November 16, 2025

The Beginning of Busy Season

We have had a busy couple of weeks and it is only going to get busier as we enter holiday season!  
      
Ethan lost another tooth!  He has five missing teeth currently.
    
    
Harper and Ethan made an impressive maze for the Tooth Fairy to find the hidden tooth.
    
The kids have had teacher work days the last two Tuesdays.  Alex took them to do fun things.  I spy Dick Vitale in the back of this restaurant! 
     
We celebrated Hendrik's birthday last weekend at the Schneider house.
    
    
       
     
Harper and I went to get our nails done last Saturday afternoon.
    
Alex and I went to the March of Dimes that evening.  They had chefs from twelve restaurants cooking amazing dishes.
     
     
We donated in honor of all the preterm babies, especially my sweet little twenty-two weeker who is currently kicking butt in the NICU.
      
     
    
For their second teacher work day, the kids went to Big Air with their cousins.
      
Afterwards they went to an arcade and ran into Ethan's friends.
    
    
    
    
    
     
We had a couple hours of snow in Charlotte last week!  It was just flurries, but we'll take it!
        
Ethan and Harper had soccer games this Saturday.
      
Harper and I went to the anti-ICE protest in Charlotte after her game.  We are upset about the actions of ICE in this country and are ready to support our neighbors.  In the words of Elie Wiesel, "We must always take sides.  Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.  Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.  The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference."
        
       
    
    
     
I carried this one on my shoulders for a good bit of the march.
       
     
    
    
We had a pizza and ice cream snack at 7th Station after our protest.
      
Kate and I met to try a French bakery for brunch this morning.
    
     
Harper played her last game of the season today.  It was a rough season for her team as they were used to winning every game!
       

November 2, 2025

A Wrap on Halloween

We had a great last week of October and finished up everything Halloween.  After our last trick-or-treaters came on Friday night, I took down the few decorations we had out because it's Christmas time now!
            
My hospital displayed the adorable pumpkins all the units made for Halloween.
    
       
     
      
     
     
The kids and I carved pumpkins Wednesday night.  Alex was curing, but it was our only night without soccer, scouts or previous plans.
   
Ethan does not like pumpkin guts.
     
    
    
    
They looked great!
    
My pumpkin was a face.
     
Harper's pumpkin was a cat.
    
Ethan's was a pumpkin house!
      
We went to Camp North End Thursday night to watch Hocus Pocus.  I love this movie and can't have Halloween without seeing it!
    
    
It was a chilly night!
      
Harper watched the movie with a new friend.
     
     
   
Poppy and Gigi came Friday afternoon for Halloween.  It is our tradition to have pizza before we go out.
       
We were characters from Peter Pan this year.  Poor Poppy has to stay at home to hand out candy.
      
       
    
Mr. Smee and Captain Hook
    
The crocodile bit off my hand!
   
Peter Pan and Tinkerbell 
     
Wendy and Peter Pan
      
       
     
   
    
    
I forgot to get a new mustache so I had to improvise with a lock of my wig.
     
    
     
I love trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.
    
    
     
   
   
    
    
    
    
   
   
   
       
Many houses hand out drink treats for the adults!
     
    
Ethan ran into his friends.
    
    
   
    
    
        
     
Tinkerbell did't get any candy.
    
    
    
     
      
On Saturday, Gigi, Poppy and I went to see Harper's soccer game while Alex and Ethan went to curling practice. 
    
    
    
Harper went with Amelia to play after their game.
   
   
     
The rest of us went to see Ethan's soccer game.  He had a great assist! 
    
After all the sports were finished, Gigi, Poppy, Ethan and I headed to Camp North End for the Dia de los Muertos festival. 
     
      
     
I loved the outfits and the ofrendas.
     
    
      
   
    
     
On Sunday, Alex took the kids ice skating.