Will's School Christmas

Will's been lucky enough in K4 to be able to go on field trips. For Christmas, they went downtown to the Hyatt for the Festival of Trees - different schools, businesses, and charities all decorate trees to put up at the Hyatt, and actually expanded this year to other locations downtown.


Since this was a walking field trip, I asked Mrs. Armstrong if Fi and I could come. She said, "Sure" and we went to Will's class Friday morning. I really liked the Christmas tree they made out of picture plates, so I had to take a picture.

Each parent had two children, which was nice - Will's friend Jackson was with us. We had a lot of fun wandering around looking at trees. The class even found the tree our school decorated and the ornaments that our class made - it was very cute and everyone actually sat still for a picture in front of it.

We were very fortunate that one of Will's friends, Elek's dad is the executive chef at the Hyatt. He reserved a small room for us and made wonderful hot chocolate, biscotti (for the adults) and rice crispy treats and HUGE chocolate chip cookies (for the kids). It was such a nice treat for everyone. He ended by giving each child a measuring tape with a level in it - such a hit with all the kids.

We headed back to school and I ran into my first snafu with bringing Fi to events. Will and Jackson were walking through the leaves, making crunching noises and Fi wanted to do it too. Unfortunately, she walks WAY slower than the boys do, and the class was coming up to a cross walk at a busy street. I wanted to catch up to the boys (we were the caboose, as Will said), so I grabbed up Fi and caught up, with her screaming all the way. We were a little ways down the street when a car drove up to me and told me she had lost her shoe in the cross-walk. I made sure Will and Jackson caught up to the rest of the class (thanks to Elek's mom, Poppy, for helping them get back to school) and ran back with her to get the shoe. It didn't get run over and was fine - thank goodness.

When we picked Will up at the end of the day, I asked him if he had fun. He told me, "Daddy could be a chef, right?" Smiling, I said, "Sure," thinking that Brent doesn't cook at all. Will then followed up and said,"Yeah, he could take out the garbage." I laughed and said, "Yes, he definitely can do that." :)

This past Wednesday was Will's Christmas party for his classroom. Again, the teachers were kind enough to include Sofia. We had ice cream, cupcakes, and juice - yum! And, we made ornaments, which was a very cute craft and kept the kids busy.

The most wonderful story though was when Fi and I walked into the room. Will turned around and told his friend, Jack (very popular name in this class), "That's my sister, Sofia. Isn't she beautiful?" My heart just melted and he earned about a billion points with Santa - he really is a sweet boy.

Unfortunately, Greenville had rain and cold temps so school was canceled for the Christmas program - it wasn't icy but the south doesn't deal well with any potential ice or snow. Also, unfortunately, we had already gotten dressed up and to school before we found out it was closed. To make up for it, we all went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. :)

All in all, Will had a great Christmas season at school. We know the rest of the holiday will be just as awesome.

Christmas Fun in Greenville

We decorated for Christmas in South Carolina - and I did it with just a fleece! :) Such a change from putting up lights with a heavy coat, boots, and gloves. And, I was happy to see that almost everything made it through over a year in storage without any issue (I was a little concerned). It was really nice to have the inside of the house decorated this year too - it just really helped get us all in the mood and it was really nice to tell the kids stories about all the ornaments and remember the stories behind them.

After decorating, the kids and I (Brent was on his way back from China) joined the Bries' family (Andy, Tara, Cooper, and Ali) for the annual Greenville Christmas parade. I wasn't expecting much but thought it would still be something fun to see. And, while we still needed hats and gloves, it wasn't that bad (I'm really getting used to winter down south).

There were a ton of bands and wonderful floats; there was an airplane (to promote the airport), some monster trucks, several dance teams, and some fire engines (a total hit with Cooper and Will).

There were even a couple of train floats - again, huge hit with Cooper and Will. Sofia liked seeing Santa and Mrs. Claus, and the Chick-Fil-A cow. After the parade, we went to the airport to get Brent, and told him all about the parade. We had a great time and look forward to sharing it next year with Daddy!

