Weekend festivities

So Santa came to Perritt Elementary this weekend to have breakfast with all of the kids. We went to have our photo taken and make some crafts. Since we had just seen Santa earlier in the week at the craft store, he asked how the boys ornament project had turned out. This is one of the advantages of living in a small town :-) Micah told him he would like Legos for Christmas and Jacob told him he would like a train. We'll just have to see if those Christmas wishes come true! We spent some of yesterday afternoon bagging leaves in the yard. Micah was a big help and we got 13 bags done in about an hour. I keep telling him that I'm going to record him when he says "Mom, can we please rake leaves?" and play it back for him in about 5 years :-) I have a pretty cute video from their leaf adventures that I'll post on Facebook. For some reason I still can't figure out how to send videos from my phone to the blog without downloading them first, so I'll just post it there. Micah made letters for both of his Grammas yesterday and sent them in the mail, so those should be on their way! Micah asked for a calendar this week and I gave him an extra one we had. I asked what he was going to do with it. He said, "Jacob keeps saying its time to open presents every day when he wakes up so I'm showing him on the calendar how many days we have left." He's been putting an "X" over each day until Christmas for little brother to see before going to school :-) We've been baking and wrapping and cutting and gluing and doing all of those sorts of things around here this week.

Ho HO HO!

Couldn't keep them out of the leaves!

This is the cutest picture :-)

Happy Birthday Micah!

Micah turned 7 on Nov. 9! He requested a Batman party, which we held at a local park. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time celebrating with friends and family. Speaking of family, we had a very special visit from Aunt Debbie and Aunt Janice and Grammy and Pop Pop! The boys had fun getting to know some members of the Vermont family and receiving all of that extra attention :-) The aunts stayed at a local B&B called Capt Henderson House and were so close to our house that they could walk. While they were here we visited Garvan Gardens in Hot Springs, a huge arboretum that was so beautiful in the fall. Micah appreciated all of the birthday cards and gifts and we are still playing with all of them. He got a lot of science-oriented things since he is really into that now. So we're "excavating" "dinosaur bones" and breaking geodes and making light bulbs light up on circuit boards. Just for a benchmark, Micah can: read kids books all by himself now. He says math is his favorite subject and really enjoyed doing a book of word problems that Pop Pop and Grammy gave him. He also likes crossword puzzles (I wonder where he got that from?) and did several with Grammy while she was here. I will post some more photos of our Christmas tree and such, but I wanted to at least get these up now that I can upload to the blog again.

Grammy and Jacob have fun reading stories together.

Pop Pop is the Tickle Monster!

Aunt Debbie and Micah read a book on CD.

Snuggle time with Aunt Janice!

Micah opens some gifts!

There was a playset at the park, but the boys preferred the dirt pile :-)

Mmm, cake!

Our sweet Micah!

Happy Halloween!

So I was having problems getting my posts to load, so this one's a tad late! Anyway, you can still see the cuteness. Micah was a knight for Halloween this year and Jacob was a doctor. They had a great time "carving" a  pumpkin with me and digging out the slimy pulp. We went to a party at church and then went trick-or-treating at the dorms on Daddy's campus--an event they hold every year. It's now December and we still have Halloween candy around the house!

You know it's fall when...

So, it's been a super busy fall at our house. I snapped a few cute photos since my last post and thought I'd at least take a minute to throw them up here and let everyone know we are still here! My next post will probably be a Halloween one. Hope you all are enjoying the seasonal color.

These flowers pop up every year in the fall. We call them Spider Lilies because of their unique shape. Almost every yard in town has a smattering of them. This happens before the leaves start changing colors.

We had a great time at the annual Manchester Pumpkin Day festival. We chose our pumpkins, took a  hayride and the boys played games and enjoyed a beautiful day. It's become and annual tradition. Except for a little apprehension on the hayride on Jacob's part (there were some paper ghosts and bats that were hung in the trees) I think they loved it.

Here's Micah shooting his paper turkey with a bb gun in the turkey shot contest :-) Daddy is helping. And yes, there were lots of safety rules in place!

Jacob and I were taking a walk one afternoon while Daddy and Micah were at fall baseball practice. An elderly woman was getting out of her car near the sidewalk and asked if it would be ok to offer Jacob this teddy bear. He named it Patches! He was having a great time smashing acorns with his sneakers.

