Anyone else seen this video? What do you think?
Some of its conclusions certainly line up with my recent thoughts about the excesses of the American "holiday season". (Is it okay with the PC people to call it Christmas again?)
What would it be like to stuff every stocking on my mantle with water filters for my loved ones to give away? Would they like it? Would I like it?
Am I willing? I'd like to think so...
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Advent... Conspiracy?
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Normandy
As some of you may know, my Dad has been a life-long history buff with a special passion for World War II. While he and my mom were visiting in August, four of us (including Brooks but not Eric, who we unfortunately had to leave hard at work in London) took a special trip to visit the region of Normandy, France. This stretch of coastline just across the English Channel was the site of D-Day, the largest single-day military invasion of all time, which dropped over 130,000 Allied troops into Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944.
When my parents visited me while I lived in London in 1998, we spent one (ridiculous) day seeing some of these sights, but our return trip this summer was an incredibly different experience. The one day Normandy Blitz Tour of '98 generated some of my most vivid travel memories ever -
~ "what do you mean there are no Normandy tours from Paris this week?"
~ "(cough), no I said Caen!"
~ the purple bubble gum car
~ "uhh, Mom, can you drive stick?"
~ "okay we have 8.5 minutes at Omaha, GO!"
~ the potato salad sandwiches for lunch at 2:30pm,
~ the beautiful villages and scenery that we RACED through,
~ running through the station and collapsing in a joyful heap on the train only to discover that this was the newly arrived train FROM Paris... Ahh!!!
But this post is about Normandy Tour, Part Deux. For this visit we were smart enough to engage the services of a professional guide, a wonderful English historian with a particular passion for the US soldier's experience in France during the mid-1940s. We met Dr Thomson at the English side of the Channel Tunnel and rode in his car on a "ferry train" through the Chunnel to France. That evening we got an amazing outline of the battles and sights we'd be seeing and enjoyed looking through his maps as we zipped down into the French countryside. Stopping at Honfleur for supper, Brooks got to ride on his very first carousel while we soaked in the surroundings at this darling little harbor-front village.
The next day we saw Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery and Visitor's Center, Pont du Hoc, Utah Beach and Sainte Mere Eglise - I can not imagine how we could have possibly crammed more of these historical sights into a single day.
Here Dad and Dr Thomson are discussing invasion strategy and how the topography impacted the Ranger landings at Pont du Hoc. The large cratered landscape around this German clifftop fortification remains largely untouched as a memorial to those who died and was dramatic evidence of the beating that all this beautiful area of Normandy took in that battle.
Here we are in front of the Airborne museum in the town of Sainte Mere Eglise. In the background you can spot the steeple of the church I've pictured below...
This church was one of our destinations in part because of a colorful story of the American parachutist, John Steele, who dropped in on June 6th.
In the darkness before the June 6th dawn beach landings, over 13,000 Allied troops parachuted into German territory to reach specific objectives. One of them was Private John Steele who, because of a bad "drop", landed right in the middle of the Ste Mere Eglise town square, his parachute getting tangled up on a spire on the church roof. Because of a fire in a nearby house, the German occupiers had already sounded a midnight alarm and the whole town was out, forming a bucket brigade to douse the burning building. Can you picture this?! Church bells pealing, flames lighting up the town square, German soldiers on alert, Steele dropped his knife trying to cut himself free, so he just went limp and pretended to be dead. At dawn, after hours of intense fighting, the Americans were defeated and some German went to retrieve his body from the church roof. Shocked to find a wounded but alive American soldier, they decided, instead of finishing him off then and there, to send him to another town for interrogation. Their efforts failed. Not only did he not give them any information on his mission, he couldn't even hear the questions after hanging beside the church bell all night - he was deaf! He was later rescued by the Americans at Cherbourg, surviving the war to return home to the States. His effigy hangs on the church steeple to this day in homage to the liberating Allied forces.
