preschool pumpkin parties

Monday Amelia's preschool had their fall festival.  Amelia got to show off her classroom to us, and show off her costume to her classmates and teachers.

We got to take home self-portraits that the kids made the second week of school.  They painted their faces on a mirror, and then transferred the paint onto construction paper.  I love that she looks like Cindy Lou Who from Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Tuesday they had their official Halloween party at school.  No costumes this time, but I did find this cute dress at a consignment shop.  I think it will fit for another year (or two).

Seth's school had a drug awareness week.  Monday they wore team apparel, Tuesday they wore red, white, and blue, Wednesday they work wacky/tacky clothes, and Thursday they wore their pajamas.  It's been a weird week of laundry at our house!  Seth's class had their "Fall Party" Thursday...conveniently while in their pajamas.  No costumes needed!

crocheting with Gram

Mom was trying to crochet a baby blanket tonight.  Amelia was a BIG helper...or not so much.

Trunk or Treat 2010

Sunday evening our church had Trunk or Treat.  This year we did a Jonah-themed trunk:

Amelia's ladybug costume was in the wash, so she decided to go as Alice in Wonderland (she had lots of dress-up clothes...this was my dress when I was a kid, but she calls it her "Alice dress").

Seth decided to be an astronaut again.  We had a hot dog dinner with potluck sides and desserts (I made an awesome pumpkin angel food cake...let me know if you want the recipe!), and then the kids stocked up on candy, played games, and decorated cookies.

And that, my friends, is how you celebrate a weekend away!

neighborhood ghouls

Our neighborhood had a fall festival Saturday night.  It's the first time we've attended, but I'm not sure if it was the first time it's been done.  I didn't have high expectations, but it was fantastic.  The kids were given pumpkins to paint:

 Amelia spent a long time working on hers:

The marshmallow game was a big hit:

Forget finding a needle in a haystack, there was all sorts of junk goodies hidden for the kids to find:

There was also a scavenger hunt that required the kids to grab a sticker whenever they found something on their list.  Every kid who finished their list got a prize (Seth chose glow sticks, Amelia chose a beanie bear).

Dinner was provided, and there was a silent auction for the grown-ups.  If the amount of hay on my bathroom floor after we got home was any indication, the kids had a great time!

Boos & Brews 5k

On a whim, we decided to sign up for an inaugural road race.  The selling point was that costumes were encouraged.  Seth wanted to do another fun run, and he wanted to be Spiderman:

 A fun run theme quickly formed.  Nathan came home Friday with costumes.  Amelia loved hers:

And Nathan went all out for his.  The race was very disorganized, so we had a lot of time to kill playing games:

Seth got a little tripped up at the start of the race, but he got back up and said, "Slow and steady wins the race."  Or at least lets you finish 4th, in front of a lot of bigger kids!  Way to go, Seth!

I stupidly decided to run the 5k.  I haven't run since my last race (might as well be honest).  The first two miles weren't bad.  The next half mile climbed a hill that's one of those that you car doesn't even like driving up.  I walked up that hill, but so did 90% of the participants.  In fact, I placed in the top half of the race, and my time was similar to my first 5k last year, even with all that walking.  Oh yeah, and I ran in my Betty Rubble costume from my junior year of college:

Next week, I'm going to look for a superhero costume so I can fit in with everyone else next year (of course, Seth will need a new costume, too!)

wearin' out the costumes

Since Friday, we have gone to five events wearing costumes.  Definitely getting our money's worth this year!  Friday night the YMCA had a fall festival.  It was a major downgrade from last year, but at least we got out of the house for a little bit.  And I got one decent picture of the kiddos:

Amelia HAD to have a ladybug costume the weekend I made Seth his Humpty Dumpty costume for school.  I told her I would buy one, on the condition that it was her Halloween costume, too.  Seth is going through a slight space phase, so when I found an astronaut costume at Costco, I made his day.  

go, Seth, go!

Seth has been asking to race.  We signed him up for the one-mile fun run for the Ardmore 5k.  It was chilly Saturday morning, but he was ready to race.  The owner of Fleet Feet did a warm up with the kids, and told us a fun run is twenty miles.  Probably in his world it is, ha!  Nathan's race started after the fun run, so he documented Seth's first mile for us.

I couldn't convince Seth to pace himself...he ran the first half at a sprint with three short walking breaks.  During the second half, he went a little slower and was able to run the whole time. 

