In Stitches

The kids have suddenly gotten really funny, like little unintentional comedians.  Frank's aunt commented that they must keep us all in stitches, and honestly, in between cleaning crumbs off things, stepping on Matchbox cars, and fixing things they've broken,  I really am laughing at a lot of the things they say and do.

Here are some snippets...

Jacob told me he needed to go to "Barker's."  When I questioned him,, he said, "You know, the 'dealershipt.' They have a Cadillac for me!" Barkers really is our Cadillac dealership (or "dealershipt" as he says), but how he knew that is beyond me.

Carter, who has always been a good eater, is now starting to talk.  One of his favorite words?  "'Nack!" (snack).  It's so funny to watch him cruise into the kitchen  yelling, "'Nack!  'Nack! Nack!"

(On the hunt for a 'nack)

On Jacob's Christmas list:  a soda stream machine, a turtle, an Escalade, and a magic wand.

I had a girls' night last Friday and got home after the kids went to bed.  The next morning, I heard Jacob talking in his room, so I went to tell him it was okay to get out of bed.  As I peeked in his room, he looked at me, horrified, and asked, "Did you just get home?!"

We had been talking about corn, and how corn grows on a cornstalk in the field.  Now he asks things like, "Where does soup grow?  What about biscuits?  Do they come from a tree?  Where would a cookie grow? Do cookies grow in the field, too?"
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Carter hates getting dropped off in the church nursery.  He's made it through an entire service exactly twice. Our church assigns each a number to each family, and if you see your number come up on their pager system, it means to come get your kid.  Jacob and Carter are both 2979.  Last Sunday, 3979 flashed over the system.  Frank and I looked at each other.  "Should we check it out?"  Sure enough, it was Carter.  I am oddly proud that we know our kid well enough to know that he was probably being naughty even though we didn't actually get paged.

Speaking of church, Jacob was the only kid in his Sunday School class to come home wearing construction-paper sheep ears.  The only one.  I have no words.

Field Trips!

We have had a busy few days of field trips!

On Sunday, Jacob's preschool had a family fun day at Sugar Grove Nature Center.  A cold front had come through the night before, and although it felt like fall, 55 degrees with clouds and wind also felt coooold!  The kids and parents were free to explore the grounds, which is kind of set up like an outdoor adventure/obstacle course.

 Did someone say, "Explore?!"

Jacob was off and running.  Tree forts, a tee-pee made of sticks, and a swing made from tires all captivated him, as did crossing a dry creek bed and moving rocks from one place to the other.  It was boy-heaven!

One of the coolest activities was a zip line!  Frank zoomed him back and forth between the trees, and Jacob loved it.

I managed to get one picture of him and his new little friend K.

Our other little friend Carter did not want to be there AT ALL.  Normally this kind of thing is right up his alley, too, so I'm not sure why he was such a grouch.  After dealing with his fussiness for an hour and a half, we roasted some s'mores and called it a day.

Then on Tuesday, the preschool class had a field trip to Rader Farms, which is a pumpkin farm with all kinds of ag-themed activities for kids.  I wanted to chaperon, but I did not want to bring Carter the Grouch, especially after his performance on Sunday.  Since our sitter was taking a midterm that day, my parents agreed to watch Carter.

There were several other chaperons.  Actually, I think all the moms came with the exception of 2 or 3.  I was so curious to see how he interacted with everyone!  It was cute to watch all the kids line up in their school t-shirts... it made him seem so grown-up!

We took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch, and the kids got to choose their own pumpkin.

They also looked at some animals, which the class wasn't super-thrilled about.  ("They smell!"  "They'll poop on me!"  "Get it away!")

And finally it was time for free play.  The giant jumping pillow below is always a hit!

(Jacob is in the middle in this picture.  His buddy K is on the right, and the little girl in front is his good friend E.)

He got to drive a "caterpillar" tractor (below) pulled by a lawn tractor, climbed in a huge spider web, and jumped off hay bales.

After a quick snack, we were ready to go.

I'm so glad I was able to go with him on his first real field trip!

(i carry it in my heart)

Four years ago today, my Grandma rejoined her dad, who passed when she was 9; her mother, whom she was so ready to see again, my Grandpa; and  a host of other friends and family. When mom and I saw her about 12 hours prior, she was ready, peaceful, and getting a little excited to go.  In some ways,  it doesn't seem like that long ago.

Even though she called herself shy, she could make conversation with anyone.  She looooved to talk, but she was an even better listener.  She was positive and optimistic, sometimes to the point of being silly.  She didn't like to cook, but she was a great bread-baker and candy-maker.  She loved fancy clothes, pretty jewelry, and big hair.  She hated cleaning.  She was genuinely interested in people, believing in them and wanting the best for them.  She was a writer and a piano-player.  She was very religious.