Our last day in Normandy, we saw the huge German anti-naval guns that lined the coast at Longues - because of their incredible range, they were a huge threat to the Allied sea crafts and troops landing on both Omaha and Gold Beaches. If Rommel, the German field commander in Normandy, had been believed and given the resources to do as he saw fit, the French coast would have been peppered with countless of these well-protected and massively dangerous guns, making the Allies' landing even trickier. This location is the only one which still holds the original German guns, all disabled in the fighting.
Brooks and Grandpa Charlie sport matching cheeky grins at the Juno beach memorial.
Grandma and Brooks found that they could easily get some play time in anywhere - including a parking lot!
Dad and I had all kinds of fun crawling up and around this concrete German fort. Dr Thomson warned us of all the particular dangers of the sight, but this was one of the few intact fortifications we saw, so we couldn't resist.
I wish I could convey in pictures all the amazing things we saw. It's quite hard to see it in the photo below, but the gray dots in the water are the massive remains of the floating Mulberry Harbor that the British installed in the water opposite Arromanches several miles from us down the coast. Concrete blocks, floating pier-heads and approx 10 km of floating roads were constructed in England, hidden beneath the sea at the English coast, and then raised up and towed across the Channel at 5 mph the week of the invasion. This specifically engineered man-made port allowed the Allied forces to unload over half a million TONS of supplies, equipment and manpower into France over an eight month period, enabling the good guys to push further up and into France on the road to victory. Nick-named Port Winston, this engineering marvel was one of the keys to success of the entire invasion.
While the American cemetery was impressive and certainly a beautiful monument to our country's fallen men, I was personally more moved by the British cemetery we visited. Designed to resemble the parish churchyard cemeteries back in England, the smaller, more intimate scale highlighted the individual rather than corporate sacrifices of the war. Well-tended flowers frame each row of tombstones and underneath the soldier's name and religious symbol of choice (Cross, Star of David) the mourning families or loved ones were able to add a personal inscription - some were messages of faith, others were tributes to the man's courage and love of country, still others heart-wrenching words from a loved one full of grief. I left feeling sad and praying that our world never has to see another war like this one.
One of my particular highlights was our final sight - Pegasus Bridge, the very first target that was secured by Allied forces just after midnight on D-Day. Silent glider planes filled with soldiers were connected by ropes to heavier planes and pulled over the Channel to be released over the German soldiers in France. Floating to the ground with a heavy bump, the soldiers spilled out of their planes and taking the German guards by surprise, they had control of the bridge 15 minutes later. As one of the only places to cross the River Orno in Normandy, securing this bridge meant that they had effectively cut off the German reinforcements from the east and allowed Allied forces to move west towards Paris at will, without needing to capture and secure Caen. Not only was it special because it was *first*, it was incredibly important strategically and displayed the excellent planning of the Allied commanders. Here's the reconstructed Pegasus Bridge (the original is displayed on the grounds of the neighboring museum).
On the far left of the picture is an old building which at the time of the war housed the Gondree family and their road-side cafe. They were the first French people liberated by the Allied soldiers and after seeing the friendly forces take control of the bridge, they dug in their little garden and unearthed bottles of champagne to celebrate with the British soldiers!
The nearby Pegasus Bridge Museum had two of my favorite war displays ever. The first one was an example of the "toy soldiers" used by Allied forces during the Normandy invasion. These little airborne decoys were dropped from gliders close to the German lines during the night. The parachutes opened and they drifted slowly down, appearing in the dark of night as full-size airmen. Each of these toy soldiers was actually a bag packed with firecrackers that exploded on impact, fooling the German forces into believing that dozens of Allied troops had landed and were immediately engaging in action all around them. The chaos and noise created confusion and fear and indicated many more Allied troops hiding in the German occupied zones than there actually were.
