Meet the teachers

Oh kindergarten...do you have to come so soon?  How has it been 5 years already? Joel goes from uncertainty about school to a little excited. Although he hasn't rubbed my pretty ears all summer and tonight they've been well rubbed!!!!!

His teacher is out on maternity leave until January but the long term sub is nice and his assistant teacher is wonderful. 

And it helps that Becca is in his class. I've been praying they would be together and it helps me to not only know that Joel has a friend but that becca loves to talk so I can find out all about Joel's day. 

Colin knows a few people in his class and is very excited to learn some engineering this year. My grandpa always wanted one of us to go into engineering (I like to think I was the closest and therefore the favorite since math is kind of similar!ha!) 

I was doing well until at the end when we were walking out. It's fun to see all the teachers and half the staff know Colin and clearly love him so that's always a great thing. But Joel put his arm around Colin and they walked down the hall together. I teared up watching them.

I'm not ready for school to start and hate that they will be gone during the day but I know Colin will look after his brother. There is no one Joel looks up to more

But until Tuesday we will try to forget about school and enjoy the last weekend of summer! 

Other blankie

Norah has I think 6 blankies but there is one that's her favorite that she calls "other blankie" 

She doesn't mind when her blankies are washed but last week she couldn't wait for "other blankie" to dry and stood outside with it until it was dry. 

She had a rough week last week. She had a diaper rash that turned into boils on her bottom that the dr had to lance and drain (and it was just as horrible as it sounds although part instant relief for her but also lots of pain)  We went to get her medications and she very quietly said "mommy.... Norah needs flowers".  Yes child, after what you went through at the doctors office you can pick out some flowers! 

11 years

Last weekend we celebrated our 11th anniversary. 

We dropped off the kids with my parents and headed to the mountains

Saturday we hiked old rag mountain. What made us feel really old is figuring out it's been 9 years since we've really hiked together! Something we love love to do but haven't had time with the kids. 

I felt skinny and in shape after squeezing through narrow passages and lifting my body up over rocks. 

It was a really great weekend together and very relaxing. Thanks mom and dad! 

Fishing

Sarah took us Sunday to Belle Isle and we attempted fishing.   

 right now with the kids this is what Brent spends most of his time doing.

 

  But exploring on the rocks was much more fun for the kids. 

    

 

Training camp

The only redeeming part of the end of summer is that it means football is here.  And this family loves football.  Brent and Sarah both got tickets for the redskins/patriots joint practice so they took Joel and Norah and met Regis there while I stayed home and took Colin to basketball camp. And that meant I had a whole morning to myself!  Joel and Norah did great even after being woken up at 5am and being in the car that long that day.  

 And then we all went back on saturday since Colin didnt get to go earlier.

 And I have to say I prefer the 5,000 people there to the 20,000 people there when Brent had gone earlier.  We could get right next to the fence and hear them running plays.  I was impressed that Norah keeps asking to go back and see her "hokies" (all football is hokies to her) and she went to two practices.

 Joel wasn't too into a family picture

 Norah liked waving to the players and yelling RGFREE!!!!!  haha so cute

 

 Brent looks slightly disgusted already and the season hasn't started yet! ha! 

 The kids had fun with this tackle dummy

 We were able to get pretty close to the players.  There was a section only little kids could go into and then after the game the players came and got the little kids and walked them back over the field. It was so cute seeing them with the kids. Colin was an inch too tall and kept trying to get Joel in there but Joel and Norah wouldnt go in without me, so hopefully next year they will go in and get all the players autographs.  Now after seeing it, I think its even more amazing Colin got RG3's, Moss, and Hall's autographs last year.  He did get Alfred Morris autograph.  I didnt even see him walk by but Colin went for it. 

They won their first preseason game so hopefully thats a great sign for how the rest of the season will go. 

Desk

Colin has been wanting a desk and after looking at stores and online and not finding what we want we asked my mom and she built this amazing desk for the boys.

Mom and dad brought it over yesterday and the kids immediately put it to work. We are still looking for stools for them but are using these until we find some that Colin and I can agree on! 

Norah wants a desk too and sat right there with them claiming the shelf as her desk 

And then when the boys left the room placed her blankets and declared the whole thing hers! 

Hours were spent yesterday sitting at their desks and they were there first thing this morning. 

And heart to heart talks over Legos. 

Thanks mom! Now to figure out what she can built us next

Movie time