Fall

Fall is most definitely in the air.  I made soup this weekend, leaves are piling up and we are in jeans, sweatshirts and flip-flops.  I love the changing seasons.

Bennett has been asking to go to the Sculpture Garden for a week or so and I told him we would go last Friday, but Harrison, Annabelle and Rocco were all sick.  I ended up taking Harrison to the doctor (he tested positive for strep) so I took AB and Roc upstairs to their doctor and they both tested positive as well!  It was a long afternoon.  Harrison was fading fast as his temp was climbing and Rocco had had enough!  Poor babies.

So, the Sculpture Garden was put off to today.  Emma was home with a cold and Annabelle had her 4 year old appointment, so it was just me and the boys after school.  We really had a blast.  The weather was perfect and the kids just ran and climbed (walls only!) and rolled down hills.  Parenting and co-parenting can be very hard, but really, there is nothing better than watching them be happy.

Interview with an 8 year, 4 month old

I haven't done a great job at keeping up the blog.  This has been mentioned to me on several occasions...  I wanted to do this on Harrison's birthday.  It didn't happen.  

Harrison is sometimes indescribable.  He is kind, sweet, smart, stubborn, and loved by all those that know him.  He is wonderful.  He is also a challenge because his mind works so fast.  Do NOT argue with him unless you want to lose.  Be straight, forward and use 'Never-less...' a lot.  :)

What is your favorite color?   Green

What is your favorite toy?  My bike

What is your favorite fruit?  Lemons

What is your favorite vegetable?  Asparagus

What is your favorite tv show?   Jessie

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  Bagels

What is your favorite thing to wear?  My hat

What is your favorite game?  Blokus

What is your favorite snack? Clementines

What is your least favorite thing to eat?  I like so many things...  Ummmm... I don't like to eat ants!

What is your favorite animal?  Wolf

What is your favorite song?  Tattooed Lady by the Kingston Trio

What is your favorite book?  Harry Potter

What is your favorite candy?  Warheads

Who is your best friend?  Connor

What is your favorite cereal?  Raisin Bran

What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Look for rocks and things that stand out and are cool

What is your favorite drink?  Root Beer

What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas cause it is close to my birthday

What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  Books

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake from Starbucks

What do your want for dinner on your birthday?  Ohana's

What do you and Mom do together?  Read together

What do you and Dad do together?  Go out and work in the yard

What is your favorite sport?  Soccer

Where is your favorite place to go?  Yellowstone

What makes you happy?  Shrimp and my hat

What makes you sad?  Forgetting my hat at home

What are you really good at doing?  playing soccer

What is your favorite movie?  Harry Potter series

What do you want to be when you grow up?  I want to be a professional soccer player

I love all of his eclectic answers.  He is one of a kind!

Interview with a 6 year old

Bennett woke up on his birthday, came into the bathroom, where I was showering, pulled back the shower curtain and said "I'm six!"  It was adorable.  Ryan and Kaylee were in Bennett's bedroom and they heard him say it as well.  He was so innocent and honest in his excitement.  I love that about him; he is very honest with emotion.  He can still be very shy when around others, but when he is comfortable in his surroundings, he lets it all hang out!

Last year I did a questionnaire with Bennett when he turned 5 and I wanted to repeat that with him this year.  Wonder what will change?!?!

What is your favorite color?   Blue

What is your favorite toy?  My bike

What is your favorite fruit?  Apples

What is your favorite vegetable?  Beets

What is your favorite tv show?   Johnny Test

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  Beets

What is your favorite thing to wear?  Shorts

What is your favorite game?  Sorry

What is your favorite snack?  Cookies

What is your least favorite thing to eat?  Avocado

What is your favorite animal?  Dolphin

What is your favorite song?  Anything by The Beatles

What is your favorite book?  Go Dog Go

What is your favorite candy? Chocolate Bar

Who is your best friend?  Caden

What is your favorite cereal?  Lucky Charms

What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Ride my bike

What is your favorite drink?  Lemonade

What is your favorite holiday?  Easter

What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  Douglas

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Lucky Charms

What do your want for dinner on your birthday?  Chinese

What do you and Mom do together?  We hug and kiss each other

What do you and Dad do together?  We go on bike rides

What is your favorite sport?  Tennis

Where is your favorite place to go?  Toys R Us

What makes you happy?  Someone kissing me

What makes you sad?  When my watch broke

What are you really good at doing?  Bike riding

What is your favorite movie?  Cars 2

What do you want to be when you grow up?  A bike rider

This was wonderful.  He is a gem!  Here is last years ~ Interview with a 5 year old