A Slice of Life

It's been awhile since I've posted, and that's because we had just a few things to do around here :-) Work for both Dan and I has been fast-paced these days. The kids are adjusting to the new school year (so far so good) and we've been going about our business as usual. Micah requested a visit to the train car that sits down by the Arkadelphia Historical Museum. He really wanted Jacob to see the car for some reason, so we took a snack over there and let them explore for awhile. This weekend was the Clark County Fair--I hope to have some pictures of Micah enjoying the fair when I get them from Dan's phone! He won a plastic piggy bank, which he was very excited to turn over to his little brother who didn't have one yet. Now he is enthusiastically shaking the pennies it in all around the house, much to our chagrin :-) We are looking forward to a visit from Aunts Debbie and Janice in Vermont! It will be their first trip to Arkansas to see us, so I hope they enjoy their time seeing the boys and our little town. My parents will also be coming with them so we'll practically have a family reunion going on. Micah is preparing for his school musical "Cheesy" in October. He will be playing the part of "Fondue," complete with lederhosen. Jacob was very excited for a special visitor that came to his school today--a police officer and vehicle. He talked about it all morning on the way there. I hope they took pics! I'll be going on a web professionals conference in Portland, OR, and am excited, nervous, etc. about the whole thing. It's been about 5 years since I've been to one and I'm afraid my networking skills might be a bit rusty. Dan will also be traveling several times this fall for recruiting and professional development events, as usual. Hopefully we will all stay healthy this year! Hope everyone out there is having a good fall as well.

Just a couple of railroad workers...

"We represent the Lolipop Guild..."

It's the best part of baking

Micah's piggy gets a friend

First Day of School!

Today's the big day! Micah was ready to start 1st grade and has been talking about it for weeks. Last night Dan asked him if he wanted him to walk him into school on the first day or do the car drop-off line. He told him he would just prefer to walk in alone. Dan said he walked right up there and never looked back! He's top-dog this year, with his school only going up to 1st grade, so things aren't quite as intimidating as the first year when he was a Pre-K student. Jacob has been talking positively about his new school since we visited and seemed excited when we pulled up. He had one little meltdown about hand washing once we got to school but he got it together quickly. Someone set him up at a table with some playdough and after a few minutes of that, I said goodbye and he said bye back, without even looked up from his project. So, it went much better than I anticipated! He has a cold this morning, so I'm hoping that doesn't cause him trouble today. As you can see in this picture, I put his shoes on the wrong feet, but luckily I managed to fix it after we arrived :-) I hope they both have a wonderful first day.

Our Anniversary!

Happy 13th anniversary to us!

Chihuly

Chihuly

Mr. President?

Mannie, Moe and Curly

park time!

We celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary last weekend with a trip to Little Rock! I took the day (Monday) off from work and while the kids were at daycare/camp, we visited the Clinton Library to see the Chihuly (glassblower) art exhibit there and other displays. We had lunch and took a walk in the River Market section of town. It was great to have the whole day together--a rare treat. We didn't take a summer vacation this year because we've been saving up to buy a new vehicle, which we finally did! Our white car was in need of a new transmission among other things, and the old car wasn't worth the work. So we replaced it with a 2007 Toyota Matrix, which should give us the extra storage room we need and some more legroom for the boys in the back. It's a small, 5-door wagon-type car, but after driving around in a Honda Civic, it seems very roomy! Once the school year hits we don't have time to spend on these projects, so I glad we finished this one now. We're having a garage sale this weekend to get rid of some of the stuff we've accumulated over the last 6 years since moving here. It's tax-free weekend here in Arkansas, so we'll probably purchase the boys' school supplies this weekend and get ready for 3-yr-old preschool and 1st grade! I can't believe the boys are growing up so fast.

