Halloween Prep

This is a picture of Walker and Lilly. It was the first day we got to our camp site. Our first meal. They were so excited to finally be CAMPING! They kept saying, "We're camping, we're camping." We finally gave them some lunch after we'd set up all the tents and tarps. They had a great time cooking over the open flame. Walker even ate the hot dog after cooking it.

The air definitely has that fall feel to it. The leaves are turning from bright colors to dull brown. Houses have smoke coming from their chimneys. All the evidence I need to say that summer really is gone. How sad. Already I miss going barefoot outdoors. On the other hand, there are only 9 1/2 weeks until Christmas!

Every Wednesday after I teach at the YMCA I get my check, cash it and go do some shopping. Walker is going to have a fun Christmas. I've already made a pretty good start on a pile of gifts for him. I've been going to different stores each week. Today it was just Rite-Aid (since it was where I was and fit the schedule!). I picked up some art supplies and bath toys like tub crayons and paints. They also have a pretty decent toy isle there and I picked up an inexpensive game of checkers. Last weeks trip to Big Lots was a lot of fun. I got a lot of interesting new games - we're a big game playing family.

I can feel Christmas in the air. OK, maybe it's partly that we're teaching choreography at the Andover School of Ballet for the Thanksgiving weekend Christmas parade. Each class has a different Nutcracker song to dance (part of) in the parade. Or is it that I spend every Sunday in Christmas show rehearsals at Steppin' Out. It's fun and makes the holiday season last a bit longer.

We're getting ready for trick-or-treat. Walker LOVES that. He doesn't remember a lot about being three, but he really does remember last year's trick-or-treating experiences. This year he will be Darth Vadar. Hmm, how does he carry a candy bucket and a light saber. At least the saber can double as a flash light/reflective device.

We've got our homemade mini ghosts hanging on our cherry trees. Pumpkin lights out front that we light once in a while then usually keep lit for another 4 days!

I like October. I've been telling my classes it's October and I'm allowed to be a real "witch." Yeah, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

I thought I lost a CD that I borrowed from the library. I burned myself a copy before "loosing" it. I thought about just giving them back the burnt copy, but then thought they would just think I had the original. I looked everywhere and decided that I just lost it at one of the studios. Darn it. How irresponsible of me. But I was fixing my error. Yesterday I ordered a new Blue Man/Complex CD from BMG music. And you know what happened? Of course, today I found the library copy. I just KNEW that would happen. That's partly why I ordered it, so I would finally find it and end my internal struggle about loosing a library item. I'm actually surprised we haven't lost anything before this. We borrow at least 10 books and 4 videos a week as well as music CDs and audio books. I love the library. So does Walker. They are having kids do mini book reviews. They get to hang them up and also get a prize for doing it. I'm sure that's Walker's movitation. It is quite funny to hear his review (and write it down for the public). He'll rate a book a "6" and when I ask why he'll say that he liked it and that it's a "medium."

I finally saw "Mona Lisa Smile" last night. It made me think of my mom, who was a Pembroke girl at the same time this was supposed to have taken place. I don't see too many chick flicks, unless I borrow from the library. Then I have to make a point to go downstairs and watch after Walker is asleep. It's easier, and usually more interesting for me, to just read a book.

We have to come up with "themes" for our choreography pieces for my dance comp class. I thought I was going to do something about my sister and I coming of age. But I think I'm changing it to something about motherhood and a growing child. I may have a couple of kids to use as more grown up "Walkers" and do some sort of growing up sequence. We're supposed to do the choreography without any music, not even think about music. That's really out of the box for me. Should be interesting. We had a group project where we had to come up with short phrases. We never knew these were going to turn into pieces that we had to use in the show as well. The prof. saw my groups and said it looked to her like some sort of third world group of women in all their pain and suffering, supporting each other and giving each other hope. Yeah, sure, just what we were going for. Glad she liked it anyway.