All Guts, No Glory

We always wait until the last minute to carve our pumpkins. So, at 4:30 on Halloween night, we dug into the slimy stuff. Brooklyn wanted to design her own face this year, which prompted Xavier to request the same. He wanted an angry face, and Brooklyn wanted one with fangs. Once I looked at Brooklyn's creation, I had to try really hard not to laugh. Her pumpkin's mouth was so tiny and intricate, I don't think I could have carved it with a sewing needle. She was so upset because she couldn't erase it. We finally fixed it, but the final product had some pen marks remaining and they don't really look like fangs. Neither kiddo was a big fan of the "guts." Xavier kept saying eww, and Brooklyn would only use a spaghetti spoon to scrape her pumpkin. She did get the bright idea to try to chase me with the guts. Thankfully, as of now, I am still faster than she is! We had a great time, but I wish Andy was home to deal with the gooey insides. Andy's mom made some tasty pumpkin seeds. I burnt them last year!

Four!

Xavier's actual birthday was another whirlwind. He had to take a birthday snack to school which couldn't be cake or cupcakes. He chose brownies with neon dinosaur sprinkles. It was much more fun to make the brownies with Xavier than to throw them together while he was sleeping. We met his friend Jack at the McDonald's Playland for some lunch and Power Ranger playing. After school we gave him his "big" present from Mommy and Daddy. After the Nintendo DS Lite arrived, all we saw was the top of his head for the rest of the night. He chose Old Towne Inn(because they have great breadsticks and mac and cheese) for supper. He said it was a good day, but is still looking for his "kid party." I'm working on it!
During his well check on Tuesday, we discovered he is square. He is 43 inches tall and weighs 43 pounds. Both put him in the 90-95th percentile. All looks great!

On Top of Spaghetti

Happy Birthday, Xavier!
Xavier turned four on Monday. We held his family party on Sunday, between church and AWANA. Whew, that was exhausting! He asked for spaghetti and meatballs and a lion cake. Andy and I made homemade meatballs and made Xavier's twice the size of everyone else's. The crazy kid ate the entire thing! I think he had a great day. He was so happy to receive some new Power Rangers to add to the one I bought him at a garage sale. At one point, he said "this is the best day, EVER!" I asked him why, and he said "because I got Power Rangers!"


I started decorating the cake AFTER the Buckeye game was over. I was so tired, I'm surprised it even resembled a lion!

Yes, my six year old is wearing a bib. I was trying to save the white shirt underneath.


At the end of the day, the over-tired kid was in tears because he wanted a "kid party." Unfortunately, I have yet to plan it. The poor kid is going to have middle child syndrome if I don't get my act together!

Gage's Halloween Party

One of Brooklyn's classmate's families is much braver than I. They planned a Halloween party for all the first graders at Trinity and their families on Saturday night. It was a blast! I wasn't too sure I wanted to go because of the cool weather, and Andy said we HAD to leave by 7 to make sure the kiddos were in bed by 8 so we could watch the Buckeyes. Both of us ate our words. We had so much fun! Most of the kids were in their costumes. Brooklyn has chosen to be Stephanie from Lazy town(I think it is all about the pink wig) and Xavier is the White(Rhino?) Ranger from the Power Rangers.

They started the party with some good old fashioned "Bobbing for Apples." I tried to ignore my germophobic tendencies and not think about all the kids mouths in a nice big bucket of water. Yuck!

Brooklyn was so proud when she finally snagged one of the apples. She practically submerged her whole head chasing the elusive apple. When she came up with it in her mouth, she shot water out her nose! Double Yuck!

Brooklyn eventually got too cold for her costume, stepped in dog poop, and got grass stains on the knees. I think we will pull out the Pink Ranger costume for Trick or Treating.

Xavier has been waiting for the day I would allow him to wear his costume outside. He was showing off all his best Ranger moves. I don't think the first grade boys were too impressed. But, they did a nice job of letting him tag along. Does anyone notice the goofy smile he's wearing? He's started curling his top lip under in this crazy fake "cheese" smile after we ask him to smile. It is driving me crazy! Anyone have any suggestions on how to correct this?

