trick or treating, 2014

These two are trying to get ready for Heidi's work trick or treating.

They did make it.

Here's tonight, over at Dan's,  ready to hit the streets and trick or treat.

 Here they are over at Alicia's parents house. That's her dad in the creepy robe.

 The green guy is Alicia's brother's baby.

 Okay, time to collect loot:

 Back at the house, warming up.  It was about 40 degrees out, not all that cold, but colder than we're used to.

 bgs little brother, camping out on Uncle Tim:

And the night is over, and it was great.

Kari, aka Lydia did not want to be any part of this stomping around in the cold, hyperactive baby scene.

She was dropped off early at my parents and hung around in peace with them. 

Jay picked her up at the end of the night.

And this very wild, intense October is over.

Over, I tell you!  Over!

November?

Glad to see you.  Come on in.  love, Val

a little more halloween

 These are pictures I swiped from others, off instagram, off facebook, all my cuties.   

The top one is Julia and pj going to Heidi's work trick or treat. 

Then next, Dan and Alicia's pumpkins.

Then bg carving a pumpkin.

 These others are pictures of Dannell's from facebook.

Dannell, I'm so glad you took these pictures and shared them.  We can't be at every pumpkin carving at everyone else's house, but for a second it kind of felt like it.

All you trick or treaters?  I love you all so.

love, Grandma, aka MOM

oh yes, the pumpkins

These guys are so advanced they can carve pumpkins without me now.

Look out, People.

Your kids will grow up on you.

So then we put them outside again where it is cold for refrigeration purposes.  Julia's pumpkin was so rotten it was nasty and slimy.  We threw it away and she chose another.  (We bought extras.)

Anyway, October reaches the end.

Hallelujah.

love, Val

a lovely occasion

Lydia, aka Kari, was Confirmed this weekend.  In some circles it's called Affirmation of Baptism--where a child who received infant baptism is now old enough to say, "Yeah, I'm in."

So this was the day.

There were numerous ceremonial gestures at church, which were sweet and important, and our family was all there, and it was lovely.

Then we all came back to eat and celebrate.

Those two people--Julie in the blue shirt, and Oly with his back facing the camera are not family members.    

The associate pastor from a few years ago resurrected an old ministry tradition at the church called Prayer Partners.  An adult and a child team up to be prayer partners.    There are no rules.  Prayer partners and the child are required to do nothing in particular.

Oly and Julie are Prayer Partners for Kari and Tim.   Maria's prayer partner is the woman she was nanny for all summer.  Her husband is James' prayer partner.   I asked him if he ever bothered to pray for Andy? 

He looked at me for a couple seconds and said, "Yes, I do.  Why would you think I don't?"

No, I didn't think that.  Just wondering.

(James is so chill he gives that impression, but it's usually not true.)

Anyway, prayer partners is a surprisingly powerful little ministry.  Our young associate pastor who resurrected the program called people who'd been involved with it in the past and asked them if they wanted to participate.

"Oh, I already have a prayer partner. She's in Florida now, works for Wells Fargo, has three children."

???  She was so astonished at the continuing of the connection.

Me too.

 Anyway, they took the day to spend with us, at church and back at home.

 Here she is:

 Jay's parents were there:

 My sister and her husband stood in as godparents.

(Thank you.  This means the world to us.)

 All in all, a perfect day.   love always, Val aka Mom