Cute stuff from Courtney

My friend Courtney has just opened an online shop on Etsy selling her completely adorable handmade things. I even helped her cut up felt for her scrumptious felt food sets, so I can personally attest to the wonderfulness of her work.

Kidspace

Thanksgiving

We had 19 for our Thanksgiving dinner last night--I'm pretty sure that's our biggest number yet. It was a grand gathering of family and friends with mountains of food, acres of pie, rivers of wine, and a roving band of wild animals--I mean kids--keeping everything nice and noisy. Pretty nice.

Family update

All of us: We got our first ever family portraits taken today at the Los Angeles Arboretum. It's the first professional photo Robert and I have had since our wedding, and the first for the girls that wasn't at the cheesy place at the mall. I'll post photos when they're in.

Robert: Got the new Goldstar site launched (yay!). He's starting to look familiar to me and the girls again after many weeks of late nights and working weekends. We missed him!

Deborah: Packed schedule. No time for writing. I've given myself permission to enjoy the holidays and just stay on top of my current responsibilities before I try to figure out a way I can do some writing in the new year.

Maggie: Doing well except for some behavior issues at kindergarten. Also, she doesn't seem to have found friends in her class. I'm going to set up some playdates to see if that will help. Otherwise, she is smart, sassy, emotional and adorable. She loves to strike a pose "just like a fashion model." She is very excited about the holidays.

Audrey: We had her first parent-teacher conference at preschool and the report was glowing. Audrey is well behaved and learning everything effortlessly. She is particularly advanced in anything related to numbers. Aside from occasional whining and rare temper tantrums, she is even-tempered and sweet. She likes to act like a kitty cat. She loves playing with dolls and stuffed animals and gets attached to them one at a time, but moves on to another within a day or two.

Jane: She's now going to physical therapy twice a week and I'm pleased with it. She is happy, curious and sweet. She gives me hugs when I ask for them and blows kisses freely. She can do most animal sounds now and is learning new words quickly. She is also signing "more" and "all done," and has learned how to give her daddy a high-five.

Artwork

The girls made these birthday cards for their Papa Graff. I can't decide what I like best: Audrey's sweet self-portrait, Maggie's question mark after her signature (they've been learning end punctuation at kindergarten and she's putting it to good use), or Janey's happy scribbles.

Playground pics

Standing tall

Jane is now pulling herself to stand constantly. She's a pro at it and does it quite easily now. She's also been cruising more and more; her favorite spot is still along the sofa.

I've just switched her to a new physical therapy provider and I think it's going to be a much better fit. The previous therapist came to the house (which was convenient) and was very nice, but we had a lot of trouble communicating with each other and I was becoming frustrated with my inability to talk through my concerns with her. So we've switched to a place in Pasadena recommended by our pediatrician. I met the therapist--she's young, energetic, bubbly and seems very smart. I also think the fun, colorful facility will be more interesting for Jane than being in her own house.

Standing at the ottoman (this was a couple weeks ago when her legs were often wobbly while standing):

Standing at the gate in the classic "let me out!" position (this was yesterday--you can see how effortlessly she is now standing straight and tall):

Jane cruises!

Jane has been pulling herself up to stand constantly in recent weeks, and has been experimenting with taking a scooting little step while holding on. But just now, Robert and I both saw her do a real cruise: holding onto the couch, she took 6 steps along the couch. Yay Jane!

Trick or treating

Our house with the usual unambitious decorations:

Audrey's jack-o-lantern:
Maggie's:
Maggie fairy:
Audrey fairy:
Ready to go with Matthew, the astronaut:

Striking a pose:

2008 Halloween Stats

I will admit to being disappointed in this year's total. I'd hoped that a Friday night would yield a big turnout, but perhaps it backfired on me by being a popular night for parties. Also, we just don't get the hoodlums like we used to. In years past, I eagerly watched for the dirty vans that would pull up and release a dozen uncostumed teens intent on filling their plastic Ralph's bags with candy. But this year, the number of inappropriately aged trick-or-treaters was vastly reduced, and very few people were uncostumed. In fact, I think I've spotted a new trend: one carefully chosen item signifying "this IS my costume--I'm not just a candy freeloader." More on this in a moment. And now, on with the numbers!

125: Total number of trick-or-treaters.

5:40 p.m.: First trick-or-treater. It was still daylight and we hadn't lit the candles or anything, but a 12-year-old harem girl and mother came to the door and asked if the girl could use our bathroom. I said yes and the embarrassed girl was in and out in a minute and had to be reminded to take some candy. Seemed like an odd thing, and jokes about gypsies ensued for the rest of the evening (Rose knows what I'm talking about).

8:30 p.m.: Last trick-or-treaters. Two teenagers, a boy and a girl, who had "decorated" their faces with red lipstick smears. They looked horrible, but much to their delight, I filled their bags with the last of our candy.

20+: Princesses, still the dominant costume for girls.

15+: Power Rangers, the winner for boys.

6: Girl pirates.

1: Boy pirates (I think once the females take over something, the males no longer want it).

0: Harry Potter characters. My dad proclaimed "Harry Potter is dead."

6: Favorite costumes: elaborate Cleopatra with wig and jewelry; Jolly Green Giant; grown-up Pocahontas; Obi Wan;  ice cream cone constructed out of balloons; kid with a ceiling fan on his head. I swear!

1: Toddler dressed as a bumblebee who came right inside and made it halfway through our living room before I picked him up and gave him back to his mother.

3: Preteens who were texting the entire time.

3: Teenage girls in high heels and skanky costumes: sexy Dorothy, sexy leopard, sexy cheerleader-princess. 

0: Election related costumes or comments. We were surprised! We were on the lookout for Obama masks and Palin chignons, but none were evident around here.

4: Number of candy bars Audrey ruined by frantically chewing on them through the wrapper.

20+: New trend: "My _____ IS my costume!" Fill in the blank with a single item of clothing signifying the trick-or-treater is playing by the rules and has made an attempt at a costume. Used mainly by preteens trying to be cool, teens who just wanted the candy, and adults who wanted to look like they were in on the fun but really just wanted the candy. Items of note included a pink cowboy hat, skeleton t-shirt, black hood, overcoat, men's tie, Tinkerbell t-shirt, jacket worn like a cape, mountain rescue cap, and a hat with fake hair attached.