More Christmas Fun in Greenville

We actually managed to play in the snow in South Carolina! :) On Tuesday the 14th, Tara, Cooper, Ali, Will, Fi, and I went to George's Day with Santa (George is the little train we have at this great park we have called the Pavilion).

Unfortunately, it was too cold for George to come out of his shed, but we still had an awesome time. The first thing we did was play on the snow on the ice rink at the Pavilion - the Zamboni had made two huge piles of snow in the middle of the rink for the kids to play in. All the kids threw snowballs at Tara and I (and each other - we had to remind them not to get Ali) and then they decided to make snow angels (even Ali got in on it).

After snow angels, Will and Fi decided to take a ride in the sled. The nice guy pushed all the kids around the ice and they all had a blast.

Then, Santa came skating! :) Will hid behind my legs (despite a bribe I tried to use to get him to stand next to Santa) but Fi went right up to him and gave him a big hug. Yea!

After our fun on the ice (it was only open from 10:30 to 11), we headed over to the bouncy house area. It's so much fun - there are 7 or 8 bouncy things for the kids (and adults!) and Will and Fi always have so much fun in there. They were totally ready to attack it! Cooper's a little shy, but after playing with Tara and Ali, and seeing Will and Fi running around, he got into it. It was so, so cute when Will took his hand and helped him go through the maze. Cooper wouldn't go up the climb to the slide though - maybe next time! :)

After an hour in the bouncy area (yup - a whole hour - they were so sweaty!), we went upstairs for a snack and some juice. Santa was up by the tree, but the kids didn't want anything to do with him. Will and Cooper hid, Fi waved, and Ali looked for a minute before starting to cry (it was funny-cute). Then, we had potato chips, M&Ms, a cookie, and Hersey kisses.

When we were done with snacks, we got in line for our balloons. The Balloon Man was in rare form - he was making all kinds of cool things. Cooper decided he wanted a Rudolph hat (so, so cute!) and Fi wanted a ballerina (which the Man even put on a stick so the ballerina could "dance" - so fun!). Will asked for a trumpet - unfortunately, the Balloon Man had been working for 4 hours at this point and said that while he could make a trumpet, it would just take too long. So, Will picked a sword - which also doubled as a guitar, a tuba, a trumpet, and a trombone.

We had an awesome day and were totally tuckered out when we got home. We're really glad we got to do it, and share it with Tara's family. We hope to do it again next year!

Little Miss Independent

Sofia has a mind of her own, and wants everything the way she wants it, when she wants it - ah, the terrible twos have totally hit. She screams and cries if you dare to do her car seat buckle and/or actually put the shoulder straps on instead of letting her do it herself. This is especially fun when we're running late for school (which we do most days). The same attitude goes for shoes and mittens (20 minutes of screaming for the mittens - a new record). Lately, she's started to do the same thing for clothes too (she will allow my suggestions if I think something doesn't match). At least getting dressed is minus the screaming.

One wonderful blessing has come out of her independent attitude. Saturday, she decided she wanted to wear "big girl" underwear, not Dora pull-ups. I said fine. She made it ALL DAY - including 2 hours or so at the parade downtown (where I was scared to death that she'd wet herself in the cold and I'd have no where to change her). The next day, she had several accidents but wouldn't go back to pull-ups. The past 2 days have been great - she's done a wonderful job and I'm beyond thrilled! I've told her if she makes it the rest of the week then she officially is a big girl and gets her Tinker Bell movie (the potty training reward/bribe we've been using all along).

So, good job my little strong-willed girl! I'm glad you decided this was a good time to get potty trained!

Basement Bummers

Most of you know that we have two houses - one in MI that we rent to great tenants and one in SC that we actually live in. Both houses have basements - the awesome basement was a big selling point for us in SC as most houses down south lack basements. While basements are a great way to get extra space, we've learned recently that they can also be a giant pain in the patookus (Barry's wonderful word).

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, our tenants called up and let us know that we had a new leak in the MI basement. Keep in mind that we had a small leak when they moved in which required a mold remediation company, special paint and patch for the wall, and new pad and carpet. So, hearing there was another leak just made my day - especially before the holiday as I wouldn't be able to get anyone in to look at it.