This had to be the highlight of the evening for me. The adults were each given a roll of TP and a time limit to create the best mummy. Andy was holding Isaac so he helped too. The kid were then given a turn. They were so serious and competitive. They all got frustrated when the TP broke. After the contest, the future TPers of America unrolled every remaining roll across the yard and had TP fights. It was nice to see the kids have such unstructured fun. They then scooped up all of the white fluffy stuff and threw it into the fire. I think we have a few pyros in the group!

What a great party! We didn't get home until after the game started. Thanks to Gage's family for such a great evening!

Way to go Sharks!

The parents and siblings always formed a tunnel for the boys to run through at the end of each game. Next to snack, I think it was their favorite part!


Xavier's soccer season came to a close last weekend. In some senses I was sad because I loved seeing Xavier and his teammates develop their skills. They went from wandering aimlessly on the field to turning the ball and passing to each other! On the other hand, it is getting chilly here in central Ohio! Xavier was thrilled to receive a medal to commemorate his season. The coach's quote to Xavier was "to the guy whose name I could never remember..." I'm already looking forward to his next season!

Corn Maize, Take Two

I went back to the Corn Maize on Monday. This time, it was Brooklyn's class running wildly through the corn. Andy and I practically did rock, paper, scissors to see who would go. Isaac was sick all weekend(stomach bug, 9 month old, need I say more?) so Andy stayed home from work so one of us could be the babysitter. I thought Andy should go because he doesn't get opportunities to participate in class activities during the week. But, I also knew he was leaving me for three days this week to attend a men's retreat through church. Finally, it was decided that I would go. It was basically the same event, but first graders are much more crazy than three year olds! They ran in every direction at every opportunity. I felt so sorry for the petting zoo's rabbits. It was borderline abuse! The kids would pick them up, drop them, throw them, fight over them, etc. Yeesh! I had a nice time hanging out with Brooklyn, but I could have done without the other 33 kids that tagged along. I'm so thankful I'm not an elementary school teacher!

A-Maize-ing!

Xavier has the biggest crush on the little girl in the front row wearing the polka-dotted raincoat. Notice the little girl in the second row wearing a polka-dotted raincoat. She has a twin! But, Xavier's heart belongs to Molly. She taught him how to pump his legs on the swings on the first day of school.


The kids were allowed to pick a pie pumpkin to take home. Xavier had to find the biggest one in the patch!

Xavier had his first official preschool field trip to The Maize in Plain City. I dropped Isaac off at a friend's and ventured into the corn with him. It was pretty fun for being a farm field in the middle of nowhere! The aerial view of the maze was impressive! It was in the shape of Jack Hanna holding a koala to honor his 30 years at the Columbus Zoo. At each marker in the maze, we were asked a question. The answer determined which way to go. Thankfully, the teacher had a cheat sheet! Xavier did well with his classmates and I was surprised at how attentive he was to his teacher. If only I could get him to listen like that at home! After the maze, we went for a tractor ride, picked pumpkins, had snack, listened to a lecture about the uses of corn, petted some animals, and rode a crazy slide. Xavier's favorite part? The kettle corn, of course!

So Long, ZooKids!

Xavier had his last zoo class last Thursday. It was such a good experience! Xavier had a great time hanging out with his buddy, Grace and learning about all sorts of animals. Of course, his favorite part of the class was...snack! I really enjoyed wandering the zoo with Isaac and Gracie's mommy and brother. I don't get too much time with just Isaac. I'd definitely sign Xavier up for ZooKids again!

Bruiser

I really debated posting this but decided I needed to record this for future scrapbooking pages. Life is never dull with Mr. Xavier. He had his second soccer game this weekend. He is definitely getting more comfortable on the field which means he's more intense in his playing. He scored two goals on Saturday and though he didn't jump up and down I could see the small smile of satisfaction on his face. Anyways, another boy on his team was disappointed that he didn't get to score a goal and was feeling a little sad. In between the third and fourth quarter the coach tried to cheer him up by getting him to run around the field. He said, "Let's see how fast you can run!" The boy took off running across the field to the other side then turned to come back to the coach. At the same time, Xavier says, "I can run fast too!" and takes off running. Can you see where this is going? Both boys were so intent on their speed they weren't watching WHERE they were running...HEAD ON COLLISION. They both went down and parents came running. Xavier walked away with a goose egg and bruise on his forehead. The other boy was bleeding from everywhere and got a ride in a Marysville ambulance. Poor Xavier felt terrible! He's asked about his teammate almost every hour since the incident. He's asked to pray for him at every meal and bedtime. Thankfully, we talked to the parents today and the boy is healing with a few stitches and a fat lip. What's next?

