Today the long-awaited arrival of our live caterpillars.  We’ll get to watch them eat, and grow, and best of all observe their metamorphosis into Painted Lady butterflies.

The kids want to release the butterflies into the wild only after our butterfly garden out back starts blooming -  because then “they might stay here and be like our pets!”

And a combo birthday package for the kids containing tons of great books and these awesome play tents.

For now, Brett’s is a Warrior Cat Cave [of course], and Luke’s is a tent where Nick the Fighter Guy can slay some dragons.

I see hours of creative fun in our futures!

what is better than that on a chilly day?

drinking out of the Santa mugs that MaggaJu had when she was young ["that was like 150 years ago!" said some kid, I won't say who]

I know a couple small people who are so ready for winter.

“The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who’ll get me a book I ain’t read.”   -  Abraham Lincoln

“Read in order to live.”  – Gustave Flaubert

“Read, read, read.”   –   William Faulkner

“The greatest gift is a passion for reading.”   – Elizabeth Hardwick

Thank you, Mom and Dad – for always having books on a shelf… for letting me catch you with your own noses in one… and for letting me ‘borrow’ your books even when it got me into trouble at school [y'all remember that Jaws incident?].  That’s probably the single best thing you ever did for me.

I am so happy to pass the love of books on to my own children.

This is the Bunge family.

Brett & Martha and their son Aidan.

When The Girl [a.k.a. Little Butt] was very small, she didn’t say “Big Brett” very clearly.  Thankfully, BB’s got a good sense of humor and doesn’t mind his nickname.  It’d probably be different if he were female.  Martha a.k.a. Ciocia’s nickname is Polish for Aunt.

We miss our friends.  Hey, Bunges: Visit?  Hmm?

Atta boy!