the last two weeks

Well, hello there. Did anybody miss me and my crew? (I've become such a sporadic poster in recent months, I'll understand if you didn't.)

You know, some people spend the month of November trying to post daily on their blogs while I, on the other hand, appear to do my best to do the opposite. Actually, the last two (plus!) weeks have been very busy. Halloween happened, Grandma Nancy came and went, and life 'round these parts didn't slow down for a second. I think I'm gonna just throw all of the fun we've had into one giant post, so bear with me while I share the highlights.

Let's get this party started, shall we?

Halloween
I know I've mentioned it in year's past, but never do I love my Brooklyn neighborhood more than on Halloween. The trick-or-treating at the storefronts alongside all of your neighbors somehow fills the air with this inspiring sense of community. Plus, the kids can make a haul in just a few blocks. This year Garrett dressed as a killer "Shampoo" whale, Caleb as a dinosaur, and Matthew as a railroad conductor. 

The boys were so excited to see Sister Re, who is the music leader in Primary.

 Catching up with a group of friends from the ward.

Grandma Nancy Arrives & We Go to the Met
Some kids look forward to Halloween because of the trick-or-treat candy. This year mine were excited for Halloween because two days after, Grandma Nancy came to visit. (And, okay, also the candy.) She flew in on a red-eye, and after she recovered some lost sleep, we drove into Manhattan (as opposed to taking the subway; a first for us) to visit the Met.

 In the Egyptian collection.

Grandma gave the boys pennies to throw into the moat with the instructions to make a wish. They both wished fervently for a baby sister.

This lovely piece is called Charity. I, too, often find myself with three little ones hanging on me, but I also find that when they do that, I don't feel very much of the sculpture's titled virtue or look as graceful.

The hall that little boy's dreams are made of.

NYC Marathon
I finally did it. After years of whining as I wended my horribly rerouted way to church on the first Sunday of every November, I finally found a way to both watch the NYC Marathon as runners made their way through our neighborhood AND get to church. We set up camp on our street, one block away from our building, at mile-marker 3. And oh, it was worth it! I should have been doing this every year. Those who think that only the runners get the adrenalin rush are so very wrong. We only stuck around for the first wave of runners, but it was enough. (And in case you missed it, here's some video footage I got.)

Waiting for the runners to pass.

 Cheering them on.

 High five!

 The crowd thickens.

 Only 23 more miles to go.

Stake Temple Day; Fishs Eddy, Trip 1; and An Incident En Route to the Voting Booth
The NYC public schools were closed on Election Day, so we used that day to adventure into the city. It was also our stake's temple day, so our first stop was to the Manhattan Temple. My mom watched the kids in the chapel a few floors below while I went into the temple to redeem a handful of my kindred dead. It was a neat experience, particularly because my aunt, who was working in the temple that day, was able to participate with me.

Afterwards, we made our way to Fishs Eddy for our first visit. I don't think I'd been in since my mom's last visit in the spring, and it was good to be back. I came away with some lovely finds: a set of 9 white, scalloped dessert plates, plus a Lotta Jansdotter creamer -- all for only $11.

We made it to a few other favorite stores in that part of the city before everyone pooped out and it was time to head back. But before we went home, we stopped in at the school so I could vote (for, it turned out, almost every candidate who did not end up getting elected; the only exception was our local incumbent city council member, who has impressed me greatly since we've lived here, so I'm glad we get to keep him around at least). As we neared the school, Garrett, who was excitedly talking about something and not paying attention to where he was going, per his norm, suddenly went down. A loud gong echoed into the street from his unexpected run-in with a lamppost, and you could almost see the little cartoon birds flying in circles over his head. It took all of us a moment to realize what exactly had just happened, and a little bit longer to recover. But after a few minutes, even Garrett was laughing at how silly it was. (And, several days later, I'm still laughing about it. It was seriously so funny!)

Recovery
We couldn't keep up this kind of pace forever, especially not with school and special ed services factored in, so we had several days of "recovery." We visited all of our favorite neighborhood haunts, ran errands to Costco and Target, and made a stop in to see the new Brooklyn Uni Qlo (where I invested in an awesome new Ultra Light Down winter coat -- I picked the navy blue).

One particularly cold late afternoon, we took the boys out to the stoop so they could go "scootering," Garrett on his new-to-him Razor scooter from Aunt Chelsea, and both of them sporting new, much-needed helmets.

 Zipping down the sidewalk.

Matthew really wished his push wagon was actually a scooter.

