In Other News Besides Emotions Run Amok...

So besides my emotional breakdowns happening last week, here's some other news.

 1. Jubal is adorable.  And he slept for 6 hours straight last night!!!!

 2. I get such varied comments on who he looks like.  I don't know, don't ask me.  He just looks like Jubal, otherwise known as Jubalinski.

 3. I love Lando's eyes.  I think they are so pretty.  And he makes the funniest facial expressions.  Someday I'll have to try to get pictures.  He's talking more and more, but mostly I have to translate for him to others.  Although the other day I told him to go get Ana for prayer, and he went to her room and she understood, "Ana, prayer" amidst other babble and he grabbed her hand to lead her out.

 4. I love this picture!  Don't know why, but I do.

 5. Leo had the kids raking leaves while I dyed my hair.

 6.  Here, with our evergreen oak trees, you never get a large dump of leaves, just enough fall to make your yard look messy without the benefits of only having to rake twice or so with massive piles to jump into.  This is over the course of six months.  September through February.  I detest it at so many levels.  You just shouldn't have to rake leaves in December.  You really shouldn't.

 7.  Awww, Leo got a good shot of Isabel.  Today she told me she had a great day at school.  When I asked why, she said it was because her color wasn't changed.  (They start the day on green, and if they get a warning for bad behavior they have to switch it to yellow, and then to red if the behavior continues, which requires a note to parents.)  So then I asked, "Well, is your color normally changed to yellow every day?"  And she blithely responded, "Yeah, most days." Such a different animal than Elena who came home sobbing if she ever got a yellow--which almost never happened.

 8.  I'm still getting used to my hair.  But I have to say, I love it!  I just wish it was more white and that I had managed to get all the yellow out.  Next time.....

 9.  Acrobatics before bed.

 10.  Oh, Isabel.

 11.  Sebastian was a bit more timid.

 12.  But he eventually got the hang of it.

 13. This is the cake I made for FHE treat.  It took a week of prep.  Isabel chose it, I think because it looked so pretty.  It had candied cranberries that I made myself (they soaked for 4-5 days), and then the cake after assembly was supposed to sit in the fridge for 24-36 hours to let the flavors seep together.  It was a genoise (I looked it up, it's a cake developed in Genoa, Italy that uses whole eggs to make it raise, as opposed to a sponge cake that uses just the egg whites, or a regular cake that uses baking powder or soda) and the cake itself wasn't that great, I thought.  But all together it was divine. It has a chocolate whipped cream center with candied cranberries and a whipped cream frosting.  Yum.  I love the cranberries, by the way, the tart flavor is so much better than say if this was made with awfully sweet cherries.  Anyway, the whole family loved it.  Here's the recipe link if you want.

 14.  And these are the ugly Mediterranean geckos that I loathe so much.  Three live on our front porch currently.  And these are almost fully grown, as they are starting to turn brown instead of the pink translucent color they are from birth. Yuck.  Ana just caught another one in the kids' shower this time.

15. And yes, Lando sleeps with a sword.  He is definitely one tough character. ;)