Weekend with Colin

On Monday my parents told me there were extra tickets for the football game this weekend. Brent drives a lot for work and didn't want to go but I did and asked Colin and he reallywanted to go. Joel didn't. In fact one night this week (I think either Wednesday or Thursday) Joel walked into my room at 3am and tapped me on the arm. He usually just climbs in bed with us so that was new. "Psssst mommy....mommy....(what Joel?)....please don't take me with you to the Hokies game. (Big sigh from Joel) I don't want to go. I want to stay here!" (Ok I won't take you) and then he happily turned around and went back to sleep in his own bed which is unusual in itself. 

So I didn't take Joel! 

I woke Colin up at 5am and we were in Blacksburg by 10 to meet mom and dad and head to the game.  We made great timing

It was a beautiful fall day, perfect for watching football. 

Colin is fun to sit with at a game. 

He kept telling me how much he was enjoying it and how much fun he was having. He had me, Ma-ma-maa and Grandpa all to himself all weekend!

I love this boy!

We won. It wasn't the most exciting game to watch but there really is no better way to spend a Saturday than in Lane Stadium! (At least in my opinion) 

After the game we walked around campus, went to dinner, then stayed the night in christiansburg. 

He really will be taller than me one day. And in 9 short years will be going off to college 😥

 it was so much fun getting to spend time with just Colin. He is such a great kid. 

We just got home and Joel greeted me with "mommy you missed all the fun this weekend!" So looks like it was a great weekend for all of us. 

Swing

Norah has figured out how to swing on the swing in our front yard and now wants to always go out and swing. 

She doesn't like any other type of swing so I was surprised how much she loves this one. 

Germs (according to Joel)

Every day after we walk in from the bus stop I make Joel and Norah wash and sanitize their hands.  Last week Joel told me on the walk back that they watched a movie on germs and how to wash their hands.  Good for the school I thought since we are close to cold and flu season,   But then I asked him to go wash his hands and he looked at me and said "germs aren't real mom, that was just a movie!" 

But it turns out he did get germs and Sunday around 3pm crawled into bed and fell asleep.  Unheard of for him.  He ran a high fever all night and slept until morning with some moments of waking up laughing a delirious, hysterical laugh.  He woke up Monday without a fever but I kept him home from school to keep an eye on him.  Today he asked if it was a school day and I told him yes it was. He responded by fake coughing and telling me his fever might come back. Ha! Nice try kid.  But he was first one walking to the bus this morning.  As much as he asks for snow days or now sick days he does happily go most mornings.  

Joel's always made me laugh but 5 year old Joel just might be my favorite so far. 

Batman book update

The batman book has not been opened.

And Joel has already planned on wearing a solid white shirt on library day so the teacher can't pick out a book for him. 

He came home with a lot of his class work today. 

Three pages of writing his name. He started out well but clearly got tired at the end of each page. He told me a few days ago he wants his last name to be crystal but the teacher keeps making him write goedecke 

Dead dies

I asked Norah yesterday what she wanted to do and she said go to the store and look at necklaces. Which she calls "dead dies" and it's too cute not to correct. But if you ask her where her dead dies are she looks confused. I think in her mind she is saying necklace. 

She went through a few weeks of pointing out every earring, bracelet and necklace women were wearing in the store when we ran errands. She still does it sometimes. But she would point at the woman and loudly yell "DEAD DIES!!!!" I got some not so nice looks from the woman being pointed at which made the whole thing even funnier to me. 

Sadly she's broken a lot of my dead dies but always pats my back and says "eeess ok mommy". I told her it's not ok but she corrects me "no no eeeess ok!" And I have to constantly tell her my necklaces are sleeping and we can't wake them up. She climbed up on a stool and grabbed my earring box which I then found outside....empty. I've managed to find most of them but wasn't too happy with her. 

The price I have to pay for a very girly girl who loves all things sparkly and shiny and especially loves her dead dies. 

Bike night

Tonight Brent was working late and it was too nice of a day to stay inside so I figured out how to get the kids bikes in my car and off we went to the botanical gardens for their bike night. The kids can ride all over their paths and not have to worry about cars. 

We stopped by chick fil a to grab food for our picnic. Joel has been eating a chicken sandwich instead of a kids meal lately but tonight he told me he wanted a kids meal nuggets. "Because sometimes when I eat a chicken sandwich....(big sigh)...I get bored" 

We biked for a few miles (Norah of course wanted to be held 30 minutes into the night so I got my workout holding her and pushing her bike) 

When we got back to the car I asked the kids if they had fun and Joel, who had been loving it and pointing out all the birds and flowers and going in and under bushes which he loves to always do, quickly replied "no, I like staying HOME." Oh Joel! 

Now to get a bike rack so Brent and I can ride around with the kids too. 

Kindergarten according to Joel

Joel came home from school the other day saying he went to music class.  

I got excited and asked him all about it.  He wasn't as excited and said "music class is just like regular class.......except instead of books we have drums." 

