I was able to vote early yesterday, so in celebration of democracy, here's Evan with Summer's "I Voted" sticker. Or, perhaps proof of rampant voter fraud in the land of enchantment:
(By the way, babies don't like stickers on their foreheads.)
Over the past few weeks, my kids--like beggar children in underdeveloped countries clamoring for a handout--have taken jog-a-thon pledges from family members. Well, it's time to pony up. And to those of you who pledged per lap, well, like many of those beggar children, my kids scammed you something awful. (I can say that because we pledged per lap too, and it'll cost us at least one restaurant dinner.) Here's the final damage:
This morning I was running around taking care of one thing or another when I noticed that Evan was in his room alone. This was odd because a) he prefers to spend time in the play room where there are more opportunities for him to make a mess, and b) he usually prefers to play with (or at least tag along after) the older kids. But there he was sitting on the floor playing quietly by himself. And, if I may say so, looking adorable.
Maybe he's coming down with something...
On Friday Summer and I went with some folks from the ward and a half dozen or so Isaac- and Evan-aged kids to McCall's, a family farm in Moriarty, about 30 miles east of town. McCall's has turned into a huge fall tradition in the ABQ area, with a pumpkin patch, corn maze, petting farm, and haunted house thing. We've gone a few times, and each year it's a bigger deal.
We got there around 10:30 am and met up with the group. While we waited for the last members of the party, we strolled through the country store and I got the following shot of Evan with pumpkins:
The highlight of the trip was the hayride to the pumpkin patch. A tractor pulls 3-4 carts full of 60-75 people each for a 5-minute ride to a patch where you race everyone else to find one of the few remaining decent pumpkins. It's actually a lot of fun. I picked a small one for Evan, Isaac got a medium-sized pumpkin, and Summer picked a biggish one (I do not envy the people who pick several huge pumpkins and then have to tote them around; that's a bit too much like work for my taste). Anyhow, here are the boys with the loot:
(Notice the look on Evan's face; he was only happy when we let him hold the pumpkin, which he called a ball.)
After we made it back we ate lunch, and then Isaac and I wandered through the petting farm. Here are pictures of Isaac with chickens:
Sheep:
And goats:
And as a pig:
We had to leave to make it back to pick up Allyson and Ryan, so didn't get to do the pumpkin sling shot or the 40' tube slide or spend $500 in the country store (we could have done it, what with salt water taffy, apple butter, quilts, and rustic home decor--we need to take parents there some autumn). And on the way back to the city, Evan, of course, fell asleep:
General Conference weekend was a bit of a wash. We had fun with Summer's parents, but rainy weather and my sickness kept us from catching any of conference in person. But we did get the big news from the Saturday AM session later that day. A temple in Rome is so very exciting. My mission was north of Rome, so all I every saw of the Eternal City was the airport, but this is still an emotional announcement.
Earlier this week I downloaded the MP3 files from conference, and Thursday, on the way to work, I listened to President Monson announce the new temples (by the way, downtown Philly--wow!). I knew what we was going to say. But as he said it, I still felt this powerful spiritual feeling, a sense of gratitude for having served among a wonderful people who will now be blessed with a temple in their own land.
Historically, the strength of the Church in Italy has been up north, but Rome is centrally located and symbolically potent as a place for a temple. And, as we see in other places when a temple is built, there will be incredible growth after the dedication. I am excited to see when a stake is formed in Rome and that area flourishes.
Speaking of the dedication, Summer and I have decided to go. Assuming Italian bureaucracy is what it was a decade ago, the temple will take at least 5 years to build, so the kids will be old enough to go or (better yet) leave with someone else while we take a two-week trip to Italy. we've begun planning already...
It's been quite a week here. I went back to work and found myself neck-deep in catching up. Summer's parents visited. We ate out and went to a number of fun places around town. We missed all of General Conference. And I was sick.
But for the fun stuff. With the Catheralls in town for the Balloon Fiesta, we made our first ever trip to the event for Saturday's Mass Ascension. We got there well before dawn, walking in the gates just in time for the Dawn Patrol, a set of a dozen of so balloons that go up early to test the winds. Here are two balloons getting set to take off:
We spent a lot of time on the field, which is pretty surreal. Surrounded by huge balloons in various stages of inflation is pretty awe-inspiring. Here's one shot of the scene:
One of Allyson's Girl Scout leaders works for a company that sponsors a balloon, and the girls, seen below, got to help with the inflation:
Not to be outdone, silliness-wise, here are the boys:
And here are the kids' favorites, the boy and girl bee, who ascend side-by-side, as if holding hands:
But for me, the best part of the day was views like this, as we stood on the field among inflating balloons. I looked up to see three balloons converging, creating a small window of blue sky:
I've been thinking about things I'm grateful for ever since Carolyn posted on the topic recently. Here's one that's made my top ten list of late: sick leave.
In the past 5 years, I have accrued somewhere in excess of 200 hours of sick leave--enough to take off 2 full months, should I need it. I don't dip into my leave often; I may get ill once per term, and I take some hours here and there for doctor's visits and the like. But over the past few days, I've had cause to use some of my hours.
On Thursday I woke up a mess. I had been fighting a stuffy nose and achy head for a few days, and I was very tired, so I decided to call in sick, rest up, and be back at it Friday. My plans changed when the kids woke up and Evan had a fever. He later threw up, making my sick day all about him.
Yesterday Isaac had this same fever, and when he was still sick this morning, I took a second day off to let him rest. Evan again spent the day being sick (they're both napping right now), so I was able to hang out with the little guys while Summer took the older two to school and picked them up.
I am very fortunate to have a job that gives me sick leave, and I'm thankful for good health so I don't have to use it very often. And I'll be grateful once Isaac and Evan are well and back to their trouble-making ways.
