Did anyone say Jack-O-Lantern?

ConocoPhillips continued their 54-year tradition of turning a 3-million gallon storage tank at its Los Angeles refinery into the world’s largest Jack-O-Lantern.

Preparing Smilin’ Jack for his annual appearance requires more than 100 gallons of orange, black and white paint. According to refinery engineers, if the giant jack-o-lantern were filled with pumpkin meat, there would be enough to make 26,800,000 pumpkin pies!

http://www.neatorama.com/2006/10/16/worlds-largest-jack-o-lantern/

Happy Halloween!

The kids had a blast at the Community College Halloween Party near our house. They played games, jumped in a moonwalk, had hot-dogs and took a ride in a choo-choo train. As it got dark it was off to the streets to trick-or-treat.

D sat in the stroller for the first couple of houses, then he got brave and joined K. He was so excited to be able to run up any driveway he wanted and get a treat for it, too.

One house he did pass, though. It was too scary!!!!

Getting to bed might be a challenge tonight. I wonder how long the sugar rush is going to last...

I love this google doodle by Wes Craven. We got a pumpkin at school today and I have a feeling we'll be working on a jack-o-lantern tomorrow.

Pre-Halloween at School

All the princesses and fairies in the world were gathered at K's school yesterday. Halloween was finally here for the kids... K was so, so happy to put on her fairy costume.

D was the perfect tiger. Too cute!

They both came home with a bag full of treats.

More sugar to come tonight around the neighborhood...

Samuel

K last week attempted to write Samuel on her own. Phonetically, very close: SMNUOL

Definitely a keeper!

Football

It's Sunday - football. Got tickets for the game this afternoon: Texans vs. Bengals.

I'm feeling brave - taking K & D, on my own...

Happy to report that the kids loved the game & the Texans won!

Firehouse birthday

Our next door neighbor had his birthday party yesterday. The kids had a great time playing around in the yard and riding the firetruck. A real firetruck - sirens, horn, lights and all!

Modigliani

I can't even remeber the last time I went to the movies...it's been that long.

Spa...

What a treat. I spent a couple of days visiting with girlfriends at a spa in Austin this week. It was nice to be pampered with massages and free time.

My trail run in the morning was just perfect with crisp, dry morning air. Before leaving I had a few minutes for photos - the campus had art work and sculptures all around and many butterflies and bees were also fluttering and buzzin' about.

Halloween Decor

We decorated our house for Halloween today. K and I went shopping ghosts, pumpkins, bats, and spider webs - it was fun putting it all together with her!

Scarecrow Festival

We ended up driving up to Chappell Hill for the Scarecrow Fall Festival. The kids had fun walking around the carnival and crafts booths.

My favorite scarecrow-pumpkin won first prize!

Pumpkin Patch

After an hour of classical music and sitting quietly, K and M were glad to go to the park for the Bellaire Pumpkin Patch Festival. They played carnival games, jumped in a moonwalk and went through an inflatable obstacle course.

On the games, the kids spent a few seconds playing and a few minutes selecting their prizes! Serious business!

After pizza and juice for lunch, colorful snow cones!

Green Eggs and Ham

The entire theatre recited together

"...I do not like it here or there, I do not like it anywhere."

The Houston Symphony presented a wonderful family matinee with Sam-I-Am.

K put on the white dress she wore as a flower girl in her cousins wedding back in April. She looked adorable! Clifford, the big red dog, went with us to the performance. K sat on my lap and Clifford had a seat all for himself.

We met with one of her school friends and it made the whole outing a lot more memorable.

Wild Week on Wall Street

What can I say, it was a wild market out there this week...

Clifford is visiting

K got to bring Clifford home for the weekend. He came with Cleo and T-Bone, too. She is, in her own words, " very excited" to have Clifford at her house.

First order of business, brush Cleo's hair because she was all "tumbled up"! Translating, her hair needed a little fluffing up. And since T-Bone and Clifford were around, they got a good brushing also.

