Boys and girls – put your hands in your laps and read along very quietly with me.  Try sounding out each word.  Raise your hand if you need help.

Illustrator Lois is known for her anime talent.

When Julia starts Middle School next year, it will be our first time since 1996 not to have a child (or two or three) in an Elementary grade.

Julia and I attended the Electives Fair a few weeks ago.  The idea of her choosing a few of her own classes is very strange to her.

Rachel-the-Shopper has found far more of Julia’s “cute” clothes than I have.

Julia has enjoyed  consistently excellent teachers in Elementary School.  We will always be grateful to them.

“Awesome big sister…”  Now whom could that be?!

Believe it or not, the Middle School administration says the biggest fear of new students is working the locks on their lockers.

“Shout” is such an ugly word.  I would have preferred her to use “reminding.”  DID YOU HEAR THAT, RACHEL WYOMING?  I SAID “REMINDING!!”

Yes, we will!

When I need to write a school note, or stuff a reminder note to myself in my briefcase, or scribble quick directions, or – most often – make a grocery list, I don’t want to search for paper.  I want it right there.  All.  The.  Time.  With “my sheet” on top.  Anyone in the house is welcome to pull out a sheet UNDER mine – but leave mine alone.  And leave the notebook on the counter.

This is the notebook sheet on the counter right now – my ongoing grocery list.  I just jot stuff down through the week, and really load it up Friday night after my trip to Costco (and before HEB on Saturday.)  The girls know that if there is something they need, yelling it at Mom doesn’t work.  Write it down.  Otherwise – forget it, because you know I will.

I do have a system.  Sam’s is before or after Wednesday night church, because it’s right next door – usually after because they still sell one-gallon jugs of milk instead of double packs, as Costco has started doing (yuk – who has room for two gallons of milk at a time?)  Costco is Friday night for the big stuff and recurring non-perishables, like meat, shampoo, paper towels, etc. and please be home to help unload.   Saturday is HEB, especially for produce – it’s the best.  There’s usually a trip to Wal-mart at least once a week for art supplies or whatever but our bus stop is in the parking lot between it and Costco, so, not so bad.  I love Target, but it’s not especially convenient, so that’s a treat.

Julia – who knows how crazy I get whenever anyone moves my notebook – surprised me tonight with her own grocery list.  “Mom, I used your notebook but put it back.  Your list didn’t have enough room for all I needed.”  So I’m thinking – omigosh, she has some horrible school project due with poster board, paint pens, modeling clay, etc.  But no, none of that.  Just her version – addressed to “Dear madre” – of what I need to purchase this weekend.

“AND OTHER COOL SNACKS” – indeed!

You know – her list is a lot more fun than mine.  Maybe I’ll send her to Costco Friday night.  But she has to leave my notebook on the counter.

Look, up in the sky!  Is it a bird?  Is it a plane?  It’s SUPER SNOW!  Rachel took this at 2 a.m.

NEISD mechanical calls at 6 a.m., 6:20 and 6:45 let us know schools were closed.  The girls were all up by 7:30 to play in the 1″ of frozen fun.

Julia did eventually put on a heavy jacket.  I swear she has one.  Please nobody call CPS on us.

500+ wrecks in San Antonio last night, including two with Rachel’s co-workers.  Every TV news story today has led with, “Stay home!  Don’t drive!”  Their videos look apocalyptic – miles with freeways with no cars.

Ice-skating (with robe and house slippers) in the cul-de-sac

There was a thin layer of ice on half of the pond.  Keith thinks the koi are okay.  If not – fish tacos this weekend.

“I’ve always wanted to make a snow angel.”

Julia’s best friend (and next door neighbor) Toni traveled on a “dog sled.”

Poor lil’ Frosty.  He’s melting already.  But what fun to build!

We’re pretty sure the kids are going to have to go to school on Presidents Day – which was planned to be a school holiday – to compensate for this snow day.  But you on, on Presidents Day, they likely wouldn’t have done anything special  On the other hand – this day – well, they’ll never forget this day.

It’s frozen in their minds.

Really.  It’s snow.  They’re catching it on their tongues.  There’s just a lot more tongue than snow.

Hannah owns the real coat in the family.  The rest of us luxuriate in Old Navy jackets.  Julia was out catching snow flakes in her pj’s and robe and wet hair – if my mother had a grave, she’d be turning over in it.

Classes until 12N tomorrow at UTSA are canceled.   Lois, Hannah and Julia are fervently hoping NEISD cancels, too.  We’ve laid in an extra supply of milk and cookie makings, just in case.

It cracks me up to hear Julia complain of cold.  In San Antonio.  Where we ran the air conditioner when it hit 80 degrees last Sunday.