When I was little, she used to take my brother and I on "Nature Walks."  Basically, you get a paper bag and while you're walking, fill the bag with the treasures that you find along the way:  leaves, flowers, and the occasional bug or two.

Earlier this week as I was taking the boys on a Nature Walk, and it kind of came into focus why it doesn't feel like four years have passed... it's because the older I get, the more she is with me.  I'll do something or say something and think, "That was so Grandma!" (And let's not even get started on how similar she and my mom are, or how similar my mom and I are... we won't even go there.)

Thirty-one years is a long time to know a person, and even though she's gone, every time I really listen to someone's issues or add just one more piece of jewelry to my outfit, I know that I carry her with me.  It's not a conscious thing, but she is a part of who I am, and becomes more so as I grow in to a better wife, mother, and friend.  

How lucky I am to not have to lose her?  I'll carry her with me until I see her again.

"i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)"

-e.e. cummings

Fall Randoms

We really notice the days getting shorter.  For the last several months after dinner, we all go outside for a while, eventually taking a walk, and then coming in the house around 7:00-7:15.  I think our schedule will have to change soon, though, since it's starting to get dark and chilly by 7:15.

Yesterday, I made an appointment to get the furnace inspected, called a guy to install some weather-stripping around the garage door, and ordered a new coat for Jacob.  If that doesn't say FALL, I don't know what does!

Jacob is loving school.  Although it's a struggle to get anything out of him about their activities (He always tells me he did "Nothing"), I see bits of new things creeping into his play.  The cat is his calendar helper; he tells Cater he needs to use "walking feet;" and he endlessly lines up his cars to imitate the drop-off lane.

What is it about fall that make me want to make homemade applesauce?  I'm the only one in my house who really even likes applesauce, so it would be a waste of time.  I even bought some pork chops last week to go with my imaginary homemade applesauce.

Speaking of food, on the menu tonight is Best Fall Pasta.  It's either going to be a big thumbs up or a big thumbs down at my house, but I'm willing to risk it.

It has been great weather for my bonfire-loving husband.  Two Friday nights ago, he started a fire just as the kids were going to bed.  They were enthralled... and we put them to bed anyway and enjoyed the fire by ourselves.  Is that mean? :)

I decided against doing family pictures this fall.  Then, of course, Jacob needed a family picture for something at school, so I had my dad take one when he was here.  It was about 98 degrees that day and straight-up noon, so the sun was in our eyes, but I thought it turned out kind of cute.

Stopping By To Say Hello

I'm sure you were probably wondering if we were all still alive over here.  Happily, we are.  Unhappily, our computer isn't.  Or, wasn't.  The Great Computer Death of 2013 happened in late August, and we waited a few weeks to get a new computer.  Then came all that fun stuff like figuring out how to set things up (hello, Windows 8), and reinstalling software.

So what have we been up to?

Oh, you know.  Digging in the dirt..

Hanging off the banisters...

The usual.

Hopefully now that things are back up and (sort of...) running, I'll get back to posting more frequent updates!

A Preschooler!

Jacob started preschool last Thursday, August 27.  The first day was only an hour long, and we all- including Carter- went with him.  I was so glad that Frank could come, because they ended up having a scavenger hunt-type game that was supposed to familiarize the kids with the room and it would have been really difficult to help Jacob and watch Carter, too.

We've talked about "preschool" for months, and Jacob was ready to find out what it was all about.

The school he attends is a Methodist preschool, and it is about five minutes from our house, which is an even shorter commute than Frank's!

Our neighbor girl, Elsah, is in his class.  She is a doll, and you can see by her little smirk that she can put Jacob in his place in no time!  Did I mention I'm in favor of arranged marriages?!

We met his teachers, Mrs. L

 and Mrs. B.  In the picture below, he was telling Mrs. B about our car.  Go figure.

 The classroom is bright and cheery.  Beyond those doors there is a small playground.

They have a really cool reading loft, that I thought was awesome.

Jacob didn't seem very impressed with it yet, though.

And, oh my, his very own cubby.

And his very own job!

After we finished the scavenger hunt, which included things like, "Find the art table and draw a picture,"

Mrs. L gathered the kids on the rug for a story.

We covered a LOT of ground in one hour!

We're now on day three of school, and so far, he has enjoyed it.  Even though he's used to being with me, I think we go to enough new places, meet enough new people, and do enough new things that going to school wasn't that big of a shock for him.  He's nosy with an adventurous streak, and it serves him well in this setting.

I, personally, am looking forward to seeing his first drippy, watercolor painting and can't wait to see how he matures this year!

Carter's First Birthday Video Montage

Here is a quick little video of Carter's first year.  Enjoy!!