Jenny

Hello Family,

This has been such a mild autumn it's hard to accept that the year is this far past. In California the sun is warm, everything blooms, the sky is blue, blue. Where has the rain been? We had two days of rain and a week of clouds. It sounds like I'm complaining, but what I mean to say is NO WAY can it be almost Thanksgiving! Anja had a great Birthday #2. She loved the songs, emails, and presents. She now identifies all cake / candle / present-looking items as "hap, hap, hap" (trans: happy birthday). Carson continues to hone his Being Personable Skills with anyone who looks his way. It's pretty easy for him to draw smiles from grown-ups and other kids. There are occasional missteps, however. Like the day we unloaded our groceries out of the cart as the driver of the car next to us arrived. He asked her quite clearly, "Why is your neck red?" After that we discussed Appropriate Conversation Topics With Strangers. Jeff and I had a real treat early Saturday morning. Our boys woke us up playing the piano. You're surprised we were happy? Caleb and Tucker were playing a song together---an impromptu duet of "Ode To Joy" which Caleb learned a while ago and Tucker was experiencing for the first time. It was beautiful. Jeff and I are fine as ever. Whatever the stresses we have, we are both able to exercise regularly---Jeff is biking for his commute and I have a running partner. This helps with a lot. Now I just need to get more sleep. . . But don't we all? We look forward to hearing about everyone's holidays.

Love, Jenny, Jeff & children