DiNovember and other campaigns

One week into November, and I am in need of a rest. 

We've been up to a lot, and are going to continue at the same rate of activity through the holidays.
My prayer for this next six weeks is that God would allow me to do what I have committed to do not out of obligation but out of joy and wonder. I have learned in neuropsychology: we can rewire our brains and change our habits of negative affect. I am praying to be constantly re-routed into joy.

A glimpse of what we have been up to:

On November 4, we took Miles with us to vote. The senate race in Virginia was a particularly close call!

My citizen selfie.

We've been taking rather a lot of pictures of plastic dinosaurs lately. This year, we are observing DiNovember. It might become a yearly tradition; we're enjoying it so much.

Basically, we tell the kids that in November, the dinos are able to come to life- but only at night. Every morning, the kids wake up to a different scene of dino mischief.

One night they painted...

Another night they claimed as their own the toys the kids had left out.

They read books:

All dino-themed, of course.

They eat snacks:

And, when Jon got back with pictures from Chicago's Field Museum...

...Our dinos went to work setting up an art gallery on the wall:

Last night, they got into the playdough.

I didn't include all images; you'll have to follow me on instagram for that. But we're having a ball. Every night Jon and I get to play with toys after the kids to go bed!

However, for a few nights I've been doing the dino-displays myself. Because...

On Thursday November 8th Jon left for his History of Science Society Convention in Chicago!

These are from our leave-taking that morning. 

He did wonderfully. He said he got lots of compliments on his presentation and was able to make a lot of useful contacts which will be professionally very useful to him. Continue your prayers and good thoughts about that endeavor, please!

In other news....

The sun sets earlier, of course. Nearly every night, in our "Help-Thanks-Wow" prayers, the kids' "Wow" prayers involve something about the sky. 

Oh, this pic. 

Miles is in Chinese School, as some of you know. He's taught me a fair amount of words and expressions already! The school is having a sort of pageant to commemorate their 35th anniversary in town, and Miles is in that show. He's in two numbers, and in this one pictured above, he is practicing to represent: The Turkey. 

I will assuredly take pictures and possibly video of this event. They're singing in Chinese, and dancing. With costumes. YES. 

We had a busy weekend, as we dashed around without Papa. And by busy, I mean crammed. We got the car fixed, we spent the morning at dance lessons, we attended Miles' rehearsal, prepared my Children's Chapel lesson and went to a social chili party with church friends that night. That was just Saturday. 

Sunday involved a long morning at church, my turn to grocery shop (with both kids; we don't usually do this). and a birthday party. 

If I were doing the November gratitudes, I'd probably have described my gratitude for this bounce house experience at the birthday party. They slept like logs that night!

I am so grateful, for the now. For this town, for my church family, for my wonderful job, and for my immune system which is admirably winning a fight against a stomach bug just now. 

This year I am planning to produce & direct the Christmas pageant. I have a big plan.

Wish me all directorial skills and luck! And pray with me that we can live out our holiday plans with joy.

Oh, and Adele's birthday party approaches... 

Supernatural Goings On

Hello, November! We took time this ghostly weekend to acknowledge the Numinous, in our several small ways.

Here Miles is, ready to go to school for his "Fall Party." The party was distinctly not a Halloween party, I suppose to avoid denominational partisanship.

Conditions on October 31st were perfect- at least in the morning. Slanting sunlight, cool, and a bit of ghostly mist on the mountains.

I borrowed a Hogwarts shirt, wore my black skirt & cardigan and bushed up my hair as well as I could to assume the aspect of Hermione Granger:

Oh, and I brought our family wand.

Downtown Trick or Treating, which is a 5 year tradition with us now, was this year the most focused, fast and goal-oriented version to date. It was raining the moment we set foot out of the car.

On the positive side, we had two kids old enough to: be excited about what we were doing, to do it in a fairly independent fashion, and not to require a stroller. Good news all around. And we met up with a friend of mine (one of my most beloved twitter buddies!) and got to have her and her sweet daughter's company as we marched up Main Street.