This was another fascinating exhibit - one of the Horsa model gliders with its set of weights. The D-Day planners would use these tiny scales to balance out the cargo of the individual air-crafts, so that these engine-less vehicles could silently and smoothly float to a relatively precise, safe landing in Normandy. Without engines to maneuver the gliders, they basically had high-tech paper airplanes and the commanders had make sure that the crew, their gear, and any supplies were loaded accurately so as to not throw the balance off. There are weights to represent the pilots in the cockpit, the fixed wheels, and the movable objects - soldiers and their backpacks, jeeps, machine guns, etc. The individual holes in the model lined up in the real glider with clamps for securing each item. It was fantastic!
Dr. Thomson literally had to drag us away from this museum, in order to head back to our drop-off point. I loved the photos and stories and bits of history even after several days of similar stories and photos and history bits.
While much of this tour was still a whirlwind, I think this photo sums up lots about the trip. In the background, Dad and Dr. Thomson study the Normandy battle maps while Brooks and Grandma go exploring down the beach at a toddler's pace. Me, I'm jumping between the two groups, enjoying both the history and the family and snapping some photos. It was a wonderful, memorable few days!
Thanks for the spectacular and truly fun history lesson, Mom and Dad.
When my parents visited me while I lived in London in 1998, we spent one (ridiculous) day seeing some of these sights, but our return trip this summer was an incredibly different experience. The one day Normandy Blitz Tour of '98 generated some of my most vivid travel memories ever -
~ "what do you mean there are no Normandy tours from Paris this week?"
~ "(cough), no I said Caen!"
~ the purple bubble gum car
~ "uhh, Mom, can you drive stick?"
~ "okay we have 8.5 minutes at Omaha, GO!"
~ the potato salad sandwiches for lunch at 2:30pm,
~ the beautiful villages and scenery that we RACED through,
~ running through the station and collapsing in a joyful heap on the train only to discover that this was the newly arrived train FROM Paris... Ahh!!!
But this post is about Normandy Tour, Part Deux. For this visit we were smart enough to engage the services of a professional guide, a wonderful English historian with a particular passion for the US soldier's experience in France during the mid-1940s. We met Dr Thomson at the English side of the Channel Tunnel and rode in his car on a "ferry train" through the Chunnel to France. That evening we got an amazing outline of the battles and sights we'd be seeing and enjoyed looking through his maps as we zipped down into the French countryside. Stopping at Honfleur for supper, Brooks got to ride on his very first carousel while we soaked in the surroundings at this darling little harbor-front village.
The next day we saw Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery and Visitor's Center, Pont du Hoc, Utah Beach and Sainte Mere Eglise - I can not imagine how we could have possibly crammed more of these historical sights into a single day.
Here Dad and Dr Thomson are discussing invasion strategy and how the topography impacted the Ranger landings at Pont du Hoc. The large cratered landscape around this German clifftop fortification remains largely untouched as a memorial to those who died and was dramatic evidence of the beating that all this beautiful area of Normandy took in that battle.
Here we are in front of the Airborne museum in the town of Sainte Mere Eglise. In the background you can spot the steeple of the church I've pictured below...
This church was one of our destinations in part because of a colorful story of the American parachutist, John Steele, who dropped in on June 6th.
In the darkness before the June 6th dawn beach landings, over 13,000 Allied troops parachuted into German territory to reach specific objectives. One of them was Private John Steele who, because of a bad "drop", landed right in the middle of the Ste Mere Eglise town square, his parachute getting tangled up on a spire on the church roof. Because of a fire in a nearby house, the German occupiers had already sounded a midnight alarm and the whole town was out, forming a bucket brigade to douse the burning building. Can you picture this?! Church bells pealing, flames lighting up the town square, German soldiers on alert, Steele dropped his knife trying to cut himself free, so he just went limp and pretended to be dead. At dawn, after hours of intense fighting, the Americans were defeated and some German went to retrieve his body from the church roof. Shocked to find a wounded but alive American soldier, they decided, instead of finishing him off then and there, to send him to another town for interrogation. Their efforts failed. Not only did he not give them any information on his mission, he couldn't even hear the questions after hanging beside the church bell all night - he was deaf! He was later rescued by the Americans at Cherbourg, surviving the war to return home to the States. His effigy hangs on the church steeple to this day in homage to the liberating Allied forces.
