Fun Fall!

We have had a lot going on these last few weeks.  I am crazy busy at work, and the kids school schedule has been pretty wild too - which is a probably a good thing since it helps distract everyone from sadness about Ray Ray.

The Hound Dog run was a really fun day.  The kids ran a mile with us cheering them on, and then we spent the evening at a carnival/festival at the school, which they loved.  They really like for us to come to school events these days because they want us to meet their friends, and in the case of Katie - want to introduce me to the parents of her friends to try to coerce us into sleepovers and play dates (she had me talk to the mom of one of her friends last night at their music performance to convince me that it is time for a slumber party).  I am actually okay with a sleepover/slumber party in theory - but will not allow Katie to do it until she can stay in bed and not yell down to us for hours after bedtime - she knows that, too, but hasn't been able to accomplish it yet!

Anyway, here are some pics of my little runners!  They have been working hard to be able to run a mile and did so good!!!

And at the Festival.  Most of the Festival was outside and featured bounce houses, arts and crafts areas, and games and seemingly EVERY SINGLE KID was wearing the exact same shirt, in the dark - chaos!

Last weekend we decided to enjoy the weather and took the kids camping. It wasn't too cold, no rain (good thing since the piece that holds our rain guard on the tent has gone missing), and a beautiful spot about an hour and half away on Center Hill lake.  We had a blast roasting hot dogs, making smores, telling ghost stories (more of the haunted hamburger who variety - courtesy of Tyler - rather than super scary), and just spending time together without any distractions.  I would love to go camping more often, but rarely is it the perfect combination of not too hot and not too cold!  I swear they wear things other than that Hound Dog Run shirt - it just so happened that we left from school on a Friday when they are allowed to wear the shirt to school instead of uniforms!

Tonight is Halloween.  The weather looks pretty nasty - cold, windy, rainy - but not as bad as last year when we had storms!  The kids already enjoyed a neighborhood Fall party and the opportunity to wear their costumes.  They wore them again last night at the music performance (don't have any great pictures because they were on opposite sides of the stage and I hesitate to put up pictures with so many kids other than mine), and tonight will be the main event!  Tyler selected the "cool guy" that he wanted to be a while back and talked Katie into matching as a Pink Lady.  They are really having fun with it, even saying they are glad they aren't something that everyone else is but I know Katie kind of wishes she could have something sparkly or princess-like (or from Frozen) similar to most of her friends.  I bet, though, that they will both be glad for the warmth of their costumes tonight!

Our neighbor did a great job face painting.  It was so fun for the kids to be able to play and not have to wait in line for their turn and then get to pick anything they wanted!

Fall Break!

We had an amazing trip to the beach for Fall Break.  Perfect weather, fun family time chillaxing on the beach, great food, and attended a beautiful wedding to end a much needed vacation.

While the vacation was awesome, the actual drive home was harrowing, with tornado warnings, torrential downpours, and really strong winds - and bad weather continued throughout the night cancelling the baseball game that was scheduled for the next day.  The baseball cancellation meant that Tyler got to go to his first Boy Scout meeting of the year. He liked it, but surprisingly said he wished his game hadn't been cancelled - he is really enjoying playing!  The game is rescheduled for Thursday and the last game of the year is Saturday.  It will be a long wait until Spring season, but I am sure we will appreciate a little schedule freedom in the upcoming months. 

Life was in full swing the minute we got back.  My work is ramping up, it's time (way past time actually) to get serious about school and all of this reading and homework that is expected of us, and  it is Hound Dog run, Spirit week at school, so lots of festivities!  The kids had a field trip today, and the run and family night is later this week. Poor Tyler has had a horrible ear ache since we got back and we took him in to the doctor today so hopefully he will be on the mend soon.  He was kind of grumpy at the wedding and end of the trip, which I now suspect was because of the ear pain.  He didn't even complain until we asked him why he didn't eat his banana (he is practically a monkey and would normally eat a whole bunch of bananas if we let him) and he said it hurt to chew.  Fall is hard on him with a new round of allergies, and swimming for a week doesn't help.  The weather sure is turning Fall-like, though - which I love.  The kids, for a change, chose Halloween costumes that wont be too hot or too cold regardless of the weather (they are a Pink Lady and T-Bird from Grease), but I always like when Halloween is a little cooler!  It may be Halloween until I find time to post again, but I'll try to check-in and update sooner! 