Dramatics

Bennett is going through a bit of a trial and error stage when is comes to managing his emotions.  When he is upset we get to glimpse the dramatic side of our 5 year old.  Recently he was told he couldn't wear his clothes to bed.  This is the reaction I got.

I am mad at mom

Most times he crosses his arms and makes a ha-rummmph sound.  It is completely adorable.  Last night we were at the dinner table when he said to me "You crumbled my heart."  I managed to keep a straight face and not scoop him into my arms while I asked why.  He explained that I hadn't let him eat in his room.  

I love making my kids happy, but this dramatic, angry/sad stage has it's perks.  

A writer

Bennett came home from school and like everyday he emptied his bag.  Everyday there are at least 3 pictures that he has drawn at some point during the day.  They are often of trains, hills, rainbows, various people and of himself.  He loves to draw.  One thing that I have not been able to get him to do is write what he has drawn.  Spelling isn't important, but a label of some sort would be nice.  He had just not been interested.  Monday was different. Out of his bag he pulled 2 pieces of paper.  Both with WORDS!!!  And not just any words.  Cute, lovely words!

'My dad and I do yard work.'

'My mom likes her dad.'

On a side note, writing is very normal for kindergarteners at this stage and I am not going to push Bennett into something.  I want him to be happy and to enjoy writing.  I don't want it to feel like a punishment.  There are so many things he does better than others his own age and so many things he doesn't do as well as others. And I believe that is just how it should be.  He is not others, he is Bennett and we will go at his pace.  We will encourage, support, push when necessary and then celebrate the hard work.  Bennett, I am soooo celebrating your hard work!

Comparatively, it is very interesting how fluid his writing is compared to his brother's.  Bennett's writing is much more the style of his father and I's where-as Harrison's is much more in the style of his Uncle Nathan's!  :)

Eight

We don't seem to have birth-days around here if you are under 5 feet tall.  Instead we have birth-weeks.  Harrison's birthday party was on Saturday, but because I am a bit of a pushover, I said I could work Saturday morning because we had someone quit.  Not the end of the world, but I had to do a lot of prep work ahead of time.  And then I let Harrison go on Pinterest to pick out his own birthday cake which meant I needed to make a home-made cake.  Not sure what my thinking was on that decision.  It all turned out fine and we had a great time.  And the cake was even pretty good!

Harry Potter and the Golden Snitch

Ready to make his wish

Saturday was the party and a soccer game.  There were 14 people at the party and then almost everybody joined us for the soccer game; Gpa & Gma, Gpa & Gma, Uncle Ryan and a very beautiful and very pregnant Aunt Kaylee!  What an entourage!  His team even won (first win of the season) and Harrison scored two goals!  Dinner was BLT pizza from Happy Joe's.  Can't go wrong there!!

Proud owner of a brand new bike

Sunday was a trip to the store to buy a new bike!  Harrison was so cute as he picked out which bike he wanted and was very grateful.  Love... After a stop at Orange Leaf for a birthday treat, it was home to ride the bike.  Thank goodness for abnormally warm weather!!  The bike is just a hair tall, but he did great.  He picked out a bike with hand brakes and 7 speeds so the was a learning curve.  He did great.  How can they get this big?










Monday was the actual day.  What eight year old doesn't wake up and watch NFL highlights on a Monday morning?

