Skipping Town

We spent the day at home doing a lot of preparation for the renovation: carrying stuff down to the basement from the kitchen, family room, and mudroom; organizing the things in the basement; cleaning up the chaos in the basement since we're having people over for New Year's Eve and someone always wants to play ping pong.  We have a mountain of empty boxes in the basement right now, waiting to be filled with kitchen things to store, and I spent some time today pulling out the packing material to throw into recycling. Lo, at the bottom of a large box, underneath miles of packing paper, was a t-shirt Andrew had ordered me back in October for my birthday, from Calamityware! It was completely hidden. An exciting find. It says "GO UNSPECIFIED SPORTS TEAM" and features a ridiculous sports-logo-like image of an octopus. The rest of the day: Andrew and Lucia finished their homemade gifts, Andrew made a ham for dinner, and we watched the second Lord of the Rings. A nice day of ...

Friday, December 26 The day after Christmas is always such a relaxing, fun, family day. We all went out to do some post-Christmas shopping in the morning at Target and Gabe's. Target Christmas things were 50% off--not enough to wildly buy more Christmas decor we definitely don't need--but we of course picked up a couple of things. The girls both found some jeans at Gabe's.  We spent the rest of the day at home, playing games. We played No Thanks a few times--very fun--and more Centry Spice Road. Andrew, Mom, and the kids played Sorry (which they'd also played on Christmas Eve). The girls continued to focus on their sticker therapy and acrylic cubes. Andrew and I took Farrah for a walk. We relaxed and read. Dinner was leftovers from Christmas.  Molly and Jeremy stopped over on their way back to Bethesda, so we got a little visit with them. The girls continued to play the old, three-string guitar. It was a lovely day at home. Saturday, December 27 After the kids and Andre...

Christmas in Connellsville. What a great day. The kids slept in--no more middle-of-the-night sneak peeks at the gifts; I was downstairs drinking coffee with Mom and Dad when they finally came down. (Andrew slept the latest.) They opened their stockings first, loved everything of course, then opened their gifts. Some of their gifts this year: Funko Pops of Powerless characters Games: No Thanks and Century Spice Road running leggings puzzles sticker therapy packs hamster Warmies books OPI polishes & NYX lip glosses weighted bagels acrylic blocks purple hair dye (Lucia) maroon Uggs mini boots (Lucia) botanical Lego set (Greta) Theragun (Greta) jeans from Pacsun (Lucia) Taylor Swift Midnights cardigan (Greta) inchworms with Santa hats (plushies) and more! Andrew and I exchanged gifts as well, and the kids gave us the gifts they'd chosen for us. A wonderful selection. (We'll do our exchange with Mom, Dad, and Molly next week during Post-Christmas.) Mom made pancakes for breakfas...

Tuesday, December 23 A final day of Christmas preparations, and work (from home) until 2pm. Then--free. Lucia went to Kards Unlimited so she could pick out a gift for Greta (and I bought final stocking stuffers). We made and decorated gingerbread cookies. We went to the club for dinner--it takes some convincing for Andrew to get any of us to leave the house, but we did, and had a nice time. Then we watched Rudolph. We are ready for Christmas proper to begin. Wednesday, December 24 Christmas Eve! We loaded up all the gifts and bags and both pets and headed to Cville around 1pm. Molly and Jeremy, who are spending Christmas with Jeremy's family, are staying at our house and we crossed paths when them briefly. Lucia and Andrew went for a run before we left, so Greta and I loaded all the bags into the car.  We were halfway to Cville when Andrew realized he forgot his Christmas Eve outfit on the coat rack by the front door. "If you hadn't loaded the car, I wouldn't have forg...

The weekend continued with full-on Christmas. I got up early Sunday and continued to wrap gifts. We made a bunch of Christmas cookies: cut-outs, peanut butter blossoms, Czech apricot bar cookies, apricot envelopes. The kids made snaps a few days ago. L&G continued to work on their homemade gifts. Sunday evening we had a happy hour at the Clarks', then came home to watch Elf and Frozen 2, two of our annual viewings. Lucia came across an Instagram post or reel or something about making paper origami stars, and taught herself how to do them; Greta had been very into making these a couple of years ago and picked it back up. They are now obsessed and folded stars throughout the movies. Monday, I had to WORK, a travesty this close to Christmas, but at least I was working from home. I stepped away from my "work" in the afternoon to play Unstable Unicorns with the kids. After work the girls and I went to the Dollar Tree for some craft supplies. Andrew made chili for dinner, a...