Matthew Goes to the Doctor
Matthew's growth patterns have apparently shifted, according to the measurements taken at his 18 month well check-up. He's now starting to grow more up than out, which concerned the doctor slightly, but not me so much seeing as he's still very much a sturdily built kid. Here are his latest stats:

Height: 32.5 inches
Weight: 24 lbs 5 oz

To my surprise, he didn't even ask about his walking skillz, so I guess all my worrying about it really was for nothing. But he did want to know about his vocabulary. Not just how many words he says, but what they were. Here's what I was able to list that he says on at least a fairly regular basis: mama/mommy, dad/daddy, help, ow, uh-oh, whoa (with an adorable accompanying look of surprise), book, night-night, and no (of course).

The Last Day of Soccer
The fall season ended on a bitterly cold Saturday morning. The boys played like usual, but their drills and scrimmages were followed by a small trophy ceremony. They were both so excited to get those trophies, even though Caleb's was misspelled, making him a Celeb. (They're going to fix it for him, but in the mean time, he's a celeb to us.)

The Cloisters
On the second Saturday of Grandma's visit, we drove (since now we were more comfortable with Manhattan roads) to the Cloisters where we met up with Uncle Joel and Aunt Colleen, as well as Emily. The highlight of the visit, aside from being able to see my favorite people in New Jersey, was the sound installation exhibit called The Forty Part Motet. Oh, just remembering it sends chills down my spine! It was set up in the Fuentidueña Chapel and consisted of 40 strategically placed speakers, each representing a voice. When the music, Spem in alium, by the Tudor composer Thomas Tallis, began, you as the listener were surrounded by the most angelic voices echoing through the chapel. Everyone who listened absolutely froze where they stood, and I caught most people, myself included, wiping tears from their eyes. Seriously, if you have the chance to go before the exhibit closes in early December, do it. It was kind of life-changing.

This sample hardly does it justice.

 Entrance to the Cloisters.

The museum sits above the Hudson and offers a breathtaking view.

 The Bonnefont Cloister garden.

I will forever love this espaliered pear tree.

 Meanwhile, Garrett and Caleb were fascinated by poisonous plants in the Bonnefont Cloister garden.

Canstruction
The boys were out of school on Veterans Day, and we desperately needed to find something to keep them busy, preferably indoors where it was warm. Luckily for us, the annual Canstruction exhibit was going on at the World Financial Center, so we headed up there.

 We walked right under the new Freedom Tower on our way to the World Financial Center. It's not hard to believe it's now officially the tallest building in the U.S.

 The minions were our favorite.

 Staten Island Ferry.

 Lady and the Tramp.

 Art of the Brick replica done in sardine cans.

Simultaneously eery and awesome.

Fishs Eddy, Trip 2
Of course we had to go back. We always have to back. This time they'd made some major holiday preparations, including a restocking of their clearance section. I found a charming squat milk bottle, a tiny tray designed to look like a vintage recipe card, and a teeny tiny rolling pin to replace the normal sized one that has never been very usable on my tiny counterspace.

In Between
Grandma Nancy was an immense help while she was here, particularly in the after-school hours when I start to fall apart. She worked intensely with Garrett during homework time to improve his lazy penmanship, and she helped him memorize our phone number. She taught Caleb how to spell his name, and introduced Matthew to his new friend, a stuffed monkey. As for me, it was lovely to have her companionship, and perhaps just a little bit lovelier to not have to cart my entire crew around to various appointments and school pick-ups. She has been very much missed since she had to return home.

 Matthew and his monkey.

We love Grandma Nancy!

Parent Teacher Conferences
The day after Grandma left was as busy as ever, mostly because of Garrett's parent teacher conferences. I'll admit I was a little surprised by how glowing their report of him was. They told me he was the fastest progressing reader in the class, and that he is now just about reading at grade level (level E-F) after starting the year at below level A (and it's only November!). They are also pleased with his level of participation in the classroom and his ability to follow rules (if I could just translate that one to the homefront....). And they are charmed by his "relationship" with Ava, a cute little red-haired girl that he's gone to school with since his first year of preschool. His teachers told me that they like to hug, and Garrett has announced to me on several occasions recently that he plans to marry her.

Not only am I impressed by Garrett's report, but I'm so very pleased with his two teachers. One of them is reportedly (according to the other parents I mingle with at pick-up) the best in the school, and I have no doubt that the rumor is true. They are both kind and patient and it's clear that they have the best interests of their students at heart.

Where's Waldo
Meanwhile, I had to make a costume for Caleb's "dress up as your favorite literary character" day at school. He desperately wanted to go as Waldo, so I tracked down a white turtleneck, a white hat, red duct tape, and an old pair of "minion goggles" from his birthday party, which I then assembled into the iconic Waldo outfit. It turned out pretty well, if I may say so. And now I have one Halloween costume ready to go for next year.

And, well, that pretty much sums up the last two weeks. As much fun as we've had, I really do hope that the next several weeks are a little calmer. (But, of course, the holiday season is upon us, so that might be an impossible dream.) At any rate, let's hope that I'm at least able to pause and catch my breath more frequently in order to post a little more often.