In Russia, she was used to this:

At the playground across the courtyard from her orphanage, which she could plainly see – but had never been allowed to visit

Stay warm!  And send those snow plows our way!

The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia

My newborns

The Houston Azalea Trail

Woody’s Beach in Dominica

Ghandi’s Ashram in Maharastra, India

Fall in Indiana

And Julia’s most excellent long basket today. 

Each first-grade student painted one fish….

….including Rachel’s upper-left corner creation.  You should have seen the quilts they did the following year – gorgeous!  And way out of our price range.

That mural has hung in the short hallway between Hannah’s/Julia’s bedroom and Lois’ bedroom since we moved to San Antonio in 2000.

We replaced it this week with:

Look familiar?  It’s was patterned after one of my favorite cruise photos from last Christmas.

Julia on Crash Boat Beach – Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

….as Rachel explains.

Keith and I are both creative, but possess zero artistic talent.   Rachel’s talent fascinates me.

It’s a gift.  And this is the season for them.

Thanks, Rachel, for this early Christmas present.  You or Julia can have it when you move out.

Maybe.  Because I really, really like it.

Christmas this year…..well, I’m afraid this is the closest to the beach that we’re going to get:

We’ve saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1) at the midnight premier last night!   What a rush!  And if you’ve not read the books and only see the movies:  Spoiler Alert.

Keith bought our tickets within minutes of their going on sale September 30, then later upgraded to D-Box.  Reserved seats, so no getting in line at 3 p.m. (as many of our fellow viewers did.)

We’re normally “stick a Diet Coke in your purse” kind of moviegoers, but not last night – popcorn and drinks for everybody.  Keith caught a Living Social deal for half-price concessions this summer.  If you’re not doing the daily discount deals – you’re missing out.  And crazy.  Our faves are Groupon, Living Social and Mamapedia.

Harriett’s #1 – #4.  Harriett #1 boasts the forehead scar.  Harriett #2 is also wearing her Hogwarts shirt.  Lots of costumes at the movie  last night – Beaters, Death-Eaters, Hogwarts students, wizards, etc.  Made me wish I’d brought a broom. As a reward for reading the first two books this summer, Harriett #4 got to go at midnight, too.  In times past, I’ve stayed home with her.  We all had evening naps, and we all slept late this morning.

We were all surprised at the range of motion of the D-box seats.  We expected little bumps, maybe a shake or two.  Oh, no!  Hannah actually got motion sick.  They rattle and roll you, lean you forward, push you back.  Fabulous!

The Paladium theater has the only Coca-Cola 100-Flavor Interactive Free-Style Soda Fountain in San Antonio.  Huge fun, as evidenced by Rachel’s 2:30 a.m. Facebook post below.   Keith chose a Diet Cherry Vanilla Coke; I sipped on the wild side with Raspberry Diet Coke.  The girls….well, after seeing what they chose, I declined a taste.

The Deathly Hallows movie was far more true to book than were the first six films.  Not that any deviated horribly.  Just this one was more accurate on the details.

Everyone had a different favorite part, but by far the most memorable – Dobby’s death.  Bring Kleenex.  Lots of them.

Here Lies Dobby – A Free Elf (sob)

We’re all soooo ready for Deathly Hallows – Part 2.

Voldemort invited us when he raised the Elder Wand to the stormy heavens.

We know the date – July 19, 2011.

We’d offer to save you a seat…but….Keith is taking a vacation day when the tickets go on sale to make sure we get good ones again.  After all….

All’s fair in love and war, and this is a bit of both. Ron Weasley

I do love playing Words with Friends on my iPhone.

My usual WWF spot – the chair at the end of the dining room table – near the kitchen, where my purse sits on the counter near the i-charger.  I hear my iPhone ping in my purse….ohhhh, is that “Words with Friends” beckoning to me?  If I’ve got just one or two games – I stand, play and replace the phone in my purse.  More?  I usually sit down.  I try to play in a minute or less after I pick up the phone.   My brain is over-full of “to do’s” most days and unable to strategize.  I don’t want to “think.”  I just want to “play.”

I’ve loved connecting with people on Words with Friends.  My favorite opponents are:  Two cousins in Ft. Wayne.  A fellow adoptive mom in Tyler.  A long-time friend of the family in Lubbock.  A couple of local church friends, and a smattering of AT&T (or former AT&T, or AT&T-related) scattered friends.

My highest score ever:  121 points for “Starved.”

So, yes, I love it.  And perhaps spend a wee bit more time on it than I should.

But surely I’m not quite as bad as Hannah-the-cartoonist (and snarky photographer)  portrays me?

Or am I really that bad?!

Oh, excuse me…..”something” just pinged in my purse….I’ll be right back….or not…..

It was time to do dishes.  Were they stalling?

Never.