Kicking Christmas into high gear. Friday was the girls' last day of school. Greta went out after school with two friends to get a manicure. And then--once home, we're home to stay. Lucia wanted to HANG OUT WITH A FRIEND this weekend and I said no. This is Christmas family time. Everyone stays home. The kids are mine until after Christmas.  Friday night I made broccoli cheddar soup and we watched Unaccompanied Minors, a Christmas movie the kids really like and that we watch every year. Saturday was my shopping day--I finished it all by heading out very very early in the morning so I could beat the crowds at Target, Ulta, Trader Joe's, TJ Maxx, and more. I finished putting our Christmas cards together--they won't arrive until after Christmas, but they'll arrive this week at some point. We all spent a lot of time working on our homemade gifts. In the evening, we had TikTok pasta (pasta with tomatoes and feta) and watched a Hallmark movie called The Snow Must Go On, whe...

Trying to shift to holiday status even though the kids still have school and I still have work. The girls and I watched a Hallmark movie Wednesday evening and Frozen on Thursday evening. We always watch both Frozen movies during the Christmas season--they just seem like part of the holiday for us. I was flooded with memories of watching Frozen with the kids when they were so so so little, in Maplewood, how magical the songs were, how obsessed they were with Anna and Elsa, their little Anna and Elsa nightgowns that they wore constantly. Take me back. But also, keep me right here. The kids are so funny and so much fun. I can't wait for Andrew to get home from CA and for our holiday break to begin so we can be together 24/7 without pesky school and work. Christmas family time! 

I'm having a hard time remembering these days I've skipped. Thursday was mostly us just getting through work and school, biding time until winter break. On Friday we went to Phipps with Mom and Dad to see the winter lights--always a highlight of the season. We went out to dinner afterward at the Murray Avenue Grill.  We tried to go to Connellsville on Saturday for a visit and some Gabe's shopping with Mom and Dad, but the forecast was ominously snowy, and some alarming signs on the highway (ROAD WILL BE CLOSED / ONLY TIRES WITH CHAINS WILL PASS or something like that) made us turn around after about twenty minutes. Instead, Andrew and I went out to do some shopping and then started cleaning out the basement in preparation for cleaning out the kitchen. Saturday night we watched Christmas Chronicles 2.  On Sunday, Lucia went to a birthday party while Andrew, Greta, and I went to a Penguins game, with "Club Casamigos" tickets courtesy of our retaining wall guy. We we...

Sunday, December 7 Today, in the middle of the afternoon, we all got dressed in holiday-tastic outfits and headed to the Carnegie Museum of Art for a family photo shoot. The museum offers these photo shoots every years, but this was the first year I've had the wherewithal to snag a slot. The photographer took us all over the museum and posed us in a variety of spots--the Christmas trees, the Sol DeWitt wall, the Grand Staircase, the Hall of Sculptures--and in a variety of single, pair, and family arrangements. I can't wait to see the photos.  Sunday evening we all gathered in front of the fire to watch The Christmas Chronicles, always a favorite.  Monday, December 8 Monday I worked from home. Lucia stayed home from school with a cold/cough. She was feeling well enough by the end of the day to go to Target with me after work to pick up a few groceries and gifts she needed for a friend's birthday. Monday evening, Lucia shocked me by asking me to read her "place essay...

Each day is full to the brim. Thursday I took Farrah to the vet for her annual checkup, a well-timed appointment since she's been having some diarrhea this week. The vet confirmed that it is likely due to the anxiety brought about by our being gone for a week. Poor baby. One college tuition payment later, we left with some probiotics, some prescription dogfood, a year's worth of Heartgard and Next guard, and a fresh round of vaccines. Friday, after work and school, we went to the Market Square market again for some additional browsing. The kids each bought themselves something (they can't resist, even though Christmas is coming), and I picked up a few gifts. Back at home, we ordered Pizza Hut (the kids' choice) and watched a Hallmark movie in front of the fire. Saturday Andrew and I took part in celebrating the life of Jeremy's dad at a funeral service and luncheon. We were glad we could be there and see everyone. Saturday night was the Anniversary Dinner Dance at t...

