Thanksgiving

It has been a whirlwind few days. We had a lovely Thanksgiving with the Pressley clan in Atlanta last Thursday before heading off to New York to spend a few days with the McCarthy clan. We arrived in New York City on Thursday night and drove to upstate New York Friday morning for our annual visit with Kerry and Kate in Rosendale. On Friday afternoon, K&K took us to High Falls for a little stroll and some rock hopping. Saturday, we went to Mohonk Mountain House for our new(ish) tradition of breakfast there, followed by a hike (or short walk - depending on how brutally cold it is), and warming up by a nice big fire in the lodge before heading back to K&K's for a visit from some of the McCarthy cousins. When the McCarthy cousins arrive, everyone heads up the hill behind K&K's house to go spelunking in the caves on the back of their property. Then, back inside for some grub. We all thoroughly enjoy taking part in all of these traditions that have developed over the last 10 years.

Evan and Kerry at High Falls

Me and Pressley at High Falls

Pressley tries to stay warm after the hike at Mohonk

Evan and Corin at the top of the mountain

Mohonk Mountain House

This year, we talked mom and dad into joining us in NYC after we were done with the upstate part of our trip. Mom and dad have never been to NYC, and since we love being here this time of year, we wanted to share it with them. We managed to have a fun afternoon and evening today despite the unrelenting cold rain. We went to Macy's and toured the "North Pole" and got to visit with the real Santa. Then we arrived at the Empire State Building only to find a sign that read "Visibility 0 Miles" and were discouraged from buying tickets. So, it was on to Little Italy for dinner. We had a fabulous dinner and found a mini-van cab to bring us all back to the hotel together. Cabbing it is definetly the way to go when it is cold and rainy. Tomorrow promises to be another rainy day - at least in the morning - so we plan to hit a museum and stay dry until the rain clears and we can venture out to do some other fun stuff. I've attached a few photos of our adventures as a preview, but will have to post the albums when I return.

Evan and Santa at Macy's NYC

Pressley was not so thrilled about Santa - didn't want to be anywhere near him

A visit with friends

Our good friends the Manns came over on Sunday night for dinner and a play date. I am very fortunate that many of my friends from my teenage years still attend my church, are in my Sunday school class, and I get to see them all the time. Unfortunately for me, Jennifer moved to Roswell many years ago and attends church out that way, so our visits are fewer and farther between. Despite the relative infrequency of our visits, my kids have developed a love for her kids that is almost unparalleled. They get SO excited whenever they find out we are going to see Jake and Charlie. They are great playmates for Evan and they are very "big-brotherly" and protective of Pressley. It is very sweet. Here are some photos that Jennifer took at the end of the evening when the boys were all sweaty and red-faced from playing so hard.

The adults also had a good time even though Jennifer and I had to leave the room to let the boys duke it out when the conversation turned to politics. Everybody left still friends, so it was a successful evening.

Thanksgiving poems and songs and cupcakes

Today was the kids' Thanksgiving program at school. They were supposed to have it last Friday, but the busted water main closed school and caused the show to be canceled. As I mentioned last week, I always enjoy the silly hats and creative "costumes" that the kids wear for these things. There were no such hats or costumes for either of the kids' classes this time. Oh well. They still looked super cute. I guess I'll have to look for other opportunities to take embarassing photos to show their future girlfriends/boyfriends.

Evan's class recited a poem called Thanksgiving Everyday. It was cute. Evan did a great job of reciting the poem but pretty much refused to do the associtated motions.

Pressley's class sang a song called "I Eat Turkey" to the tune of Frere Jacques. I could not see her at all because one of the teachers moved her to the back row right before they started singing. Corin was in charge of taking the still shots of Pressley while I operated the video camera. I do not know what happened, but those pics did not turn out well. Here are a few blurry ones anyway...

After the program, there was a party in Evan's classroom. The kids enjoyed eating all kinds of junk food and playing in Evan's class. It was a fun day. I am not in any hurry to cook dinner because I am making a frittata and the only hope I had that they would eat it (because it is somewhat unfamiliar) was if they were starving. That is not gonna happen, so I'm sure dinner time will be a struggle. Oh, well. I'm off to give it a shot.

No school today

I was awakened this morning by the phone ringing. Well, actually, I was awakened for the first time by Pressley calling for me, so I went anc climbed into bed with her at 6:30. I was awakened for the second time at 7 when she insisted that I take her downstairs for breakfast. And I was awakened the third time by the phone ringing at 7:15. On the phone was Ms. Sheila, one of Evan's teachers from school. She was calling to let us know that a water main was broken near school and the school was without water, so opening would be delayed. Fabulous. I turned off the alarm and waited to be awakened for the fourth time when Evan got up....

