Odds and Ends

On Sunday, Josh indicated that he’d prefer that we call him Joshua rather than Josh. Can do.

Joshua had his first dental cleaning on Tuesday morning. He survived and proudly shows off the contents of his goodie bag. Thank you Dr. Sara!

I’ve never been much into decorating for holidays. Newton’s Law of Decorating: If you put something up, you have to take it back down. At Christmas, my gift wrap is minimal and the past couple of years we have either used a small table top Christmas tree or forgone the tree all together. Well, this year, we already have Christmas decorations out. Joshua is eager for Christmas to get here – not for the presents, but because that means Baby Kip can come out!

I am amazed at our Halloween preparations, too. Joshua decorated ghosts that were either mailed to our family or hung in our entry way to give our guests a fright. He also decorated foam jack-o-lantern magnets that we’ve shared with our family. Joshua and Brian carved a jack-o-lantern and then Brian roasted the pumpkin seeds. Aunt Liz and Joshua made Halloween cookies. We went to the Halloween party at the YMCA where Joshua painted a pumpkin and went trick-or-treating. Then, last night Joshua and I made ghost and jack-o-lantern pizzas. To top it all off, Joshua selected a costume and has already worn it multiple times. He’s never expressed an interest in or willingness to dress up before. Needless to say, Joshua is the great holiday motivator. I’ve had to suppress my practical party-pooper inclinations and am enjoying the festivities.

This morning Joshua and I went to vote. I explained why we were going to vote on the way to the polling location. Joshua selected which voting machine to use and helped me push buttons as I cast my ballot. On the way out he said, “I was nervous when we were first going in, but I am glad that we went.” He cracks me up.

We filled up the car with gas at $2.20/gallon. I love these gas prices!