Ghosts and Goblins and Great Pumpkins, Oh my!

Kai's drawing for my 14th Annual Chili Party / Halloween Costume Party.

We've been mourning the end of Halloween around here (Kai was crying about it being over two days before Halloween). Hopefully, Halloween met all of their expectations this year! We visited a Haunted House put on by a group of local homeschoolers and trick or treated in our neighborhood. Tea actually understood and enjoyed it this year, and unlike Kai, she knows what candy is and was unwrapping it and eating it before I could swap it out with some better stuff. He just figured out what candy was last year. Before that, he just played with it or gave it away. What are they putting in candy these days, anyway? Hydrogenated oil, food coloring, something like PSPB (what is that?)? And with that melamine from China getting into the candy, I'm more than hesitant to let them eat it. When I was little, poisoned candy was just an urban legend. It's a reality for my kiddos--too sad.

I remembered very last minute that the Great Pumpkin comes the night of Halloween to get his share of the candy and to leave gifts in place of it. He took more than the kids gave him but he left a felted bat and an orange felted flower purse with a tiny pumpkin baby inside (which Tea has already lost). The Great Pumpkin was up until midnight frantically felting the gifts and downloading and burning the Curious George soundtrack to leave for the kids (what a great CD--I'm sorry I waited so long to buy it!)

Kai is adamant about keeping the Halloween decorations up. He can't imagine life without the Haunted House in his room. Maybe someday he'll be like one of those people on HGTV and have his entire house decked out in Halloween decor year round.

Tomorrow we're heading out with the camera for some final fall shots. Things have really peaked and the hillsides are ablaze in rust, orange, red, burgundy, and ochre. One big wind and it will all be gone, so we better enjoy it. I think in an ideal world, it would be Fall forever.

Baby Love

To say that Tea loves babies in an understatement. She adores them. Here's a beautiful interaction with my friend's baby Elliot. I love how he tries to play peek-a-boo with her. He was practically squirming off my lap to get closer so he could touch her. So sweet. And you can see how much she enjoyed it. I love her expressions in these pictures.

Can we call you President?

"John McCain is going to call me a lot of names in the next few days. I don't know what name he's going to call me next."
"President!" shouts a young child near us on the grass.
Yes, President Obama. That has a nice ring to it.

A crowd roughly half the population of Columbia gathered on the MU campus last night. That's 40,000 people! 40,000 people who practically ran into the gates as they entered the Mel Carnahan Quadrangle. I was one of them. I'm still crying about it!

I was a nervous mess last night waiting for Jevon to get home and watch the kids so I could be part of this historic moment. He was out of town working and didn't get home until 6:45 (gates opened at 7:30). After two days of moving furniture into the our motel in Hannibal, Jevon was exhausted. He had to eat, shower, and shave (yes, shave) before he dropped me off. I nearly lost it when I saw him shaving. "I may miss seeing the next President of the United States because you had to shave first????" Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

It all worked out, and instead of having to wait in line for hours and walk several miles, I got dropped off right by where my friends Chris and Megan were waiting in line. And what a line it was--it wound all around the MU campus. People were friendly and chatting about the election. Many people waiting in line had been volunteering on the campaign, going door to door and making phone calls.

Vendors were everywhere, selling Obama tees and even "No More Bush" underwear. (I just got that as I typed it! Ha ha!!). I liked the "That One" t-shirts the best!

We caught the end of Judy Baker's speech as we looked for a place to sit. (Her speech was like the opening act for a band and I kept thinking, "Okay lady, you can stop talking now. Let's get to the good stuff!") Deciding not to fight the crowds to get a view of the stage, we opted for a spot on the grass in clear view of a screen.

Jay Nixon, Democratic nominee for MO governor had just started talking when he turned around. Chris and I had been chatting and wondered what happened. On the screen we could see people's faces and could feel the energy building. Here's a clip of the first moments. That's Chris, Megan, and I squealing and crying in the background!




I had been warned that Obama could be up to an hour late, but he made it right on time, even though he had started out in Ft. Lauderdale that morning. I am amazed at his energy. At one point somebody booed, and Obama said something like "Don't get mad. Get out and Vote." Nobody screamed profanities or chanted like a group of KKK people. This was a well-behaved crowd.

Watching these videos again this morning still brings tears to my eyes. Even though Jevon put me through an agonizing wait, I am so thankful that he stayed home with the kids. "I've never seen a President in my lifetime and most people probably won't. You should go." Oh, thanks sweetie! I will never forget this!

Oh, will somebody PLEASE take our picture? (a woman ran up right after this and took a shot with Megan's camera. I'm waiting anxiously for her to send it to me!) That's Chris on the left, Megan in front and me on the right.

And I will repeat this mantra to myself, "I will always bring the good camera. Even if it is heavy." I can only imagine the pictures I could have taken with my Nikon. Sigh... Check out these beautiful slideshows and articles from the local papers. I'm sure you're eyes won't be dry either.
Columbia Tribune Slideshow
Columbia Tribune Article
Columbia Missourian Article and Slideshow (check sidebar for slideshow and other articles)

And then, get out and VOTE on Tuesday. As the sign says, "It's your Democratic right!!"

I'm so hopeful I could cry....