Sad Days

I was considering stopping writing this blog, since the main fan of news of the kids was their grandfather.  He sadly and unexpectedly passed away last week and we are all devastated.  As I was reading back through some of the posts, though, I realized that this is a place of lots of good memories of time spent with Ray Ray, and just as I appreciate that now - there may come a time in the future that I will look for words and memories and thoughts from these years too.  So, I will skip over the last couple of weeks that I will likely never forgot for how sad and shocked and heartbroken we all have been and jump right in to the last couple of days!

This weekend we went with So-So to see Frozen, Disney on Ice.  Fabulous show, and even more fun than watching the kids try to recreate the theatrics once we got home - backyard version, which was pretty hilarious.  I can't explain the fanatical love of the movie by every child I know, but I do admit that it is a pretty good movie and was fun to watch on ice.  It is a very different experience nowadays than when we went to ice shows and circuses and performances when they were younger.  Back then they were probably more in awe, but now they truly get what is going on and can enjoy all aspects of the performance.  Big thank you to So So for braving ridiculous traffic and it being super cold inside of the arena, to treat us to a fantastic afternoon. 

This morning, as I was trying to get my and the kids schedules straight in my mind for the next month - lots going on with the end of baseball (which Tyler still absolutely loves) season, school activities, holidays, school breaks, etc. - I realized that we will not have an opportunity to go to any of the Fall festivals or pumpkin patches any weekends before Halloween.  Fall activities like that are some of my favorite things and I really love that Nashville has so many fun things to do once Autumn arrives, and I didn't want to miss out this year!  So, today, we made a trek out to Lucky Ladd Farms.  It is about an hour away, but the farm we usually go to was visited by the kids on a school field trip just a week ago, so we wanted to check out somewhere new.  It was awesome!  Lots to do, perfect weather, and definitely worth the drive.  The friendliest animals ever in the petting zoo, good ole fashioned farm activities like tire swings, playing in the corn, hay rides, and sack slides, topped off with candy apples and fresh squeezed lemonade - made for a great day!

6 Year Olds!

Yikes - it's been a while!  School stuff, hours (literally - I can't wait until reading the directions isn't as laborious) of homework, baseball and gymnastics, and Boy Scouts and Book Fairs thrown in,  make it difficult to keep up! The kids seemingly had a great birthday.  They got lots of fun presents (so sorry that we have not sent thank you notes yet - harder than you would think to find the time to do them), and had a really good time at Dave and Buster's and playing at the pool on the last day (Labor Day) that it was open.

Tyler was obsessed with Switch and Go dinosaurs before this birthday (and still loves them), but this is definitely the year of Pokemon for him.  He spent all of his birthday money on Pokemon cards, and reads his Pokemon books (one gifted to him by my sister and one purchased at the book fair) nightly.  I am actually good with him having the books since I hope it encourages reading (my philosophy is that the topic doesn't matter as much as the inclination to read for fun), but the cards are crazy.  He memorizes each card and all of the characteristics and loves to talk about his Pokemon cards and what he can trade them for and what they can do, and why he won't trade that particular one (beware)! Katie  is reminding me daily what it was like to be a little girl.  I feel like she is hitting these stages sooner than me, but it is all definitely familiar.  She loves her password journal that writes in invisible ink, she struggles with deep down really enjoying outdoor, active toys more than dolls and "girl" things, and she is a big fan of bling, and sparkles and anything fashion oriented.  She is the girliest tomboy ever and kind of stuck between the two right now.  Only time will tell which way she will go - I hope she doesn't have to choose! 

The kids are looking like such big kids to me these days!  What's crazy is that they actually ARE big kids.  First grade is no joke!  We've realized that the kids are both doing really great learning to read and as importantly, to be good students in the classroom.  Unfortunately, I have also recognized that Katie has picked up my complete ineptness with math (Lance is going to try to help her "get" it because I am not getting through) and that Tyler really has a very hard time sitting still and concentrating to do his work to the best of his ability.  We both want to try to avoid the likely ADHD diagnosis and subsequent medication recommendations likely to come for him, though - so we are hoping that we can keep him active enough (even at the expense of doing homework perfectly) to offset the time he spends regimented in the classroom.  I spoke with his teacher and she had a conversation with him, and since then things have seemed a lot better.  Fingers crossed that he is back on track with liking school.  He still definitely struggles with friends and fitting in (or rather has a harder time than Katie - my only comparison), but he doesn't seem to dread going to school each day anymore - great news! 

