Party Hardy

When we decided to stick our children in two different schools on two different sides of Nashville which were also on the other side of town from us I figured I could handle it. Sure it was a lot of driving but I had my system and my timing all figured out. What I forgot to add into the equation was the little things like Holiday parties and after school activities and the like.

Last Friday was my first foray into my children having parties on the same day at different schools.

First was Quinn's Lil' Punkin Parade at Susan Gray. The children all dressed up and trick-or-treated around Vanderbilt's campus ending at Murray house where they had games, coloring and face painting.


Then thankfully my parents were in town and so I dropped Quinn off with them and went shooting over to BGA for Greyson's holiday party filled with arts and crafts, ghoulish goodies like eyeballs (which were cleverly frosted Krispy Kreme donut holes) and a hysterical mummy making contest.

I had a great time and was glad that I could be there for both of my kids, but man this shuffling back and forth is the pits.

Happy Halloween

One would think there would be more smiles as we ventured out to get candy, but alas this was the best I could get.

Guess The Scary Erim...

Trip to the Past

I am, admittedly, a bad alum. Since I graduated from college (gasp could it really be?) 15 years ago, I think I have set foot back on campus one time. It is just that Winston-Salem isn't the most convenient destination, especially given the various cities I have lived in since graduation.

So when we were driving back home from Chapel Hill, where Wake was only 10 minutes off the highway, I couldn't very well pass up the opportunity to relive my youth. My family was very patient with me as I walked the quad, told lots of stories that were probably only interesting to me, and forced them to take pictures at various spots throughout campus.


I, at the very least, had a great afternoon and hopefully I didn't bore my family too much. I also hope that it isn't another 15 years before I go back - which should be right about the time I drop Greyson off for his freshman year there!

(Editors note: On a completely random side note. Since leaving Wake, they have installed a Subway restaurant, which we stopped at for a bite before hitting the road. What actually shocked me about it was the fact that they had kid's meals available on the campus. Wake is a VERY small college. There is no married student housing and the big graduate program, the medical school, is located off campus in downtown Winston. I can't fathom why they would actually have kid's meals on campus. Go figure.)

Fall's Rite of Passage

Greyson's scary pumpkin. (FYI that is not a unibrow but the brim of a hat, per Greyson)


Quinn's happy pumpkin.

With the exception of a little of the knife work (all fingers are still attached, Grandma and Nini), all the design and carving was done by our little monsters. Not bad, eh??

Weekend Away

We recently took a road trip to Chapel Hill to see Raif's sister's brood and some of his extended family.

We took it pretty easy, letting the kids run around together instead of doing a lot of activities.

We took a walk in the woods....


My children made everyone in the family read to them...



Greyson spent the majority of the weekend following Uncle Kris around like a lost puppy begging to play hockey.


Quinn and Suna were inseparable, playing dress-up and generally making mischief wherever they went.


All and all a wonderful weekend, that we are able to do far too infrequently.

Projects - Big and Small

These past few weeks my little goblin helpers and I have been busy getting the house ready for Halloween. We have been filling it with tons of decorations.


Some store bought.


Some homemade.


And sometimes on a weekend we have an extra troll to help us make bats and pumpkins.

The bats and pumpkins had been sitting on the kitchen counter for awhile because frankly, I didn't know where to put them. Raif had been muttering under his breath about making a mobile with them for the last week but I really didn't think anything of it, even when he took Greyson to Home Depot Saturday morning. And I really didn't even get it when the men started putting it together (though I will say I was less than enthusiastic about the power drill being used on my kitchen table) while I was making dinner.


But slowly the scope of my husbands 'project' dawned on me, especially when he began the momentous task of actually putting it up.


The pictures really don't do this thing justice - it is enormous. It is massive. It is a quintessential Raif project.


Now of course I am at my husband's mercy in getting this thing down. Will we have bats and pumpkins up for Christmas...stay tuned.