rain puddles, Sept 2011 edition

We have had several rainy days in a row.  Amelia loves to put on her boots and go outside and splash.  On this day, I used the opportunity to clean out the van and autumn-ize the garage (that's when you deflate all the pool floats for the year).

Angels Race 2011

The excitement continued in our neighborhood on Sunday, when the Angels Race triathlon was held here, instead of at Tanglewood.  It was SO NICE to just be able to walk over to the start 15 minutes before the race started!  The unseasonably cool weather persisted...it was about 54 degrees at the race, with the water temperature hovering at 73 degrees...BRR.  Nathan looked deep in thought in this photo...I decided to add a caption.  How else am I going to keep all these race pictures interesting?

This race's entertainment (besides the two free bounce houses):  italian ices and angry birds rio on mommy's phone.

I used half of Nathan's run time trying to convince Amelia to use a port-a-potty.  She had to check them all out and pick out the least gross one.  After finding hand sanitizer, I let her borrow my camera.  Amelia photography:

Nathan had a great run, stay away IT band troubles!  He actually had a great overall race...he placed first in his age group in the swim, and second overall in his age group.  That's with less than optimal weather conditions, a week of respiratory issues, and stopping to tie his shoelace during the run!  Great race!

Race to D'Feet Hunger

Saturday our neighborhood was the location for a 5k to raise money for our local food pantry.  I cracked out the ol' running shoes and started practicing the route once preschool started.  Seth wanted to do the fun run, all 0.33 miles of it.  When we went to packet pick-up, we found out the fun run participants didn't get race numbers.  The day of the race, Amelia wanted to run too, so both kids ran the fun run.  Seth had a cold, and didn't really have enough gas to make a real race of it, and I hear Amelia was carried during the middle third of the race.  I was waiting for them, camera in hand, at the finish line:

Great job, kiddos!  Mommy is so proud of you for WANTING to run!  After a post-race doughnut, they headed back towards home.  I found them in our neighbor's front yard, about 1.25 miles into the race.  I had the biggest cheering section along the whole route!  It has been cooler, so it was a great morning to run.  Our neighborhood is not a place to make a PR, and I haven't been running a lot, but I was happy to be smack dab in the middle of the finishers.  Fun morning!

perfect little lady

Today Amelia and I went to a tea party.  Specifically, a Miss Spider's Sunny Patch themed tea party at the Children's Museum.  After the head lice experience last year, I have avoided the museum like the plague.  This was on a weekday, but not a schoolday, and it seemed like something fun us girls could do.  Seth has always loved going to special events at the museum.  I bit the bullet and signed us up.  This morning as I printed out our tickets, I noticed the museum had been closed all last week for it's annual cleaning.  Yippee!  We were all dressed up and ready to go.  The ladies at the museum outdid themselves.  As we walked in the door, they let Amelia pick out a pair of wings to wear (and keep), a bug finger puppet (she chose a purple butterfly), and a flower shaped bracelet (also purple).  She sat down to color her Miss Spider placemat.  Make sure you pay particular attention to the flowers and butterflies around the outside edge, she worked VERY hard on them.

Then they made bug necklaces.  Amelia did an incredible job threading the foam bugs by herself.  I was amazed!

The program lasted about ninety minutes, and included the reading of two Miss Spider books, two more crafts (making a bug wand and the coffee filter butterfly in the next picture), and a snack of mini cupcakes, pretzels, and fruit.  We had a fantastic time.

The registration fee included admission to the museum, so we hung out for about an hour afterwards.  I don't think I have ever taken Amelia by herself to the museum, and it was fun to watch her work her way through the exhibits without Seth leading her around.  Amelia has been going at full force for days now, so I wasn't really surprised when she fell asleep after running a couple errands on the way to pick up the boys.  I was surprised when she didn't wake up as soon as we got home, and continued to sleep the afternoon away on the couch.  Over a three and a half hour nap.  And she went to bed at a relatively normal time.  Her batteries are going to be fully recharged by morning!

ch-ch-changes

Things have been a-changing around here, and I don't mean the allergy-proofing.  Towards the end of August, Nathan became a remote employee.  It's taken a couple weeks, but we're settling into a nice groove.  Our schedule doesn't have to be nearly as rigid as it has in the past two years.  Seth woke up last Thursday with a tummy bug.  I thought my day was shot, but Nathan worked from home that morning and I went to the grocery store solo and then took Amelia with me to the Y.  On Labor Day, I bought paint while it was on sale.  All summer, I have planned to paint the hall bathroom and Seth's bedroom once the consignment sale was done.  Saturday, Nathan decided to paint the bathroom.  I guarantee that wouldn't have happened if he spent all week in the office!  I love the finished product!



