Ghosts of Novembers past...

I thought this would be a fun time to drag out some old pictures from the past several Novembers. We've had a busy week, but I've been unable to capture any of it for your viewing pleasure because my camera has gone AWOP- Absent With Out Permission. James left last Thursday night with two hunting buddies for Missouri. On Friday I went to grab the camera to load some photos of our trip to Strong Rock school to my computer, but I couldn't find the camera, so I called James on the Nextel radio, and the conversation went like this, "Hey." "Hey, hon." "Did you happen to take the camera?" Pause, silence. "I took both of the cameras, we talked about that last week." "No we didn't." Silence, silence, silence. (Approximately 3 minutes later) "I'm sorry, I thought you knew I was taking the camera. Do you forgive me?" Silence, silence, silence. "I'll think about it."

So...hopefully we'll have some real good pictures of deer! James left last Thursday after dinner at the Davidsons and they drove all night, arriving at their destination mid-afternoon on Friday.

I've been holding it down here on the homefront, kicking off our no Daddy time by staying home two days straight with the kids. I did get 3 closets cleaned out and bagged up four bags for the thrift store. I had stuff in my closet that should have gone years ago, and the kids had toys they never or seldom play with. When I stop and think I am amazed that we live in a time and place that makes me feel the need to clean out excess before the holidays to make room for more stuff. Wow! We are so blessed, and so spoiled. I hope our kids grow up understaning this. They do pay attention, I realized, when the other morning they had been playing upstairs for awhile and I came to check out what was going on. There was stuff laid out all over the place, and when I asked them what they were up to they said, "Oh, we're playing kids who don't have any toys." They had filled two shoeboxes with necklaces, trucks, and other assorted things and were giving them to each other. (They've seen the Operation Christmas Child video, and we're doing it at church.) I thought that was pretty cool.

Anyway, after all the cleaning excitement and fun of staying home cooped up with four young 'uns, church was a welcome thing Sunday morning! Shannon's preschool choir sang...again, without Shannon. His face said what he was thinking quite clearly. "They can make me stand up here, but they can't make me sing. Hmmmpff." He told me on the way to church, "I sing at home." Clearly there is only one place a person can sing, and nowhere else. I missed my riding lesson Sunday afternoon due to James not being here, but that was just as well because it was about 45 degrees with a wind of 30 mph. I'm always game to ride, but it certainly made missing it less dissapointing!

Monday we partied all day at INK, the children's museum we're now members of in Gainesville. I tried all morning to get out of here, but due to the usual stuff that pops up on the way out the door, we finally arrived at INK at about 11:45. I had packed a lumch so we played awhile then ate, then we blew off naps and played until nearly 4:30. We had it to ourselves nearly all day until a family of three with kids close to my kids' age came in, and all of them played together for nearly two hours. The next day INK was expecting a field trip of 170 and they were going to do a craft. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT! :) I'm glad we weren't there today, it's so much more pleasant when the place is empty and you don't have to constantly search for your own kids in a sea of strangers.

This morning we went to playgroup, then later went out again to pick up a few grocery items and rent some movies. James was scheduled to return home late tonight but finagled a way to make it the end of the week instead, so I decided movie rentals were in order. I was all set to sit down and enjoy one with the kids, then one for myself after they were in bed...but got home with two entirely different ones than what I was expecting! Apparently someone had been playing with the little tags that you give to the folks behind the counter. I decided I didn't really want to watch Starship Trooper. Dissapointment. (So here I am blogging instead!!)

Here are the photos I dug up from past Novembers. I'm always amazed when looking at photos how much the kids have changed, and how it seems it was both just yesterday yet forever away. The past five years have basically been a blur...wonder why...

Here's sweet little bald Amelia during her first November ever. She was four months old. I remember snapping this picuture one morning before we left for church. I can't even fathom taking the time to take a picture before leaving for church now. Usually I'm barking like a drill sargent, "Move, move, move! Finish that breakfast! Get in that car!"

She was always smiling.

Here we are for Thanksgiving in Texas. This was our Christmas card photo that year, 2003.

Shannon had joined us by November 2004. Here he is just a month old.

Amelia was 16 months old, and was working on her Thanksgiving mullet. Still smiling!

Zzzzzzzz.....

Thanksgiving 2005 was the first time we had James' extended family at Strong Rock for the holiday. They came from Texas and South Carolina for part of the week. Here's Shannon at 13 months, ready for his first Thanksgiving dinner. Just days before he had fallen at my cousin's house, right into the side handle of a trunk-style coffee table. Stuff like this always happens in time for either holidays (with lots of pictures) or seeing folks you never get to see. "Why yes, we abuse our kids. Nice to see you again too."

Amelia and her second cousin London.

James holding two little wiggle worms in a friendly death grip so we can get a Christmas card shot. Just two months after this we would discover we were expecting Avery.

And here he is, November of 2006, just two months old.



One of Shannon's better faces. We had just moved into the house at camp the previous month. He felt the need to help take the new off the back door by covering it with nostril prints.

Shannon had just turned two in November of 2006. It's hard to believe he was the age then that Avery is now.

Last November, 2007. Avery wasn't even walking yet, and wouldn't until the week of Christmas. Hmmm...wonder if the delay had anything to do with his confusion over what were hands and what were feet.

And here are the happy Himstedts a year ago. Elizabeth is even in this picture, you just can't see her yet. She's about a third of the way done at this point.

Well, this concludes our tour of the past several Novembers. It's fun to see how much everyone has grown...and it's kind of scary to see how quickly it happens!

I'm not sure exactly when I'll post another entry. Sunday we have an early Thanksgiving dinner with my dad's side of the family in McDonough, then actual Thanksgiving day with my folks and some of my mom's side, again in McDonough. I'm considering just staying the days between them with the kids at my folks' house, since I don't have a pressing need to be in Cleveland those days anyway. If so, maybe I'll have my camera back by then, if James doesn't decide to move to Missouri on account of the deer being so much bigger there. If he does I guess I'll buy myself a new camera for Christmas.

Bye for now!