It snowed so much Monday night that the kids had a snow day on Tuesday. Andrew and I both worked from home. The kids slept in and Lucia went for a run with some of her teammates in Schenley. Greta worked on some travel journaling. Piano lessons were cancelled, so in the evening I made chili, and then we put on a fire and watched a Hallmark movie with the inane title "It's Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas." The characters all had interchangeable one-syllable names--Bess, Cass, Ted. It was wholly enjoyable.  The house is getting Christmassy. I've put up most of our decorations, concentrating everything in the rooms that are not the family room. We put the lights on the tree. I'll decorate it tomorrow. 

Officially speeding toward Christmas. After school and work and XC today we went out and got our Christmas tree and weaths for the windows. Usually we get two trees--one for the family room and one for the library--but this morning I got confirmation from our kitchen contractor that we should get only one tree for the library, which means our renovation looks likely to begin this month (a renovation that encompasses the kitchen as well as the entire family room space). So, we got the biggest Christmas tree we could find. It's over 9 feet tall (Andrew had to trim a few inches since the ceiling in the library is 9 feet) and gorgeously wide. I still may decide to squeeze a second tree somewhere in the house--maybe at the top of the stairs?--but for now, we have one beautiful tree. We'll decorate tomorrow. Snow is imminent. My favorite holiday and season are finally here. I wish we could have no school or work for this entire month.

Saturday, November 29 We didn't have to leave the resort until noon on Saturday, so we squeezed in a few last bits of vacation life. Andrew went for a run; I walked to the coffee shop for a latte; we both took a last swim in the pool; we all had breakfast with Molly and Luca before they left for their flight; the girls and I took a last walk on the beach. Then it was really time to go. We piled into the rental car one last time, and Andrew drove us to the airport. The travel day was long but fine. Everything was on time. Back to winter in Pittsburgh. We were very happy to see Farrah and Nutmeg. Sunday, November 30 Mom and Dad spent the night at our house last night not only because we didn't get in until after midnight but also because today we had matinee tickets for Les Mis (booked well before we decided to go to Tulum). We got to the theater early and spent a little time walking around the Market Square Christmas market. Then we saw the show. It was absolutely wonderful--one...

Our final day in Tulum began early with the breakfast buffet. Then Andrew called for our rental car, and we all piled in, squeezing all eight of us into a van meant for seven. Lucia and Luca shared a seatbelt in the middle of the backseat.  Our destination was the Tulum Ruins, not far from the resort. We were talked into having a guide, which turned out to be not much more money than just the entrance fees, and we were very glad we had one. We all learned a lot about the various uses of the buildings that were now ruins, and lots of things about Mayan culture, traditions, and innovations. It was a great visit. The view from the top of the hill where the castillo rests was amazing. Next we drove into downtown Tulum for some souvenir shopping. We bought some lovely dreamcatchers, and Lucia and Greta both bought bracelets. On our way back to the resort we stopped at a big supemarket/superstore called Soriana so Mom and Dad could get a new suitcase, since theirs was damaged beyond repa...

Another spectacular day in Tulum. Nay, not just a day--Thanksgiving in Tulum! We slept in a bit this morning (well, not me; I got up and read on the balcony) and went to the breakfast buffet around 9am. We tried a different one this morning, Vela Sur, with very pretty outdoor seating.  With the whole day ahead, we set up by the pool right outside Casa 3 (where our room is) and spent the morning swimming and reading. The girls ordered hamburgers for lunch but then also came with us to the lunch buffet for desserts. Greta and I took a walk on the beach and collected some pieces of coral. We had several iguana sightings and many hermit crab sightings. Greta rescued on in danger of being stepped on by scooping it onto her book and depositing it in some landscaping. Rain arrived in the mid-afternoon, so we gathered in our room for a game of Code Names. Then Mom and Dad went to their room to relax; I set out with a book to read in the main building; and everyone else went to the gym. I c...