4th of July

We didn't go see fireworks anywhere this year since Jacob is still really afraid of loud noises. But we did set off a few poppers in the driveway, which delighted the kids. We ended up having a quiet weekend, visiting the lake for a swim, grilling in the backyard and setting up the kids' pool again when it got sticky. We visited a new restaurant in town for some ice cream. Walmart was sold out of watermelon and corn on the cob, so it seems like everyone had the same idea around here! Micah saved his money for weeks to earn enough to buy three Lego sets. He spent a good part of the weekend working on those. This summer has been so mild compared to past summers. We've been able to go to the park or for a walk on most days and enjoy extra time outside. Usually by this time we're having 100-degree weather everyday. I hope I am not jinxing it by saying this! But seriously, it makes like with too rambunctious boys a lot easier when we can go outside a couple times a day. Micah has swimming lessons on the mornings now, so he gets to enjoy the waterpark every M-Th. Hopefully he will learn to float this year and be able to move to the next level with his lessons! I hope you all had a good weekend with friends and family.

Getting ready to set off the poppers!

pop!

racing in the driveway

 

 

Fun with Grammy and Pop Pop!

So I guess it's better late than never! It's been about a month since my parents came to visit and I am just getting these photos up now. We did have a great time. We haven't taken any trips this summer yet, but Micah's visited several local sights with his summer day camp, including the alligator farm in Hot Springs. Tomorrow they are going bowling. After this week he'll be home with Dan for the rest of the summer. In true Micah style he already has plans for what he wants to do :-)

Pop Pop and Micah play Tickle Monster!

Pop Pop makes the best swing!

Grammy gives the injured boy some extra TLC.

Story time with Grammy. 

 

 

 

Happy 3rd Birthday, Jacob!

Ok, so it's taken me some time to get these photos and videos from Jacob's birthday on the blog. And it's also taking me some time to come to grips with the fact that my "baby" is not really my baby anymore :-( Of course, I'm glad that we're not still in the throes of midnight feedings and this age is so fun and filled with new things, but I do miss that sweetness that comes in the early days. Jacob had a wonderful time at his party! We were so pleased to have my parents and several friends with us for the celebration on Memorial Day, which happened to fall on his actual birthday this year.

For several weeks I had been asking Jacob what kind of party he would like. He kept telling me "Doc McStuffins!" ( a Disney show character who doctors her stuffed animals) so I did my best to make that dream come true. As you can see, our centerpiece for the table was a Stuffy doll, one of Doc's best buds on the show. We had Doc-themed cupcakes and hamburgers/hotdogs and just let the kids play. Its amazing how much fun a group of kids can have in a kiddie pool in the backyard! Too bad Micah had broken his arm during the last week of school while playing freeze tag in P. E. class. It was a simple buckle fracture, but he needed a cast. So he couldn't go into the water to join in that fun, but he was my big boy and helped the little ones enjoy their time at our house. (He is doing fine with the cast and enjoying the extra attention!) Thanks again to everyone who gifts and cards and well wishes to our sweet, party-loving boy! He is really enjoying his new playthings.

We had a great visit with my parents, and I'll hopefully get those photos to load from my phone soon so you can see that. Dan and Dad did some projects around the house, including installing a new flower bed in the front yard. For those who watch HGTV, I can tell you that it has greatly improved the "curb appeal" of our house! Dan and I got to have an overnight while my parents watched the kids and we drove to Crystal Bridges, a beautiful art museum in the northern part of the state. It was a great getaway, especially after the very busy semester we just went through.My parents were here to see Micah's last tball game (before he broke his arm) and his AWANA award ceremony (he finished his book and review!), and it's always special to get to share those moments with our family.

Dan is currently working on replacing part of the sub floor in the living room, which is hardwood. It's a tough job, but I'm glad he has the ability to do most of the work on his own, saving us time and money. Micah is going to a summer day camp at a local church for a few weeks and then he'll be home with Dan and, hopefully, taking swim lessons if  he gets the cast off. Jacob will be at his usual school this summer and will be preparing for his move to a preschool this fall since he has aged out of where he is now. He is going through so many transitions now, starting to sleep in a twin bed, (he looooves his crib!) and completing potty training. Micah is going around reading all of the signs he can find, so he's really catching on to the reading thing. I hope he continues to feel that way, especially when they hit phonics and all of that this next year. I can't believe he is a 1st grader now! I've got lots of work projects going on and its also VBS week at church, so it's not slow around here, but it is nice to have Dan at home in the evenings and weekends. We are all enjoying the family time.