Then, my parents were planning on leaving SC the Monday after Thanksgiving. So, Sunday night, they were down in the basement getting ready. Dad took a shower and said the cats had peed on the steps as there were a couple of wet spots. Twenty minutes later, Mom went down for a shower and saw that the carpet was really, really wet and squishy. Dad and I went down there and it was a mess - the carpet all around the stairs and the "cat room" (really storage). We originally thought it was the bathroom, but after we looked around, we saw the pump under the stairs had stopped working and that's what caused the flooding. Good times. We spent the next two hours trying to get stuff sopped up with towels and moving the CDs and records from the other side of the stairs. Just what I wanted to do at 2 am!

The next morning, we all got up really early to call State Farm and get things going. They got a company out to the house by 11:30 (not as fast as I would have liked) and they just started ripping up carpet and padding. It was incredible how far the water had actually leaked - they had to rip out over half the great room carpet and half the spare room carpet. The plumber came and explained what had happened with our pump but said he couldn't get me a new one until the next day. Awesome!

After 3 days of fans and people coming in and out of my basement, there's a new pump (complete with an alarm!), things are finally sanitized and ready to be put back together. The baseboard guy and carpet guy have both measured, and I hope to have that all done before Xmas. The basement in MI is getting a waterproof system this coming Wednesday, so that should be all set as well.

I can't thank my parents enough for helping with the clean up in the am and for staying all of Monday and Tuesday morning here in SC. And, for getting the quotes and watching over the install in MI. I really, really appreciate it - it made everything so much easier and having Dad's handy advice makes me feel better with contractors. So, thank you Mom and Dad! I hope next year is completely uneventful (as far as basements are concerned).

Twas a Tantrum Night

Twas a night full of tantrums
And I could not retreat,
Though my children
Were screaming and kicking their feet.

Their once darling faces
Were colored bright red
While large, glistening teardrops
Fell onto their beds.

"She took my trains;
he messed up my dollies";
"I want to watch Thomas
Not Mr. Rodger's trolleys."

"NO MORE CARTOONS,"
said I with a shout.
Why, oh why
isn't Daddy about?

The poor man's in China,
jet-lagged and behind.
And I'm here in Carolina,
Losing my mind.

"Please, Will. Please Sofia."
"Please listen to me."
Mommy's sick and she's tired,
Just let me be.

"Go sit on the stairs;
NOT next to each other."
Two minutes for Fi,
and four for her brother.

"She pinched me;
He hit me."
The time-out's not working-
It's onto Plan B.

It's bedtime for all
Even if it's 6:30.
March upstairs for jammies,
Come on now, hurry!

On diapers, on bottoms, on tops, and on slippers
Now brush teeth and rinse them,
And quick into bed.

No stories tonight,
you've tried Mommy's patience.
Say your prayers, hug your sister,
a quick kiss on the head.

One hour later,
I creep back up the stairs,
Hoping and praying
you're both unaware.

You both are in dreamland
With angelic faces,
How could someone so sweet
Take so much patience?

I can't help but exclaim
As I turn out the light,
"Let's have a better day tomorrow,
And to all, a good night."

Thanksgiving

We had an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving and that's because all of my family got to be together. I realize now how lucky we were to have all of us living within an hour or so of each other in MI - it's hard to just get together once a year now and we really take advantage of it.

Steven, Reshma, Layla, and Crystal doggie arrived first on Sunday after a really long drive. We had a good time catching up and showing them the house. The kids took them on a whirlwind tour - Fi focused on her pink curtains (she's really fond of them for some reason) and Will wanted to show off all his trains. Steven and Reshma left Monday morning to visit her good friends in NC, and then Mom and Dad came Monday in time to pick Will up from school. He was really happy about his surprise. The kids gave the house tour again, which was nice as the last time Dad was here, he was moving us in and the house was a wreck.

We spent Tuesday installing ceiling fans in the kids rooms (this is Dad's version of vacation - which totally works out for me) and repairing one of my garage doors. Steven and Reshma came home in the afternoon and we all spent a fun evening together.

