I Was Wrong

I owe my husband an apology. He LOVES bluegrass music. We had the Southern Ohio Indoor Bluegrass Festival on our calendar for months. He even took a half a day off work to drive to Wilmington to catch most of Friday's acts. I made fun of him. I asked if I should wear overalls, flannel, and black out some of my teeth for the event. Bluegrass is not my style. The discorded harmonies, twangy instruments and thick southern accents drive me crazy. I went to support him as he supports me in my hobbies. In spite of my complaining, the kids and I had a great time! The groups were amazingly talented. Most of the bands' members play multiple instruments and can break into four or more part harmony at any moment. They were quite impressive! I'm not really interested in buying a large quantity of CD's or programming Bluegrass Junction into my favorites on the XM radio, but I definitely have a new appreciation for the talent that goes into Bluegrass music. I'm sorry, Andy!


Isaac was adorable! He bopped up and down to the beat and waved his hands when the bands were playing.

The other two kiddos were crazy! They danced to every song in crazy flailing movements. The did a great job of entertaining the Centerville High School Band that was sitting behind us. I'm not sure the rest of the audience(average age: 65+) was nearly as amused.



Dailey and Vincent was one of the groups that performed, although the video is not from the festival we attended. They were, by far, my favorite.

We Avoided Disaster, Barely!

I finally pulled a friend party together for Xavier last Thursday. All he talked about was going to Pump it Up. So, I gathered 3 of his friends and arranged to meet them at Pump it Up for "drop in playtime" from 10-11:30. Then, we would go back to the house for lunch, cake, etc. Perfect, right? We arrived promptly at 10 only to discover that they do NOT have drop in playtime on Thursdays. They were expecting a field trip from one of the local schools that would fill the building. WHAT!? I PROMISED my son he could go to Pump it Up for his birthday. I feel like such a schmuck. I pulled the flyer off the desk and showed the lady...It says Wed-Fri for drop in playtime, NOT Wed, Fri or Wed and Fri. Doesn't Wed "DASH" Fri mean Wednesday through Friday? She apologized for the misunderstanding but said there was nothing she could do. ARG!
So, I turn to Xavier and say "How about Chuck E. Cheese, Buddy?" He gets this sad, wounded look on his face and says, "I don't want to go to CEC, I want to jump!" My heart was breaking and I had to try really hard not to cry. I looked at the lady and she just shrugged. ARG!
After it all, Xavier decided to take his friends to CEC and had a good time. It wasn't his dream party, but we made the best of it. Thanks to all his friends and their parents for being flexible!

Dancin'

It is parent observation week at Brooklyn's dance studio this week. Yipee! It was really fun to see what they've been up to since classes began in August. Her competition team is composed of nine 3 to 6 year olds. That has to be interesting for her teacher! One major difference I noticed between the normal combo class and this year is the focus on stretching-as Brooklyn calls it. They spend a decent amount of time working on splits, flexibility, and extensions. Brooklyn despises the crunches.

Dancing buddies; Avery, Brooklyn, and Jamison

How does she do that?

We're still working on this one. I took this right before she fell over. She doesn't seem to have as much of a problem with the extension as standing on one foot!


The group is dancing to Humhumunukunukuapua'a.

A Trip to the Firehouse

Xavier's preschool class took a trip to the Marysville Fire Station on Monday. The original plan was to drive(two blocks!) to the fire station so the kids wouldn't tire out. It was too gorgeous of a day(70 degree weather in November?), so Xavier, Isaac and I broke the rules and walked to the firehouse. Isaac was a total grump during the presentation and really needed a nap. I tried desperately to rock him to sleep so he would stop distracting the other kiddos. Finally, I had success! Then, I had the joy of lugging almost 20 pounds of dead weight up and down the stairs while trying to get photos of my neglected middle child. What you see is my attempt at success.


This was the highlight of the trip. All the kids ooh-ed and aah-ed at the fireman's slide down the pole.

Nine Months

Isaac was nine months in October. His physical development continues to be right on target. He is crawling like crazy, pulls up on everything, dances, and claps. He is starting to get curls around his ears, which I find adorable! He isn't babbling, which makes me worry(surprise!) but he laughs, answers to his name, and "talks" in his own way. The doctor said we won't worry about his language until after a year. At his well check he was 19 pounds, 13 ounces, and 27 and a half inches long. That puts him in the 25th percentile.
As for the allergies, we're still sorting it all out. We've switched him to Alimentum formula which is both gross and expensive, but he seems to be doing well with it. He is on two different antihistamines to help deal with the itching. He's reacted to all rosecea fruits and corn so we are having to get creative with what we feed him. He doesn't want to be spoon fed anymore which makes things that much more difficult. We are meeting with the doctor again in a month to decide where to go with his diet. If you think of it, please pray for his healing. It is so tough to see my little guy suffer.

Power Rangers and a Dragon

Xavier's buddy Jack stopped over before trick or treat started. They are so excited that they have the same costume!

Happy Isaac sans costume.




Trick or Treat was a lot of fun this year. Brooklyn had this grand idea to invite our friends from Alliance to our house for Halloween. I laughed it off as one of Brooklyn's hairbrained ideas until I mentioned it to them. They said yes! They arrived just in time to bolt out the door into the most perfect Halloween weather. It felt like fall, but was warm enough for no coats. We had four Power Rangers; blue, red, white, and pink. Brooklyn had to remind everyone that they were all from Jungle Fury, but she was from Operation Overdrive. Whatever! Isaac was dressed in the most adorable dragon costume, but he hated the hood! He was much happier once I took the jacket off.
The kids have always done two laps around the block(once on our side of the street and once across the street) and decided that was enough. This year, they were running so far ahead we had to set some rules for waiting for the adults. After the two laps, they weren't quite done so we ventured out further. Unfortunately, they burned out before we were back and we had to practically drag them home. Some chili and candy from their bags perked them right up! Thanks for making the trip, Kings!

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!