Rally Day

It's September, which means it's time for Sunday School!  We had a very lively rally day after church on Sunday.  Our new-ish (he's been here one year) pastor has a camp background, and I love-love-loved him being in charge of music at VBS.  He got the congregation up and doing hand motions Sunday.  It was entertaining!  The kids played the chimes.  See if you can spot the newest member:

I'm waiting for the novelty to wear off.  She doesn't know what she's doing, but bless their hearts, they're humoring her.  Then they sang a song that involved a whole lot of clapping  and a little bit of singing:

I am going to teach Seth's class again this year.  Amelia is officially old enough for her class now.  I got cornered to be in charge of VBS next year, but I think I have dodged that bullet, for now.

not a moment too soon!

Amelia's school year started yesterday morning.  We are driving morning carpool this week, which leaves us about an hour from the time we drop Seth off until it's time to drop off Amelia.  It was trash day, so I went out the back door to put a bag in the trash can.  Amelia locked the dead bolt behind me.  On purpose.  We have a spare key, but that wasn't exactly starting the day out right.  So while I'm seeing red, I do her hair, get her dressed, and take her outside to take pictures.

I wasn't the only one ready for the school year to start, poor Colette got stuck wearing a lei yesterday!

Walking in...

Amelia's class this year has 13 girls and two boys.  At least half of the girls have, um, spirited personalities.  The teacher isn't worried about it, because she says kids are always better at school than they are at home, but the moms fear there will be mutiny at some point!

Build-A-Bear

When we went to Build-A-Bear last month, we had no idea that one month later our dining room would turn into an amateur Build-A-Bear factory.  The entire first grade was asked to make a stuffed bear using items found at home.  I have a large bag of hand-me-down felt, some thread, and some buttons, so we were set (although I did cheat and buy some craft glue).  Seth picked out his colors and decided what he wanted to make his bear look like.  Amelia wanted to make one, too.  (Her classroom theme is bears, so it has kind of worked out nice.)  We had two weeks' notice to work on the bear (due tomorrow), and last week we found out Seth's teacher had unexpected surgery and will be out until Thanksgiving.  My sweet, sweet Seth wanted to make his teacher a bear.  How could I say no?  Here are the finished products.  Seth's is dark blue, the teacher's is red, and Amelia's is purple.

Will is 4!

Sunday we went up to Hickory to celebrate Will's 4th birthday.  The party was here:

What a nice blast from the past that was!  Nathan and I (and the girls and I) spent many a 9pm at this theater.  The building hasn't changed at all, though in our time, it was the dollar theater:

We saw Winnie the Pooh with Will and his closest friends, complete with popcorn and a drink, and then had cake and watched Will open presents in the upstairs lobby.  So fun!

allergies

An appointment towards the end of August confirmed what we already knew, Nathan is allergic to many outdoor allergens.  It also armed us with some new information.  He is also very allergic to many indoor allergens.  (The nurse was shocked at his response to the scratch test, he pretty much reacted to everything except the saline control.)  We have to try to get his allergies in check so we can get his asthma under control.  We're at the one-year point now.  So...last Monday I tackled our bedroom.  Started at the ceiling and worked down.  Dust mites be gone! 

Casing the bed really helped Seth, so hopefully it will be the ticket with Nathan as well, otherwise we'll be on to more drastic measures...

the Smurfs

It just wouldn't be right to leave August without talking about our epic hunt for Smurfs.  McDonalds had Smurfs in their Happy Meals.  We started out with two Farmers.  On their trip to Cary, the kids expanded their collection.  While we were at the beach, Mom's coworkers got us up to 11 of the 16, and after that Seth was convinced he needed the entire set.  I started carrying the duplicates in my purse, making swaps with McDonalds and with friends.  When the promo ended, we only needed Gutsy.  I got him off ebay, and now we have the complete set.  The kids play with them ALL THE TIME.  (And as I've been cleaning for the consignment sale, every other Happy Meal toy in the house has been donated to the schools' prize boxes.)

first day of first grade!

