SYTYCD

Last night Carra, Jen and I drove down to Tampa for the So You Think You Can Dance show. It was amazing! First of all, we got there very early and had no problem finding parking. We walked around downtown Tampa and found a great little Mediterranean place for dinner, where we loaded up on pita,garlic, feta, more garlic, and dessert.

But on to the show...our seats were actually pretty good. Granted, we were far away, but our view was unobstructed and we could see all the dancers. Turns out this was the last show of the tour, which made them all somewhat weepy and it was all very touching.

The first announcement was that we'd be seing none of this...
...because Twitch apparenlty hurt himself at the last show and would not be performing for us.

Still, there was plenty of Will and Josh and Mark and Katie and the others...
They all did a solo, and a few group numbers (5 Guys Named Moe, and that awesome Mia Michaels routine). Gev was clearly the little brother of the group, as he did relatively little dancing, but came out dressed in a variety of dresses so the others could make fun of him. The one thing I really missed (other than Twitch's dances) was the Pas De Deux, which sadly was not performed.


All in all, it was great to see them all live. These are kids at the top of their game, hopefully about to embark onto bigger and better things. They've started the auditions for next year's show. Not sure how they'll top Season 4...then again, I say that after every season!

One Month Already

So it's already been a month since we got home with Merete. It's amazing how quickly he has adjusted to his new life. He's a fun loving, easy going kid, so that certainly helps! He and Elijah are having a great time together, and Elijah is proving to be a wonderful big brother. Of course, there are the rough spots where someone gets tackled, some toy gets taken, and even who makes it to the bathroom first is a competition. Still pretty funny though :-)












M's English is getting better and better every day. He loves to imitate us, and he's now even speaking in "full" sentences every so often (you know, like a typical 3 year old). He's adopted all of our catch phrases, so there's plenty of "uggrrrrr" when things don't go his way (courtesy of E), "oh jeezz" (courtesy of Han), and "oh come on!" (I think that's mine). He's also still growing and gaining weight rapidly...I have no idea what his ideal weight and height are, but he's well on the US charts now. And he also got a perfectly clean bill of health from his doc!

Among the other fun activities we've shown you in the past month, the boys have also gone to a birthday party for one of E's classmates:


The biggest new development is that Merete has started school part-time! Last Monday, E was off from school and we had them both go to M's new school (which is E's old school) so M could get used to the place with his big brother there to watch over him. I heard from the teachers that M had a wonderful time, and that E spent the entire time protecting his brother, showing him everything and introducing him to other kids.


Over the next couple of days M kept asking about school, so on Friday we decided to let him go on his own. E heads off very early, so when I got back I figured M and I could go for a walk before he went to school. His response: "No! It's a school day!" with a nice "duh, Mom, get with it" look on his face. Even today he kept pointing towards E's school and saying "Elijah", and then pointing in the other direction and sayign "Merete's school". I'm trying not to take it personally, but he can't wait to get away from his boring parents to head off to play with his new friends! I am grateful that he is so happy there.

Finally, I'd be in big trouble if I didn't show off Leonard, Elijah's fancy turkey:

Our Trip to Fall

As many of you know, we've gone on "fall" trips for the last few years. It's right around October/November, when the weather in Gainesville fails to approximate fall in any way. When there are the ridiculously unnecessary sweaters and jackets appearing in local stores just as the temperature hangs out at 80 in the afternoon and stagnates at hot and muggy even in the morning. But we can't pretend like it's not supposed to be fall, because of the insane amount of fall themed items on sale, the "fall" carnivals and pumpkin scented everything. So it's right about this time of year when I feel the need to travel north in search of a fresh breeze, colorful leaves, and maybe even a mountain or two. The first year was an impulsive trip up to the Carolinas that I planned in a week. I think it was one of the best for the spirit of fall. The second was a trip to Tennessee and Georgia, which was also nice (especially Chattanooga). Last year was our more cultural and friend driven trip when we managed to hit Philly, Lancaster, Baltimore, Virginia, and DC in a little over a week.

This year our trip was to Ethiopia to pick up Merete, which was by far the most amazing trip of my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything. But come on, would it really be too much to ask for there to be some sense of fall somewhere?? Ethiopia has two seasons, rainy and dry. We were there near the beginning of the dry season. There was plenty of green hills and beauty around us. And of course, the nice cool air each night. But I so do miss fall. We had a couple of weeks of cooler weather, but what is it with the 70 degree mornings now??

This is when I get the itch to migrate north. We can't, but I do have one snippet of fall from this year. And I hold on to that snippet, for I know it will be my last bit of fall for a long time. I did see a patch of beautiful trees and I did catch a whiff of fresh air...when we landed in DC on the way back from Ethiopia. So here it is, the picture from this year's "trip to fall":

United We Craft

After another fun Saturday workout, Wendy and I took the kiddos to the Unitarian church for their annual winter craft festival. The kids had a great time making crafts from various cultures and religions. My personal favorite is the Tibetan prayer flag, decorated by the world's newest abstract artist Merete, the precise Elijah, and the talented Tyler. I also love the bird houses they made, and of course the many ornaments. Wendy and I sampled some great soups and plan on making our own, and I think I speak for both of us when I say that we were just a tad sad that all the crafting fun was for the kids and not for the adults too. I so want to make a set of flags! Elijah did let me decorate the bottom of his birdhouse, which can be viewed if one kneels under the birdhouse and twists their necks upward. At least we had a great time watching the kids have a great time :-)

President Obama

History

There is a moment, a simple moment, before history gets recorded.
Before it goes into the books.
Before it appears as a question on a game show.
Or on a midterm exam.
A moment right before the headline is written.
There is a moment when history lives in the present.
When we can watch it unfold in real time, right before our eyes.
And we can all assume our place in it.
Some people life for history.
We live for the moment just before.
(from CNN)

With that in mind, I will be staring at this map (and here's an explanation of the map) and keeping tuned to the news (let me know if you think you know the best station to watch :-)

Ninjas Part 2

Halloween started early on Friday. The kindergartners had a costume parade in the morning, and E got to wear his costume the rest of the day!


Then evening came and we headed over to Staci awesome neighborhood where all the kiddos had gathered. We ate and headed over to the haunted house, which was very cool and not too scary for the little ones. Trick 'or Treating in this neighborhood was awesome! Some of the houses were all decked out and there were kids everywhere. The boys had a great time with their friends, as did I.