Halloween..

I've got to admit, I am always more than happy to see Halloween come and go. The kids just love it but it is just a crazy free for all of candy, costumes and craziness! The kids all had a great time tonight and went to bed easily enough after traipsing through the cold, sorting and eating some candy. It got a little confusing tonight as Quincy and Tabitha both wanted to be independent and just go trick or treating with friends but since we are new to the neighborhood and don't know their friends very well, we had to put some restrictions on them while at the same time getting the little boys their fair share of time out and about. Whew! Quincy was a "Battle of the Bands" costume of his own creation with dueling guitars and drumsticks. Tabitha was a Samantha from American Girls while her friend went as Josefina. Calvin was Anniken Skywalker and Max was a Ninja.

Basketball and New Friends

This weekend was nonstop activity! I was sick on Thursday and Friday with some cold bug and pretty much just laid low for 2 days which of course, meant that I felt like we had a million things to do to make up for lost time this weekend. On Friday night, Josh took the kids to a "Costume Carnival" at the elementary school where they all played many games and won lots of little prizes. Tabitha had her last volleyball scrimmage of the season on Saturday morning followed by Quincy's first basketball game of the season. Despite Quincy's frequent declarations about what a great basketball player he is, he usually lacks confidence and aggression when he's actually on the court. We were thrilled to see him right in the action this time and to even see him score a basket! We celebrated with ice cream cones on the way home. After putting up some shelves in the garage and starting to hang up some bikes for the winter, we joined Josh's dad at Pizza Hut for dinner Saturday night. Today, we enjoyed a gorgeous fall day by working in the garage and yard almost the whole day. The kids and I carved pumpkins while Josh hung our new storm door. We then raked leaves, cut back plants, etc in preparation for winter. Max made a new, great friend with the 4 year old "new" boy (they moved in 3 weeks after we did) across the street. Jonas speaks Japanese and German and not a word of English but he and Max played together all day and had a ball riding scooters, making a box into a "house", jumping in the leaves, and riding bikes. They were so cute together and Max is already making plans for them for tomorrow.

Fall is in the Air!

It is "anti-drugs" week at the schools this week and one of the activities that they all participated in has been to a make a bookmark telling people to not smoke or use drugs. Calvin found out that his bookmark was selected as one of the 15 winners from the whole school. He is very proud and excited. Tabitha got to participate in a great field trip today, they made planets on a billion to one scale and then went out and measured out a billion to one scale solar system. It was very interesting to see the spacing between the planets and realize just how huge it all is. After school, she took the boys and I all through it, from the sun to Pluto (which we all know is no longer considered a planet but utilized in this project nonetheless) was a good couple of miles. Very fun! The kids and I also hit one of the last Farmer's Markets of the season this afternoon, stocking up on apples and pears. Everyone then was so excited to see that we actually had leaves in our yard for the first time in any of our houses, that they then came home and raked, trying to a get a big pile together to jump in. After dinner, we headed to the zoo where thanks to the free VIP tickets from a neighbor, we participated in the zoo Halloween festival and games. Very fun for everyone and not the tiniest bit scary which is the way all four of our kids like it!

Running

Calvin has been running with his cross country team for a couple of weeks now. He is just loving it. They really seem to make it fun. Last week they ran 2 1/2 miles each day, this week they are doing 3 1/2. I asked him if he was in the front or back of the pack, he told me very matter of factly that he is always dead last but that he doesn't mind. He has fun, doesn't mind not "winning" and is just trying to beat his own time each time. Good enough.

Lots of Grilling!

We had a very fun weekend. On Saturday, we had some friends from Batesville appear in town for a Purdue football game so they were able to come over for a short visit. The weather was beautiful so the kids spent hours playing outside, Calvin was really into playing catch with anyone who would throw the ball back to him. We then went out to eat with Grandpa and a friend of his. Had a great time at the Olive Garden. On Sunday, it was time to get busy. I had signed up to provide the meal for Quincy's youth group for Sunday evening. Little did I know that that meant providing a meal for 90 kids! So, Quincy and I did a major shopping spree at Sam's club and then got busy cooking. Quincy and Max made 12 dozen cookies while I grilled 120 hamburgers, cut up bunches of grapes, and served up chips and soda. Whew! Exhausting but all went well and no one left hungry. Earlier in the day, Josh took the kids to a "Y" Guides fall family day at the YMCA where the painted some pumpkins and all did some serious swimming.