Because of the rain, I snapped only one picture of the actual trick-or-treating. I thought this kid was Hagrid, at first, until he clarified that he was Kili from The Hobbit! Obviously, there had to be a commemorative photo:


After we'd had enough of the rain, we retreated to the University City Mall, where their Halloween carnival was just ending. A few more candy additions later, we got Chinese food and posed for a waterlogged, but happy, picture:

The rain continued and kept us from putting the jack-o-lanterns outside. So we lit them inside and, by their light, watched It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown for the last time of the year.

That cozy and quiet portion of the evening was probably my favorite.

November 1 dawned equally rainy. I made sure to light candles in the evening and we prayed the Collect for All Saints Day.

I love All Saints Day. 

We got a babysitter on Saturday night for a much needed night out with friends. I am still tired, but you know what? I probably would have been tired today anyway, and at least I have the memory of a really really wicked fun night as my reason. Revelry. Laughter. I am shaking my own hand for going to bed after that, and getting up promptly in the morning and just Doing Sunday courageously (I was really tired then!). Worth it. Thank God for babysitters.

I read the reading from Revelation in Church about "every tribe, nation, language" etc. I am honored by lector service, I really really am. The line from "For All the Saints" that always catches in my throat is:
"We feebly struggle; they in glory shine;
yet all are one in thee, for all are thine."

It says to me, we can access the gifts and the help of our friends who have gone before, because God, being the God of the living, for whom all are alive, does not differentiate between us. So we must all have access to the same gifts.

It comforted me, anyway.

On a different note, November 1 began DiNovember!

This is our nightly prank on the kids, which we prefer to "Elf on a Shelf." Every night in DiNovember, we told them, all the dinosaurs in the house come to life, and have adventures until morning.

So far, they've gotten into the candy:

...And enjoyed a lively game night:

The kids have been delighted. We have even managed to avoid answering all Miles' direct questions about whether or not they are *really* coming to life. I wonder how long we'll last...

We have a whole other season on the horizon, even beyond the preparations for Jon's trip to Chicago, and Adele's upcoming 3rd birthday party.

Kroger thinks it started yesterday:

Here we go! 

Halloween Advent?

We are preparing our hearts and home for All Hallow's Eve, to the best of our busy working abilities.

The Great Pumpkin Soundtrack is like an atmosphere around me right now. This is a good thing.

Some ordinary weekend adventures: there was shopping after dance class, and after shopping there was a trip to the playground. I don't get to snap as many pictures like this as I would like:

Adele is more and more decidedly independent, about every small thing. You know how it is. She's nearly 3, after all. 

Here, proof I still exist. 

The old caboose furnished some quality imaginative play. 

I may not take them to this playground alone for a bit, however. Neither wanted to leave, and both very nearly had to be carried out, kicking and screaming, one under each arm. Managed to execute the old "ok, then I'm leaving you here" deception successfully in this case, but it won't always work. Must come up with some other strategies for playground exit. 

We did our ritual pumpkin disemboweling that evening:

Each kid got to design the faces of their own this year, and name them. Adele's is Titum; Miles' is Laura.

Sunday afternoon was like our dress rehearsal for Halloween! BooDoo is a free party the First & Main Shopping Center throws for Blacksburg kids (and, you know, to drum up some business).

We got to give the ordered costumes a first wear:

Yes, I unapologetically ordered their costumes online. It was the right choice this year. No way could I have assembled a hobbit costume, not this October. And making an Elsa costume (as Adele insisted she would be only Elsa) is out of the question. Maybe one of these years I'll have that sewing machine, and a bit more time. Anyway, these two are happy, and we got them mighty cheap. :-)

I DID "make" those furry feet on Miles, out of some craft fur and flip-flops and tacky glue. I'm thinking about attempting a pipe. But that will be IT. Unless you count my efforts at Adele's braid as a craft.

