Helping Out in the First Grade

Matt's teacher invites parent volunteers to come in and help with the class on occasion, and I was really excited to come into Matthew's class on October 10. He was so excited to see me, and we worked on Halloween crafts (a pumpkin-themed paper lantern, a bookmark with bats, and a sticker-created haunted house for their lockers). It was fun to see all the kids in his class and to spend time with him.

Matt was also excited that he got to leave school about 5 minutes early. I took a picture of him in front of his first-grade locker. I also managed to get a few shots of his work in the school hallways.

The amount of writing the kids do in first grade is much more than they did in Kindergarten. I really love seeing his artwork and writing samples - his reading skill level has skyrocketed, and he is only in the first quarter of first grade. I love the fact that he reads so well!

Sugar Cookies

I love fall because I love to bake. My waistline, however, isn't so appreciative. At least the boys are happy!

Bedtime at Our House

Before I had kids, I imagined that bedtime would be a calm, quiet end to the day with children in footie pajamas climbing happily into their beds after a quiet bath and story.

I had absolutely no idea about the realities of little boys with endless amounts of energy. Bath time is an extremely wet experience. Constant monitoring is required to prevent their favorite games of "shark attack" and "tsunami."

Once the boys are out of the bath, they usually get into their pajamas with little difficulty. They love their story. Sometimes, however, they run amok.

Hiding under the bed to avoid bedtime is a favorite game. It never lasts long, primarily because the adults in the house are actually tired and need the little people to settle down.

Eventually, we do manage to get the boys into bed. The silliness does not always end there, however, and there are giggles and silly faces until they decide to drop off to sleep.

Our bedtime routine does work, and they do go to sleep by 8:00 pm. In my pre-children days I just never imagined it would be so noisy!

Mr. Two Wheeler

Two weeks ago, Nolan declared, "Take off my training wheels!" While I took Matthew to piano lessons, Nolan spent some time with Dennis and his two-wheeled bike. By the time I got home, he was zooming around the driveway like a madman.

He loves the freedom his bike gives to him. He's been riding up and down our street with his brother and the neighbor boy. I think riding a two-wheeler is my favorite milestone!

Deer Season

I find it hilarious that all of the hunters are in the woods, and all the deer are in my front yard. I think the deer have outsmarted the hunters this time (and are eating all of my hostas to boot)!

The Enchanted Forest, 2012

Our local Audubon Society puts on an "Enchanted Forest" event every fall. It is absolutely fantastic, as volunteers dress up as native wildlife and talk to the children about what they eat, where they live, and how to treat them if they are encountered in the wild.

The first animal we met was a Pileated woodpecker. The boys really liked this animal, as we used to have a mating pair in our backyard. They haven't been seen for the past year or so, but it was great to learn more about them.

We saw a skunk, a bear, and an owl next. We were led to each animal by our "fireflies," volunteers who carried lanterns.

As the skies became dark, the luminaries were lit. We'll have to try this event a bit later in the evening next year, so we can get the full effect of walking through the lantern-lit pathways.

We went inside and the boys did a few crafts and played in the educational center.

Nolan made an "owl" pumpkin. Matt started to make a wolf pumpkin, but it took a long time, so he had to finish his at home.

We met our neighbors and friends, and had a good time. We were actually supposed to go on the tour with them, but we arrived early and were put in an earlier group.

Both boys love the fishing area the Audubon has set up in the learning center. The fish are laminated paper cut-outs of local trout and sunfish in our streams and lakes.

Nolan liked playing with the puppets on the Audubon's stage. He really liked the bunny rabbit puppet.

We left after the boys explored the exhibits, and they fell asleep shortly after we got home. We really love fall  in our area, because we have a lot of fun activities!

I Love Fall

Fall has arrived, and I absolutely love it. The wildlife seems to be more active this time of the year, and we get rabbits, turkey, deer, squirrels, raccoon, and a lot of other critters scrambling around the backyard. Matthew is in denial that colder weather is on its way. He's still eating ice cream, even though we're definitely into "warm jacket" season!

The weather is getting stormy, and we have days that alternate with sun and rain. We've also had a few spectacular rainbows.

The trees are really starting to change. Our side yard is filled with gorgeous color.

The leaves are just starting to fall, and the kids have already tried to make leaf piles. There aren't quite enough on the ground for that just yet, but it is definitely a great activity - it burns off a lot of energy and gets them into the fresh air.

I hope October goes by slowly, as the weather is so wonderful and the scenery is so beautiful. I'm not ready for gray November yet!

Sprucing Things Up

The boys are in school, and I have been working on a few little projects around the house. The cabinets under the boys' bathroom sinks were looking rather dingy, and hadn't been painted since we moved in nearly a decade ago.

I pulled off the doors, removed the old handles, and painted them. There is nothing better than a fresh coat of white paint!

Now, I just need to learn to lay tile and wood floors, and our house would look really spiffy!

One of Those Days

A couple of weeks ago, I had one of those days. The boys were off to school, and the pesticide guy arrived to spray a hornet's nest in the side of our house. He knocked on the door and said, "WHOA, what is wrong with your dog?"

Casey was swelling like a balloon, and I rushed inside to call the vet. The vet said to bring him in immediately, as he was having an allergic reaction. I jumped in the car, backed out, and immediately hit the pesticide guy's car.

Lovely.

Since I couldn't get to the vet, I had to call Dennis home from work so he could save our dog's life. Pesticide Guy had to file a police report since it was a company car, so I stayed in our driveway until the police officer arrived.

Fortunately, there wasn't much damage to either car (no damage to my car), and the dog survived. We do know that he has a serious bee allergy, so I'm glad that the hornet nest has been taken care of!

I did, however, learn that you can treat a dog with Benedryl to slow down the effects of an allergic reaction. It can buy some time, especially if the vet's office is far away or if you crash the car.