An epic day in Tulum.  This was the day we'd pegged for cenotes. Mom and Dad decided to sit out this excursion and have a relaxing day at the resort. So, early this morning, Andrew, Lucia, Greta, Molly, Luca, and I got up early and went for breakfast at the Vela Norte buffet. I practiced my Spanish while ordering an omelette, a very straightforward interaction I managed to butcher by asking that my omelette be made "very very good kitchen" (instead of "very very well cooked") and that it be made not with egg whites only but with "all the eyes." Obviously I was trying to say "all the eggs." That doesn't make much sense either but it definitely makes more sense that "all the eyes." Then Andrew got our rental car from the valet, and we headed off to the first cenote: Gran Cenote. Though our GPS told us we'd arrived, there was no signage anywhere--just a few parking spaces along a cement wall, and a small building with two turns...

A full day of rest and relaxation in Tulum. This resort is pretty amazing. We started the day with a buffet breakfast at the Vela Norte restaurant, and it was excellent. I tried to sample a little of everything (didn't come close) so I could focus on my favorite things next time.  Then we changed into swimsuits, slathered up with sunscreen, and spent the rest of the morning and afternoon by the pool. We swam mostly in the ocean. It's a beautiful beach, and the girls dove around with their goggles on. The water is so clear. There is a rocky barrier that keeps the waves from getting too wild. We went in and out of the ocean throughout the day, read in our pool chairs, dipped into the pool, ordered food from Seasalt the pool bar. Lucia and Greta are both obsessed with the hamburgers. They both had one for lunch. Lucia also polished off two plates of chips and guacamole.  Mom had a brief spell of illness today, caused by something she ate or drank or maybe just from the heat. But ...

 We made it to Tulum! Our travel plans went smoothly--Pittsburgh to Newark to Tulum--with no issues. Andrew brought us all into the United Club in Newark so we could relax and enjoy too many lattes (me) from the fancy coffee machine. At the Tulum airport, we picked up our rental car. Andrew is always game to drive us around in unfamiliar vehicles in new countries, and we wanted the flexibility to explore Tulum on our own schedule.  On our way into Tulum, we saw yellow crossing signs along the highway showing not the usual deer or even moose but sinister silhouettes of jaguars and monkeys. I seriously hope we have a jaguar sighting--there were a lot of these signs so it seems they might make frequent appearances. A quick google search tells me that the animal crossing signs along this particular road are meant to protect spider monkeys, coatis, and more. Looking forward to sightings of all kinds as we explore this week. Our resort--the Hilton All-Inclusive Riviera Maya Tulum--i...

Saturday, Lucia went for a run with her team and Andrew went with her. Greta slept in, still recovering from the musical. I focused on packing and cleaning up the house in preparation for our trip. In the afternoon, we all went to the Waterfront to do a little shopping at Target, return a few things, and then see Wicked: For Good. A nice evening before the rush of day-before-vacation craziness. Sunday was very very busy. Andrew and I had a big task: install temporary fencing in the backyard. The retaining wall project involved demolishing the fence at the back of the yard that blocks anyone (Farrah) from hurling themselves off the ledge of our yard into the street below. It will be some time before we can arrange a new fence to be installed. Additionally, the now-destroyed grassy part of our yard is covered with grass seed, covered by mesh netting, covered with hay. Farrah can't walk on this because her paws will get tangled in the mesh. So we bought a large roll of wire fencing an...

Thursday was one of those days where we just keep packing things in. Work, school, and then both kids went with a friend to see a musical at the JCC, which two of their friends (siblings) were in. Lucia has a friend who can drive, so she got picked up; I was on carpool duty for Greta and her friend. While they were out of the house, Andrew and I planned some cenote visits for Tulum and I watched All Her Fault. Friday was the final day of work and school for all of us for an entire week. Yay. In the evening, Andrew went to a hockey game and the girls and I made a fire and watched two Netflix Christmas movies, "A Merry Little Ex-Mas" and "Champagne Problems." "Ex-Mas" was a lot of fun, and made the three of us laugh hysterically. I also fully identified with the crafty, tradition-committed, middle-aged mom calling "But when will we do origami??" as her teenagers head out the door. "Champagne Problems" had a couple of funny supporting char...

