a few beach photos

At the end of October we went to South Padre Island with my parents. Chuck and Paula Schwartzmann were kind enough to gift us a week of their timeshare!

The last 4 or so miles of the island are undeveloped:

This is the view from our balcony. Matthew and the boys are the dots down there, building a sand castle:

My mother doing her best to read a book on a particularly windy day:

On top of Old Sand Dune! All covered with sand. I lost my poor family. . .

One day the boys and Matthew spent a few hours having races on the beach. Harry got a head start, then Jackson, then Matthew, while I read walked around reading my book and letting MC nap in the sling:

Mary Clement really bonded with my dad. This also shows how attached she is to those 2 fingers. She was only somewhat conflicted putting sandy fingers in her mouth:

A great one of Jackson body surfing with my dad:

Portrait of a Sister

Medium: Brown Rice (on canvas of Blue Bowl)

Harry Wright, Artist, comments on his work: "It's Mary Clement laughing"

Mary Clement has discovered the "joy" of gagging herself. Each of my kids have done this around this age. Why would you do this more than once?

Jackson's first tooth fell out today! I cried.

Emma going as Essie

Proud Pappa that I am, couldn't resist posting these Halloween pictures of Emma dressed as Essie (wearing one of her originals).

Hallowmas

This fall, Keri and I tried a new approach to Halloween after reading a blogpost in the Rabbit Room talking about using the time to reach out to neighbors and celebrate the freedom we have in Christ's triumph over death. So we created the above churchyard with tombstones commemorating saints from various centuries (Meme was the most recent) and had lots of candy (Keri got the good stuff). Of all the names for the days, I like Hallows Eve (the trick-or-treaters couldn't tell the difference) and Hallowmas (rather than All Saints Day).

The girls went as new life. Keri and I were their alter ego larvae.

This was the cross remembering Augustine. We relit everything on 11/1 and had our family devotions in the churchyard, thanking God for the lives of each of the saints.

We turned last years "recycled" jack o'lanterns into saint o'lanterns naming them after various saints, and Sophie expanded our collection significantly with much more whimsically drawn faces than I'd managed last year.

Though Sophie looks ecstatic in this shot because she has been eating so much candy, both girls really joined in the entire celebration; we'll definitely be doing something similar next year.

We often talk about "when we move" or "when Matthew's done with the dissertation" as if it's Beulah Land, that we'll do things like sports, get a new couch, etc. We didn't realize this was so oft spoke of until the other day when Harry said, "When we move, I'm going to get a hula hoop."

This just in - a report from Betsy Stokes, neighbor extraordinaire:

The kids (Jackson, Harry, Charlie, and Claire Ellen) are on their back porch sorting/trading their Halloween candy (this has happened every day this week). Betsy, as a joke, asks if they'd like some brussel sprouts. J and H respond enthusiastically, "Yes!" and now they're popping brussel sprouts while continuing to sort candy.

Matthew and Kevin and I went to see Mumford and Sons in concert last night!

Mary Clement currently: walking around with one shoe on (she loves her shoes and first thing every morning goes to get them with a request for us to put them on) and the utensil bucket from the dishwasher, as if it's a purse. Just now - brought me George Weigel's Letters to a Young Catholic with a request for me to read it to her.

Boys currently: clipping pictures from the Lego Jr. magazine, using their clip art to stage battles.

Me currently: trying to pay bills and get a grocery list together.

Aren't we fascinating? Hey, you're the one who came here.

Typical Harry scenario that happened this morning:

Matthew tells Harry to go get dressed. Ten minutes later, Harry is found in the bathroom buck naked in front of a sink full of water, lost in a make-believe world with the toothbrushes, them talking back and forth, daring eachother to dive into the water, etc. Sigh. . .