Painting our bedroom
As a Christmas present to ourselves, Ben and I wanted to paint our bedroom. We scraped the ceiling, primed everything from ceiling to floor, painted the walls, and painted the trim. It took us three days and now we’re are tired! Evan and Grayson wanted to help, so we let them in on the priming stage. After that, they moved in and out and vied for some time up on the ladder.
Evan put together the plane he's holding in this picture. He wore the santa hat all weekend.
Christmas time’s a comin’?
We’ve been counting down the days until we get to see the Nutcracker and have been wanting to get the tree up before that time was here. Friday seemed like the day and Ben carried everything up from underneath the house. Our tree looks just like it was decorated by our boys. 
Thanksgiving trees
A couple months ago, we ordered some fruit trees, wanting to have something of a small orchard in our back yard. I could just imagine them growing and fruiting and seeing Evan and Grayson picking fruit from them in the summer and fall. They already go around picking leaves off the rosemary and mint and other edible plants in the yard. After an early supper on Thursday, all my guys went out to plant the trees that had finally arrived on Wednesday, ready to be dormant until spring.
I saw this picture AFTER working with laundry and having to go outside to empty pockets of dirt and peat moss. We have had a nice soaking rain today, much to the delight of the trees.
Extra long weekend
It was so nice to pick Evan up from school this past Tuesday. We were going to have several days off from the usual schedule. Inspired by some watercolor art they were doing at school, Evan wanted his easel out of the closet and both boys got right to work.
Evan’s desk
We recently rearranged our living room (again!) and Evan has a small desk space in a corner beside a shelf. He moved right in setting things up. Afterward, he was inspired to study things that have been on his mind. First, he began catching lady bugs that were trying to hibernate in our house. He has measured them, looked at them through a magnifying glass and done some general observations.
Later, we got out a very neat microscope that Evan’s aunt Cathy gave him last year with a built in light and a space to look at very small things and Evan studied an apple seed. It was actually pretty neat.
Also on Evan’s desk, you will see a goldfinch feather, notes on frogs, a small book he was writing about ladybugs and parts of a sand dollar.
Halloween Fun
This year, we were so happy to have Grandma Nancy with us for Halloween! She brought us two fabulous pumpkins to carve all the way from her house! The boys used vis-a-vis pens on the outside and erased and tried again until they got the faces just like they wanted and then Daddy helped to carve them.
Grayson dressed up in his black cape and a bat hat and waved his arms up and down to be a bat. Evan just couldn’t quite decide. He had on a cape and a hat to be a wizard, but had to throw in some vampire teeth and a mask to cover his eyes. We all trooped around the block and went up to 6-7 homes–I think we were the only trick-or-treaters on our block! It was lots of fun.
After we were done, we finished watching a very old version of Doctor Dolittle and ate quite a bit of popcorn.
The Three Weissmanns of Westport
Beatrice and Virgil
Making the Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat
Catching Fire (Hunger Games, #2)
The Girl Who Chased the Moon
The Ambiguity Advantage: What Great Leaders Are Great At
The Complete Book of Pilates for Men: The Lifetime Plan for Strength, Power & Peak Performance
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
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