I spent all morning hanging around the house waiting for the phone call saying that the water was back on and the kids should come to school. I finally got tired of feeling trapped in my own house and we decided to make a quick trip to the grocery store so we could make cookies. On the way to the grocery store, I got an e-mail saying that the water would not be restored until tomorrow, so no school today. And no Thanksgiving program this afternoon at 3 p.m. I was so ready to post pictures of the kids in silly turkey hats or some such thing. But, that will have to wait until Monday.

After a slow start, we had a good day. The trip to the store was, thankfully, uneventful and we came home to make chocolate chip cookies. Apparently, in 4-1/2 years, I have never done this with my eldest child. He seemed to have no concept of why we couldn't eat the cookies the minute we got home. I guess I've been so caught up in trying to make sure that my kids don't follow in my footsteps with weight struggles that I have deprived them of ever baking with mommy. Shameful. They thoroughly enjoyed the baking, the licking of the beaters and the eating of the cookies.

Then it was nap time. Evan threw a total wrench in the works for us. Pressley and I have finally (after 3 months) gotten into a good routine with naps. I don't have to threaten or cajole anymore... I just put her in her room and she goes to sleep. Except when Evan is home and down the hall "resting" and having to be reminded every 5 seconds that "resting" does not mean using your outside voice. Pressley finally did fall asleep despite the ruckus, and I even got a little power nap between Evan's interruptions.

We did love having some extra time to spend with Evan today. However, hopefully the water will be restored to the school over the weekend and we can get back on track on Monday. And have the Thanksgiving program so I can take those photos the kids will hate when they are 14....

Silly kids

My kids actually asked me to take pictures of them this afternoon. That never happens. They were being very silly, but I managed to get a few cute shots. Can't tell whether the discoloration on Pressley's lower lip/chin is chapped skin or dorito dust. Nevertheless, after my last very serious post, I thought I'd share silly pictures.

Now back to playing "fish and shark", which is their favorite new game. It involves me sitting on the bed with a jump rope and "catching" them out of the water, dragging them onto the bed with me, tickling them, and then letting them escape back into the "water." It is exhausting.

A heavy burden

I know that it has been over a week since I have posted about the kids and I know that is what most of my readers are interested in. They are doing great and cute as ever. I will write about them soon. Today, I have something else weighing on my mind.

I found out late Sunday night that a good friend of mine from high school and college is now homeless. Through a chain of events, beginning with his wife leaving him for another man at their church, this friend ended up living on the street and now calls himself a street preacher. He apparently sits by the side of the road with signs condemning all manner of societal woes. My understanding is that he is lucid and this is the life he has chosen for himself and that it has been going on for at least 3-4 years. I have found this information very hard to swallow. I am perplexed and heart-broken.

I find myself at a loss for how to pray for him. I suppose that if this is God's will for his life, I should pray for the effectiveness of his mission? When John the Baptist was the voice crying out in the wilderness, I'm sure people questioned whether he was playing with a full deck, right? Who am I to say? But if this is not God's will for his life, and just some misguided way of handling the anger from his broken relationship, then I pray for intervention and healing and restoration and peace.

If you are a person of faith, I would ask that you join me in praying for my friend. Whether or not you are a person of faith, I would ask that you re-think the way you look at homeless people. A few years back, there was a man who sat at a bus stop outside my church on Sundays when the service was letting out. He held a sign that said something about how teenage girls dress like whores in church. I had to admit to myself last night that, even though I saw that guy a number of times, I never looked at him. I just dismissed him as a crazy person and shook my head with pity. Could it have been my friend? Possibly. Whether or not he was my friend, he was a human being whose life has value and I had no idea what set of circumstances had led him to that place. So, not only am I perplexed and heart-broken, but I am also convicted. Now, as I pray for my friend, I will also pray for a change in my own heart in the way I look at folks whom I presume are not like me. Maybe they are a lot more like me than I would like to think. Certainly my friend and I had enough in common to be friends for six years though our lives have taken very different paths....

In closing, I do not feel comfortable publishing my friend's name in such a public forum, but if you would like to pray for him by name, shoot me an e-mail and I'd be glad to provide more information.

My homegirls

These are my Berry Girls. (Top: Allison, Kelly, Jolynn; Bottom: Me, Jan, April, and Amy F.) There are seven of us. I have been extremely blessed in my life to have some really wonderful friends. Today, I have many "groups" of friends that are tremendously special to me: the girls I grew up with at Briarlake, the girls I shared law school and/or the early years of my law career with, and so on. But I've been on a trip down memory lane with the Berry Girls recently. We had dinner together last Thursday night and got to talking about how long we've been getting together and all the photos we've taken with one another over the years. During our time together last week, we ended up at the Cheesecake Factory for 2 pieces of cheesecake, a few cups of coffee and a LONG time at the table. One of the girls apologized to the waitress for holding on to the table for so long and she said, "Oh, that's ok. I could tell yall were a bunch of homegirls catching up" or some such thing. It tickled us. I have never thought of them as my homegirls, but maybe they are. But, I digress...

