Tea Party

Such a sweet little tea party Aubrey and Grant had the other day while the other kids were at school. Grant was totally into it and did everything Aubrey told him to do. Thankfully, they were drinking water "tea," so clean-up was easy. They were being so cute!

He's a schemer

Joel has figured out how to work the lunchtime system at school. He told us he started sitting at the "girl" table because they're quieter and get dismissed for recess sooner than the kids at the rowdier "boy" table. He says the girls eat slower, but if he and his friends (a couple other boys started sitting with him) eat fast and put their heads down (apparently the signal that they're done), they get to go out to recess before the kids at the other table, even though the other kids eat quickly and are ready sooner.  He's quiet, but he's a thinker! :) And he really likes recess.

Soccer Season--Kari

Kari's had several games so far this season, and I have only managed to take pictures at one of them. I've got to do better! This is the first year they've had goalies, and the games are getting more and more exciting to watch. She's enjoying playing with a lot of the same girls again and with her same coach. It should be a good season!





She doesn't look too stressed, does she?




The other kids playing in the field during Kari's game. Grant wishes he were a part of the Micros team. Greg lets him participate in the warm-ups and drills at practice, but then he has to come off the field when they start scrimmaging. I usually have to drag him, kicking and screaming, off the field at least once every practice. He just wants to be one of the "guys!" He likes to wear his yellow shirt (Lightning McQueen) so he matches the kids on game days. It makes him easier to spot, so it works out well for us, too. 

Soccer Season--Official Game One

Greg and I were both a little on the tired side for the kids' first official game, as he had gotten back from his five-day business trip in Pennsylvania at 11:30pm the night before, and then Grant woke us up for the day at 4:30am. It was great soccer weather that day, though, and the kids did great.

after a goal!




 




Here she goes...



still going...



GOAL!!!  The smile on her face was priceless.

Soccer Season--practice

We are in the midst of soccer craziness once again, and it's going well! Kari is playing again on a U9 team with a lot of the same girls and the same coach as last year. Greg is coaching Micros again. Aubrey joined the team for the first time, so she and Joel get to play together this year. Joel's doing great and loving it. With a couple years of experience under his belt, he feels like a pro! Aubrey is loving being a part of the team. She has a grin on her face almost the whole time she's on the field. It's pretty cute. Here they are practicing.





with Kate (6 yrs old), our neighbor and friend. Aubrey thinks it's pretty great she gets to be with the "big" kids.


 

Niece Ellery

Ellery Anne arrived on Sept 17th, and Grant and I got to go see her at the hospital the next day. So happy to welcome another niece into the family! We love you already, Ellery! Grant is especially enamoured with you and has been wrapping up his monkey in a blanket, carrying it around like a baby, and calling it "Ellery." :)

She's a preschooler

Today was the day, the day Aubrey FINALLY got to go to school. She's going to preschool two mornings a week, and she is thrilled! I'm not so sure I can do without her (yes, I teared up this morning driving her there), but I suppose I need to get used to it since she'll be heading to kindergarten next year.

Here she is all ready to go (an hour early).

Kari and Joel were excited for her. Grant thinks he should be going to school, too, and was rather put out when, once again, he was left behind. He wears his backpack (stuffed full of Pull-Ups--he's prepared) to the bus stop and is disappointed every time when he doesn't get to go.

When I picked her up after school I asked, "So what did you think of your first day of school?"
Her response: "Well, I didn't like it....but I LOVED it!"
She stole that line from Joel, but she still fooled me for a second there! I think she's going to have a great time this year. She didn't miss me at all and had so much fun today. I loved hearing all about it all afternoon. After experiencing school with a daughter who doesn't share much , I'm eating up all the info, feelings, and thoughts gushing from this school-going daughter. :)

And then there was one. My morning at home alone with Grant was a bust. So much for nice, quality one-on-one time with the youngest child. He was out of sorts most of the morning. I tried snacks, milk, Candyland--see, I pulled out all the stops! I just couldn't make him happy. It's been a LONG time since I've been home with just one child. I think it'll be really nice to have those couple hours with just him, but today reminded me that there will be an adjustment period. I'm sure we'll figure it out soon. I known I will. We'll see if he does! I've been looking forward to this time with just Grant, but I definitely saw the down-sides today. No one else to entertain him. No one else to keep an eye on him and keep him out of mischief. I was putting away a load of folded laundry for just a few minutes and noticed the house was very quiet, too quiet. I found him in Kari's room--sparkly lip gloss all over her desk, chair, wall, doorknob, and all over Grant. What.a.mess. I had to "google" "how to clean up mineral oil lip gloss." Answer: Dawn dish soap, no water. Thankfully, I had Dawn dish soap. That was a doosey of a clean-up, and he cried the whole time. Oh, Grant. Sigh. We'll have a better morning next time.

A little bit of Grant-man

This afternoon, in an effort to keep Grant entertained and distracted while the other kids played outside with their neighborhood friends, I tried to enlist his "help" with our oh-so-fancy-and-nutritious dinner of chicken nuggets and fries (Greg wasn't eating with us). I said, "Grant, do you want to help me scrub the potatoes?" He promptly ran out the slider to the back yard, and I realized, a few moments too late, that he thought I said "pick the tomatoes." He ran back inside, arms full of green tomatoes and showed them to me with the cutest look of pride on his face. He truly thought he was helping me, and it was so very sweet. I couldn't be mad. This just isn't my year to have tomatoes, I guess.


















Grant and sleep just don't go together, never have. This last week Grant had his longest stretch of sleeping through the night--5 nights in a row! I ruined it, though, by telling people after the 5th night. Greg says it's like a "no hitter." We're not allowed to talk about it! Guess we've become superstitious. :)

This is how I found Grant two nights ago around 9pm--sound asleep on the bottom stair.  That particular night Greg was gone, and I chose to ignore Grant and let him wander about, and eventually, he gave in. Not sure this is the best method (pretty sure it's not, really), but it worked for me that night!

First Day of School

I have a 3rd grader and a 1st grader who were both gone ALL DAY LONG. Drop-off was great this year (quite different from last year's drama in 2nd grade), and I only cried a little when we left the school and got back in the car.

Both kids had good first days! Joel did have a little run-in with a metal pole at recess and had to go to the office, but he recovered fairly quickly, it sounds like, and just has a little bruise on the forehead. Aubrey thought they should have come home a lot sooner (asked multiple times if it was time to go get them), but the little two and I had a good day, too. We got doughnuts and ate them at the park this morning, stopped by and saw Grandma who had Russell for a little while, and made cookies in the afternoon to have together when the kids came home.






 



Kari and her friend, Lucy. They were very pleased to discover their desks were right next to each other.