Our last day in Normandy, we saw the huge German anti-naval guns that lined the coast at Longues - because of their incredible range, they were a huge threat to the Allied sea crafts and troops landing on both Omaha and Gold Beaches. If Rommel, the German field commander in Normandy, had been believed and given the resources to do as he saw fit, the French coast would have been peppered with countless of these well-protected and massively dangerous guns, making the Allies' landing even trickier. This location is the only one which still holds the original German guns, all disabled in the fighting.
Brooks and Grandpa Charlie sport matching cheeky grins at the Juno beach memorial.
Grandma and Brooks found that they could easily get some play time in anywhere - including a parking lot!
Dad and I had all kinds of fun crawling up and around this concrete German fort. Dr Thomson warned us of all the particular dangers of the sight, but this was one of the few intact fortifications we saw, so we couldn't resist.
I wish I could convey in pictures all the amazing things we saw. It's quite hard to see it in the photo below, but the gray dots in the water are the massive remains of the floating Mulberry Harbor that the British installed in the water opposite Arromanches several miles from us down the coast. Concrete blocks, floating pier-heads and approx 10 km of floating roads were constructed in England, hidden beneath the sea at the English coast, and then raised up and towed across the Channel at 5 mph the week of the invasion. This specifically engineered man-made port allowed the Allied forces to unload over half a million TONS of supplies, equipment and manpower into France over an eight month period, enabling the good guys to push further up and into France on the road to victory. Nick-named Port Winston, this engineering marvel was one of the keys to success of the entire invasion.
While the American cemetery was impressive and certainly a beautiful monument to our country's fallen men, I was personally more moved by the British cemetery we visited. Designed to resemble the parish churchyard cemeteries back in England, the smaller, more intimate scale highlighted the individual rather than corporate sacrifices of the war. Well-tended flowers frame each row of tombstones and underneath the soldier's name and religious symbol of choice (Cross, Star of David) the mourning families or loved ones were able to add a personal inscription - some were messages of faith, others were tributes to the man's courage and love of country, still others heart-wrenching words from a loved one full of grief. I left feeling sad and praying that our world never has to see another war like this one.
One of my particular highlights was our final sight - Pegasus Bridge, the very first target that was secured by Allied forces just after midnight on D-Day. Silent glider planes filled with soldiers were connected by ropes to heavier planes and pulled over the Channel to be released over the German soldiers in France. Floating to the ground with a heavy bump, the soldiers spilled out of their planes and taking the German guards by surprise, they had control of the bridge 15 minutes later. As one of the only places to cross the River Orno in Normandy, securing this bridge meant that they had effectively cut off the German reinforcements from the east and allowed Allied forces to move west towards Paris at will, without needing to capture and secure Caen. Not only was it special because it was *first*, it was incredibly important strategically and displayed the excellent planning of the Allied commanders. Here's the reconstructed Pegasus Bridge (the original is displayed on the grounds of the neighboring museum).
On the far left of the picture is an old building which at the time of the war housed the Gondree family and their road-side cafe. They were the first French people liberated by the Allied soldiers and after seeing the friendly forces take control of the bridge, they dug in their little garden and unearthed bottles of champagne to celebrate with the British soldiers!
The nearby Pegasus Bridge Museum had two of my favorite war displays ever. The first one was an example of the "toy soldiers" used by Allied forces during the Normandy invasion. These little airborne decoys were dropped from gliders close to the German lines during the night. The parachutes opened and they drifted slowly down, appearing in the dark of night as full-size airmen. Each of these toy soldiers was actually a bag packed with firecrackers that exploded on impact, fooling the German forces into believing that dozens of Allied troops had landed and were immediately engaging in action all around them. The chaos and noise created confusion and fear and indicated many more Allied troops hiding in the German occupied zones than there actually were.