Almost done...finishing strong with a big high five from the Fleet Feet owner:

 So proud of having his own race number!

Nathan had a good run...he finished 90 seconds faster than last year, and placed third in his age group.  We had a great time, so much so we're doing another one this Saturday, and Amelia is coming, too!

it was a family fun night

Friday the PTA sponsored a Family Fun Night.  I purchased bracelets for the kids, which allowed them unlimited games in classrooms and time in the bounce houses.  Sonic catered dinner, and the teachers were servers.  There was a bake sale, a raffle for a 32" TV, and a silent auction.  The kids had colors sprayed in their hair by a local salon.  We had a ton of fun, and I did not take one picture.  Seth had a great time showing us around, since he knows the ropes now!

There was also a recycled art project.  Seth wanted to participate, and a little surfing online gave me the idea to make a pumpkin out of recycled hangers.  Aunt Elise graciously gave us a bunch of hangers (I only have plastic ones).  Seth tugged and tugged to shape them, and I taped them into place.  He secured the orange construction paper with return address labels.  He painted the stem.  Here is the finished product:

fire station

Thursday Seth's class took their first field trip to the fire station.  I went along to play photographer for the teacher.  The fire station is within walking distance of the school:

First we watched a video about fire safety, and then the firefighters answered the kids' questions. 

They opened every compartment on the outside of the truck and let the kids see all the things stocked on a fire truck.  They turned on the lights (but not the sirens) and showed us the inside of the ambulance.

 One of the firemen suited up so the kids could see what they looked like in their garb.

The kids were perfect (even the troublemaker).  I was glad I could join them on their first adventure!

my civic duty

As you may remember, I ended August with jury summons.  Wednesday was my big day.  Each summons has a number on it.  The night before, you call the courthouse and see if your number is one of the ones needed the next day.  I was #80.  Numbers 1-99 were required to attend.  Drat. 

Pre-blog, I received my first summons when I was pregnant with Seth.  It was incredibly inefficient.  I was in the first group of potential jurors for a trial in which a man's defense for stealing beer from a grocery store was that he had taken a whole bottle of anti-anxiety medicine and it had hyped him up.  I figured as a nurse, they wouldn't want me.  They did.  The trial barely got started by the end of the first day.  We arrived on the second day, waited in our little room for about 90 minutes, and were told the case was dismissed.  Really?

I got my second summons while I was on maternity leave with Amelia.  I was swiftly excused that time, which is why I didn't try to play the stay-at-home mom card this time.  I figured Nathan could take one day off.

I arrived at the courthouse at 8am.  At 8:20, the clerk started all the rigamarole she does on a daily basis, after which we were given a 40 minute break.  That time came and went, and another hour passed before the phone rang, at which time she told us we were excused for lunch until 1:50.  Really?  Luckily, Nathan and Amelia were in town so I was able to meet them for lunch.  But then I still had two hours to toodle around town.  All I could keep thinking of was that it would have been a perfect time to take a carload (yes, I have that much) of stuff to the consignment shop, or to go to Target with a list.  Live and learn.  Next time, I will bring stuff to do outside of the courthouse, as well as inside.

Back downtown, we watched Chilean miner #18 raised to safety, and then the phone rang.  We were being excused for the day, but we had to wait about five minutes for the necessary paperwork.  And then the fire alarm went off.  Really?  So we walked down four flights of stairs and across the street.  Six firetrucks came.  The clerk was going to make us go through security and go back up to the room to officially excuse us, but another courthouse employee who happened to be on jury duty that day talked her out of it.

I was so annoyed.  Yes, as far as jury duty goes, it was a breeze.  But if you knew you only had one case that day, why did you need 99 people?  If you knew they were going to file all the motions before juror selection, couldn't we have just come in after lunch?  If I ask Nathan to take a day off of work for me, I want it to be for something fun like shopping at the outlet solo, or important like a meeting or appointment.  This was a waste of a day!

The highlight of it all?  The next morning when I dropped Seth off at school, his teacher cautiously asked if I was okay.  When I said yes, she told me that Seth told her the day before that Nathan was picking him up from school because I had had surgery.  HA!!!!  We both got a chuckle out of that when I explained it was jury duty.  She was almost had to go two weeks ago, and when she explained to the kids that she might be gone, most of them came home to tell their parents that she had to go to jail for one day...ah, kindergarten logic!

fetchin' pumpkins

Seth knows how it goes...after the fair, you're supposed to go get a pumpkin.  It has been a busy week, but I promised we would go Tuesday after school.  Our buddy, Nickolas, met us over there.

