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We crammed all the kids into the stairwell this morning, turned off the lights, and explained why sometimes it’s day and sometimes it’s night.

Moving along on that October was really busy theme, suddenly I found myself taking my children trick-or-treating without a husband or a camera.

Fortunately, good friends and the camera on my phone saved the evening.

Featured this year are an Inuit (the politically correct term for Eskimo), a Jawa, and Rapunzel.

Day one brought a long day of travel, which is far easier, I should point out, when there are no strollers, diapers, or baby food, and everyone pulls their own suitcase. Hooray for progress!

An hour after we arrived, we found ourselves in the heart of Disney where it was hot (a running theme) and crowded. But Ellery had only been in utero, so I felt compelled to give her the opportunity to visit while she was still small.

Mission accomplished!

Today we met some friends at the zoo. On the way in, the Youngest eyed the merry-go-round. We were in a bit of a hurry, so we sailed right past.

But on the way out we stopped.

I realized she had been on a merry-go-round once, but not a time that she could remember.

When she got off, she declared it the most amazing experience ever. She smiled, “I can’t wait until the next time I get to ride the Miracleround!”

When I was young, each year our school made a trip to an outdoor education center an hour and a half north.

We stayed for three days and two nights. Our days were filled with endless hikes and animal encounters. Our evenings were spent in bunk beds, giggling ourselves to sleep.

It was in this place that I discovered the pine forest. It was a forest that was older than I could fathom, with trees as tall as buildings. The counselor had us all lie on our backs, eyes pointed toward the sky. There we remained, in silence, for what seemed like an eternity. It was the moment in my life where I discovered that, for me, peace and calm comes from simply taking a moment to reflect on the humbling majesty of what simply lay at my feet. I just had to remember to stop, look up, and breathe.

Today I returned to that same place, with my oldest and her friends. I smiled as I watched their nervous eyes peek through the windows.

Welcome.

 

There are like, oh, I don’t know, about eight more loads in the cue behind this one.

Just in case you were wondering, my amazing husband is also an amazing father.

The Middlest had a friend over today who is also a Super Mario enthusiast. The Husband set up this two-color job so they could spend some time getting their hands dirty instead of just playing video games for hours on end.

(Thanks to Chris for providing two out of the three of these photos.)

 

I have to say this is one of the best fundraisers I’ve seen so far. I don’t need to buy a product, but instead, I’m just being directed to a good cause.

To learn more visit For Japan With Love or ShelterBox.

Ellery ran off with my small camera for a while this afternoon. Around the house she went, snapping photos of the things in her world. These are my favorite shots, untouched except for the third, which was shot vertically, and I simply cropped horizontally.

I so love her perspective.

There’s something so simple and good about these Kansas stamps.