A baby! A miracle.

My sister-in-law is expecting her first child! Have I said? We expect her around December 7, or (we hope!), sooner. 

We attended a baby shower to welcome Addison Claire in advance. 

It was so elegantly decorated and pleasant in there! I admire so much people who can plan welcoming, comfortable, beautiful events for people to enjoy. 

A few other children were there to befriend ours.

Aunt Corey and Uncle Ninja gave Adele her very own tiara for a birthday present! How much do you think she loves it?

I absolutely love baby things.

Please join me in offering a prayer for my dear sister and brother in law for an easy birth, a healthy baby, and all the strength and wisdom and love they need for the journey of parenthood.

It sure looks beautiful from here.

A Royal Celebration

Oh, how Adele had been looking forward to this day!

Sunday, November 15. From 3 until 5. An enormous space in the imagination of my very-nearly-4-year-old.

Despite her parents' ambivalence about all that they represent, Adele's imagination is currently captivated by princesses. She cares not at all about male characters right now. To her, stories are made up, largely, of princesses. 

The birthday party, thus, had a loose Fairy Tales theme. We encouraged costumes. We decorated swords. You may see, below, the poster for pin-the-kiss-on-the-frog. 

Look at this adorable shot that Grandpa Grunert got! 

 I felt so bad about the limited food options and all the things we neglected to bring. It was a test to my resolve to Enjoy The Moment and Let Myself Off The Hook More.

Do you think the kids cared? Do you think anyone but me was fussed about the lack of cheese and adult-sized cups, etc? No.

Soon the moment came for her surprise: we arranged for a Real Princess to visit the party!

Princess Esme delighted and captivated everyone in the room, adults and kids, for the entire 30 minutes she was there. She had a brief conversation with each child, taught them a dance, gave them rings and welcomed them to her "court," read them a story and sang them a song. Boys and girls were alike in her power. :-)

I have heard from several parents that their children have been talking about how they met a real princess. 

I have thanked the actress wholeheartedly. What a gift to give kids!

Princess Esme had time for all questioners.

With a flourish of adrenaline, we managed to get the place cleaned up at 5 and went home. Jon went to work at 6 until midnight. Separately, we congratulated each other for a successful party.

This little girl has such a head on her shoulders, such a heart, such an attitude. Here is a glimpse into her heart which she drew for us last week:

"It's a picture of Miles and Me. Miles is sad, and I am holding him." 

Tomorrow is the Big Day. Happy Birthday, Heart's Delight. 

14 Things About Mom

It was 14 years ago today, just after midnight, that Mom knew it was time to go. After 8 years of fighting, of being with us as long as she could manage it, she stepped back and gave us and herself back to God.

And while I am okay, and I strongly believe her to be okay, it's not okay. It is not okay that she does not know her grandkids, that she cannot age with Dad, that she never met Jon. I am holding my peace until the Day of Reclamation. As described by Marilynne Robinson:

Such a net, such a harvesting, would put an end to all anomaly. If it swept the whole floor of heaven, it must, finally, sweep the black floor of Fingerbone, too. From there, we must imagine, would arise a great army of paleolithic and neolithic frequenters of the lake-berry gatherers and hunters and strayed children from those and all subsequent eons, down to the earliest present, to the faith-healing lady in the long, white robe who rowed a quarter of a mile out and tried to walk back in again just at sunrise, to the farmer who bet five dollars one spring that the ice was still strong enough for him to gallop his horse across. Add to them the swimmers, the boaters and canoers, and in such a crowd my mother would hardly seem remarkable. There would be a general reclaiming of fallen buttons and misplaced spectacles, of neighbors and kin, till time and error and accident were undone, and the world became comprehensible and whole. . . For why do our thoughts turn to some gesture of a hand, the fall of a sleeve, some corner of a room on a particular anonymous afternoon, even when we are asleep, and even when we are so old that our thoughts have abandoned other business? What are all these fragments for, if not to be knit up finally?

From Houskeeping, chapter 5

Mom in the early 70s

To formally remember her, to praise her at my little City Gate, I list here 14 things I remember about Mom.

