I drank coffee yesterday from a Starbucks Red Cup.

It was 29 degrees in Austin this morning.  Count'em-- twenty-nine.  That's cold!

(Despite my past life as an East Coaster who did attend college in the very snowy state of Maine, I have acclimated to Texas pretty well.  Which means that I feel allowed to talk about how very cold it is, indeed, when the temperature starts with the number 2.)

I know what this means!  Christmas is coming!  

(Also, while I was preoccupied with being legitimately cold on my commute this morning, I realized that Thanksgiving is next week.  NEXT WEEK!  And that means my daydreams of stuffing recipes and perfect gravy are about to morph into a big shopping cart full of goodies at HEB.  Note to self:  Do not forget Cool Whip.  It doesn't matter how much you want to be Martha Stewart.  Everyone wants Cool Whip on their pumpkin pie.  End note.)

So, despite all of that, I have to share just two more pictures from Halloween.  I cannot, and will not, short-change Halloween.

First, we love Jack's teachers, Mr. Scott and Miss Hayley.  Second, we love their costumes.  Third, Jack's smile is pretty special in this particular snap.  Oh, sometimes I would love to be inside his little head to hear what's going on.  I think he was on joy overload here because he was both Darth Vader and having his picture taken with his teachers who he simply adores.

As for Sawyer, well.  The force is strong with this one, even when he is not dressed up as the world's cutest Jedi Master.

OK, October.  I'm good now.  November, I am now officially paying attention to you.  Time to make the gravy.

Hope you get all caught up with yourself today.

Talk soon,
Heather

in like a lion and in like a lamb

Much to Jack's delight, he and Sawyer now attend the same school.  This school follows our local public school calendar, so the new year starts on Monday.  

(This is one of the times when my Maryland upbringing makes me feel baffled by Texas.  School NEVER started in August when I was growing up.  Not to mention that it was 102 degrees today.  When is the season for apples and pencils and jackets?  Sigh.)

Anyway, also much to Jack's delight, he will be an official big kid starting on Monday.  He will be in Pre-K.  He will be, in school parlance, a Lion.  His fellow Pre-K kids will also be in the Jaguars and Cheetahs classrooms.  They are clearly the most sophisticated students in the school.

The promotion to Lion comes after Jack's successful year as a Dolphin.  I attempted to document Jack's last day as a Dolphin photographically.  I was rebuffed.

Sawyer, in contrast, is a Lamb.  And he will continue to be a Lamb on Monday.  Far from his fierce and sophisticated Lion brother, Sawyer is still cuddly.

Though apparently, based on sartorial clues, he aspires to be a Tiger.  I guess we'll have to see.

(Side note:  Does anyone else think that Sawyer looks EXACTLY LIKE MY MOM?)

I hope your day involves both cuddles and sophistication.

Talk to you soon.
Heather