Wednesday, we had pictures taken with all of us - the last time we did that, I was pregnant with Fi. She sees the picture on the stairs and always asks where she is. :) Now, we'll have one with her out in the open. That afternoon, the guys went to play golf and the rest of us went to see "Tangled," Disney's version of Rapunzel. It was so well done and the kids (and the rest of us) really enjoyed it. This was Fi's 2nd and Will's 3rd movie in the theater - I'm glad they enjoy going and that I have an excuse to see Disney cartoons on the big screen again.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and I made my first leg of lamb (with tons and tons of help from Mom, of course). It was a great day of eating and dinner. And playing with technology - Mom and Brent had their iPads going, while Dad, Layla, and I had laptops working. Boy, things have changed. We at least kept up the tradition of watching the Lions.

Friday, we avoided Black Friday (sorry, Reshma!) and went to the Children's Museum. We all played race cars, paper airplanes, grocery store, doctor, construction and water. We actually missed a few things, but found something new - the tricycle race track. It was a riot to watch Will pedal the dual tricycle with Fi on the back - we called it his mini-van. Mom took video and when I get a copy, I'll post it. After all that fun, we went to the candy store, only to discover that it was part of Black Friday. We got our treats and got out of there.

Saturday, Steven and family left. We were all surprised at how fast the time went and are looking forward to doing it again. Brent left for China Sunday morning. Mom and Dad were supposed to leave Monday morning, but that's a different post.

I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings and are looking forward to an exciting Christmas holiday season.

November?

I can't believe November is gone - where did the time go and what did we do with it? Very good question - I actually have to look at my calendar to remember all that we did.

Brent spent all of the month traveling, except for the week of Thanksgiving (next post). We did manage to make it to a Clemson football game (very odd game - extremely boring first half and then the offense went nuts the second half) - thanks go out to Jaime and Ross for agreeing to watch the kids all day. We also found a sitter for a date night - she worked out great and we hope we can do it again.

I finally managed to make it to some Dr's appointments - Tara graciously watched the kids while I went to the eye dr and I ended up having to take them with me to the dentist. That was quite interesting and made me even more thankful for the portable DVD player. They sat in the extra chair and watched Alvin while I got my teeth cleaned. Will didn't ask any questions but Fi was all over me in the chair, trying to see what the hygienist was doing. Luckily, the hygienist has a grandchild and didn't mind (or poke me). It all ended well but I hope a sitter works out in the future.

Will's doing great in school and Fi's just getting so big. We're still working on potty training - I'm the worst mom in the world with potty training; all other moms have their daughters done before 2 and Fi's 2 and a half . . . oh well. Bismark started round 2 of doggie school and he's got some large (Great Dane, German Shepard, Labradoodle, and a Husky) and stiff competition for top dog. He is learning a lot though and progressing well.

The kids and I managed to get a few fun playdates in this month too - a zoo trip with Cooper and Allie, and an afternoon with Reid. Very good times - we can't wait for more.

Everyday life - totally exciting, right? :) I'll try to make it more exciting in December (or at least post more).

Work on the Side

Since I have the fabulous resume builder of being a stay-at-home mom (great job, but the break doesn't exactly endear you to potential employers), I've been thinking of what I want to do when I grow up. When I got my MBA, I really enjoyed my marketing classes and hope that I can find something along those lines when go back someday. So, to help me practice a little, I'm helping Jerry market himself.

Most of you know that Jerry is an amazing Civil War historian and gives great lectures/talks about all topics Civil War. Most of you also know that he's written a book and it's due out in the spring. It's called "The Perfect Lion" and is about John Pelham. To help keep everyone up to date on the book's status, as well as Jerry's talk schedule, I started a blog for him - http://www.jerryhmaxwell.blogspot.com/. It's been fun to work on and it's actually gotten him a few followers for his talks.

So, feel free to check out my little side job and let me know what you think!