Anyhow, I knew I had some of the earliest photos of the group, so I set about the task of culling through my many boxes of photos from college and beyond and pulled some of my favorites. I posted them on Facebook, but if you are not on Facebook, I have created an album of them under the Albums link as well. I cannot tell you how much these women and I have experienced together over the last 18 years (yes, we recently realized that we have now known each other as long as we didn't know each other before college). These are the women who give me laughter, understanding, laughter, encouragement, laughter, wisdom, laughter, tears, laughter... well, you get the picture. Don't get me wrong. These are not the only friends who provide those things for me. I have many other wonderful friends. But this group of girls has made a commitment over the last, well, many years to never let too much time pass before we are together again. I am so grateful for these girls. And, I hope they are still my friends after I make these photos of them public since some of the other things we have experienced together are big hair, silly hats, lots of matching pajama purchases (don't ask), waaaay out of style Christmas sweaters and Christmas jumpers - with the impossibly big embroidered collars - (who knew those would ever go out of style?) and the list goes on....

I love you, my "Berry Girls!" Here's to many more years of embarrassing photos and matching pajamas. I hope I can always be there for you and that you will always be there for me.

Scoot back jus a little bit, okaaaay?

Pressley and I had a fun day at Stone Mountain Park yesterday playing on the playground with friends from church. She had a good time playing with her buddies and then we went with them to Moe's for lunch, so that just made her joy complete. The cutest moment of the day was after we got home. She had napped in the car on the way home from lunch, so we had a few minutes to play before we picked Evan up from school. Pressley decided we would have "circle time", so we sat on the floor together and she "read" books to me and showed me flash cards and asked me questions about them. Every time I answered one of her questions correctly, she would say, "Yay! That right!" At one point during circle time, she reached out and patted my leg, leaned in and said to me quietly, "Scoot back jus a little bit, okaaaay?" So cute.

Pressley and Kayla enjoy a snack

After Evan got home from school, we went to the mall to buy some new tennis shoes. I have started feeling bad about the fact that he still wears nothing but crocs all the time, so I have convinced him (sort of) that crocs are summer shoes. There was a train at the mall that travels around the entire upstairs loop, and I told the kids that if they were good during the shoe shopping they could ride the train. They had a ball. And Evan has some cool new Addidas that he will have to learn how to tie.

Pressley and Evan ride the train at the mall

Well, Pressley and I are off to Evan's soccer game to hand out snacks and drinks after the game. Evan is not there. He and Corin have gone to another UT game - this time in Knoxville - and to visit Gran and Grandaddy. So, Pressley and I are having another girls' weekend. We'll try not to do anything you wouldn't do...

Hosting a play date

Evan has his friend Charlie at the house this afternoon for a playdate. Because I don't have a car big enough for a 3rd car seat, I walked to school to pick them up. We walked from school to the park, had a little snack, and they played at the park briefly, but seemed eager to come show off/ check out toys at the house. So many cute things about the play date: First, Evan and Charlie held hands for safety all the way from school to the park. It was very sweet. Second, on the way to the park, Pressley kept saying things like, "Look! Do you see the airplane, Charlie?" and "Wait for me, Charlie!!" Ahhh, being a little sister is hard. Third, when we got home from the park, the phone rang and Evan answered it (which, luckily, he does not often do). When I yelled upstairs to ask who it was, he says: "I don't know... John McCain?" I later overheard him tell Charlie that John McCain is a man who is running for President.

Right now, all three kids are in the playroom closet so Evan can demonstrate his new flashlight. Good times.

Trick or Treat!

Yesterday, our afternoon and evening were as full as our morning. We had a party at Pressley's school, followed by 2 hours of junk-food-free playing at home, followed by a quick dinner and trick or treating. Mom and dad came over to trick or treat with the kids and I stayed home to wait for trick or treaters. For the first 20 minutes or so, I got nothing. Can't complain. It was the first time all day I got to sit down and hear myself think. Eventually, we got a barrage of trick or treaters, including my own children. (I heard Evan coming up the front steps saying, "This is my house! Let's get candy from here!") Pressley decided when she reached our house that she was ready to stop. According to the trick or treat chaperones, poor Pressley was freaked out by every kid in a mask or furry costume; including her little friend Cary who is one of her best buddies from school. I should have expected that given the Monkey Joe's fiasco a few weeks back. Anyway, there are new Trick or Treat photos linked under Albums. Happy belated Halloween!

Evan and Pressley get ready to hit the neighborhood

Left: Evan (a.k.a. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle)

Right: Pressley (a.k.a. Fairy Princess)