We have gone to the same pumpkin patch every year.  The owner remembered us, which he promised isn't because my kids are hooligans when they visit.  The guys are so nice; each kid gets a free apple.  This year, they watched as he used a gizmo to peel and slice it for them. 

 The kids played, and played, and played, (and posed),

and then we picked out our pumpkins.  Seth wanted a big pumpkin; I told him he had to be able to carry it.  I didn't make Amelia follow that rule, because I'm pretty sure she'll want a carved pumpkin this year, too, sharpie decorations won't suffice!



Dixie Classic Fair 2010

The great thing about October is that there are so many automatic fun things to do on the calendar, I don't really need to plan out our weekends too much.  After a good night's sleep, we skipped church and headed to the Dixie Classic Fair Sunday.  As always, we saw the animals first, and then hit the rides.  Amelia LOVED the petting zoo.  She used up her carrots way faster than Seth did.

 Nathan feeds this camel every year...I'm sure the camel would notice if we skipped a year...

There was a kids' ride promotion that day.  Unlimited rides for $8. (Normally $3-$4 per ride.)  Seth would have stayed all day, but it was unseasonably hot, and Amelia got tired on us.  We lasted until about 2pm.

Watch out kiddieland rides.  Next year, Amelia will be tall enough for most of you!  This year, even with her thick Sketchers on, it depended on how the vendor had their stake in the ground if she was tall enough.  She did enjoy the things she did get to ride!

10 years? No way!

For some reason, everyone seems to think it's been 10 years since we got out of college.  No way.  How did we get that old?  All you have to do is step on campus to realize that a LOT can change in a decade.  My sorority has a house across from campus now.  Nathan's fraternity house was torn down a few years ago so a track could be built around the soccer field.  The Pi Kapp house is near the DZ one now.  A new dorm and science building are in use.  This year's biggest change was the world's largest statue of Martin Luther (To give you some perspective, I could barely reach to set Amelia up on the platform.):

The kids got their flu vaccines on the way out of town, but we still arrived in time to watch the parade. I thought this was a cute picture...this was pre-parade, once the candy started flying, the kids were in perpetual motion!

This is our buddy, Rob.  He left LR during our sophomore year, and this is the first time we've seen him since.  We tried so hard to find him for our wedding.  He found us last year through FB.  Our class is sorry and didn't plan an official reunion, but there were a lot of people in town that we got to see.

Nathan's mom snapped this quick picture.  I love spending the day with these ladies.  Every year we put out two green tents and tailgate the day away.  It's pretty tame these days...nine kids come with these five mommas...

We did walk over to the alumni BBQ.  The kids love seeing Joe and Josie, because they know their daddy used to be Joe Bear.

Seth attended his first college football game with Grandad and Grandma Sarah.  Amelia played with the next tent's cornhole set.  Next thing you know, it was time to pack up and head home.  See you next year, LRU!

M is for Music

I am enjoying the six hours of freedom preschools allows me, but I am also finding that once in awhile, I like to go help in Seth's class during that time.  Last week I played while Amelia was at school; this week I had a hair appointment on Tuesday and today I volunteered in Seth's classroom.  I never know what I'm going to do when I get there...sometimes I help with reading stations, sometimes I get put to work.  Today I got PUT TO WORK.  The assistant had cut out the entire year's worth of "popcorn words" for all the students (don't feel too sorry for her, she had used the paper cutter).  (Popcorn words are little short words they will learn first to read...they "butter" their popcorn words on handouts, and Seth is starting to pick them out at home...I have just buttered the ones Seth already knows.)  My job was to punch holes in the corner of each word (53 words x21 kids=1,113 words...I punched three at a time=371 punches).  I then made 21 stacks with each of the 53 words, and placed the words on rings for the kids to take home.  It took me two and a half hours.  But it is so fun to listen to the kids, and this is the first time I have been around for math (domino lesson today).

Seth has been rapping chanting singing a highly obnoxious song about the letter M all week.  During snack, Mrs. G put it on for the kids, and 21 heads were bopping and singing along.  Next was letter R.  Finally, for the alphabet version, she had to remind them to finish their snacks.  (You can listen to the song on the link above.)  I remember my own "M song" from kindergarten.  I wonder if Seth will remember his when he is about to go to his ten year college reunion?

