New PJ's

Today Jamie helped me to cut out a pair of pajamas. The fabric has been in my stash for a while, I just never got around to using it. A very excited boy looked over the patterns with me, and picked out a vintage kids' pajama pattern. He told me that he wanted it all, even the hat.
Yes, the hat. An old-fashioned elf-style hat, complete with pom-pom. And he's thrilled to wear it.

Gym Class

This year we tried to come up with a gym class for both kids that didn't take up too much of our time. Many little league sports not only demand your weekly practice, but also every Saturday (or Sunday!) afternoon, along with a fundraiser on top of your regular fee. We weren't interested in that sort of organized sport, and truthfully, neither kid was either.
Our local park and rec department offers many classes, and one interested Dot. Both kids would be in the same beginner Aikido class, and the fee was economical. I signed them both up for one month to try it out. Jamie decided that there was not enough running and talking for him, but Dot really took to it. For the first month or so she was the only student in the class. The teacher brought in his girls to help out, and now Dot regularly practices with/against them. Dot really enjoys the class, but comes home sore from all the falls they have to take!

Winter visitor

We have an old house. Old houses often have problems with winter visitors such as mice, bugs and spiders. Our cat Norah delights in taking care of mice and bugs. She doesn't seem to notice the spiders much. This year, however, we have a different kind of visitor - one we have had before, and don't mind too much - a snake! (Last time the snake stayed near the sump pump, but this year it seems to be enjoying the laundry area. In the picture it is on the hem of a dress.) We investigated, and found that the snake is a Northern Brown Snake, or DeKay's snake. It is small, and will remain so, as adults grow to 13 inches long. It is not venomous, but we will not be playing with it. We are happy to let it deal with any bugs in the basement. I'm not sure how Norah will deal with it if she ever sees it, though!

National Arboretum, 2008

Everyone has a place they go to enjoy the fall colors, it seems. For us, it is the National Arboretum in DC. Last year we hit it at the peak of color; this year we were ahead of the change a bit. It was still beautiful, and we walked forever! Dorothy's friend Tashy came along with us for the day. See more photos in my album.