A normal day, though I was unable to pick up the kids as I'd thought I could so they had to walk home. I watched an episode of All Her Fault tonight while they were in their rooms doing homework.  And now: the before-and-after retaining wall photos you've all been waiting for! All of these photos were taken from the neighbor's driveway. Our yard and house are above the wall; you can't see them from this angle. The wall collapsing into the down-street neighbor's driveway (there were more pieces actually in the driveway; some had been cleaned up before this photo was taken) Collapsed pieces gone, but still a very decrepit wall  Voila, a pleasing new wall! (Walls, plural, since we had to fix the lower wall too.) You can see the very top of our house in this one. The ivy-covered wall is part of our garage.

We had such a fun weekend going to see Greta in The Little Mermaid. Saturday was another evening performance and Sunday was a matinee, and Mom and Dad joined us for that one. Every performance was fantastic. This is our final Middle School musical in which we'll have a kid on stage, and it was an amazing finale to our Middle School musical run. We've had either Lucia or Greta or both in 5 shows over the past 5 years: Oliver (Lucia), Willy Wonka (Lucia), Seussical (both), Annie (Greta), and now The Little Mermaid (Greta). It's been fun. Andrew and I spent some time this weekend cleaning out the raw storage area in the basement, clearing space for all the kitchen stuff we'll be moving down once our renovation begins. On Sunday, Molly drove in to be with Jeremy and his family after his father's death, so we got to visit with her a bit. The week is off and running now: Greta is still exhaused from the musical; Lucia had a precalc test; work is busy since next week I...

Thursday was Greta's final tech week rehearsal. It's definitely a grueling week, not getting home until 8:30pm and then having to do homework.  Friday I worked from home. It was a chaotic day here, with the retaining wall construction in full swing. There are mountains not only of dirt but also of gravel in our backyard; the entire lawn is torn up from the construction vehicles; and I was asked to move the Volvo this morning to a different spot on the street because they needed to dump yet another pile of dirt at the curb. Is it dirt? Or powdered cement? Who knows. But all day, the house was literally shaking--physically shaking--as enormous construction vehicles rumbled up and down the driveway, each time delivering one powerful block of wall to the backyard. I don't know how they are maneuvering these blocks over the cliff of our backyard into the form of a wall. That will remain a construction-world mystery. But the wall is supposed to be done early next week. Then we wi...

Monday Work, school, Greta musical rehearsal, Lucia studying. Our retaining wall is underway, slowly, and the backyard has been completely destroyed and now features an enourmous mountain of dirt. Mom and Dad came over briefly tonight before going to an event at CMU. I drove them and picked them up, their very own hyper-local Uber. Tuesday Greta had her first late tech week rehearsal until 8:30. I picked Lucia up at 3. Blustery, rainy, cold. Wednesday Another late night for Greta. Lucia went running with her team. I spent quite a bit of the day reading the newly released horror-show emails and lamenting the reality that many, many, many mothers (and fathers!) of young daughters continue to accept, downplay, excuse, and normalize the most horrific of all crimes. I told both kids that we still don't know what else is going to be released, and to tread extremely carefully if photos or videos are made public. They read news updates; they're aware of what's happening. I don'...

A relaxing weekend. Glorious! It's been so long since we've had one of these. Not relaxing for Andrew, of course, since he left for Germany Friday afternoon. But relaxing for me and the girls. Friday was no school because of conference day. Andrew and I had Greta's parent-teacher conference via zoom at 8am and then Lucia's in person at 9:20. Then Lucia rode a lot of miles on her bike with the XC teams and coaches, and Greta had four hours of musical rehearsal. After rehearsal, she and the other eighth-grade cast members walked to Walnut Street for snacks and shopping.  Friday night, all of us finally home, I made pierogies and kielbasa for dinner and then we put on a fire, lit a pumpkin candle, cuddled up on the couches, and watched Wicked. I had never seen it--a year ago, when it came out, I was in the hospital and Lucia and Greta went to see it with Mom and Dad. I wanted to see it before the second part comes out, and I'm so glad I finally did. It was a perfectly ...