This was another fascinating exhibit - one of the Horsa model gliders with its set of weights. The D-Day planners would use these tiny scales to balance out the cargo of the individual air-crafts, so that these engine-less vehicles could silently and smoothly float to a relatively precise, safe landing in Normandy. Without engines to maneuver the gliders, they basically had high-tech paper airplanes and the commanders had make sure that the crew, their gear, and any supplies were loaded accurately so as to not throw the balance off. There are weights to represent the pilots in the cockpit, the fixed wheels, and the movable objects - soldiers and their backpacks, jeeps, machine guns, etc. The individual holes in the model lined up in the real glider with clamps for securing each item. It was fantastic!
Dr. Thomson literally had to drag us away from this museum, in order to head back to our drop-off point. I loved the photos and stories and bits of history even after several days of similar stories and photos and history bits.
While much of this tour was still a whirlwind, I think this photo sums up lots about the trip. In the background, Dad and Dr. Thomson study the Normandy battle maps while Brooks and Grandma go exploring down the beach at a toddler's pace. Me, I'm jumping between the two groups, enjoying both the history and the family and snapping some photos. It was a wonderful, memorable few days!
Thanks for the spectacular and truly fun history lesson, Mom and Dad.
Friend-sick
As we were drifting off to to sleep last night, Eric and I both commented that we're really looking forward to Christmas in States. Um, wow, that's the biggest understatement of all time. We're DYING to get home for the holidays. We miss our families in Ohio and Tennessee very much, and we're dreaming of the places where we feel like we have always belonged.
In all the everyday ways, we're also really missing our friends from Chicago. It's been remarkable how many times in the last few weeks, we've paused to say, Gosh, I wish so-and-so were with us, or this would be so great to show so-and-so.
It's obvious that I've been more homesick than normal, because I keep opening up old pictures from last summer just to smile back at all these happy faces.
We miss you guys!
In all the everyday ways, we're also really missing our friends from Chicago. It's been remarkable how many times in the last few weeks, we've paused to say, Gosh, I wish so-and-so were with us, or this would be so great to show so-and-so.
It's obvious that I've been more homesick than normal, because I keep opening up old pictures from last summer just to smile back at all these happy faces.
We miss you guys!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Night Night, Little one
This little lullaby is sung regularly at our church, complete with hand motions, during the children's song time at the beginning of the service. I love it.
After lots of sleepless nights and regular wee-hour feedings, I was convinced early on that the best way to help Brooks to go to sleep on his own was to lovingly dump him in his bed, kiss him goodnight and shut the door on my way out. Now that he's old enough to say "Momma, more sing please" and "NO night night, CHAIR! blanket!" I've begun wavering on my commitment to self-soothing. I've really grown to love our pre-nap and pre-bedtime cuddles, and regularly stretch out the bedtime routine, knowing full well that I may have regrets about it down the road.
Last night, all clean and warm after bath-time, he wanted me to sing to him over and over, until eventually I asked if he'd sing to me. "What will you sing for me, Brooks-ie?" I asked. He raised his hands to his shoulders and, palms upward, started to sway back and forth and sing "Jesus" over and over. I giggled through my teary eyes - he was mimicking me in church that morning. He gave me a darling grin and buried his head into my shoulder saying "Momma sing, momma sing."
My son's innocence reminds me that I need to rest my head on the Lord's shoulder, that I need to listen to His songs over me when it's time for me to rest. The images of God in both roles - as a child in Mary's arms and as a Heavenly Father protecting me as I sleep - have been so good for me lately. He's shown me how to trust, and He shown me how He's trust-worthy. And I'm comforted knowing He loves me and He knows exactly what I need.
