i was extra tired this morning because we had an extra great weekend. it's nice and cold outside, and comfy warm and smelling like christmas inside (thank you Air Wick night light). gorgeous fall weather. saturday we went to julie's for our first annual Friends' Turkey Day Dinner. it was great fun and great food. after dinner, the three kids went out in the front yard and jumped in the piles of pretty fall leaves over and over and over and over. apparently, that never gets old. i guess i'd forgotten. i'm always so impressed with Tiny E, who, as he informed me at his 7th birthday party, is "not all that tiny." he is so good with Magnolia. he would take her out to the leaf pile and show her how to hurl herself down without getting hurt. she'd run squeeling and jump on him and he'd catch her every time. he'd run after her when she tried to go toward the street. and he would always give her the football when she wanted it, even though she doesn't have the faintest clue what to do with it other than just walk around hugging it. he's going to be a great big brother. anyway, it was such a ... i hate this word, but it was a heart-warming sight. watching those little ones, Ethan, Magnolia and Monique, playing, running, laughing with abandon. not a care in the world. it's a good lesson for us all, people. once in awhile, you should just run full speed and throw yourself giggling down on the ground. just make sure the big pile of leaves is there to catch your fall. oh, and make sure the leaves don't have any rocks or sticks in them, either. man, cynicism creeps in! you see how hard it is, people?!?! anyway, Julie, the big softy, got all misty-eyed at the scene. she said she felt like we were in a movie! and it was quite the kodak moment. (oh don't worry, we took about a billion pics of it. stay tuned.)

then yesterday we got our christmas present from jerm's parents. a new hot water heater with a big bow on it! whoo-hoo! the old one starting leaking, and rather than try and fix it only to need replacing later, they insisted on a new one. god love them, they are such generous people. or perhaps they just don't want to smell us when we can't take showers anymore. and really, who could blame them.