Will's Dream Car

Will's a total car nut, so it completely surprised me the other day when he told me, "Mommy, I want a white mini-van." I replied, "We have a silver van." He then told me, "No - when I can drive, when I'm 16, I want a white mini-van." He then says, "No, I changed my mind." I'm thinking, I sure hope so; and he says, "I want a blue one." I burst out laughing! Now, whenever we go past one, Will reminds me, "Mommy, when I'm 16, I want a blue mini-van." I plan to remind him of this fact 12 years from now . . .

Happy Halloween!

Just like the rest of October, Halloween weekend was a busy, busy time. We started off with Will's school party - not only am I the room mom, but I was the party mom this time too. I've been dying to make these Halloween jello molds since Mom gave them to me, and I think they turned out really well. There were pumpkins, ghosts, cats, witches, and bats. Will's class really liked them and I think I'll be making them from now on.

Unfortunately, only the 3 year olds were allowed to wear their costumes, which was kind of a bummer. But, it gave me more time to work on Will's Thomas costume, which was great.

As a treat for Brent and I, Carlene and Jerry were down for the week of Halloween. They had driven to Tennessee for Jennifer's (a cousin's) wedding and decided that since they were so close, they should come see us. Brent and I are glad they did - we took off for a little stay-cation in Greenville. We hung out for the night at a great Irish bar, slept for 13 hours, shopped all through town, had a great dinner, slept some more, and ended our 2 day mini-break with massages (so wonderful!).

We ended our break and went back into Halloween party mode. That night (Friday), we went to something called the Enchanted Tracks. Greenville Parks and Rec does a wonderful Halloween event each year - they decorate George the train, create an enchanted trick-or-treat forest complete with Disney characters handing out candy, and have all kinds of games and bouncy houses.

It was awesome - and completely cold (for Greenville - those of us from the North know how to do cold Halloweens - put the coats on under the costumes, people!) Fi and Will did the golf game (Will got a hole in 2), the sucker ring toss (super cute idea), fishing for candy, and the bouncy houses. They loved trick-or-treating through the forest -- Will wasn't so sure about some of the characters, but the idea of sugar got him through.

Originally, we weren't going to be able to ride the train as they were assigning times; when we got there, they were all booked up. Never one to be daunted (I got my line-patience training from my dad), I got us in line when we were ready to go. I did warn the kids that we may not be able to ride the train but told them we would try. I was rewarded - the conductor told me that they were letting everyone on. He called the assigned time people, and if there was room, just started letting people on. So, Will got on the 2nd train and Fi and I got on the 3rd one. I was very proud of myself and the kids were super thrilled to have ridden the train.

Saturday morning, I finished putting together Will's Thomas the Train costume. Pretty good for two moving boxes, blue spray paint, painters tape, duct tape, and construction paper - if I do say so myself! :) Will was super excited about it, and that's what I really wanted.

I had until 3 pm for the glue to dry - that's when our neighborhood Halloween party started. When we got there, we were really surprised - I thought it would be some little, cheesy thing, but there were 2 bouncy houses, games, popcorn, a cake-walk, and a costume contest. What fun!

The kids played the games and got prizes (always fun) but we weren't able to go in the bouncy houses yet - the automatic sprinklers kicked in during the event and totally soaked the houses! Kinda funny.

We entered the kids into the costume contest. It was separated by age and I didn't really think I should put Fi in since her Tinker Bell costume was just OK, but I didn't want her to feel left out either. Plus, our friends Tara and Andy with their kids Cooper (2) and Allie (8 months) had us beat hands down. Tara's super crafty and her whole family was from the zoo - she was the zoo keeper, Allie was a monkey, Cooper was a giraffe, and their dog (a huge, sweet golden), Sadie, was a lion (she made him a mane and tail cover!) I can't believe they only got 2nd place - they got beat by our neighbor who was a dragon. His was cute, but it wasn't homemade like Tara's. Oh well - there's always next year!

Next up was Will with the 4 - 8 year olds. He got a ton of applause and ended up winning 1st prize for his costume! I'm so proud! He got a $20 Walmart gift card and we let him pick out a toy - he, of course, picked a train and let Fi get a Sleeping Beauty figure too.