Here are a couple of sleepy Brooks pictures... Thankfully our good friends the Grizzles live very close by - we can put him down to sleep in a pack n play at their house, and then bundle him up for a quick walk two blocks back to our flat. He doesn't mind a bit, because he usually gets two sets of bedtime cuddles on those nights.
He still sleeps curled up in his crib like a turtle with no shell. I love it!
Sleep tight, Little... You are loved.
Wonderful Lord, Wonderful God
You are my Shield, My Protector
I can lie down, go off to sleep
Knowing You're watching over me
Wonderful Lord, Wonderful God
Help me to trust You forever
I need not fear, 'cause You are near
I can lie down and sleep in peace
After lots of sleepless nights and regular wee-hour feedings, I was convinced early on that the best way to help Brooks to go to sleep on his own was to lovingly dump him in his bed, kiss him goodnight and shut the door on my way out. Now that he's old enough to say "Momma, more sing please" and "NO night night, CHAIR! blanket!" I've begun wavering on my commitment to self-soothing. I've really grown to love our pre-nap and pre-bedtime cuddles, and regularly stretch out the bedtime routine, knowing full well that I may have regrets about it down the road.
Last night, all clean and warm after bath-time, he wanted me to sing to him over and over, until eventually I asked if he'd sing to me. "What will you sing for me, Brooks-ie?" I asked. He raised his hands to his shoulders and, palms upward, started to sway back and forth and sing "Jesus" over and over. I giggled through my teary eyes - he was mimicking me in church that morning. He gave me a darling grin and buried his head into my shoulder saying "Momma sing, momma sing."
My son's innocence reminds me that I need to rest my head on the Lord's shoulder, that I need to listen to His songs over me when it's time for me to rest. The images of God in both roles - as a child in Mary's arms and as a Heavenly Father protecting me as I sleep - have been so good for me lately. He's shown me how to trust, and He shown me how He's trust-worthy. And I'm comforted knowing He loves me and He knows exactly what I need.
...Help me to trust You forever,
I need not fear, 'cause You are near,
I can lie down and sleep in peace.
Here are a couple of sleepy Brooks pictures... Thankfully our good friends the Grizzles live very close by - we can put him down to sleep in a pack n play at their house, and then bundle him up for a quick walk two blocks back to our flat. He doesn't mind a bit, because he usually gets two sets of bedtime cuddles on those nights.
He still sleeps curled up in his crib like a turtle with no shell. I love it!
Sleep tight, Little... You are loved.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Halloween - UK Style
Halloween doesn't enjoy the same significance as a holiday in the UK that it does in the States. While many families celebrate it to some extent, it doesn't seem to take over the culture for the whole of October the way it does back home. There were no hay rides advertised, or pumpkin patches around town. I didn't see one single jack-o-lantern glowing from a front porch or dark window. A few pubs did put up cheap paper decorations on the night and, of course, the grocery stores were all selling candy but I wasn't too impressed.
Last year Brooks didn't dress up for Halloween. We spent the day/evening in Venice with my family and while it is known for its masquerades, we were more on the tourist route than looking for child-friendly dress-up festivities. Not wanting to miss the chance to see our son in some fun costume (or "fancy dress" as it's called in the UK), I was hoping for a chance to take him to a costume party. How excited was I when I discovered that our church's childrens' ministry was hosting a Halloween alternative - a Light Party!
I remember several alternative Halloween nights back in the 1980s spent at the Keltons' Farm "Harvest Festival" - mostly hanging out with friends freezing and roasting, depending on how close I was to the bonfire. But at the end of the night, we'd always make the trek up the road to towards the huge dark hill, using flashlights to search along the route for balls of tin foil each hiding a little stash of candy. I loved it - those were great Halloween memories, and only a few years after my beautiful hand-made Disney princess costumes. Nothing off the rack for us! No, when we were really small, my mom would design patterns and make our Halloween costumes - JUST LIKE THE ORIGINALS! Our Snow White dress had cut-out blue and red satin puffed sleeves and a velvet cape and everything. I still feel pretty thinking about those costumes.
