Chuck D & Mr. T

Diana was saying that some people in Columbia were protesting the country’s current tax policy and so we were chatting about taxes. Teddy chimed in “What are taxes? Why are those people mad?” So I said that everyone has to give money to the country to help pay for roads to be built, and the mailman to bring mail, and schools to run and sometimes people get mad if they think they pay too much or too few taxes, to which Teddy said
“I’m not doing that. I don’t like taxes. People have to keep their money to buy their kids candy. A lot of candy.”

Teddy has been cooking so much with me…pizza, muffins, pumpkin bread, cupcakes, pasta sauce. He likes when I call each dish “Teddy’s famous…”

The girls talk about horses a lot. They still talk about Scooby, Doozie, and Comet who were the horses we lived above in Ashville. They have both now successfully and happily been on horses. I have been riding every week (well, I was before surgery and can start again next week) and so will take them out to watch.

Jenny and I took them to the pumpkin patch and apple picking the other week. There were chickens, pigs, sheep, cows and goats. They loved seeing these animals and even today were still listing for me the animals they saw “but no horses.” Obivoulsy we will be going back. It’s so thrilling that all the children like animals.

Scottie and Nelly both like to sit with me and page through a Vogue and talk about the clothes. I am in total heaven. They especially like to smell the fragrance adds and to have me tear out the pages with their favorite dresses. Most recently, Nelly chose a Vera Wang ad and Scottie went for a really lovely but subdued black Carolina Herrara with large flowers on it.

The girls spend most every day totally in costume. Scottie, of course, wears her rainbow “Tutu Princess” as she has every day since June. Nelly generally wears one princess dress underneath her Ariel Mermaid costume (Nelly is wild about swimming and wild about mermaids). When they get to Blue Igloo they go straight to the costume and dress themselves.

They also love watching me get dressed and out on make up. They try on the make up and wear my shoes* and jewelry. I love sharing with them. They have a really great sense of style if that is possible.

*They are excellent at walking in heels and wear those little plastic heels and actually went trick or treating all over the neighborhood and up and down all the stairs in the heels. Talk about athleticism….

For Halloween they came up with excellent costumes: Nelly created “Princess Peter Rabbit” which involved a princess dress, bunny ears and tail, and painted on nose and riskers; Scottie was a “Princess” but carried a cat tail in her hand instead of putting it on (also, I painted her face with a little cat nose and whiskers and she looked in the mirror and beamed and started saying “Meow, meow, meow!!!” to herself in total delight and amazement); Teddy was the cutest batman; and Charlie wanted to be “A real ghost,” by which he meant one wearing a sheet, so we cut out eyes and he was a ghost. We went to the party and Parade at Blue Igloo, the parade at Horace Mann, and then had everyone to our and Elena’s houses for pizza and drinks before trick or treating. The perfect Halloween. Oh, and MJ was prince charming (though he looked a bit like a valet) since the girls kept asking him to be a prince and I was Snow White.  Huck was her usual tutu-wearing self.

After dinner the other night MJ said “Should we give the children a C-O-O-K-I-E?” Scottie immediately jumped in and replied “I want an F-E-G.” Baby genius.

The girls love to play “Baby Kitten Mommy Cat” where I have to carry them, meow, and pretend to feed them little bits of food.

I love the way Scottie skips and leaps when she runs…she has such an incredible run, and such incredible joi de vivre. She lives such a sparkly, happy life and is such a magical little person.

So much has happened…I need to post more but have been so busy with my last surgery, finishing the house, and caring for the littles.

Everyone is so big…Teddy rides a bike with training wheels, Charlie rides a bike, Scottie and Nelly can scooter and talk totally fluently…Charlie plays the guitar (well, a few cords, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Jingle Bells), both boys write, Charlie is beginning to read, Teddy loves to bake with me (which I love), Teddy and the girls are really beginning to have a great time playing together, Nelly can make analogies (“This softie blanket just like a dog.”)…

I keep finding dice and plastic sunglasses all over the floor.