After that, we carved pumpkins. Well, Brent did . . . He claimed he never did this as a kid (something both his parents refuted), so I wanted him to have the experience. We cleaned them out (my least favorite part), and then let the kids draw them. Fi picked circle eyes and nose with a "sad" smile. Will wanted triangle eyes and circle nose and teeth in his smile. I think we did OK, all things considered. But, we saw a lot of really, really good carvings while we were out in the neighborhood - we may have to up our game next year.

Saturday night was a party for Brent and I. Since we didn't want to spend any money, we found some good costumes in our closets. Brent was a beat up Red Wing hockey player and I went as an Indian princess (thanks Reshma for the completely beautiful dress, bangles, and bindis). We had a great time at Brent's friend's party and I got a lot of compliments on my outfit.

Sunday was finally Halloween (I know - 3 days of Halloween is a little crazy!). The kids got into their costumes (it took forever) and we got ready to head out!

Jerry and Carlene were nice enough to stay at our house and hand out candy (Jerry walked with us a little bit and then went back to keep Carlene company), while we went out with the kids. At the first house, Fi didn't want to let go of my leg (this was at Cooper's house, a place we've played at tons of times). She did a little better at the next house - each little plunk of candy bolstered her confidence. She turned to me and said, "I got MORE candy!!" and had a huge smile on her face. She was ready to roll from then on out. Will was just making tracks, going to as many houses as he could. He even knew not to go to the ones without lights.

I was impressed with our little neighborhood. Some of the cul-de-sacs banded together and instead of making the kids walk down the road, the house on the corner hosted a little party. People put their candy on chairs in the driveways, so you just walked around the chairs, said trick-or-treat and thank you, and walked on down the road. Good plan and I think we're going to try to get our little cul-de-sac in on this next year.

One of the last houses on our main road was totally done up for Halloween - they had a blow-up gargoyle on top of the garage, ghost holograms on the garage door, huge cemetery gates in the front lawn, and movable figures and ghosts coming out of graves on the way up to the door. I should have taken a picture - it was totally awesome! And, it totally freaked Will out. He wanted nothing to do with it - he wouldn't even come over to that side of the street. Fi, on the other hand, tells Will, "It's OK, Will. It's just pretend," and marches on up to the door to get candy, laughing the whole way. :) I couldn't believe it! And, I wonder if she'll be as confident next year.

We ended the night and Brent and I handed out candy for a little while before turning off our lights. It was a wonderful 1st Halloween in our new neighborhood and we look forward to many, many more.

October Activities - LOTS

We've been unusually busy this October - it's been a lot of fun (and a little tiring). First, we went to the town of Laurens (small downtown with shady/rundown outskirts - we weren't sure what we were driving into) for our first Barbeque Festival. The ad for the festival claimed they had Thomas, which sealed the deal in Will's mind. However, the little golfcart Thomas is what we rode. Will and Fi loved it anyway.

After riding Thomas first, we then went around and sampled some barbeque. We tried one from South Carolina (it was just OK) and then waited in a really long line for some that said "Tennessee Barbeque" only to find out that it was from Ohio. However, it was totally awesome and worth the wait. We could see why they had won all the awards they showed.

After eating, we found the classic car show (Will wanted to see each one - he's such a gearhead!), the petting zoo (a little overrated), and then the fire engines. Will and Fi got to sit in the "ready" seats where the fireman sit - they can just latch their gear on from that seat, and get out ready to go. Will really liked that, and by pure accident had his "future fireman" shirt on. We were all really tuckered out after that and called it a day. While I enjoyed our first BBQ Fest, I think we may try one in a different town next time.

The following weekend was Fall for Greenville. This is a super fun event that starts Friday night and goes through Sunday - all the restaurants have booths with different foods to try, there are all kinds of music acts at 5 different stages, competitions for foodies and food service personel, and a kids ride area.

My newly discovered cousin Katherine (she's Barry and Cathy's daughter) and I went Friday night. We had a great time walking around, talking, and eating. My favorite was a goat cheese, duck, and plum crepe - so darn good!

Saturday, we watched Reid for the day so that Jaime and Ross could go to the Bama/USC game (she's a huge Bama fan). While the kids weren't as into the food as we were (they had pizza), they totally liked the rides. They all rode the little train (duh!), then the little ferris wheel, then the bouncy slide (they only got to go one time so it was a total gyp). We gave the kids a choice with the remaining tickets for one last ride - the boys chose a super fun bouncy house (time limit this time) and Fi wanted to drive the helicopter. I couldn't believe that she didn't want to go with the boys (she usually does), but she loves to "fly" things.

After getting back from a full day downtown, we came home and played. We had a really great time playing playdough - Reid made a great snowman all by himself. Will and Fi thought it was so good that they wanted me to make them ones just like it. Reid spent the night (he and Will are so cute talking in bed when it's lights out) and we had a really fun weekend. Unfortunately, Jaime's team lost but she and Ross had fun too.

After our busy weekend, Mom came down to visit - yea!!!! This was the first time she got to see the house actually put together. As a present to Fi, she made Dolly (aka Scary Dolly, per Brent and Jaime) a tutu to match Fi's. It was sooo cute - Fi held Dolly's hands and danced her around in circles. I think I got video, so that post will be next. She made Will a "Wonder Pets" Lenny cape - it's sparkly blue with a "W" on the back, either for Will or for Wonder Pets. He really likes it, but I haven't been able to get a picture yet. As a present to Brent and I, she watched the kids so we could go out for our 7th anniversary.

Since Mom can't sit still, she helped me organize my spare room a little more and get more boxes out of the dining room (currently the catch-all room). Then, she moved into the garage and got that more organized. We trimmed hedges and took plant clippings to the local nursery to find out what it all was and when we can trim/prune it. They were really helpful and I ended up getting 3 bushes from them that will look really good next year. They were really, really hard to plant though - the ground is clay and it took forever to dig the small holes we needed. It's put a damper on my landscaping plans (but that's OK - I'm really not much of a gardener).

Mom was supposed to go back after a week, but because Brent was going to China, she extended her stay. It was awesome!! We didn't just work - we also went to the Children's Musuem and played all day. And, Mom and I managed to go out by ourselves one night too.

While Mom was here, Bismark graduated doggie school - he totally hated the hat and kept trying to get it off. All during our sessions, he was the model student and did all his commands. However, on graduation/test day, he almost totally failed Sit-Stay." He didn't want to sit - he kept laying down. After tons of trying, he finally did it (and everyone applauded). He's signed up for the next session so we/I can learn some more. He's a really good dog and I'd like to keep him that way.

This last picture is him trying oh so hard to be good - he loves to chew Will's trains and track (if he can get away with it) but he knows he's not allowed. So, he sits on the hearth with this little nose and paws on the trains and looks forelorn. So darn cute!

School Daze

Will started K4 this year. He goes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 to 12. He's in Mrs. Armstrong and Mrs. Robinson's class this year and is really doing well. Unfortunately, his good friend Truman is in another class this year. At first, he was really upset but when he realized that he still got to see Truman and that he can make new friends, like Andy, Jack, and Elek, life was good again.

This is a picture of his first day of school. Sofia wanted her picture taken in front of the monkey door too, and she's already on the "I go to school next year" band wagon.



This year, they're more organized towards learning. They do one letter and one color each week. And, they're starting to read. They get a "sight" word (something really common) every other week and a little book. So far, he's learned "my," "the," and "and." I think it's just such a great way to learn and he's picking up on that when we read at night too.

He also surprised me the other morning. He went into the bathroom, and looked at the books we have in there. He said, "Mom, that word is red - R-E-D - red." He was looking at "The Little Red Caboose" book - I'm so proud! Learning is just such an amazing thing and I'm so excited he loves school.


This picture is from the "Lego" center - guess what they do there? :) Will built a town on his first day and is proudly displaying it for us. He's very creative and I'll have to scan some of his artwork for a future posting.

I signed on to be the room mom this year (they didn't have one yet) and am helping out a little bit. I'm looking forward to helping with more parties and field trips as they come.