An Anniversary and Some Family Time

Happy September everyone!  Anytime the fall weather wants to arrive and cool things down around here will be just fine with me.  Our days are already noticeably shorter.  We're all doing well and had a great long weekend.

Some news:

   Morgan Ethan is officially in Pre-K and a big kid on campus.  We're in our fifth and final year at the preschool.  A part of me is thrilled that this is our last year for childcare tuition and a part of me is going to be so sad to leave preschool and say good-bye to what really has become part of our extended family.  

We spent a day in Rocky Mountain National Park hiking and fishing

Here's a boy I love

The other boy I love

And this one too...for 12 years, no less!

Posing for a picture

Happy Anniversary to us!  12 years!

The boys really liked the idea of taking our picture

Mommy demonstrating what it's like to get boys to cooperate for a picture...(:

We of course had to visit the big slides

Which are always lots of fun

I made an entire steak dinner in the crockpot.  It cooked all day while we were gone and turned out delicious.  We'll definitely be keeping this recipe!  I also made a gluten free cake which, ironically, turned out better than any previous attempt I've made at cakes...at altitude, no less.  It was super yummy!

 

Jacoby's class has already earned several privileges, including stuffed animal day and pj day.  This was crazy hair day, and since the child hasn't had a hair cut in months, we actually got some pretty good spikes!

And guess who's back on his bike?!  Thanks to a great thrift store and Craigs List find, the boys are riding new-to-them bikes.  Morgan's is an upgrade to a bigger size.  Jacoby's is actually the same size but different style that suits him much, much better...this was a bit of an attempt to remedy a major parental fail on our part by putting him on a bike that didn't fit or work for him and resulted in four stitches.  ):  But we're thrilled he's back riding again!  It's really all they want to do these days, and they are very proud to be riding without an adult around a parent-approved loop on our block.

 Doing homework--Morgan always joins Jacoby with his workbook, mazes, or stickers.  Jacoby is doing really well in school.  And as we begin week three, we've only had one food assignment.  One! (:

The first graders are learning how to write letters, so I get a letter on pink paper everyday that says he hopes I'm having a good day.  (:

 These are working out quite nicely.  Chores are going well and we're using a punch card system the boys really like and the parents can easily remember.

We're keeping allowance separate from chores right now and that's going well too.  Jacoby likes filling in what's going to happen during his week, and Morgan's too.

Have a great week everyone!

Some Ordinary Things...

What a week!  Jacoby seems to really like First Grade and I think we're off to a great start.  Next week the school schedule will be in full swing and Morgan will be in Pre-K!

Here are some things that have filled our days recently...

 Morgan and I stayed home together on Thursday (first day of school) so he could recover from a tummy bug.  "We" (Mommy) decided it was high time to tackle the pantry problem.  And we're going gluten free, so a full clean-out was in order.

 

 And here's the end result, mostly gluten and wheat free.

 The boys love climbing at the park!

 I stumbled upon this little gem, which we haven't had out in ages.  I helped them get started but then they completely took over, followed the directions, and were building all sorts of forts and creations.

 They really don't fit very well anymore (sniff), but they love building and disassembling.

 It's fun to listen to them working together and figuring out the directions.  Jacoby's gotten quite good at following instructions, I think in part because of all the Lego sets he's put together this summer.

 Here's where we find them most mornings...just hanging out, reading books together.

 Justin's been reading with the boys at breakfast time for about a year or so now.  They've been through Mark and are now going through Ecclessiastes.  They also learn a new word each day and are reading the Hobbit.

 I'm trying my hand at gluten free baking and cooking.  It's going pretty well, although there's definitely a steep learning curve.  These are chocolate chip cookies and they were yummy!

 Some of my First Grade homework this weekend.  The teacher was willing to make the class peanut/nut free.  The deal was that she would post it if I made it.  So, this is a sign for Jacoby's desk, signs for the class and door, and signs to go home in the Tuesday folders to each family.  I found the signs on a great teacher web site. 

 I think we're finally going to dive into the world of chore charts and allowance (Morgan's is in progress).  I've been putting this off for months.  There are a million different ideas and philosophies on chores and allowance and how the two fit (or don't) fit together.  After reading and contemplating, I think we've settled on a system that will work for us.  Implementation begins next weekend...I think.

 And perhaps the very not-so-ordinary event from this weekend, is Jacoby's major bike crash at the bike track that landed him in urgent care.  Four stiches later and a very roughed up little face, he seems to be recovering just fine.  Although, he told Justin he never wants to ride his bike again.  ):  Children's Hospital was, as usual, awesome.  I can tell Jacoby was working on the story for school tomorrow because he wanted to know specifics like how many stitches and how high the ledge was that he flew off of on his bike.

