Brotherly Love

"Cooper, will you help me study the gospel?"

Artist's Eye

Sophie, Topher, and I went to a costume party on Saturday night. They had a huge yard and an amazing art installation that reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. Sophie was inspired and kept borrowing my phone to express her artistic soul through pictures. I took the first picture, the rest are Sophie's.

In the Clouds

This evening, while driving home, I looked out the front window of my car and saw these clouds. I was stopped at a red light and my phone was on my dashboard showing me directions. I tilted the phone in its stand and clicked a picture. There were dark clouds below and bright, sunlit clouds above. I suddenly had the impression that the dark clouds could represent the turmoil and sadness that sometimes exist on earth. Those bright clouds above were a reminder that God is there and He loves us, even when things aren't going well here.

Sometimes clouds can be a tender mercy.

Doing My Duty

The adults in our household (including Peter) all used mail-in-ballots this year. I dropped mine off last week and got an email on Friday that it had been received. I'm thankful that we live in a country where we get to add our voices and vote.

All Treats, No Tricks

Topher snagged us some spooky glasses at the trunk-or-treat on Wednesday night. We wore them just long enough to take pictures.

We only got out twenty minutes late to trick-or-treat vs. our standard thirty minutes. Our township allows trick-or-treating from 6pm to 8pm and we walked about two miles during that block of time. The temperature got up to the 80s during the day, so no one needed a jacket while we roamed around the neighborhood.

We returned home sore from walking and hauling those heavy bags of candy.

Yes, Phoebe was green. She got lots of positive comments on her costume. A few people even guessed that she and Sophie were characters from Wicked, though most people thought Sophie was a princess.

Bryan sat at the end of the driveway and handed out candy to the approximately twenty kids that came by. We have A LOT of candy left over.

A Glimpse

I just got home from attending an Endowment session at the Philadelphia Temple. I went to support a sweet friend from my old ward who was going through for the first time. If my count is correct, there were at least twenty-one of us in attendance to encourage and support my friend and her husband. I've never been in a session with so many people that I hold dear. None of us wanted to leave the Celestial Room when it was over and I kept thinking, "This is what heaven will be like."

It was wonderful.

More Trunks, More Treats

The Halloween party continued last night when we attended our old ward's Trunk or Treat. It was so fun!

Phoebe and her friend Isaac decided to be Thing 1 and Thing 2, so I borrowed Phoebe's Elphaba costume for the evening. I couldn't commit to being fully green, but I did find some green eye shadow and liner.

I used iron-on transfers on inexpensive Walmart shirts to create their look. I also melted off part of Phoebe's logo and used a black Sharpie to color it in. The wigs used to be shoulder length, but I chopped them up to be a little more like the Things in The Cat in the Hat. And I made Phoebe's tutu yesterday afternoon. I ran out of time to finish it properly, so it was a little sparse.

We sampled various chilis and soups, then the kids played games while most of the parents decorated their trunks.

Our car is always a big hit, thanks to Bryan. There were a lot of kids there and almost everyone went around multiple times. We ran out of candy near the end.

Everyone stayed in their costumes a few extra minutes so we could take a picture. Bryan opted to be the man behind the camera.

I feel like we've had more Halloween activities this year than ever before, and we still have a few to go.

Off to Hogwarts

The activity planning group that Sophie belongs to at the library hosted a Harry Potter themed party last night. They took a quiz to be sorted into houses, played Harry Potter Bingo, chose wands, cast a spell, and enjoyed butterbeer. It was a fun evening! Sophie was a lovely Luna Lovegood and Topher was a dashing Harry Potter.

Thrills and Chills

Phoebe's fall show was this weekend! It was called The House of Thrills and Chills and she had the leading role. She was fantastic! One of her Young Women leaders who came to see the show said it best when she described the other kids as acting while Phoebe WAS her character. She's very natural onstage.

Our family saw her on opening night. The kids were very impressed with the set. It's meant to look like an old, dilapidated house.

Bryan took this during the curtain call.

Some of us, plus Phoebe's friend Isaac, saw it again on Saturday afternoon.

We forgot to bring her flowers on Friday night. On Saturday, while I was at the play with Cooper and Sophie, Bryan and Topher picked up a bouquet for Phoebe and delivered it when the show was over.

And don't worry, that bruise is part of the magic of theatre.

Wonderful job, Phoebe! Now here's hoping she can catch up on some sleep.

When the Parade Passes By*

Sophie's Halloween parade was on Friday morning. It was a brisk day, which is perhaps why the kids took the parade route at a good clip. Sophie's Galinda costume is perfect for her; all those pink ruffles really suit her. I love it because I could easily spot her walking down the sidewalk during the parade.

Topher's costume parade was that afternoon. It had warmed up some so the kids were a little more leisurely in their gait. Bryan was able to get away from work long enough to attend this parade. He gets photo credit for these two pictures. Topher was thrilled to see both of us.

*Name the musical reference