The day started with M & M pancakes for breakfast, school, and then ended with Jimmy John's for dinner.  It had been a busy day, (like most days) and I was getting ready to leave for work.  Chris was home so I was telling him about Eleanor's day (while Eleanor decided it was time to start fussing), Bennett was showing us some awesome drawings (more about ths in the next post!) and Harrison was bouncing a ball all over, just generally being loud.  So just before leaving for work I exclaimed "I need a vacation on a Caribbean Island, far, far away.". Showing that his talent for quick-witted comments didn't get lost when he turned eight Harrison said: "Um, no.  All you NEED is us.".  

Happy Birthday, wonderful, smart, witty, handsome Harrison.

Stewart

I broke down and purchased Elf on the Shelf this year.  I have been watching the neat ideas on Pinterest for a year and a half now, but have thought that it was terribly ridiculous the $30.00 price tag that the elf came with.  But... this year I did it anyway.  And it has TOTALLY paid off so far.  The boys and I went to the store a few weeks ago and brought him home.  We took him out of the box and then read the story.  I put him up on the mantel and pretty much dismissed him.  I told the boys I thought it was pretty silly and he probably wasn't real.  Bennett was positive he was real so we named him Stewart.  I don't remember who came up with the name, but it was a hit right away.  Harrison was still a little cautious and was tending to agree with me as to whether or not he was real.  About an hour later I dusted the house.  About an hour after that Bennett yelled from the living room - "STEWART MOVED!!!"  One of the rules about Elf on the Shelf is that you don't touch him.  His magic will disappear.  When I had dusted, I moved him and forgot to put him back where I had originally put him. He had 'moved' about a foot over on the mantel.  We were AMAZED!  The boys talked about it for the next hour or so.  We also had discussions about visiting the North Pole.  The story says that each night when we go to bed, the elf with sneak out of the house and go to the North Pole to report on if the kids were bad or good that day.  I commented that it was awhile before Christmas so Stewart would probably go see Santa and stay for awhile to help build toys, if he was real... :)  Well, wouldn't you know, Sunday morning, Bennett called me at work.  Stewart was gone!

Stewart stops by to check on Harrison

This morning, Bennett the detective spotted Stewart sitting up on the mantel.  I guess he is back.  It is not even December and I can't wait for day after day of Elf on the Shelf fun!

Thanksgiving Day

He who thanks but with the lips, thanks but in part; the full, the true Thanksgiving comes from the heart.  ~ J.A. Shedd


I am thankful for my family.  They are  the best.  Truly the best.  And my mom's stuffing.  Also, the best!

Christopher: I am thankful for a leisurely day filled with good people and good food.

Harrison: I am thankful that everyone is here from Florida and that I am feeling better.

Bennett:  I am thankful for James and Kaitlyn!

One year ago

11/21/12

I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for you my heart has no bottom. ~ Unknown

I am thankful for Pinterest.  It may be an unhealthy obsession, but I love it.  It is a wonderful way to gather ideas, laugh and share recipes.  Heaven in my book!

Christopher: I am thankful for the gift of going to HyVee the night before Thanksgiving. (Beth thinks he is grateful for the gift of sarcasm.  Christopher responded "No, really, this is quite the experience!)

Harrison:  If I have to be thankful for something; I am thankful that I got to watch movies all day. (Bennett and Harrison both came down with a nasty stomach virus.  Bennett got over his this morning around 4, but Harrison has not been so lucky.  He misses James and Kaitlyn.  :(  Uggg.)

Bennett: I am thankful for God.

One year ago

11/20/12

Not what we say about our blessings but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. ~ W.T. Purkiser

I am thankful that the airlines got my brother and family here safely from Florida.  Let the family week begin!!!!

Christopher: I am thankful for my in-laws being here from Florida.

Harrison: I am thankful for pancake pizza, pancake sandwiches, and taco pancakes.  (They had pancakes and sausage for lunch today...)

Bennett: I am thankful for pancakes!

Miles: I am thankful for a Thanksgiving feast at preschool.  I am bringing the muffins!

Annabelle: I am thankful to go to Mimi's tomorrow.

Rocco is thankful for an orange cup.  He carries it around while he crawls and sometimes throws it and then chases after it.

Eleanor is thankful for Christopher's beard.  She LOVES to pull on that thing!

One year ago