Anyway, we took Brooks to the Light Party at church and had a great time. I saw a few friends from Tots and Toddlers, got to meet the husbands of several girlfriends and introduce Eric around. But mostly we just experienced what our future holds - News flash! Childrens' parties are NUTS! Here are a few photos from the day...
Brooks dressed up as Cowboy Small, a character from one of his favorite books. The hat and boots and cowboy shirt are all from his TN Grandma, and the jeans and bandanna were added to complete the ensemble. He wore this outfit all day long and kept saying "Brooks Cowboy SMALL!" over and over again. He was so proud.
The party was insane. This picture shows about an eighth of the party. A DJ had fun music blaring, there were contests going at stations all around the room, and all the kids were hyped up on candy they were winning from the carnival games. This was the only bit of calmness, a craft section for the youngest kids to color and spread glue everywhere.
Brooks's favorite part of the night was the Light Room, a section of the party with only black lights, tiny colored twinkle lights, neon face paint, those glowy snap bracelet things, and glow in the dark constellations stuck on the wall. Whenever I lost track of Brooks and Dada, I could find them in there, enjoying checking themselves out in the mirrors with the alien bluish glow.
It was a fun day and I was glad to be able to spend the evening with my two favorite guys! We love Cowboy Small.
Last year Brooks didn't dress up for Halloween. We spent the day/evening in Venice with my family and while it is known for its masquerades, we were more on the tourist route than looking for child-friendly dress-up festivities. Not wanting to miss the chance to see our son in some fun costume (or "fancy dress" as it's called in the UK), I was hoping for a chance to take him to a costume party. How excited was I when I discovered that our church's childrens' ministry was hosting a Halloween alternative - a Light Party!
I remember several alternative Halloween nights back in the 1980s spent at the Keltons' Farm "Harvest Festival" - mostly hanging out with friends freezing and roasting, depending on how close I was to the bonfire. But at the end of the night, we'd always make the trek up the road to towards the huge dark hill, using flashlights to search along the route for balls of tin foil each hiding a little stash of candy. I loved it - those were great Halloween memories, and only a few years after my beautiful hand-made Disney princess costumes. Nothing off the rack for us! No, when we were really small, my mom would design patterns and make our Halloween costumes - JUST LIKE THE ORIGINALS! Our Snow White dress had cut-out blue and red satin puffed sleeves and a velvet cape and everything. I still feel pretty thinking about those costumes.
Anyway, we took Brooks to the Light Party at church and had a great time. I saw a few friends from Tots and Toddlers, got to meet the husbands of several girlfriends and introduce Eric around. But mostly we just experienced what our future holds - News flash! Childrens' parties are NUTS! Here are a few photos from the day...
Brooks dressed up as Cowboy Small, a character from one of his favorite books. The hat and boots and cowboy shirt are all from his TN Grandma, and the jeans and bandanna were added to complete the ensemble. He wore this outfit all day long and kept saying "Brooks Cowboy SMALL!" over and over again. He was so proud.
The party was insane. This picture shows about an eighth of the party. A DJ had fun music blaring, there were contests going at stations all around the room, and all the kids were hyped up on candy they were winning from the carnival games. This was the only bit of calmness, a craft section for the youngest kids to color and spread glue everywhere.
Brooks's favorite part of the night was the Light Room, a section of the party with only black lights, tiny colored twinkle lights, neon face paint, those glowy snap bracelet things, and glow in the dark constellations stuck on the wall. Whenever I lost track of Brooks and Dada, I could find them in there, enjoying checking themselves out in the mirrors with the alien bluish glow.
It was a fun day and I was glad to be able to spend the evening with my two favorite guys! We love Cowboy Small.
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