Tuesday was the usual busy-ness, though Greta had a late musical rehearsal so Lucia took both piano lessons then came home and had her tutoring session. I worked from home so the day felt manageable. Wednesday took the busy-ness up a notch, with a late work dinner for me at Duquesne. I took the bus there and it took forever and felt like I was venturing out at midnight--I'm still not used to the darkness of late afternoon with the time change. I also took the bus home, and my route was inexplicable. I couldn't see anything out the windows because of the darkness, so relied on the electronic screen showing the stops, and I did eventually get home--but was the bus heading in the wrong direction at some point? Did I unwittingly circle all around downtown? Only the driver knows for sure. I regretted my choice to take the bus that late at night (it was 6:00pm); was grateful to myself for the mask I always keep in my work bag when a woman a few rows up began covid-coughing; but I ref...

Today was our 18th anniversary! The capstone to our very busy month of October. We celebrated with a dinner out at Piccolo Forno in Lawrenceville. It's a very cute place near Andrew's office. Eighteen years--not bad, not bad. We couldn't have predicted what would happen to me, but I'm pretty sure I could have predicted that we'd weather well anything that came for us. 

I'm combining posts for this entire weekend because it was pretty much nonstop activity, a blur of end-of-fall events.  Thursday, Greta dressed up in her Halloween costume for school--she was Luke Danes, and two of her friends were Lorelai and Rory (Chilton years). So part of the early morning before school was attempting to create a scruffy beard for Greta; the adhesive one we'd ordered from Amazon didn't work at all, so we created one with a brown eyeliner. We didn't see her again because she went straight from school to a friend's house for a Halloween sleepover, where they watched scary movies. Lucia had a regular school day and a short XC practice, then came home to get ready for the big States meet in Hershey. Friday, Lucia left early for school, where she met her team and piled into the vans for Hershey. I picked up Greta from her sleepover. (There was no school on Friday.) Friday morning and early afternoon was spent partly working from home and partly getti...

Tuesday was a quiet day in between birthdays, and then it was my turn for dinner and cake. I've never been a huge birthday person, but this year I was very happy to celebrate. Andrew and I went out for breakfast at Georgie's Place after dropping the kids off at school, and then I worked from home. Mom and Dad came over for the evening. Andrew made a delicious chicken piccata, rice pilaf, and butternut squash, and got me my requested toasted almond torte from Market District. We ate and I opened my lovely gifts.  I am SO happy to be 49, because it means I am no longer 48, which was the absolute worst year of my life. Every year from here on out is a reason for grand happiness. What a gift, getting to turn another year older. I could not be happier to be 49, and I will be over the moon to turn 50 and every age after that, because I started off my 48th year thinking none of that would be possible. Bring on all the ages. For my kids, too! I'd go back to their child years in a h...

 Happy 14th birthday to Greta!  We had a great day of celebrating. We had balloons and flowers and her birthday sign at the table in the morning. She opened one gift: an amulet from her favorite show, Supernatural. Andrew made pancakes for breakfast, then the girls and I went to Starbucks for Greta's free birthday drink, and to Dunkin so she could get donuts for her advisory.  We had a bigger birthday dinner tonight than expected, since Molly and Jeremy were in town. Greta had requested Mom's gnocchi, which was delicious. Andrew made a chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling. Greta loved all of her gifts, especially a framed print of an Irena Aizen painting of a rabbit standing on an armadillo, a Garmin running watch, a manatee Warmie, a Sad Rat Jellycat, and a pigeon-watching guidebook.  It was a great birthday, and now she is not a new teenager anymore.

On Saturday evening, we had Greta's birthday party. She invited six friends to a hibachi dinner at Ichiban, and then we drove them all to our house for cake. Andrew made a beautiful four-layer birthday cake--a victory for him, since the kids usually request a store-bought cake for their friend parties. The kids played several rounds of Lucia's signature game, "Murder in the Dark," which entails just an enormous amount of blood-curdling screaming. Greta had a great time.  Sunday was a beautiful fall day. Andrew, Greta, and I went to Phipps in the morning to see the Fall Flower Show before it closed. Birthday errands took up part of the afternoon. At four, Greta and I took Farrah for a long walk in Schenley. A perfect day for a walk in the woods. 