The boys are very interested in art right now, so they plop themselves down right in front of the art closet and get to work with all sorts of projects.  Jacoby's drawings are getting more and more detailed.  Morgan does a lot of observing, and it wouldn't surprise me if he just picks up a crayon and starts writing one of these days.  (:

Justin is busy at work and with his dissertation.  He gets quite a bit of reading time on the bus.  We're fortunate that the elementary school added before and after-care this year, so Justin can take Jacoby in early on work days and doesn't have to get home so late.  He's also scouting out the next fishing opportunity for the boys.

I've been logging many miles on my morning runs and did a 9-mile loop yesterday.  Work is fine--I expect to make a trip to Santa Fe, NM in the next few weeks to scout out a location for our spring board meeting.  I finally finished a 700-page book I've been working on all summer.  It was on parenting children with exceptional identities.  The author interviewed more than 300 families who were dealing with issues such as deafness, dwarfism, autism, down syndrome, prodigies, transgender, and a few others.  It was a fascinating read and there were many parallels to our own journey with our two "exceptional" boys.  (: 

Hope you all have a great week!

Ready.Set.Go

 One new backpack, loaded with 50 pounds of new school supplies (and a big thanks to Grandma Pam).  Check.

 Medication packaged up and ready to go.  Check.

 A very special lunch, made with lots of love and care.  Check.

 One awesome first grader, ready as can be.  Check.

One little brother, here to encourage the big brother on his first day.  Check.

 A few friendly faces from Kinder.  Check.

A friendly and helpful first grade teacher, and the start of what we hope will be a great partnership this year.  Check.

A new friend, found in an unlikely place:  another allergy mom standing with me in the check-out line at the store, who recognized me from the school office when we dropped off our medication.  Her youngest boy is a potential Kinder classmate of Morgan's.  Check.

A mommy who didn't cry during drop-off this year.  Check.

Let the adventure begin!

Wyoming/Montana Road Trip

I'm happy to report that we had a wonderful trip through Wyoming and Montana--it was a great time, with just a sprinkle of exhaustion and stress thrown in, as is often the case with lengthy road trips.  Our trip through Wyoming and Yellowstone was a bit disappointing...we only saw one.single.deer.  Yep, that's right--no bison, just a stinkin deer.  And it was a really long time in the car for the boys, but we did enjoy Old Faithful and a short, but lovely visit with my aunt.  We ended the first stage of the trip in Bozeman and the grandparents joined us for a day at the Museum of the Rockies.  The rest of the week was spent in Billings, enjoying the company of family and friends.

Here's the trip in pics:

 Enjoying a good ol' fashioned see-saw in Wheatland, WY

 Snug as bugs in the hotel in Cody, WY

 Looking at books before we left for Yellowstone

 Jacoby and me at Yellowstone Lake

 The boys loved the old lodge at Old Faithful...lots of nooks and crannies to explore

 Here we are...a lovely European couple took our picture.

 Old Faithful

 Visiting some of the hot pots and geysers

 Jewel Geyser

 Hebgen Lake--a place where I spent a lot of time as a girl with my grandparents

 The boys with Big Mike

 The museum had a great Triceratops display

 We also really enjoyed the children's area--it was very well done

 The boys building with Grandmanette's special boxes--these were a hit the entire time we were there

Aunt Megan treated us with tickets to the Oasis in Billings--the boys loved the wave pool and lazy river

 Morgan spent most of his time on this play structure

 Grandpa Bill took us to Red Lodge where we did some fishing at Wild Bill Lake

 All the fishermen

 There were plenty of fish, but they were much too smart to be caught

 We picnicked on Rock Creek and threw some rocks

 We also visited the wildlife refuge...and finally saw some animals!  It was a very cool place, and the boys really enjoyed learning how the animals had come to be at the refuge.

 The coyote standing in his water bucket was my favorite.  (:

 We took the boys miniature golfing...we probably won't do that again for another five years, but the first two holes were fun.  (:

 Morgan getting a lesson from Grandpa Michael

 Grandmanette and Mommy in the bumper boats

 The boys' fishing hole

 Grandpa Michael and Momo

 The boys tried their hand at pitching and catching

Morgan went biking with Grandma Pam.  We also went and saw Planes with Grandma and Grandpa Bill

As fun as it is to travel and see family, it is so nice to be home!  (:  We've been catching up around the house and sorting school supplies for the fist day of school on Thursday.  Both boys have come down with a tummy bug, so we're hoping Jacoby will be recovered by the time school starts.  I'm looking forward to getting into our fall routine.  It's been a great summer and I think we accomplished everything on our Big Summer List except an outdoor movie--we'll have to save that for next summer!