Groovin' guests

Fact #1: Apparently our children can be dressed up, taken to the city and attend a wedding without delaying, disrupting or bringing the whole thing to a halt.

Fact #2: Jason's cousin Rachael is Alivia and Alysse's new favorite person. In fact, Rachael has her very own fan club, headquartered in our home.

Fact #3: Our children can rock a wedding reception. I'm not sure anyone on the dance floor had ever seen some of the moves they pulled out. They danced and danced.

Fact #4: They danced some more.

Fact #5: To all those who said we'd have no problem getting them to sleep after all the aforementioned dancing - here's a shot taken at the mid-point of our drive home from Columbus (10:41 p.m. to be exact). Not a closed eye among them.

Fact #6: Jamie and Matt, four of your youngest guests couldn't have had a better time. Thanks for including us and best wishes in your life together.

Giving thanks

I'm thankful for these faces. I'm thankful for their hugs. I'm thankful they need me to take care of them. I'm thankful each one is unique. I'm thankful our home is happy. I'm thankful it sounds like a telemarketing call center inside the car when we're coming home from the library and everyone is "reading" their books. I'm thankful our children love one another. I'm thankful there's always food on our table. I'm thankful there's a husband/dad to provide it. I'm thankful to have had the chance in September to catch up with dear, old friends and hang out with their families. I'm thankful they each found wonderful spouses to raise children and share their lives with. I'm thankful for family. I'm thankful the girls have wonderful teachers. I'm thankful our kids feel safe. I'm thankful.

Prepare to pee

Admittedly, my pelvic floor muscles will never recover from carrying Trace and Alysse eight (long) months, but please tell me someone else out there finds this funny enough to wet themselves.

If nothing else, the four stars will run up visits to this site watching themselves.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

If you give a kid a $20

If you give a kindergartner a $20, she'll stuff it deep into the pocket of her Levi's. Then she'll ask for her jacket, her backpack and head out the door to the bus.

While waiting for the bus, she'll discuss all the possibilities the $20 holds. Paperback, hardback, read herself, read with mom, cat illustrations for Alysse, puppy tales for Trace.

Once the bus is seen coming down the street, she'll announce she's going to go shopping like mom and be home later with her picks.

Three and a half hours later, she'll stagger down the bus steps loaded down by the loot in her bag. She'll then issue warnings that no one is to touch her purchases.

Once inside, she'll unload her book fair buys ... all five of them (and a bonus super stealthy pink ink pen). Books in hand, she'll immediately launch into a full-fledged reenactment of the book fair shopping adventure - which will play out again and again in the coming days with siblings as customers.

Punching the buttons on the toy cash register at the make-believe book fair she'll remember the $20 she left with that morning. And chances are, she'll then dig into the pocket of her Levi's and pull out the two nickels that are your change.

Halloween Fun Recap

Alivia as Snow White; Alena as High School Musical's Sharpay; Alysse our ballerina; and Trace the UPS guy.