five finds friday (otto’s birthday, boots I can’t wear & chili)
Today my youngest son turns ELEVEN.
I’m almost entirely out of the “kids eat free” stage of parenting. In fact, I’d say I’m pretty heavily into the “kids eat expensively” stage of parenting. (Maybe that’s EVERY stage of parenting.)
Anyway, he’s an easy fella to celebrate and I’m looking forward to celebrating his Harry Potter birthday. (That’s what the kids are calling it, since that fictional fellow’s 11th birthday is when all of his adventures began.)
Let’s hope Otto doesn’t attend a secret wizarding school and run into a lot of problems that keep his life almost constantly at risk.
funny
The other day I walked into the living room.
Bergen was lying on his back across the sofa, legs kicked over one end, headphones over his ears, eyes closed. Because of the current status of hairdressers across the world, his hair was flopped across his face, shielding his eyes and making him look altogether TEEN.
He looked different than Berg usually looks.
He looked . . . sad.
I said, “Son. Are you okay? You look . . . sad.”
He barely opened his eyes, moved his mouth just slightly, “That’s because I am sad.”
I sat down beside him. Touched all that golden floppy hair.
“And why are you so sad? Is it what you’re listening to?”
He nodded, took off his headphones and put them on my ears.
I forget the song but it was strikingly sad music.
“Why don’t you just change songs, son?”
He looked at me through that hair.
Serious.
“That’s part of what is making so sad. I can’t. I’m out of skips.”
fashionable
A while ago, pre All This, I ordered a pair of cowboy boots online.
I had gotten a little extra money from something – I can’t even recall – and it was just the right amount for a new pair of boots since currently every Keigley girl living at my house wears the same size I do and they keep borrowing things and then those things don’t return in the same shape they were originally in and I was hoping for a new pair of boots to kick around Lost Valley Ranch this year.
I chose these.
Classic and simple, taller than my others and able to be worn elsewhere besides a ranch since I don’t have the privilege of full time ranch living currently.
They arrived from Sierra Trading Post and they are, sadly, too big.
They’re sold out of other sizes, naturally, not that I can return them currently because All This.
But I’d like to find another pair similar. If I had the dollars, I’d just buy a pair of Frye boots and look nowhere else. Ever.
But alas, I do not.
Anyone have any good leads on cute, simple, tall, leather cowboy boots?
faithful
A friend recommended the series The Chosen to us.
It’s a TV retelling of the story of Jesus gathering his twelve disciples to him, of their pasts and of their coming to follow Jesus.
So far it’s been so interesting and well done and we’ve really enjoyed watching it.
flavorful
It’s been chilly enough to warrant soups and chili and I am not complaining about anything that keeps the humidity out of South Carolina for as many days as possible.
We are aways on the look out for a good chili recipe because somehow mine always seem lacking.
This one seemed to fit the bill for our family and how we like our chili.
feels
Otto Fox Wilder McDonald.
He’s got a lot of names and a lot of stories about how they all came to be.
He’s the baby of the clan, for sure, and last night at dinner we had him acknowledge just how cushy a role that can be.
If there’s a game to be played, Otto wants in. He likes a plan and almost every single meal he would prefer if we had an agenda to our time together – a game planned or a topic to focus in on. His feelings are pretty tender and his desire to accomplish schoolwork is weak, at best.
Otto is a hugger, a hand holder, a lap sitter. He offers compliments freely and at any given moment is known to say loudly, “I love everyone in this house.” Because he does.
And we love him too.
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