Hard to believe but Fall Break is almost here!  We are going to the beach for a couple of days instead of paying exorbitant daily childcare fees for the week, and I am really looking forward to a break, even if it does seem very close to the start of school!  The weekend before we leave should be really fun, too.  Tyler has a baseball game (he seems to really enjoy baseball - much more than soccer) and he does great at practice (he is more distracted at games but likes those the best for the icee he gets as snack afterwards), and then they will both go to Disney on Ice - Frozen.  That is still their favorite movie, and I think they are the perfect age to really appreciate the show.  We need to fit in Boy Scouts Jamboree that weekend, too - probably Sunday and then will leave mid-week for the break.  Hopefully I can find more time to update in the weeks ahead.  Especially since we are entering Fall in Nashville, my absolute favorite season here!  I just love all of the Festivals, and the weather, and football, and most of all getting to spend some really fun time with the kids. 

What to do?

Poor Tyler is having a real problem with school so far this year.  This morning he told me he did not want to go to school, that he doesn't like school, and that his teacher is really mean (and he said that she even knows she's mean).  I just don't know what to do.  I am trying to be encouraging and to find out why he thinks she is mean (in case I can explain that she is teasing), but he seems really insistent that school is not for him.  I hate that and really want him to like and do well in school.  I am going to try to hold out on talking to his teacher until our parent/teacher conference - but that isn't until November.  I don't want to coddle him or her to feel like that is what I want, but I also don't want his early school years tainted by a bad experience that could be fixed with just a little explanation that my very literal little man doesn't "get" sarcasm and joking.

The good thing is that he really likes the extracurricular stuff involved with school - he loves his aftercare program, is really excited about being a cub scout (fishing rodeo this weekend), and is enjoying baseball so far, too (no games yet, though - just practice). If we can just get him to be more positive about what he is actually there for, all will be better.  Katie seems to like her teacher and is doing pretty well - she hates homework though, which is very reading heavy (or maybe it is just for us - I am not sure if I am supposed to be making her read all of the stories and questions or if I am supposed to read it to her and ask her the questions - but having her read everything takes forever and she gets tired of it after about 30 minutes) and she has started saying that she hates reading and math.  Apparently first grade (rather than Kindergarten) is the real testing ground and maybe signs are pointing to them repeating.  They are doing okay academically, but maybe they need a repeat year to feel more confident and to have more positive feelings about school and school work.  It is early so I of course am not making any big decisions now, but it is something to consider.  If we did move, we may put them into first grade upon the move to a new county, but only if that is the best decision for both of them - hopefully things will improve to the point that those kinds of decisions aren't on the radar.

Big weekend planned!  Fishing rodeo and scout activities on Saturday for Tyler (Katie gets to go along).  He has practice that he will probably miss but he wants to try to go and then go back for more fishing.  We are having a little birthday celebration for them on Sunday, will hopefully spend some time at the pool on Monday (last day they are open), and then Tuesday is their actual birthday!  I can't believe my little ones are six years old - they, however, want to skip six and just tell everyone they are seven (like a lot of their classmates)!

Open House

We finally had our open house for K & T at school.  I was anxious to meet the teachers since Tyler is very disenchanted with his, and Katie's seems a lot stricter based on the homework ("home fun") and graded sheets we have seen sent home.  We thought it would be a true open house where we could both go to one class and then the other, but found out when we got there that they each had a presentation to last for most of the hour.  So, I went to Katie's class and Lance went to Tyler's.  Lance said he could definitely see why Tyler is having trouble warming up to his teacher - she is certainly not as sweet and nurturing as his Kindergarten teachers.  Hopefully he will adapt and she will recognize the potential Tyler has despite his tendency to create his own entertainment in lieu of doing "boring" assignments.  My primary concern is that he is such a perfectionist and seems so down on himself lately and I don't necessarily think she is the right compliment to that, but we are hoping for the best! 

He is begging us to join Cub Scouts (and therefore Katie wants to do Girl Scouts).  Between baseball, gymnastics, a ton of homework (already), and things that the adults enjoy like football games and tennis/golf - I have no clue how we will fit another activity in - but I have rarely seen Tyler as excited about anything as he is about the Cub Scouts itinerary, so we are going to let him sign up.  When asked why he wanted to do it, Tyler said "fishing, canoeing, hiking, get to make cool cars for this derby thing, and friends."  The last one sealed the deal since Tyler does not connect as well as Katie with other kids and doesn't seem to make friends very easily, but his favorite buddy from his class last year was the one telling him all about it and trying to convince him to join, and that makes me want to encourage that friendship and their shared excitement about rockets and caving.  Tyler was pulling out all his persuasion techniques so it is obviously something he really wants to do - I will sign him up and I even have Lance on board to take him to the camp-out and help him build his Pinewood Derby car.  Katie has a lot more work to do to convince me to let her join Girl Scouts, however - selling cookies is not how I want to spend my time!  We will go to the preview thing coming up and in the meantime I will talk to her all about how much more fun gymnastics and tennis and soccer and anything else, are  :)! 