Oh, this election. I honestly have never cared a lick about politics, until I got involved in homebirth/midwifery and breastfeeding issues. And now this Presidential campaign is really getting to me. For over a year, I avoided any news--I found it just too depressing. So I missed out on all of the news coverage, etc. before Obama was chosen as the Democratic nominee. Then I watched his acceptance speech and bawled my eyes out. Looking at those people in the audience, with hope in their eyes, was more than I could take. Obama has to win--our nation needs this so badly.

Every day I see something related to the Obama campaign that makes me cry. Today it was this video of a human Obama logo done by some Alaskans in freezing cold weather. Sorry, I can't figure out how to add video to my blog. Any tech savvy people out there who can help me?

I'm going to cry twice today because tonight OBAMA IS COMING TO COLUMBIA!!! I can't wait. I'm going with some other mamas for Obama and I will be sure to wear my "Another Mama for Obama" t-shirt. It will be nothing short of amazing, I'm sure.

Have you carved your pumpkin yet?

Oof! My hand hurts. Kai wanted a haunted house pumpkin. What happened to those old-fashioned pumpkins with triangle eyes and noses and a toothy smile? The pumpkin carving kit with patterns is a blessing and a curse!
Kai said, "I didn't know it would take all day to carve the pumpkin."
"Me neither."
"Gosh, I've just keep hearing that eh, er, eh, er sound."
"What sound is that?"
"The sound of you sawing the pumpkin."

Fun with pumpkin goo. And the windows and the floor need some smeared on them too.

"Mommy are you ever going to be done? Wahhhh!!!"


Ah... completion. Look at the little ghost on the left.

Bathing Suit Clad Elvis Impersonator Narrowly Escapes Death

You heard me. And I was there. If I had known what I was really getting myself into, maybe I wouldn't have gone.

Jevon called me at 11:30 a.m. yesterday and said, "You guys should get over here [to the Super 8]. Some guy is going to do an escape act in the pool." For some reason, I am imagining some thirty-something David Blaine type guy doing the stunt. Maybe he was staying at the motel and decided to perform.

I get to the motel with the kids to find an aging Elvis impersonator, attired in a black wig and black and red bathrobe. There were just a handful of people, mostly employees, who were intrigued. The gal next to me was a nervous wreck, worrying he would drown. The deepest part of the pool was only 5 feet so I wasn't worried. However, Manzini asked us not to come in and save him if he couldn't get out. Oh, the drama... On a table were an assortment of handcuffs.

Finally a reporter from the Columbia Tribune arrived, but he didn't bring a camera. When Mario Manzini, magician/escape artist, or escapologist as he likes to call himself, saw me with my fancy camera, he asked if I was with the press. "No, I'm just the owner's wife. But I can take some pictures and send them to the newspaper."

Now, I have taken some good pictures in my life, but not inside and not with the flash on this camera. I still don't know how to get it not to leave shadows. I started taking pictures and then saw that my battery was dying! Just as Mario jumped into the water, my battery died. So I missed getting a shot of him slip out of the handcuffs. It didn't impress me too much. His arms were lubed with baby oil and the water was cold. Seems like the cuffs would just slip off once he got into the water. However, I can't judge him. I'm terrified of the water and I'm not going to recreate his experiment and see if I could do it.

Manzini broke his own record. And I made my photographic debut in the newspaper with probably one of the worst pictures I've ever taken (maybe it's my subject that bothers me). I'm not even going to post it here for various reasons. But you can see it all here:

The photo (you may have to go back to the sports section archive for 10/28/08 if you check after today as it is not on the same page as the story):
http://www.columbiatribune.com/Sports/index.asp

The story. I thought the writer did a great job in his article, especially with the title.
http://www.columbiatribune.com/2008/Oct/20081028Spor004.asp

Now, if you want to see a cute magician doing some really cool magic, check out this movie. Don't worry, you won't see old guys in black wigs and tight swimsuits in this flick!
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Oooooh, that reporter SO owes me! My neighbor just brought me the print copy of the paper and my photo and his story made the front page of the Sports Section!!! They cut out the background so the photo is better now! He wouldn't have made it on the front page without my picture. Ugh, what's happening to me? I think Manzini's ego is wearing off on me! Ha ha! I will post a picture soon of the sports section front page though. I love it!! I can see the job offers for my photographic skills just pouring in now (just kidding!)
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It keeps getting better! The picture was also on the front page of the newspaper. Hilarious! I'm famous now! Hee hee...
http://www.columbiatribune.com/2008/Oct/20081028FrontPage.asp

And, finally, if you haven't had enough, I have downloaded the images to Flickr.
Just remember, I had to see this in person!! I am glad that I can finally laugh at all of this!

Dance of the Leaves

Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me. Just as the leaves are dying and ready to drop, the big winds arrive. My children's wonderment at such an event reminds me to slow down so we can enjoy these small details. Some days we just sit in front of the window and watch the leaves drop gently to the ground and notice how some float, some twirl and twist, while others spin rapidly on their descent. Today was spent at Stephens Lake Park walking in the blustery wind, taking snapshots, and playing and rolling around in the leaves. The leaves made a mass exodus this afternoon, and the brown leaves already on the ground danced up and down the grassy hills like a troupe of ballet dancers. We spent a lot of time beneath a giant maple tree, staring up as the sun glowed through its flaming red, golden yellow, and lime green leaves.