Whoop, There it is!" music button.

Downtown Harbor Springs all decked out for Christmas.

Calvin building trains.

Feeding the deer before leaving town (it's the one thing Calvin earnestly requested doing while we were there, something he remembers having done every time we visit).

Thank you.

One last view, downtown Harbor. Happy new year!

Christmas 2010

There is so much we could say. We had such a beautiful holiday with so many thoughtful exchanges and loving and hilarious moments that I wouldn't know where to begin, so I'm going to let the pictures tell the story, and though that doesn't really go deep enough, with so much to do and so little time that's the best I can do right now.

The older he grows, the earlier Christmas gets...

Socks and underwear, gifts of the champions...

Starting work on his new Lego train...building one car at a time.

Iris and Calvin played hapily together with the dollhouse...in the dark with head lamps on.

Day two of Christmas, glasses included...

And the head lamp makes another appearance, this time accompanied by finger lights as well.

A family coloring moment.