One of those days

Pretty much sums up the past couple days. Rainy, sleepy, overcast. 

Just makes you want to climb in your shopping cart and take a nap.

Visiting the Lolos and some sad news

Breakfast in the lovely courtyard.

Examining the pumpkins at St. Bede's garden. This is quite possibly the first self-sustaining Catholic parish! There's enough fruits and vegetables in these gardens to feed an army.

If you think this is disturbing, see below. I didn't include the one of David driving Rose, thinking it might inspire someone to call child services. But look at how happy she is! This was well-supervised, we promise :)

Pretty intricate face paint from St. Bede's parish picnic.

Our quick trip to Cleveland was lovely, except for the shadow cast by some sad news. Christopher, our beloved betta fish, is no more. He was a well-travelled fish, accompanying us on trips to Delaware and Ohio. This past trip was no different; we brought him along and put him in his smaller "travel bowl" once we got to the house in Cleveland. On Sunday, to our astonishment, he had *disappeared*. There were no other fish, no filter, no hiding places in this little bowl. He was just gone. We were dumbstruck. Then, later on that night, I found him. He was outside the house. No cats in this house. The only possible explanation is that he flopped out of his bowl, and somehow got out the nearby door that leads to a courtyard. Unbelievable. We were all disturbed by Christopher's untimely end. Dave and the girls buried him. He will rest forever in Cleveland. So sad to come home to his empty tank!

A picture worth a thousand words...

Pumpkins

We decided to harvest before they got eaten by our neighborhood critters. Any suggestions for decorating ideas with these little guys? I don't think cooking them is an option, unless you know something I don't?

"Mommy, it's a hexagon!"

Frankie's new face

It turns out Francesca has my eyes- far-sighted with astigmatism. Hence the complaint over the past several weeks, "My eyes hurt!" Poor girl needed glasses! So without further ado....

Taa daa!

She went with lavender, a very nice complement to her reddish mane.

Surprise visitor

We had an unexpected visit today. Where did he come from? We don't know. But this turtle was on a mission. No hiding in the shell for this guy; he barreled through our yard,  stopping only for a second when the noisy humans surrounded him to snap a few photos.

"Mom, I thought turtles were slow!" 

And then he disappeared into a mass of weeds and forsythia.  Sigh. Good-bye, highlight of our day!

Rite of Passage

A tooth fell out and left a space 

So big my tongue can touch my face. 

And every time I smile, I show 

A space where something used to grow. 

I miss my tooth as you may guess, 

But then, I have to brush one less. 

(Author Unknown)

Frankie was at Aunt Hilary's house for a sleepover when the tooth came (was gently forced?) out. I think it was extra special for her sharing this experience with all her cousins. Our little pumpkin!