Last Saturday Seth's teacher assignment came in the mail, and he was thrilled with who his teacher is!  Tuesday night we went to Open House, talked briefly with his teacher, and checked out the classroom (smartboard in the room this year, yea!).  Wednesday we ran errands around Clemmons, on the hunt for a specific type of pencil case.  Otherwise, we already had everything on Seth's school supply list.  Thursday morning, we were all up early and ready to go!  We all walked Seth in on his first day, which is just how Seth wanted it. 

New shoes!  (Both he and his daddy wear 13s right now.)

 New backpack:

Seth was a little thrown off when there wasn't a specific place to put his backpack.  We worried that the changes from kindergarten would upset him.  But he has come home the first two days talking a mile a minute about the things they are doing in school.  His teacher is fantastic, and we have already received three emails about what they are doing in class.  I hope the feedback continues!

Seth has the corner seat of the table, and he told me the girl to his left is new to the school, having moved here from South Carolina.  He sweetly told me how nice he was going to be to her, since she doesn't know the school.  He has his first homework project to bring back in tomorrow;  a Me Bag to help his class get to know him!

animal pancakes

Lisa and Michael gave me swanky pancake mix and these cool pancake forms for my birthday.  We had pancakes for supper last Sunday, and tested them out! 

 Very cute, and very easy!

 And in true Beery gift-giving fashion, very messy!

I went ahead and made the whole canister of mix (approximately a quintuple batch) and now we have a bunch of monkey, elephant, and lion pancakes to start the school year off right!

end of summer fun with friends

Some None of our friends are as early risers as we are.  So for the last two weeks we have had several early morning playdates to help our friends get used to getting up in time for school.  We had two marathon McDonald's breakfast playdates.  They were already serving lunch by the time we left.  Last week, we went to play putt-putt:

The golf place also had an arcade, and BUMPER BOATS.  Amelia was the only one not tall enough to ride, but she had a great time watching and getting attacked by their water guns!  Seth has been the lone male at all these playdates and has held his own with the girls.

Nickolas now has a zip line in his front yard, and we were invited over the other day to try it out. Seth was nervous at first, but then had a blast!

And would somebody please remind this girl that she is only three years old!  She HAD to do the zip line, too.  The first time I held the rope to slow her down, but she figured me out.  So I ended up running across the front yard countless times prepared to catch her if she lost her grip.  In sandals, no less.

We also squeezed in one last pool day.  In the midst of all this playing, we've done a lot of errands, and I have started the pre-consignment organization.  Rarely a dull moment around here!

called AND ordained

On August 13th, the kids and I made a day trip to Columbia for Lisa and Michael's ordination.  If you've ever been to a Lutheran church service with something special added in (baptism, confirmation, etc), it was pretty much like that, with the ordination after the homily.  Here they are, looking all official:

And here is the group picture.  The color of the day was red.  Guess who wasn't faissez-attention when he read his invitation?  (Love ya, Bry!)



Myrtle misc.

The last of the beach pictures.  Amelia didn't like the beach last summer.  BIG change this year:

 Nathan's land shark:

 The water park where we were staying:

 Beach football!



sunrises

See what you miss if you sleep past 7am?

 

tidal pools

Every morning at low tide, the ocean left us lots of tidal pools to play in, which was nice, because it had just been Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, and Nathan and I weren't too keen on getting in the water.  We'd find little fish and shells, or just puddle hop to see which dip was deepest. 

The grown-ups' inner nerds were fascinated to watch the pull of the ocean slowly take back the water through one tiny stream.  One day we helped it along by making a ditch back to the water, but that dried up our play area in no time!

vacation eatin'

Our condo had a full kitchen...which had about enough cooking accessories that maybe you could cook a  pre-prepared meal.  So we ate out a lot.  After Build-A-Bear, we ate at Johnny Rockets, and had our first-ever kids' side of the table...as you can see, it went well:

We took the kids to a Japanese steakhouse for the first time ever.  They loved everything about it and ate like champs!  I need to get some soup spoons like this, they both ate every last drop!

And they mastered modified chopsticks!

One our last full day of vacation, we ate at Margaritaville after the boys finished a round of mini golf.  Our kids wanted spaghetti.  This is not how Seth normally eats his noodles, but he was a little worried about the hurricane that swirls in the ceiling, so I let it slide: