December, continued....

With today being the final day of the year, I figured I should wrap this up. After Mimi's visit, Evyn came down with strep throat for the second time in as many months.

Lucky for her, after five l.o.n.g. days she recovered in time to attend her class holiday party which was cute, of course. During Evyn's recovery, we also attended Reed's pre-school Christmas singing extravaganza. His class dressed as the shepherds and angels for the manger scene (obviously, he attends a Christian school where they are not afraid to say the J word or the C word). I am happy to report that Reed actually participated in this show and sang and everything. To say we were pleasantly surprised is an understatement. See the kid that looks the most uncomfortable? That's Reed.

I'm sure you will need to click the picture below if you want to read the text. Christmas Day was perfect. Santa did not disappoint and our very-heavy-on-the-mimosas brunch with the Martins was wonderful, as usual. Fortunately Grandpa does not mind being our DD. It's all part of the tradition, ya know.

The kids got some great stuff this year. We have all been enjoying their big wheels. As a matter of fact, Holly and I came home from brunch Christmas day and raced. It was like being a kid again. These big wheels hold up to 180 pounds (they say from age 5 up to 180 pounds). We knew exactly what we were doing when we recommended that Grandpa get them for Evy and Reed.

Here it is, the last day of 2008 already. I do not have the same sense of urgency for this year to end as I had in 2007. There is no sense of needing a fresh start, a clean slate. Some amazing things have happened this year. Of course, some unpleasant and annoying things have happened, but overall I really cannot complain. All I can really hope for is more of the same in 2009. I wish the same for you. Happy New Year!

December

What an amazing month it has been. We have squeezed more activities in than I would have thought possible. It all started in early December when Holly and her friend Kim took our kids and another friend's kids to Lewis Ginter for their Festival of Lights. I was unlucky enough to have to stay home and work that night, but being home all alone to work in silence is pretty nice (and warm) too.

The next week started the countdown to Mimi's visit. She came with us to see Santa's Polar Bear Express. (See how tall Evy is compared to her three classmates?) The show included time with the star of the show and then lunch downstairs afterwards - very cute.

After the show, we met up with the rest of the clan and went to the country to cut our tree down. I was dumb enough not to call the tree farm in advance to make sure they were open like the website suggested, so once we got there we were faced with a huge banner that said "Closed for the 2008 pumpkin and tree seasons. Come see us next year." Thankfully, my aunt was home and was able to look up an alternate farm on the internet and get us there. It was a freezing cold day and once we finally made it across the countryside, over the river and through the woods (no lie!), it started snowing ever so slightly. My pictures do not show it at all but I swear it was snowing. Growing up in Texas AND always having a fake tree, this was a first and probably a last since it never seems to snow in Central VA either. We opted for a small-ish white pine. I just love how our little man tried so hard to saw the tree down and wanted to haul it away by himself. The kids rode the tractor with our friends to another part of the tree farm to get some other kind of tree. While they were gone, we just stood out in the snow and drank hot cider. It was amazing (even for this cold hater).

As if decorating our tree, Mimi taking the kids to see the fake snow at Stony Point Mall one evening and out driving around looking at Christmas lights the next was not quite festive enough, we also headed downtown to the James Center to see the lights down there.


To be continued......

Holiday Hell-o!

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. This year stands out a little bit though. The kids are now old enough to really understand what Thanksgiving is all about. They have been putting a lot of thought into what they are thankful for and, of course, doing many, many Thanksgiving crafts at school (how many ways can you construct a turkey out of art supplies anyway? - I think I might know) and talking a lot about Indians, Indian symbols, etc.
The thing that Holly and I thought was so cool was they took it upon themselves (without one argument) to make their own cornucopia centerpiece out of an old basket we had around the house and several things from the refrigerator. They set and decorated the table, hung artwork around the dining room, and on Thanksgiving day, Evyn made almost everyone their very own feather hat (which I am sure has a more formal name). Troy really wanted to help out with the turkey and tried really, really hard to be helpful but never really got the chance.

Our prep work started Tuesday night right before their bedtime.



I was most thankful that we had a very small crowd for dinner. Still exhausting though. Here is Evyn making Ashley and Gary's feather hats. Reed refused to wear one, as expected. I wish I had taken more pictures of him semi dressed up.





See, Troy even had his own hat, thanks to Reed - the only one Reed had anything to do with he gave to the dog, who also seemed very thankful. It had to have been the whole stick of butter he stole from the table and the handful of turkey we shared with him.


The rest of the weekend was spent shopping, cleaning out the attic in an attempt to organize and easily locate our Christmas decorations and Holly hanging lights outside with Evyn cracking the whip. There was also some exciting news from Ashley and Gary ( I'm sure you can guess what that is all about) as well as some socializing and football watching. It was one of those holiday weekends you wish would never end but it did, darn it, and it is Monday once again.

Jacked up Grill

From the urbandictionary.com:

Jacked Up Grill
1. One's teeth/smile that is in need of dental work.
2. One's teeth/smile that is in poor or injured condition.

Probably the most entertaining party favor ever received.

Thankful Friday

~I love Fridays so much that I wish a few more hours could be inserted into them. I especially love Fridays when Ashley and Gary take the kids for an overnighter. It has been a while. We are trying out a new-ish restaurant which should be fun.



~Although it wears me out and sometimes freaks me out, I have the ability to work as much as I possibly can or want to. With the holidays here and the economy as it is, this makes me happy when I get my check but bitchy because of all of the work to be done.



~My kids are really understanding the concept of being thankful and talk about it often. Reed has surprised me this week with some of the things he is thankful for. At the very top of his list every time is "Sissy and Gary."



~My dog makes me laugh. Just this morning, we passed Evyn's bus (that was stopped, picking up more kids) during our run and Troy stopped and stood up on his hind legs so he could say hi to his girlfriend, Mrs. R. Mrs. R still invites him onto the bus several times a week. They love each other. :)



~The book fair was this week. I l.o.v.e. the book fair, reminds me of when I was in elementary school.

~ Milly happened to be off of work today and surprised me with a yummy pumpkin coffee drink - said I sounded distressed this week (I can't imagine). Holly brought me flowers last night. I'm feeling the love.

Lo Hicimos

For those of you unfamiliar with Spanish, or Dora the Explorer, that means "We did it"!
Of all the things Holly and I have done or tried to do during our lifetimes, neither one of us has ever changed a bike tire, nor did we have a clue how to.
It all started during our beach vacation when I loaded up the kids' bikes not knowing the tires were flat. Reed rode his anyway (of course I did not pack the tire pump) and trashed the tubes in the front and back tires. That was August and it was just a week ago that Holly's brother so kindly took Reed's bike home with him (after we tried and failed) and replaced the tubes and returned the bike to us. Kids were back to bike riding for a day or two until Evyn skidded her back tire for the final time. She had literally worn a hole in the rear tire from her fancy speeding and breaking maneuvers, which also led to her popping the tube.
It took two of us, Holly on Sunday removing the wheel and tire/tube and then Reed and I on Monday replacing the tire/tube and reassembling the wheel. It took two and a half people two separate days to complete this task, but we were successful. Tire changing virgins no more. I do owe my success to the fact that Bell (bike products) has a website with printable directions. Next time, we will have it done in an instant, especially since I saved the directions.

Evyn's very first report card

I totally knew what to expect since it was just a few weeks ago that I had a conference with Evy's teacher, but seeing her first official report card sitting in her folder today was one of those moments. I almost wanted to take a picture of it but didn't.

Here is what is said: "It is a pleasure to work with a child who has such a positive attitude toward school and learning. Evyn has a firm grasp on phonemic awareness concepts. She eagerly participates in our calendar activities each day. Evyn also takes great pride in assigned tasks, and daily work reflects careful attention to details and teacher directions. It is a pleasure to have Evyn in my class this year. Keep up the great work, Evyn!"
I want nothing more in this world than for this to continue for the next 12+ years.

She asked me the other day when she would be starting college. :) The longer she thinks college is a requirement, the better.

Fall, a new perspective

Now that the most beautiful week of the year has come and gone, the leaves are raining down like there is no tomorrow, and my bitter feelings toward fall and impending winter are dominating my mind. It does not help that it is all of a sudden cold during the day and frigid at night as well as during my early morning runs (although Troy loves running in this weather). I'm not excited for winter a.t. a.l.l. I am, however, a little happy that big girl Evyn is able to work a rake this year. I might also crack a smile and might even laugh a little as the kids enjoy playing in the leaves for the next few weekends while we work our buns off cleaning them out of the yard, and then I will go back to being a cold-hating scrooge. promise.

Thankful Friday

The view down our driveway.

My favorite tree in our yard.

* This is the most beautiful week of the year where we live. The colors are gorgeous and it is all I can do to focus on the road and not the trees as I drive around town.

* This week I completely filled up my Tahoe for $41.91 (at $1.90/gallon) and Holly's Santa Fe for $26.16 ($1.88/per gallon). Not too long ago, it was $90 + to fill up the Tahoe alone. Cha-Ching! When was gas below $2 a gallon? We cannot remember.

* My conference with Evyn's teacher on Monday was music to my ears. According to her teacher, she would have it made if she had a class full of students like Evyn.

* Reed is continuing to do really well at school and at home too. Our new ticket system is working, he is motivated and I hope it continues. I also finally got my hands on a book that will hopefully help us figure this little man out - now to find time to read it.

* I had the pleasure of helping in Evyn's class yesterday doing something other than the usual computer station work. We made turkeys out of round coffee filters that we dripped food coloring on (feathers), cut out the turkey body (bowling pin shaped piece of brown paper) and beaks (orange paper) . cute project and even cuter kids. Even the shy kids are talking my head off at this point. I just love 'em (probably because I only spend about an hour per week with them).

* The election - it was super cool to be part of it - much more meaningful than previous years. Very cool to be living and voting as a democrat in VA.

A boy and his dog...

On occasion I take Troy with me to pick up Reed - they rode like this all of the way home today.

Sounds like a.....

As we trick or treated through our neighborhood last night, we were approached by J who lives in the cul-de-sac right behind us. J is very friendly but also slightly strange. He has come over many times and has called occasionally to talk about stray cats, a neighbor who has lost a cat or some other animal-related topic. Well, here he comes out of the darkness, sort of swooping in while reaching out and grabbing my shoulder (startling me) as he and his toddler greeted us. He proceeded to say, "I meant to ask you the other day, have you ever heard a strange sound about 6 a.m. coming from the bamboo forest (that separates part of his yard from part of ours)"? We said that we had not and asked what it sounds likes. His response: "Like an infant being stabbed." At this point our friend, A, walked away with the kids, A's husband stood there waiting for the rest of the spooky Halloween story that he thought J was about to tell and Holly stopped in her tracks. All I could say was "WHAT"?!?!? He proceeded to say that he has even googled animal sounds trying to figure it out. Strange encounter? Most definitely.

We have been talking about and laughing about this encounter ever since. Why would he describe the noise in that way? Why did he not think to say it sounded like a screeching owl or a cat or something? Just so you know, this is not some crazy freak who lives alone in the scary house on the block. This man is married, relatively handsome father of one year old twins, assistant DA who happens to love animals and keeps a close eye on what goes on in our neighborhood. Why oh why would he compare the strange sounds he hears on occasion to an infant being stabbed in our bamboo forest. Maybe he thinks we are the weirdos.

Happy Halloween

Gotta love it when Halloween falls on a Friday. Today was the kindergarten costume parade at Evyn's school. The first through fifth graders all came outside and lined up to watch and cheer for the parade of cuties. This time, I had a camera with functioning batteries and a child that was very happy about showing off her costume - good times!!

Tonight we will trick or treat in our neighborhood with some friends. I will be the one pulling the wagon stocked with adult beverages.

The Pre-School Halloween Parade

Notice there are no pictures? My camera had dead batteries . I guess it really did not matter anyway because Reed apparently does not like to wear his Halloween costume in public, nor does he like to have strangers stare at him - that, we knew. Poor little man was crying while parading through the school, the only one not dressed up, quietly crying and marching. Why does this not surprise me? He cannot help himself. It's in his blood - he is a miniature version of my father.
Once I quietly rescued him from the parade, we watched the rest of the festivities and then headed to his classroom where another mom and I threw a little party. There were no costumes involved at this point, but there were cupcakes, so all was well in Reed's world.
************************************************
I just had an unexpected knock at the door - a neighbor from a couple of houses down.

It seems that while I was at Reed's school this morning, the wind blew our front door wide open. Guess who went on an unsupervised gallop around our neighborhood? Troy made his way around and down to a neighbor who we just met earlier this month when we unknowingly took their little dog in when she showed up on our porch barking after dark on a cold night. Turns out they had camped out in the cold hoping she would come back - little did they know she was sleeping with Holly on the couch under a blanket - a tear-filled reunion followed the next morning.
The neighbor returned the favor today by taking Troy in, calling the number on his tag and then walking him back here after we did not answer the phone. She found our house quiet, another one of our dogs on the porch and the front door wide open. Since we did not return her message this afternoon (nor had we even bothered to check voice mail) she came down to a) make sure we were alive and b) to fill us in on Troy's adventure. She could not get over the fact that while they were trying to contact us and had Troy in their kitchen that his head was taller than the counter tops. Big doofus - I'm sure he was being nosey!

As if?

As if this little cage with an additional (artwork decorated) run area, not to mention the daily fresh produce deliveries, hay and dry food, is just not enough this guinea pig. Sunny has realized that she has the ability to jump high, like high enough to clear the wall and roam freely about the playroom, leaving a trail of poop. Disgusting little creature!

She apparently thinks this basket underneath the train table that is full of wooden train tracks and parts is a great place to hang out. Not only did she relieve herself in the basket, she also started chewing on the stuff inside of her dark little nest. As if I don't already have enough to do around here. Her little play area is undergoing renovation today.

Apple Pickin'

The four of us and Ashley and Gary all headed west to Carter Mountain Orchard yesterday morning. We have been wanting to pick apples for a few years now and, thankfully, did not miss out this year. Just driving up the steep, winding mountain road was fun, or at least changed Reed's "are we there yet? The mountains are far, far away" complaints to "THIS IS FUN"! We sampled their famous apple cider doughnuts, climbed trees, got slapped in the face with some stray branches, ate plenty of apples and did the hayride around the farm. This is another one of those things we have tried for the first time lately that we will definitely be repeating in the future. Next time, we might want to restrict the amount of apples that we pick - 25 pounds is a lot of apples.