Wild Thing

Looks like somebody inherited his Grandma Sarah's and Uncle Bryan's sketching skills!

Super Hero School

After Nathan's race and some quick showers in Cary, we drove home so we could go to Ethan's fourth birthday party.  It was a Super Hero Squad party.  There were several activities for the kids, including making t-shirt capes.  At the end of the party, each kid received a diploma for completing Super Hero school.  Here is the cool cake (Ethan has the blue mask on his forehead):

This is the obstacle course.  The kids had to climb through the tunnel, save a ballerina from the burning building, walk a balance beam, swing across shark-infested waters, climb a rock wall, and slide down a slide.  They loved it!

Ethan was the poster child for what a birthday boy should be, and valedictorian of Super Hero School!

Jordan Lake Men's Only 2010

Saturday morning we headed over to Jordan Lake so Nathan could participate in the Men's Only triathlon.  It was chilly.  That meant the guys could wear wetsuits.  Nathan has liked racing in a wetsuit, and the extra buoyancy helped, because the water was very choppy.  I think Nathan is the white splash closest to the other side of the shore, based on where he said he was. 

There he goes, off to battle the wind on his bike.  (Note to self, next year, remember bikes for the kids to ride on in the parking lot.  Thank goodness for other little kids to help me entertain them!)

Here he is finishing the run.  This is the best he's looked yet finishing a triathlon.  And he hadn't even started his new medicine yet.

Triathlon season is over.  Now on to running season.  Next race, Ardmore 5k in two weeks.  Mission:  beat Cameron Kent (local anchorman who beat Nathan last fall)!

last week's recap

It took a whole lot of rain, but I think fall is finally here to stay.  I did remember to take some pictures of our roses before it started to rain.  There are very pretty right now. 

It was an abnormal week for us.  Monday was a plain ol' Monday, but Tuesday Nathan left the house at 5:30 am to fly to Philadelphia for a business trip.  He has not had to travel without me tagging along for a getaway in over four years.  The trip was thrown on him last minute, so in order to accomodate my work schedule, he had to leave early Tuesday and be back by 6pm Wednesday.  His flight home was almost an hour late and he made it home with ten minutes to spare.  Thursday, we had an overnight guest.  Seth got to bring Muzzie, the class monkey, home for the night.  Here they are Friday morning before school (Seth is dressed up for picture day):

Friday Nathan met with a pulmonologist, and is now even closer to having his breathing issues under control.  (Hallelujah!)  By the time he got home, it was time to load up the car and head to Cary for Nathan's last triathlon of the season.  Nathan said he felt like he'd been rushing for three days straight!

Salem Lake 10k

Saturday I ran my first trail race, the Salem Lake 10k.  It was humid, and it was starting to get hot (hopefully Saturday was our last 90-degree day for a while).  It was also beautiful to run around a lake and challenging to run the rolling trail while keeping an eye out for roots, rocks, and wet leaves.  I was over two minutes slower than the Bridge Run, but I'm only a month back into running and slower on the treadmill, so I didn't expect to get a PR.  You know me, I'm in it to finish.  It was a nice way to start my morning, and then I found some great deals at our neighborhood consignment sale...the combination of the two made my two-day funk go far, far away.

FINALLY!

Amelia has been READY to go to school.  Unfortunately, construction didn't finish on time on the new preschool building, so school started two weeks late, which translates to 26 days after Seth started school.  Uff-da!  By last week, Amelia was bored with our new routine.  On Thursday, we went to meet her teacher and see the new building.  Here she is sitting outside her classroom, because I knew I wouldn't be walking her in this week:

Tuesday morning she woke up a little bit early, ready for school.  I think she was the first one ready.  She took pictures with Nathan and Seth, and a bunch of silly face pictures, but here is one of the good ones:

Wearing her big girl butterfly backpack:

She was so ready, we were fourth in line for drop off.  Ms. Edna (the director) got her out of the car, and Seth's teacher from last year made sure I got a photo op before one of the other teachers took her down the hall:

She had a great time.  She says her favorite part was walking to the playground holding onto the rope with rings for the kids to hold. 

She was ready to go back today.  The teacher told me that they had to have a little talk about spitting today.  She didn't start it, but she was quick to join in when some other kids did it.  In trouble on the second day of school.  Lovely.