So I am rethinking having Grace and Noah dress up like Bees. What is it with our society? We take these mean little flying bugs, and turn them into cute cartoons and such. Doesn't this encourage our kids to befriend the nasty buggers (endangering their life and limb!)? As you can tell, I am a bit bitter. For almost 25 years I have left bees alone, even argued that they wouldn't harm you unless you harm them. Well, all that has changed. Let me set the scene....It was a brisk fall evening. My family and I were walking up the path from the parking lot to the Marin General Hospital to visit Shannon and her new baby. I was carrying Grace, minding my own business when all of a sudden, BAM- I was hit! In a very controlled and restrained manner I managed not to cry as I wondered what had happened. Steve didn't believe me! I told him "I think I just got stung" and he said "I don't see anything." Well, let me tell you, there WAS something, and the agony wasn't over. Little did I know that the perpetrator of this heinous crime was still at the scene, and BAM- he stung me again! Is it just folklore that bees cannot sting twice? I am pretty sure it wasn't a wasp, so I have come to the conclusion that it was probably a killer bee. As I was contemplating ripping my shirt off before getting stung further, a wonderful nurse saw my plight and came to my aid. She pulled my shirt back, and with her bare hands, grabbed the bee and flung it to the air. My hero! So... about my kids representing this awful insect......
So this past week has been absolutely crazy! I worked two overnight shifts (8pm-5am) followed by a 8-12pm shift on Wed. Then, Thursday and Friday Steve had his seminars for the PhD program, and I had class as well. Whew! I am so glad that week is over! Next week looks pretty busy, but hopefully will include more sleep than last! Steve was in his seminar on Friday night, so I took the kiddos trick-or-treating myself (I know- I am pretty proud of myself.) The two busy bees and me headed down to a shopping center called Strawberry village where all the storekeepers open their doors and hand out candy. It was a blast! The best part was it was mostly covered by awnings (it was pouring rain) and I didn't have to worry about the candy being safe or not (not to mention the neighborhood!) Grace got the hang of it very quickly, and soon was running from store to store saying "Trick-or-treat...tanks....trick or treat....tanks..." as she hoarded her treasured candy in her bee "purse." (The only way I could get her to carry a bag.) Also, she is the first bee I know of to insist on wearing pink rainboots with giraffes on them because "mama...du wear rainboots when its raining...not my crocs..." (accompanied by an exasperated sigh and roll of the eyes.) Noah was happy to play with the candy wrappers and smile at people. On an unrelated note he is now standing up and saying "bye" as well as "mama". He says "dada" but still doesn't know what it means...but I tell ya, if he is mad or wants something, he DEFINITLY knows what "mama" means. Also, we had some family pics taken by the amazing Rachel, so make sure and check out rachelblackwellphotography.com/hallam to see them. Let me know if you want me to order any, she is giving us a steal on prices!
In other news...(I know...its been a while since I updated) I have the best husband ever. I have really been wanting this awesome camera lens for some time now, and had truly resigned myself to waiting a year or so to get it. He sold his bike and bought me the lens because he said "I knew you would get much more enjoyment out of the lens than I do out of my bike." It's like the story of the Christmas shoes, except I think he loves me more than I love him because I don't know if I would sell the lens to buy him a surf board! Unfortunately, because my bike was chained to his, after he sold it, two nights later my bike was stolen. :( Not that I rode it that much, but I definitly could have sold it to get him a new bike, or riden it in the future. Mainly it's just creepy that someone was right in front of our apartment (the bike was hanging up) which is not that easy to get to. I think thats all for now, I have to get back to writing papers...hopefully life will slow down a bit soon!