For the first time, I went to the Blacksburg Children's Museum. This is because for that day only, it was free. I do free things.

But you know? It pleasantly surprised me. I may be back, a paying customer. 

Adele's dream come true: an interview, hug and photo with Real Elsa. 

She did the cake walk long after she'd already won and could not hope to win again, just for the sake of following Elsa around. 

There were probably about 10 Elsas at this massive party, that I saw. I wanted her to be Merida. But we are beyond the era of my Halloween autocracy. Too bad for me.

Soon we'll be lighting parading downtown with probably 16,098 other Elsas. We'll be lighting the pumpkin lanterns and feasting on our Trick or Treat spoils. And November, when we wake up, always has such a different, more contemplative flavor. We'll remember the saints who are with us still, and visit all the feelings that presence produces. We'll go to bed in black, silver and livid orange of flames, and awake in gold. All Saints Day. Whether I remember to light candles, or pray the collect of the day, we will walk through these mysteries regardless. Like so much of the profound graces of the stories we are living, we get to travel through enchanted territory just by virtue of the fact that we kept walking.

Instagramming October

I used to laugh at instagram. How absurd to communicate only by obsessive pictures of one's life!

Then I got an iphone. You can find me at http://instagram.com/lissaliveawakeaware. You can also laugh at me! I do it too.

I have been wild with delight over the gorgeousness of this October.

It takes everything in me not to pull over the car on my morning drive to Adele's daycare, which is situated just outside of downtown and across the street from a farm and a breathtaking view of the mountains, and take photos. Someday, if I am ever not late, I will do just that.

We passed a peaceful weekend. I love the long mornings at the dance studio. I gaze out the window when I'm not watching the closed circuit tv channel of the dancers, or (to be honest) play word games with Jon on my phone. Anyway. It's getting to the part of the year when gazing outside through a window is more pleasant than actually being outdoors. I love the coziness of fall.

Miles continues to make strong efforts in his class; he loves ballet & tap. 

Adele dreams of being a big girl dancer. 

They are proud in general these days:

Adele was so pleased at completing this puzzle (with help) she wanted a picture. 

Miles delighted us recently with this picture of a boat, seen from a bird's point of view. 

I have the pleasure of going through his schoolwork every week & sometimes find real gems. 

Sunday was Children's Sabbath, and for the first time, I was in charge of it. I have been teaching Children's Chapel at church for over a year now, but this was my first Children's Sabbath even in town. It went beautifully! Our priest ceded some sermon time to my children's homily, where we discussed the image of Caesar on a denarius, and the image of God on us all. The kids were, by turns, sweet, lively, compliant, hilarious. We sang the offertory: "Jacob's Ladder." There was a baptism, which was absolutely perfect, since during Children's Sabbath, the family could be all together as we welcomed another member. A glorious morning, followed by a sweet baptismal reception party. We were all tired of behaving ourselves afterwards, though. First thing the kids did after we left was to throw themselves onto the grass. One of these days I'll join them. It's just the sort of thing that people do who are Alive. 

It's the Pumpkin Patch, Miles!

We made up our minds a few weeks ago we wanted to make a family trip of Miles' class visit to the pumpkin patch. I have a one-quintessentially-Fall-experience-per-October rule, you see. 

It was an absolutely perfect day for it, too. Sunny & in the low 60s. Air you want to drink like liquid. And the mountains just shone.

This girl got her first bees sting not long after we arrived. Fortunately, Penelope the pig was able to make everything ok again. 

We all got a huge kick out of the animal array.

Turkeys are kind of intimidating up close, with bizarre, alien heads. They gobbled for us, though!

Best view of any pumpkin patch I've ever been to.

The trip included a hayride! Everyone was rejoiced by the speedy ride over the green hills. 

Each kid was very decided about which pumpkin was The One. 

Class pic: 

Miles' assigned "buddy " was a sweet little girl who wouldn't leave his side. He always does seem to befriend little girls. I was pleased just to see him social with his classmates.

What a perfect, golden morning this was!