The focus on the second half of this week was Thursday, Lucia's big XC final at the WPIALs in White Oak. Andrew managed to sprint through Newark after landing from Lima that morning, and got on an earlier flight to Pittsburgh--getting home in time for the race, which he otherwise wouldn't have. I took the afternoon off from work, and we drove together to White Oak. It was a freezing day--perfect for running. The parents were all very nervous, since the teams' performance at WPIALs determined whether they'd go to States next week. And the kids all did amazingly well. Lucia PR'd again--21:16, dropping another 18 seconds!--as did the other top-five girls on the team. The lead runner set a school record. The girls' team came in 2nd overall, their States slot secured. We stood at a different place than we usually do in White Oak, but Lucia spotted us--and when she saw Andrew there, she gave him a big smile as she ran past. (He teared up.) The boys also did extremely ...

The nicest thing about the past two days is that Greta has wanted me to read her a couple of Halloween books before bed. She has reconnected to these books because of that school project and seems to have a renewed appreciation for them. Needless to say, I love it.  Tuesday was an insane day: 6:30am: Frantically finished the cleanup of the kitchen to prepare for the cleaners' arrival. I'd spent the entire evening before taming the insane mess of our house, a bi-weekly ordeal that is painful but always worthwhile. Greta and I had gotten Nutmeg into the guest room late Monday night, and Greta slept up there, so at least we didn't have to do that. But there were still, somehow, five thousand dishes in the sink between 11pm and 6am. I dried them all and put them away. 7:15am: Left for school. Negotiated with the construction workers to let me out of my driveway. Yesterday they had to drag a steel plate over a trench to let me out; at least the trench is now filled and only a fe...

A busy weekend. Friday, Andrew and I went to trivia at the club with Beth and Nate. We came in last. Not a good showing, but fun nonetheless. Afterward, I watched This Is Us with the kids. Saturday, Andrew and I took a nearly three-mile walk in Frick while Lucia had XC practice. It was a beautiful fall morning. We took Farrah with us and she was tuckered out for the rest of the day. I ran errands in the afternoon, sorting out some returns and picking up a couple of gifts for Greta's birthday, swiftly approaching. Andrew went grocery shopping and picked up the sheet cake for Lucia's party. Saturday evening was Lucia's birthday party with friends. Six girls plus Lucia went to an escape room (they escaped) and then came to our house for dinner and cake. It was an easy gathering, and they all had fun. This was the true conclusion of Lucia's birthday festivities. Sunday, Andrew left for Peru (again). The girls and I went to a fun run in Frick to support a teammate's char...

Lucia's birthday was followed by a big XC meet at White Oak--the TSTCA meet. She was really fired up for this one, determined to get a PR--which she's been striving for all season. The weather was perfect, nice and cool. I left work early and Andrew and I drove out to watch the race. And it was incredible! Lucia beat her current PR by a minute--a huge accomplishment--and sobbed with joy and pride at the finish line. She came in #11 overall and got a medal. The girls' and boys' teams both came in first, and the #1 runner on both teams was from WT. An exciting race for all. Next week: the biggest race of the season, WPIALs.  I'm so glad Lucia had a great run after the disappointing (and sweltering) experience in Ohio. 

 Happy 16th Birthday Lucia! Today was Lucia's Sweet Sixteen. She was just as excited about her birthday this year as she has been every year since she was aware of the idea of birthdays. She just loves her day.  We did all the same things we always do, but I tried to do a little extra this year since it is a milestone birthday. I got a shimmery purple tinsel backdrop that we hung up behind the table, with a Happy Sweet 16 banner. I also put together a poster with pictures of Lucia from all of her previous birthdays (a very fun project) and propped it up on an easel. And, of course, the usual giant number balloons, sign board, and flowers. She'd requested one gift for the morning: a pair of Chickenlegs running shorts and a bag of her favorite candy. I made a Dutch baby for the kids, and then the girls and I went to Starbucks before school so Lucia could get a free birthday drink.  Lucia's day at school was a little rocky--she had a precalc test that she was certain she did...