Grandparents

Since the kids didn't have school on Friday and only a 1/2 day on Thursday, we took off for "grandparent territory". We visited my mom and dad on Thursday evening and night, where Taba enjoyed a good book, and then headed to Josh's mom's house on Friday morning. We had a very nice visit with her and even got to go to Josh's grandma's assisted living community and have lunch with both of them. The kids loved it and got quite a few compliments on their good behavior during the meal. Our table wasn't quite big enough for all of us so Max and Quincy sat with two elderly ladies at a separate table. They all seemed to enjoy the experience and the women just gushed about what great boys they were. Calvin took off with my mom and dad to go to his cousin's "grandparent's" day at her school since he is the same age as Anna and enjoyed seeing how a different school works. He loved it! Especially the lunch afterwards at IHOP!

School Days

We had parent/teacher conferences yesterday. I got to go to 4 of them this year. All the kids are getting wonderful grades and all the teachers had very positive things to say! Very nice! Tabitha's teacher was funny because she is thrilled with how well Taba has adjusted to the new school/class. She did say however that she may have to change the seats around however, because Taba might be adjusting a little too well to the kids sitting next to her and she is becoming quite social. I was almost happy to hear this however, because Taba's inclination used to be to just stick her nose in a book and forget about the rest of the world. Taba did set and meet her reading goal for the quarter at 65 books compared to other kids' 5 books. Quincy's teacher feels like he is really, really smart and wants to enroll him in a Gifted/Talented class through Purdue. I haven't discussed it with him yet but it seems like a great idea so he's not bored and restless. Max's teacher loves his enthusiasm of course, and loves to see his excitement when they learn something new. Max is just really into reading lately and has really hooked on to the concept of sounding out words and wants to do it constantly. Calvin is just such an easy, mature kid that his teacher says that he will never have any problems with the work given him. She knows she can count on him to know what is going on and to have the right answer when no one else does.

Cutting and Chopping

I just went to a fantastic cooking class where I learned all sorts of knife techniques as well as how to carve a turkey, debone a chicken and make some fancy garnishes. Very fun! Everyone is healthy and well this week and enjoying a bit of a slower week since the kids finished their first grading period at school and are having a couple of 1/2 days this week to make room for parent/teacher conferences and then a day off on Friday for "Fall Break". Calvin went to Cross country practice again today now that he is well and really enjoyed it. He was able to run/walk 2 1/2 miles and was quite proud of himself. He averaged a 20 minute mile which for a 7 year old, seems pretty darn good.

A Gorgeous Autumn Day!

Just too pretty to spend the whole doing projects around the house today! So, we did some little things like hanging pictures, fixing Taba's ceiling fan, hanging some shelves, etc before we headed outside to enjoy the day. Since all 6 of us can't fit too comfortably in Josh's sailboat, Josh took Quincy and Calvin sailing while I took Max and Tabitha to a local park with pretty hiking trails to do some hiking. We all had a great time. Max and Taba were soooo into this hiking stuff. They did not want to stick with the nice, paved, walking trails... they wanted to do some serious scrambling around on the trails that were barely trails and climbing up and out of ravines as much as possible. It was great fun but I was feeling my age! Max, of course, was completely fearless and made Taba and I quite nervous. Tabitha was very protective but was also the one who chose the most difficult path to take. Good times!

Baby, it's cold outside...

Oh my gosh! It got really cold today! There were even snow flurries coming down! In mid-October!! We are not ready for that! Anyway, life goes on... Calvin is finally starting to feel much better. His throat is still pretty sore but his fever is finally gone. Hopefully, he can head off to school in the morning. His schoolwork is piling up! Josh got to go on a kindergarten field trip with Max's class this morning. They had a great time riding the school bus and learning all about fire safety. Max was so excited to have daddy along. Last night, since Calvin was still sick, Josh and just Max attended their first "Y Guides" meeting at the neighbor's house. Y Guides is apparently very similar to Boyscouts but run by the YMCA. They had a great time and Max learned that sometime this year, they will have an overnight event! He can't wait for that! Last night, I got to participate in a very interesting activity that only parents of school age children can truly appreciate.... I left the house at 7:15 to take Taba to baton lessons, I arrived there at 7:30, I left there immediately to pick up Quincy at swim team practice at 7:45, I left there immediately to pick up Taba from baton lessons at 8:00, I then drove home to arrive at 8:15. For one solid hour of driving, I never left Salisbury Street!

Still Sick...