This weekend we had a first in a long while!  On Friday night Lance and I went to a pre-party for a golf tournament he was in and the kids stayed with the grandparents.  I am sure they stayed up a little late since they went out to dinner and the next day was jam-packed.  We went to Target right after I picked them up (we swung by the toy aisles for them to "look at what they want for their birthday"), went swimming with a friend all day and then had a birthday party for So-So.  It was a nice restaurant and the kids were encouraged to act like they did at the one we went to for our anniversary.  They were good, and obviously exhausted, but I was very proud of them for not acting up since they were  very tired five year-olds who were asked to sit patiently with no coloring books or anything for two hours.  They were energized when they got in the car talking about their evening and how much fun they had at the "fancy" restaurant with So-So, but as we were talking and singing we suddenly realized that Tyler was suspiciously quiet - right before Katie decided just to "close her eyes for a minute."  We can't get them to fall asleep like that on a school night, of course, but that is just a testament to what a fun day they had and one of the first times in a loooong time that they have fallen asleep in the car! 

Good Times and Rainbows

Today is our anniversary (13 years) and we decided to take the kids with us to our anniversary dinner.  It was a bit daunting since we opted to go to a nicer restaurant, but we were pretty confident that the kids could behave and they didn't disappoint!  The waiter said that they were some of the most well-behaved children he had ever served, and when we told him we were concerned before deciding to dine there, he said "you can take them anywhere."  They were very good and we were able to enjoy a special meal - great celebration!  On the way to the restaurant we saw a rainbow and my sweet boy said "God must have made it for your anniversary."  He went on to say "so that's why God made it rain today - so he could bless us with a special rainbow."  That boy can be super sweet and so insightful, but he can also be incredibly frustrating.  He is so analytical about EVERY thing,  slow as molasses getting out the door, and he is so easily distracted, that getting used to the school routine again has been kind of torturous. 

The school year is going pretty well so far, though, even if we are only two and half days in - ha.  The kids seem to like their teachers and have a couple of classmates that they enjoy being with.  Tyler is very hesitant about school - his perfectionism is really at an all time high right now - so we will see if the enjoyment lasts even when homework begins.  He keeps saying that he wants to go back to kindergarten.  When pressed he doesn't really want to, but he is definitely scared that 1st grade will be "too hard."  They love Fun Company (the YMCA aftercare) and have so far thought I was too early picking them up everyday (after 5:00).  They have been pretty worn out and I love that they get a couple of hours just to play and have fun - we'll see if I have the same attitude about it all when we have homework and projects to complete once we all get home!

We are lucky that the aftercare program is less expensive than the cost of just three days of the sitter last year, but of course the kids are begging to participate in activities that will easily get us back up to paying daycare-like weekly fees.  We have relented, though, and Tyler will soon start t-ball/baseball and Katie will be back in gymnastics.  Katie really wanted to play soccer, but we just couldn't commit to another Saturday thing this Fall.  We will have whatever football games we can manage to make it to, Tyler will have games, I have tennis in the Fall, and there are always random things on weekends once school starts - that means that adding in a soccer game, too, would be crazy since she is equally excited about gymnastics (and those classes happen on weeknights).  I think it will be worth the expense - hopefully Tyler likes baseball and I know Katie will like the tumbling class and learning how to do things that will scare me to watch! 

The kid's birthday is fast approaching and we still have no plans.  We will probably go to Dave & Busters (the kids are obsessed ever since our visit at the beach) with us and whatever family can make it - the kids will initially be disappointed that they aren't having a "party," but once we start bowling and playing games I think they will be fine.  Tyler has birthday present requests that are reasonable - Katie on the otherhand wants an American Girl doll (have been trying to hold out until they build the one in Franklin).  Luckily, Tyler told her that she should just ask Santa for that and not us - ha!  Life is definitely getting busier, but watching them in these activities is fun for us, too and the kids really are just plain fun to be around these days (most of the time)!