Over the past week or so, both girls have shown me that their ideas about themselves and our family are emerging and crystalizing. I love these glimpses of how their identities are taking shape.  We were in the car last week, on our way to school, and Lucia was expressing frustration that a runner on her team was dropping time dramatically while Lucia can't seem to beat her own PR. I pointed out that this girl's parents are both professional-level runners, and said genetics is helping her (along with, of course, all the hard work of training). "Sadly, you have only Daddy's genetics to help you with your running," I said. "My genetics are working against you when it comes to athletics." Lucia nodded, agreeing. "Your genetics make me organize a box of buttons by color into an egg carton," she said. This is so absolutely correct. I couldn't have said it better myself. Also last week, I was decorating for Halloween when Greta appeared, watching...

Greta had a handful of XC friends over Friday night for more "bedazzling and team bonding." They bedazzled, sang, danced, and used the Ouija board. It was a nice final get-together before their final race Saturday morning, in Freeport. Greta got a PR and was happy. Our last Middle School XC race--it's hard not to feel sad. This was our 5th Middle School XC season.  Lucia didn't come to the meet because she had XC practice at Frick. Greta took the team bus home from the meet, and had a ride home from there. So Andrew and I went to the Strip to pick up a couple of birthday gifts for the kids.  In the afternoon, I ran several birthday-related errands.  Saturday night was Homecoming for Lucia--she met up with some of her friends beforehand at the house of a friend who lives near school, and they all walked to the dance together. She was very excited about her dress--short and sparkly, with a corset back and a skirt that was layers of tulle. She had shoes the exact color p...

Andrew was still sick all week with the cold/flu, though by the end of the week he'd shown some improvement. He is sleeping in the guest room, which confuses Farrah, and she has alternated where she sleeps at night, mostly ending up with me.  Wednesday, Greta had a XC meet and came in 6th. I wasn't able to go--the only meet I've missed this year--because of meetings at work (this was a rescheduled meet from a rain cancellation). Andrew was there to cheer her, but getting there was a problem because he couldn't find any of the keys to the Mini, which was blocking in the Volvo in the driveway. He called me at work. I found one of the keys in my purse--I'd driven the kids to school and just threw my purse into my work bag when I left to catch the bus--but the other one was nowhere to be found. So Andrew walked to the meet, not too far away in Schenley, then walked to CMU to get the key from me since I had to stay on campus for a late meeting. He was certain the kids or...

Friday, October 3 Big day in the Littell house, with Taylor Swift's new release dropping at midnight Thursday night. The kids stayed up for it, making friendship bracelets and listening to the new album in the basement (I was asleep). Friday night, the girls and I drove to the Waterfront to see the Life of a Showgirl behind-the-scenes documentary. We had dinner at Bravo then went to the theater, where they traded a couple of friendship bracelets--they were so excited at this tiny nod back to the Eras Tour.  My life was an absolute horror show during that concert, and most of that weekend is a blur that I've pretty much repressed, but I will always be glad we made that concert happen despite it all. Just one of many experiences that I will not let this curse take away from us. Saturday, October 4 Lucia caught a bus at school at 7am to go out to Ohio for the Legends XC meet, and Greta and I hit the road not long after. This was an enormous meet at a big fairgrounds in Cortland, a...

This morning, I came across an article in Slate featuring the top 25 picture books over the past 25 years. The article was partly in response to an old article in the NYT about how picture books were no longer a vital part of children's lives, how children's books were dead, etc etc. Articles like that always surprise me, because picture books were such a crucial part of my kids' childhood that I can honestly say the books I selected and read to them made them who they are. We read together for hours each day. We had books for each season and holiday, and a new selection of books every summer that we read only on the porch. A couple of the books from this Slate list are in our own library; but our favorites are generally not the type of book that would make an appearance on a list like this. (For example: the incredibly odd and somewhat disturbing Three Little Horses.) Recently, Greta and I dug through all of our picture books, pulling out our very favorites. This task was ...