This week's highlights

I am unbelievably busy these days.  A lot of great things have been happening, but I haven't had much time to write them down.  So, here is my best recollection of the week's highlights:

• Everly didn't bite, hit, or kick anyone at school, and she didn't prevent any of her friends from taking naps by screaming.  Not that she ever did that or anything.
• Early in the week, when I was telling Cortlan to use his manners and be good (as I do every day as I am dropping him off at school), he said to me, "I will do what is appropriate, Mommy."  Seriously?
• I loved seeing the kids parade around in their costumes with their friends at school.  They got to trick or treat through the school, and Cortlan and his class got to go on a special trip to a local nursing home to sing a few Halloween songs.  (I especially loved that, and he did, too.)

• Thanks to DVR, we got to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.  The holiday movies and shows are always on past my kids' bedtimes, so this is the first year that they will get to see any of them.  I really don't get that show, though, to be honest.  I mean, Snoopy flying around on his doghouse in a war, Charlie Brown only getting rocks in his bag, and the Great Pumpkin never showing up.  If you ask me, it is kind of a downer.  But the kids seemed to enjoy it.
• I ran 7.5 miles on Saturday catching snowflakes on my tongue.  It was my first run in the snow since those early track practices in high school, when we would occasionally see a few of the last snowflakes of the season.  This was some serious snow I was running in - big huge snowflakes with some actually sticking to the grass - and the surprise was that I actually enjoyed it.  My plan this winter is to continue running, but to only run outdoors.  So far so good.
• Our local grocery store really outdid themselves with the Halloween festivities.  They led us trick or treating through the store and gave us free hot cocoa, coffee, and cookies.  They took our picture (we still need to pick it up).  There was a fire truck and a petting zoo, and the kids could paint pumpkins.  Thank goodness the weather was kind of crappy or I imagine it would have been packed.  My two favorite parts: Cortlan asking the lady, "Can I get an extra one for my mom?" and him picking out a special piece of candy just for me, and Everly and I going into the petting zoo, where she fed a little pig out of a bottle all by herself and then chased the rest hollering, "Here piggie!!" hoping to give them some, too.

• Pumpkin carving was fun:

•  And of course, Halloween night is always awesome.  This year, despite the rain, was just as fun as ever. 

Happy Halloween!!