Five years in the closet

The weather was beautiful today. It was sunny and cool in the morning (by Houston standards 70F's is cool).

I went for my first bike ride in five years! It was special company outing in Chappell Hill with proceeds benefiting the United Way. The 35-mile route was quite challenging with gently and not-so gently rolling hills through the country side. A perfect way to spend the day. Now that the bike is free of cobwebs, I hope to get it out on the road more often!

Along the way:
Scarecrow festival in the city - halloween pumpkin in haystack, cowgirl riding a haystack turkey, and other creative treats.
A pony farm - it seeemd like hundreds of them out in the pasture.
Turtles sunning on a rock in the middle of a creek
Crickets and butterflies

Classically Modern

September 27, 2008

Houston Ballet - Where are the ballerinas? I want to see the big jump, just like the picture [in the program].

"This is how they dance, Daddy", she says giggling twirling on her tippy toes!

A Hummingbird

September 21, 2008

The lot next door has always sweet surprises for us. This Saturday I spotted a humming bird gently feeeding on this vine's orange flower. It's the first time I see a humming bird around the house. Too bad I didn't have my camera with me...

Brand New Bikes

September 20, 2008

Curfew is still in effect for Houston between midnight and 6am. I set out for my run after light just before 8am instead of the usual 5:30am. The kids were already up and L was not very happy...

I come back a couple of hours later to find the kids sporting brand new bikes! K is all important in her first real bike. She is all decked out with helmet, knee pads, the works... very, very cute. I must admit.

D is not so sure about his new ride. He is sticking to his good old set of wheels. A tiny bike where he can reach both feet safely to ground at all times.

Debris and twisted trees

September 20, 2008

A week after hurricane Ike hit, the debris and damage from the winds is still everywhere. I set out on a 10 mile run this morning through West U, Zoo, and around the Hermann Park Golf Course.

Many are still without power. A common sighting were extensions cords running from houses on one side of the street where power has been restored to others on the other side that still have no power. Piles and piles of tree limbs and bags of leafs are sitting on the side walks and street corners. The golf course remains closed with large trees twisted from the wind toppled over across the greens.

An incredible amount of work still needs to be done to put the city back together
.

Self Portrait – Family Portraits

September 19, 2008

“I'm drawing myself. Those are my eyes, my legs. This is my tummy. My brain... This is my hair. This is the long hair.

I'm going to do my shoes; my ballerina ones because we're going to school.

On the next page, I'm going to draw you [Mommy]. Next to me so you can bring me to school (...).

Oh, I forgot my mouth.

Mommy, this is your mouth – you're sad because I hit D.

Now, I'm going to draw D. This is little D when he was in your tummy.

[On a separate drawing next to D] This is my hair, all in my face!

Oh, now we need Daddy!

He is this tall. OK [eyes]. OK [legs]. Tummy. His shoes, big ones.

Oh, his arms!

We forgot my arms, your arms and D's arms!!! We have to go back! Mommyyyyyy, you have to remember!

[We all got arms and hands...]

No one else in our family, huh?!”

Paths and Garden

September 14, 2008

Here is K's complete analysis of her September 14, 2008 painting-drawing. In her own words...

“These are paths. This path leads to the ocean; this path leads to the sky; and this path leads home.

This is a car and that is Diego.

And this is a beautiful flower in the garden!”

We hung it up to dry on the kitchen wall, way high up - by request.

Book Bath

September 13, 2008

The kids were getting very creative at home all day without any electronic gadgets. L found K and D quietly sitting with all their books on top and around them inside the baby bathtub. Luckily they didn't add water!

Dragonfly Lovefest

The butterflies are gone. Don't know if was the rain and wind or if it's just that time year, end September, early October. Reservoir water levels came up after Ike and remain high. Water is stagnant and started to smell, making outside runs at lunch time quite unpleasant. Dragonflies continue their lovefest.