The reluctant Sharks finished their game.

Ambulances are really cool to three year olds until they know the person inside.

ZooKids

I'm trying to exhaust Xavier so I enrolled him in the ZooKids program at the Columbus Zoo. He goes to a class with his friend Grace for 3 hours once a week during the month of September. While Xavier is thoroughly occupied with touching small alligators and learning about endangered species, Isaac and I wander the zoo with Grace's mommy and little brother. Grace, and Xavier have been buddies since they were born(two weeks apart!) and her brother and Isaac are only a month apart! This week, Andy joined us in our adventures. It was really nice to have him home during the day, but I really missed him at night!

Two in school!

Xavier started his first day of preschool last Wednesday. He was so excited he could hardly wait to get to his class. We enrolled him at Trinity so he and Brooklyn are in the same school. We allowed Xavier to pick any restaurant in Marysville for lunch, then carried it in to Brooklyn. Xavier felt like such a big boy eating in the cafeteria. Brooklyn was the envy of all her classmates because she was eating Wendy's instead of beef pie(eww?) Xavier's teacher asked that a parent stay during the first day of class to make the transition easier for the kids. Xavier didn't really want a parent to stay until he found out Daddy would be the one attending his class. Andy was on second shift last week so he was home during the day. I had a hard time letting go of the first day of school(surprise!) but knew this would be one of the few opportunities Andy would have to be part of Xavier's school activities. I think they both had a great time! Andy said Xavier was a great listener and followed directions wonderfully! He's already made a new friend. He hasn't stopped talking about "that girl in the blue shirt," aka Molly. She taught him how to pump on the swings! I'm looking forward to a fun year for Xavier and some peace and quiet during two afternoons a week!

Go Yellow..um...Red Sharks!

Soccer season has offically begun for Xavier. His first game was this morning. We were told their team color was going to be yellow. The boys picked the team name of the "Yellow Sharks." When the jerseys were passed out, they were red! Xavier didn't mind at all. He was so happy to have a jersey, any jersey!
The game itself was hysterical! I appreciate my son so much more now that I have experienced twelve three year olds together on a soccer field(they play 3 on 3). I don't think the other team had a single child that didn't cry at some point during the game. Xavier did a good job of handling the ball and even scored a goal! He doesn't seem to have that crazy competitive drive(yet!)that I expected from him. I asked him what his favorite part of soccer was and he said "chasing the other guys and trying to steal the ball!" I think we may have a future defender on our hands.




Brooklyn was happy with her new role as team cheerleader.

Pickin' and Grinnin'

I took Xavier and Isaac apple picking yesterday with a friend. Xavier complained the entire time out to the orchard. He thought it was going to take a long time, he doesn't like apples(since when?) and it was too hot. After he discovered we were picking with Ms. Julie, took a tractor ride, and filled his own bag to the brim, he couldn't stop telling me how fun it was! I'm looking forward to making some yummy applesauce!




For all those concerned viewers out there, no allergic babies were harmed in the photographing of apple picking. Isaac's teeth never broke the skin of the apple.

Opa!

I could't pass up posting this picture. The kids LOVE their Opa. They are thrilled that he is retired so he can come visit with Oma every week. His silly antics get Xavier giggling like no one else.

Labor Day

Over Labor Day weekend we traveled to see some friends who recently moved to the country. It was beautiful! Their house sits atop a hill surrounded by rolling fields and woods. We had a bonfire, which nearly overtook our blanket, stroller, etc., complete with tasty s'mores. Brooklyn learned the fine art of toasting, rather than burning the marshmallows to a crisp. She was rather proud of her accomplishment. Xavier didn't care, as long as it was accompanied by chocolate and graham crackers. The kids romped in the fields, went for hikes in the woods, and took a dip in the nearby lake. It was country living at its best! Andy would love to live in the country. I was almost convinced during this visit until the multiple near misses with deer during a drive. I'll continue my suburban living for now. Thanks to the Boyds for their wonderful hospitality. We can't wait to hear your baby news!