Calvin is still sick and still pretty miserable. It's a miserable day outside also so we will just spend another quiet day reading and watching t.v. We did get our 1/2 bath put back together last night and we love it! Here are the before and after pictures... I guess all those coats of burgundy paint were worth it. Tabitha got to go to "Insectaganza" at Purdue all day yesterday where 1500 5th graders learned all about bugs. They even got to dissect a grasshopper which she thought was totally disgusting! Today, her class was going to go out to the athletic fields and make a small scale solar system but it's too cold and rainy. Guess she'll have to put up with school in the classroom today. Max is learning so much and just so into kindergarten! It is so fun to watch and hear about. Quincy even comments on how Max seems to learn something big every day. Yesterday, he showed me the book that he got from the school library. It was ghost stories ( he always gets Halloween books) but these were different.... these were real! He told me that he knew that because the call numbers on the spine of the book were numbers and not letters. Pretty impressive, eh? Should make his librarian grandmother proud!

Comic Strips and Cross Country

We started some new activities yesterday. Quincy and Tabitha are taking a drawing class at the local community center where they are learning to draw comic strips. They are both pretty excited and both are pretty good! Calvin started cross country team practice yesterday to follow in his father's footsteps. They started out running/walking a mile through some wooded trails. Unfortunately, Calvin didn't have much energy and didn't enjoy it too much despite the fact that he had been really looking forward to it. We came home to realize that he had a 103 temperature! No wonder it wasn't fun! That boy never complains. Anyway, today, he and I are just hanging out at home as he officially has strep throat. After a few days on an antibiotic, I think he will enjoy his running much more!

Handyman

Girls, always marry the guy who is handy... you can't go wrong! My handy man was sure busy this weekend! While I painted 4 coats of paint on our downstairs bathroom this weekend, Josh was busy with his "to-do" list around the house. He changed the faucet in the bathroom, replaced the light fixture in the kitchen, changed the door of the dishwasher to match our other stainless steel appliances, mowed the grass, trimmed the bushes and with the help of his dad, added some extra support to our kitchen cabinets in preparation for the installation of our granite countertops. Whew! Busy weekend. It was so beautiful, we also managed to spend some time outside playing with the kids. They were busy digging and playing in our garden. A dirty job, but they all loved it. Max was trying to make his way to China, I believe.

Football Season is Over!

A big day yesterday! After my morning of work, I took a long hike/walk with a friend through West Lafayette's ravines and Happy Hollow park. It was absolutely beautiful with the leaves all changing color. I had no idea that this part of Indiana could be so pretty and hilly! When the kids got home, we had Calvin's final football game to watch followed by the league awards program and hotdog dinner. Calvin got a nice little trophy and had a great time. Josh and I then dumped the kids and ran off to Purdue's campus where we went to a concert by Preservation Hall's Jazz Band from New Orleans. It was fantastic and sure made us nostalgic for all the many times we have spent in New Orleans in the past. Here is Maxie's latest school picture. In addition to the runny nose and bump on his head, he looks a little too serious for my taste. Not a good representation of my happy little boy!

What a mess!

One day of having my kitchen torn up and I'm frustrated! Oh well... It will be worth it. The guy came today and made the template for our new countertops so between Josh, his dad, Quincy and Tabitha and I, we put the old ones back on well enough that we can at least use them and the sink until the new ones are installed in 3 weeks. Here is Calvin's latest school picture. Isn't he really starting to look grown up? I was able to help with math class in his room at school today. It was very fun! Those 2nd graders are amazingly smart. I was helping with learning to weigh things on a balance scale. I loved getting to know some of the other kids that he spends all day with. I also was able to watch Tabitha's baton class tonight. She is in the advanced class and she really does a good job. She's probably one of the best kids in there and probably one of the youngest!
One kid quote that I thought was funny.... When I picked up Quincy early from school on Friday so that we could head out of town for the wedding, I noticed that all the kids were just milling around the classroom with no apparent direction. I asked him which class period it was and what they were working on. He said that it was math class and that they are "self-paced" so they just need to complete a certain number of chapters by a certain time rather than all working on the same things at the same time. He said, "Math class is sort of like time on the bus, noisy and chaotic!" Isn't that reassuring...

Too Cute!

I just had to include this picture that I took of Max while at the wedding on Saturday. We killed time with lots of Uno in an attempt to keep him clean and unmussed between events, pictures, etc. Isn't he a doll?!
Josh and I are busy trying to remove our current countertops and sinks so that we can have the guy come on Wednesday to make the template for the new granite countertops that we ordered. Very exciting!

Wedding!

Big weekend this weekend! Max was the adorable ring bearer in his preschool teacher's wedding and did a great job! We had a great time! The kids were able to have sleepovers both nights with their various Batesville friends and do lots of running around throughout the days. The wedding was fun and exciting and Max felt like such a celebrity in his tuxedo.
Now, we are all exhausted and ready to just have a "normal" week!