Happy Halloween!

 Harvest Party

Beth-El Mennonite Church

Saturday, September 29, 2011

Breakfast with Friends

Cutie Kinder Quotes

Devan, a kindergartner, was standing in the breakfast line sporting a freshly cut head of hair.

"Devan, did you get a hair cut?"  I asked.

"Yes!" he replied excitedly.  "My dad is a hair cutter!"

Miley, the student standing next to Devan, pipes up.  "My dad is a firefighter!" she said.

"Wow!  That's really neat!" I told Miley.

Devan glanced at Miley and then turned back to me.

"Well, my dad is a firefighter and a hair cutter."


Later...

Kindergartner Kate ran up to me on the playground, sobbing.

"Reina is being mean to me!" she cried.

"Oh, no.  What is Reina doing to be mean to you?"

"She's saying mean things to me!"  Tears poured out of her eyes.

"What mean things did she say to you, Kate?"  I asked, concerned.

Kate's response was passionate.  "She told me that pencils are used for making holes and I said they are made for writing!"

Family Visit

My parents and nephew visited recently and we spent a day at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. What an amazing place! Among many other great exhibits, they had a terrific dinosaur display. As we walked near the dinosaurs, Jack held tight to mom and dad, pointing at the dinosaurs and repeating "teeth! teeth!" Jack even sat still for his first (25 minute) movie in the Planetarium, One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure. I had so much fun and we will definitely be going back again! Here are some pictures from the excursion.

the best view in denver

waiting at the park for banya, papa, and zach

jack feeding mama a cracker

resting

 

cousins

 

September Brunch Bunch

This month it was just Tammy and me for Brunch Bunch so we met at a restaurant without any kiddos to catch up.  A couple of weeks later, on October 4, Tammy and Paul welcomed a new baby boy to their clan.  His name is Zachary Jonathan.  Congratulations, guys!

Balloon Classic 2011

Last month, we celebrated a long weekend for Labor Day by enjoying the Balloon Classic.

On Saturday morning, we headed to the park despite the windy weather but quickly gave up and headed to breakfast when we saw no balloons ascending.  Then, the balloons flew over our house on Sunday morning and Jack was enamored by them!  We headed to the balloon glow that night.  And the next morning, we made it to the park for the mass ascension.  Jack has been talking about it ever since.  He points to balloons in books and then points outside and says, "ba-oon, ba-oon!"  When we take him outside, sometimes he points to the sky and says, "ba-oon!"  We even gave him some of his own pictures from the event so he could carry them around, look at them, and show others.  It was fun to see an event that has special meaning for Nathan and me become so meaningful for Jack.

Heat by Mike Lupica

Michael and Carlos Arroyo are brothers keeping an important secret.  When that secret is blown wide open, Michael’s promising future in baseball is threatened and his life with his brother may change forever.

Heat is a book about baseball, family, and survival.

But, mostly, it’s a book about baseball.  And I might be the only person to ever read this book about baseball who knows so little about the sport that I actually had to look on Wikipedia to find out what a grounder is. 

The characters in this book are wonderful!  Michael and Carlos are sincere and likeable, but  it’s Michael’s best friend Manny who steals the show.  He is hilarious! 

“The first thing Michael saw when he opened his eyes was the worried face of Manny Cabrera, close enough to Michael that he could smell the Orbit Bubblemint gum his friend was constantly chomping on.

“I know you think this is what heaven will look like,” Manny said.  “But, you’re not dead.”  

The book is also inspiring.  It’s the perfect story for the next blockbuster movie!  Just like Rudy or The Blind Side, Heat will bring tears to your eyes and have you rooting for the main character right from the start.  So, Hollywood, take notice. 

This book managed to dredge up affection in me for a game I know nothing about.  Before reading this book, I couldn’t have told you how many innings there are in a baseball game. Now, I can appreciate baseballs all-American appeal.  I have a fondness for the sport that did not exist in any fiber of my being before.  Now, will I sit down and watch a baseball game?  Probably not.  But I would definitely recommend this book to any reader, not just baseball fans.

Making Cookies

Jack's blood, sweat, and tears went into making these cookies.

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

I loved the topic of this newest Jodi Picoult book (although I read this back in March so my use of the word ‘newest’ may be in question)! 

Married couple, Zoe and Max, divorce after nine years of marriage and many failed pregnancies.  Shortly afterward,  Zoe, a music therapist, meets and falls in love with a high school guidance counselor.  A guidance counselor who also happens to be a woman.  Meanwhile, Max turns to alcohol to drown his sorrows and then eventually repents and finds “truth” and peace in the conservative Christianity practiced by his older brother. 

Zoe and Max, in their attempt to make a family had frozen many embryos.  Zoe and her new partner, Vanessa, want to implant the embryos into Vanessa and finally have the family Zoe has been dreaming of.  Max’s new religious views lead him to believe that being gay is a sin and that gay couples should not be allowed to have children.  A court battle begins as Max and Zoe fight for custody of their unborn children. 

This book started just a little slow for me.  The end of Zoe and Max’s relationship and the beginning of the relationship between Zoe and Vanessa felt like background (albeit necessary background) to the “meat” of this novel- the court battle over the frozen embryos.   With that trigger, the book really took off and kept this reader completely engaged.  Unfortunately, the end left me wanting a little more… more resolution with the Lucy character and some mention of Zoe’s mom in the final chapter.

While it was clear to me that Sing You Home was thoroughly researched and well-thought out, I did think it was transparent throughout the book that Picoult is an atheist.  What I did not realize until I had finished the book was that Picoult’s son recently came out, so I am certain this topic hit home for her.

As always, Picoult’s  knack for portraying two sides of a very controversial issue did not disappoint.   I loved the controversy in this book!  All in all, a great book!