1. The way she laughed and laughed until she was unable to make any noise at all, bent over, face scrunched, tears falling.
2. The way when we one of us kids accomplished anything at all she would enthuse, "Honey, that's excellent!" and just beam with pride.
3. The racket she made in the morning. She'd always come in our rooms to wake us singing "Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory!" and truthfully I'm only beginning to muster fondness for this particular habit of hers.
4. The way she controlled the whole world and the stars in their courses from her telephone in the kitchen.
5. The way she was always losing her glasses.
6. The way she worked so hard to stay healthy, from basement aerobics to spinach to smoothies before they were cool.
7. The sight of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on her bed, long before I started reading them.

8. Her hot rollers and lipstick and the way she smelled like soap and Oil of Olay and Maybelline.

9. The sound of her unpacking her long day at work to dad, and the sight of her hands flying. Because there is no way to tell a story without flying hands. 

10. Her arms up, reaching for God at church. 

11. The way she called her Dad "Daddy" for her entire life, and would follow him around at the lake. 

12. The way she always knew when to leave me alone and when to come in my room. 

13. Her small hands, that I thought were so pretty and delicate compared to mine. Now I think my hands resemble hers. I have mom hands. 

14. The way no matter what was wrong with her or with her kids, hot tea and a walk outside was the answer. 

I'm feeling like a little tea and a walk outside might be just thing thing today. 

"Taking part in a Rumble."

via GIPHY

I will never ever get tired of The Great Pumpkin. We watched it only three times this year, but I hope to do better next October. I will never not laugh continuously during a Peanuts special. 

October is behind us, now! How is that possible? 

This walk through campus is my favorite of the many walks I take in the course of my workday. I really am so lucky to have this job. 

Jon wanted to check out Tech or Treat. It was a bit old for our kids, but they enjoyed the conversation with VT students ("real scientists!"). 

My first time in the Maleficent costume! & version 1 of Aurora

Bowser and the Princess(es):

We let them run and tumble on the grass, afterwards. We've got to soak up the mild weather while it lasts!

The sunrises and sunsets have been inspiring these days. 

The night before we carved pumpkins, I got Miles out of a bad mood spiral by commissioning him to sketch some jack 'o lantern ideas:

His ended up being a lot like that top left one. 

See?

This year, I helped plan the Halloween Party at work with my office-mate, Liann. Have I said what a gift she is? She conspired with me to round up a team to enter in the Adrenaline Maze this past spring; she does yoga or talks a walk with me nearly every lunch; she encourage me at every opportunity. In this month of gratitude, she features prominently in my numbered blessings. 

Also, isn't Liann a stunning Cruella DeVille? 

On Saturday, it was up to Maleficent to take the two princesses trickortreating downtown; Bowser was in another castle.

I am so excited I got to write that sentence. Jon was working until 6. But we got a huge candy haul anyway and had a great old time!

Don't jinx me, but I'm only like two straight weeks of near-perfect health! More gratitude. 

With the help of a box of safety pins, I made these dresses seem to fit the kids.

We saw a lot of amazing costumes. Isn't this one brilliant? :

We picked Jon up at 6 from work and snapped a couple pictures before setting off on the kids' first door-to-door neighborhood trick-or-treating experience!

For real, last week Adele said, "When you are Maleficent, don't kill me, ok?" Jon and I were just in gales. 

Here, Bowser kidnaps the Princess: 

Off to the Warship!

I found the houses giving out candy to be fewer and farther between than I remembered from childhood. But it's still done, thankfully! I'd hate to think we were a nation too afraid of each other to trick-or-treat. There were broods of other kids about, and a delightfully spooky atmosphere. And at almost 60 degrees, it was more comfortable than many a trick-or-treating experience I've had.

Our shadows were stunning, if I do say so myself. 

I hugely enjoyed teaching Children's Chapel today, All Saints Day. I asked the children what they thought the dead were doing. They said:

1. "In the graveyard. Maybe talking to each other. Like, on cell phones." 

(I said, "Must be on a different network." He said, "Yeah, the church one." I said, "No wonder it's so slow!")

2. "Like, lying down and talking to themselves. About their lives, and their people."

3. "Hibernating!"

4. (Miles): "They're lying down, like, asleep, on God's hand."

Well, God bless us, everyone.