Ain't Love Grand(parents)

I'm pretty sure you can never fully appreciate your parents until you have your own children. Only then with the late nights and the cold, neglected meals and the bare bank accounts do you get what they sacrificed, and worked for, and focused on just to get little old you to ripe old age of 18....and beyond.

My parents divorced more than 20 years ago and yet I've never felt like a "broken home" kid (and I despise that term). And now that I have my own kids I have more respect for the strict rules, the no-nonsense approach to teaching right and wrong, and the way they could make almost anything funny, which makes it a lot more difficult to throw a temper tantrum. They always did their best to be there even if it always looked different and they couldn't do it together.

And as I got to watch each of them find new people to make them happy and bring them into our lives (Jim is particularly good at eating Chinese food with Ellie, and Cherlyn is fantastic with a box of Crayolas and a coloring book,) I also get to watch them be grandparents, and bring new little people into their lives.

Today Eliana had a special Halloween Craft Day with Grandma Judy. Complete with "Lil' Green Meanies" and "Baked Bugs." The little Bug was all aglow when I opened the door as she stood with her tray of treats. She was so proud of herself and her special time away from her little brother (and me.)

And Parker stayed home with me while Grandpa Ron came over to fix the door that I ripped off the door frame with my massive muscles. Parker was Grandpa's Little Helper and made sure to check all of the screws after they were put in. Apparently Parker's no slouch and he doesn't appreciate shoddy work. Better watch it, Grandpa.

I've always felt lucky to come from such a great family. As I grow up (or try to, at least) the feeling only deepens. I love you, Mom & Dad. Thanks for being such great Grandparents (in totally different ways.)

Quotes of the Day:
"I'll love you always and forever, Mommy. Even when I'm big." ~ Ellie
"I just waited for 10 minutes to hear the announcers say 'Tacos!!' when the Nuggets scored 100 points. I guess they're not doing it this year. This sucks." ~ Pope
"Parker's" ~ Parker, when showing me his plastic pumpkin full of candy....

Sum it Up

Today I have lots of thoughts and little time. So there's this because it's awesome:

The Sassy Curmudgeon: Should Morons Get a Voice (Even in a Shitty C-List Magazine?)

Sweet Dreams

My darling husband has a beautiful voice. I'm not sure if that's what you say about a man's voice...I'm sure I should say "amazing" or "strong" or something but he doesn't really sing that often (seriously, that is) except for when he's singing our children to sleep.

It's probably one of the sweetest things I've ever heard and one of the memories I will keep with me forever. He would sing to Ellie for hours when she was a baby. And while Parker has been highly attached to a specific "Mommy & Parker" routine at bedtime he's missed out on some of the Daddy singing. Until the other night.

I listened to the song from outside Parker's bedroom door and didn't see the little man again until 14 hours later. Those Daddy songs. They do the trick. And I even sing and hum the song, too, and that's quite the feat as I was not blessed with musical talent. So here's a little song that makes a lot of little people in this house happy, sung by one of my favorites, Kristin Chenoweth.

The Deal-i-o (with Pictures)

The fact that I haven't been interested in posting anything about recent events is probably a good thing. We've had really good stuff going on and I've kind of been all about enjoying said events instead of blogging said events. We've been having a rather wonderful fall and I'm in love with the cooler days, the turning leaves and little holiday projects and outings with the little Elle & Park.

So here's my book-report style run-down of all the fun stuff. Put to page more for my memory than anything else. Please to enjoy...

1.) My Cousin's Big, Phat Chicago Wedding: Oh, I had the most fun running out to Chicago for the biggest family wedding since my own family wedding, and that was more than 6 years ago. I loved the (brief) moments with my aunts, uncles and cousins and being a part of such a beautiful day. And I don't mean to brag, but it was nice being with kin with hair as good as mine. (Even if I don't actually know what to do with mine in the presence of humidity. I live in Colorado. I only encounter humidity when I travel.) That Sepsey hair. It's definitely a dominate gene.



2.) Eliana is a big girl: Eliana got to go to "Monkey Cheese" as her reward for being completely potty trained for over a month now. I'm pretty sure "Monkey Cheese" is her combination of Mickey Mouse and Chucky Cheese. I love to hear her say it. And I'm so proud of her.

3.) Pumpkin Patches: We had a trip to the pumpkin patch and had way too much fun. Have I mentioned that I love fall??




4.) Parker is a Talky-Face: Parker is talking so much! Among his favorite words of the moment are Truck, Grandpa and Batman. He LOVES batman. I have also decided that Parker is destined to be the next Usher. He could have his daddy's voice, he loves to dance and he'll probably only be 5 feet tall....

5.) Game Nights: We had our friends Nurni & Uncle Grabe (nicknames to protect the innocent) over for game night. We're hoping to make it a regular thing and even get a few more people involved (like the Smiths? So many aliases.) We love playing cards. And a few bottles of wine doesn't hurt, either.

6.) Breakfast: I had a baby-free breakfast with my forever-friend Penny on Sunday morning before Pope ran off to the Bronco game. Seriously. I think I've known her forever. And we're the kind of friends that no one thinks should even really be friends because we're so different. But that's what I love. Oh, and it was at Racines, and cup after cup of delicious coffee was enjoyed too. Can't get any better than that.

Next up, a trip to Central City & Halloween!

Come Back

This album has come back into circulation in the old Pope house. Found it after being lost after the move. (How long do I get to blame missing things on the move? Months? Years?)

It just seems like a good one for fall....

Together

I've been remiss in blogging efforts lately as we've had so much going on. Trips to see the leaves change. Visits to local museums. Walks through the Gardens. All in good time, I suppose. But here's a sneak peak at what's been keeping us so busy.

Love you all, my family.