Damian fell asleep in his highchair.
27 September 2007

Our living room/dining room area (the largest area in the house) has been completely covered in plastic drop cloths for two weeks.  The children have been confined to the outside during the day and then have been confined to our bedroom at dusk and night when the mosquitoes start to swarm.  We’ve been having breakfast outside on the porch, and dinner has been a picnic with all of us piled onto the bed.

Sure, this was fun the first couple of times, but the strain is starting to show.  Last night, Matt finally pulled the dinner table back out into the main area and we had dinner at the table.  I never realized how important a dinner table is before this experience.  Mealtimes were a nightmare!  The uncomfortable logistics of attempting to eat in awkward places made mealtimes a complete nightmare.  You would not believe the wave of relief and gratitude that washed over me when Matt said, “Let’s get the table out.”  I swear I could have cried.

So, this is a lesson for all, I think:  don’t take your dining room table for granted.  It is the place where your family gathers to comfortably have meals together and enjoy one another’s company.

Baby Clara (two-weeks-old) with Grandma Clara (79-years-old)
22 September 2007

Where’s Autumn?  Where’s the gusty North wind that blows through your hair and beckons for change?  Where are the cool mornings filled with crystal dew?

Where’s Autumn?

I get like this every year.  Waiting and waiting and waiting for Autumn.  And every year — seriously, every year — I get really upset and frustrated and think, “F**k this!  Let’s move!  Let’s move to somewhere were Autumn exists.  I hate Texas, the land of no seasonal change.”

For a person whose very soul is nourished and replenished by water and seasonal change, how did I ever end up in the semi-arid climate of central Texas?  I really must move someday… move to a place with water and soil and seasons.

Come soon, Autumn.  Your daughter waits for you.

The kiddos playing in water again.
This picture was taken in September,
and Matt said, “Well, they wouldn’t be doing this in England.
It’s already too cold.”
15 September 2007

I thought of more movies to add to the list:

• The Nightmare Before Christmas
  • Really, does this one need an introduction? It has such a large following that I don’t think it can even be classified as “cult” anymore.
• L.A. Story
  • Who would have pegged Steve Martin for such a romantic? Matt hasn’t seen this one yet. I think I’ll rent it and we can have a romantic couple night with candles, ice cream, L.A. Story, and two hyper preschool children… yeah, that’ll work. 😉
• The Birdcage
  • I know what you’re thinking:  “The Birdcage?! That’s not a romance.”  Au contraire mon frere (heh heh, a little homage to the original La Cage aux Folles which I didn’t like as much).  One of the best, heart-warming romance scenes of cinema is in this movie:  When Armand and Albert are sitting on the bus stop bench together and what Armand says to Albert… ah, magic.  Pure romantic magic.  And the movie is really funny to boot (as is L.A. Story — you get great comedy and a romance!).  Agador Sparticus steals every scene he is in.
• The Scarlet Pimpernel
  • According to my mom, the book is actually not very good at all.
• And, in honor of my romantic sister, the live action version of Cinderella with Whitney Houston and Brandy
  • Carla has watched this so many times, she has the songs memorized.  It is very good.  I like it as well… but maybe not quite as much. 😉

I was thinking of adding Ella Enchanted because technically it is a romance, but it is not the romance story that appeals to me in this movie.  The central theme is that Ella must change herself – not look to someone else to change her into the person she wants to be – and that is why I like the movie.  The romance is just a side dish, and just an okay one at that.  The central theme, however, is quite delicious (as is the singing and dancing… quite fun and silly).