Welcome to the Wright Home!

Walking home after school

eating with Nana at the fall social

Happy Birthday!

View from our front deck

Fluffy and Smokey

Ready for the Fall Social

So happy to have been at the game.

Barely tolerating the new tire swing.

Lots of snuggles and reading with Nana

Typical Caleb fashion

Isn't it sad that it's been so long since I've posted that I have to type the whole website thingy in to get to my own blog? I don't even want to know how long it's been, but we have been having a reallly fun fall. First of all, fall in the Ozarks beats the ones we had in OK. Not that I don't think they were great, just that the colors and the hills and the amazing number of trees surrounding us are really fabulous to see.

So, let's see. Buddy and I celebrated in a not-so-celebratory fashion our 14th anniversary. (We didn't do anything because we were in differnt states. We do, however have plans for something lovely in the future. Oh, for a date night!) Looking back at our wedding pictures really shows the hands of time and the amazing adventure these years have been. I am truly thankful for our family, and that Buddy finally agreed with me that getting married WAS a really good idea. :)

Buddy's mom came to visit us for 2 weeks and got to spend a lot of her time here in our "little slice of heaven," as she called it. It was so nice to have an adult around during the day, some extra support when I felt like I wanted to leave the dishes for the maid, even if it took her a few months to come. Actually, I was really in the baking mood and she helped me keep up the with mess so we could eat yummy things. What a great reason to have desserts and bread products every day! The kids thoroughly enjoyed their time with Nana, and when Caleb found out Nana had gone home, he said, "That's sad!" What's really so sad is that I didn't take enough pictures of their times together. Lots of good walks and book reading. She even got to come to CC one day.

We had the best time together we've ever had and I look forward to the next visit.

Samuel turned 12 this past week. I've been seeing the dark hairs on his upper lip for some time and have been calmly ignoring them. And resisting the measurements that show he has only a few more inches until he's taller than me. He's long past my shoes but can still wear some of my hoodies. One thing I've noticed, which is sweet, is that is still likes to be near me. When I told him I was going to walk into his class at church and give him a great big birthday hug, instant panic was in his voice and on his face. Yet when we're in Walmart or doing something together, he sticks right by me. I see the push to be cool, but then he doesn't smile as much as he used to. That makes me really sad. He was blessed to go to the World Series when it was in St L, even though they lost that game. Then he was able to go to an all-night event with a friend his birthday weekend after hanging out with his old CC friends for the evening. It's great to see him growing up and being responsible enough that he's the kind of kid others want to have around. All in all, it was a wonderful way to become the big 1-2. He's a great kid, and we're really blessed to see him becoming a wonderful young man. His humor is really fun to hear, and his appetite is huge!

2 weeks ago, 2 little kittens were found behind the shop of a former non-cat person. This person brought them home, contacted a cat lady to find out how to care for them, brought them to MO so they wouldn't be alone for a weekend, took them back to the cat lady to find out further care, and asks about them when he's not with them. We decided that we needed to do something for Nora, because she was getting stressed out by all this travel and the new arrivals. So she is now the former non-cat person's companion, and the little ones are the kids' school time helpers. It's amazing how still they are when they're holding their little ones. Sometimes they come to school dressed. They're doing great. Caleb needs some gentleness training with them, but they're surviving little boy love.

Catherine is still having a great time with her neighbor friend. They really have a good relationship and enjoy many of the same things. I think she's learned how to build a fire with K's help. They can never play too long, and the time between visits is too far apart. May that help motivate for great behavior!

Hannah's having a great time in school still. I've noticed that she's gotten skinnier since she started school. I guess she's working a lot harder now that she's there with the regular class so much more. They snack morning and afternoon, but she is needing some more to chunk her back up. Some days she comes home and wants to go to bed right away, but some days she'll play for a while. After 3 days, she's pretty wiped, though. Occassionally, I'll just keep her home so she can rest.

Caleb is as lively as ever, full of energy, tough as nails, ready to race/fight/snuggle all at once. He had a blast dressing up for the Fall Social at church. Caleb figured out that kitties and dogs lick to say hi and give kisses. He decided that the way he should show his love is to lick either the cats or anyone he's around. He had a hard time understanding why that wasn't ok at first. We were glad when he finally did.

I'm back to knitting some, working on a cable knit/bobble scarf. I haven't finish my socks yet, but I plan on it this weekend when I have a few moments without distractions. Ha! I think that catches us up for now. We are looking for a new home for our dog. She's gotten so much bigger than we thought she would be, needs more care than we can give, especially when we're travelling back and forth so much, and needs more attention than she's getting here. We're hoping that she can be there soon and get the extra loving she needs. Sadly, we just aren't in that place in our lives. I did chop off a lot of hair, and now I feel like a throw back to the 80's with wavy hair and cowlicks that make my bangs have volume!

Happy week!