Today was the "saddest day" as he called it.  Not bad or worst or horrible,  just saddest day.  He came flying off the bus saying it was the saddest day because they had library and they made him check out a book!!! The horror!  But he didn't want to pick a book from his section, he wanted to get the hobbit book (Colin read the hobbit and just watched the movies).  But they have the books according to reading level and his teacher picked out a book for him to check out despite his protesting that he didn't want one.  And she picked out a batman book.  Can you believe that?  Why would she think I like batman? ........So says the boy wearing a batman shirt and who has a lego batman keychain on his backpack.  He took it out of his backpack with a look of disgust.

I was so excited for him to go to library and music and art.  I'm just waiting for him to say art is just like regular class except instead of a pencil they have paintbrushes!  

I love Joel.  

one week down

Five days down.... only 178 more days to go! 

School has gone better than I thought.  Colin loves it.  He's already had a ton of homework so far but he loves his class and he just enjoys school.   On Friday we walked to the bus stop and I remember that I had completely forgotten to make his lunch.  Brent was with us so he ran back (a slow run... all the kids were yelling for him to run faster! ha) I thought he was going to just grab some lunch money but he came back with a lunch. The bus came right then so as we were walking home I asked what he had packed so quick.  Well an applesauce baby pouch that norah likes and colin wont eat since its "baby", peanut butter crackers, an apple, and a container of mini oreo cookies. But the thing about the oreo cookies is that Norah loves to open the oreos, lick the cream and then stick it back together and had been busy with the mini oreos the other day while I was cleaning so I just put it on the counter and that's what ended up in Colin's lunch  - a container of licked mini oreos.  poor colin. 

Then today right when school got out it started down pouring hard.  Brent had gotten home early and went to meet Colin at the bus stop in his car.  The bus goes by and I get a panicked call from Brent saying Colin hadn't gotten off the bus.  Brent was in a panic but just then the principal called and said Colin was in the office with her nice and dry.  He had missed the bus.  So Brent went to get him. 

Joel has already asked for a snow day and this morning I had to physically lead him to the bus (it was raining to the kids were in the car at the bus stop and he refused to get out of the car... on a rainy Monday morning I don't blame him either for wanting to go back to bed)  but other than that he seems to love it.  He comes off the bus with a sparkle in his eyes and each day, after worrying the whole time how he was doing, seeing him walking home so happy and telling me about his day I know he will be fine.  He sings the songs he learns and has come home with all green stars so far.  He does think school has way too many rules and why do they have the rule you can't talk when the teacher is talking?  and why do they have to bubble their mouths (hold air so they cant talk) in the hall ways.  He's full of so school details I need to start writing them down that are only Joel observations but it makes me laugh.  He already seems so much more grown up.  I am dreading the day he starts having homework because if he's not motivated there is no amount of bribery I can do to make him do it.  And he wont care so I'm hoping he'll be excited to get it.  No need to worry about peer pressure with this kid.  He hasn't had art, pe, library, or music yet and I just know he'll love the art class and library so I can't wait for those to begin for him. 

I miss my boys and will always worry about them and wonder how their days are going. Sometimes I think the Lord has us send them to school so I can learn to trust God with my kids and not be the one always in control of them.  But they are doing well and learning a lot and exactly where they need to be. But I'm already looking forward to November when we have a lot of random days off of school! 

School begins

 They are off.  Both rode the bus today so I'm a little nervous since i didnt actually take Joel to his class.  Colin was going to walk him to his class.  Joel wanted to ride the bus with Colin. And i'm hoping he goes into his class. Sometimes he refuses to go into sunday school and nothing we can do will get him into class so I'm anxious to know if he walked right in or not.  Thankfully Joel comes home in 3 hours and then 3 hours after that Colin comes home so I can spend time with each of them hearing about their days. 

 I've been so nervous for Joel.  It helped that we were at the farm and blacksburg this weekend so I didnt think about school too much and then yesterday we took the kids to the beach in the morning and then the pool for the rest of the afternoon.  (The pool has been super cold the past few weeks but go figure it gets hot again and the water temperature was perfect yesterday - the last day)

I didnt sleep at all last night and got up early and did a workout video and then was so nervous I went for a few mile run praying the whole time for my boys.  Joel woke up and came running into the bathroom while I was taking a shower and yelled "i'm so excited for school!" and I felt much better.  Its hard to send them to school but kindergarten is even harder since they've never done preschool and its the end of an era of them being home each and every day all day with me.  Sad to see it end but I'm very excited for all he's going to learn and I think it'll be so good for him. 

 It also helped I think that Norah was crying this morning about her wanting to go to school and Joel telling her she had a few more years before she would be going to school! 

 He was so excited. I hope today is a great day. The first week is a lot of learing rules (and Joel repeatedly tells me he doesnt like rules and why do we always have so much rules....so hoping this week the fun outweighs all the learning about rules)

I'm not too worried about Colin.  He loves school and thrives there.  I do hope his teacher is the right fit but I'm excited about the kids who are in his class and hope and pray he has a wonderful year and keeps thriving. 

Driving

Grandpa taught the boys how to drive at the farm.   

 While Brent spent hours in the hammock

Yips

Norah discovered my grandma's lipstick at the farm.  

 Ant Ant helped...

 

Sorry Ooo-eee if there isn't much left.... she loved putting on her "yips" all the time. And seeing the sparkle in her eyes it was hard to tell her no. 

Go Hokies

 This weekend my parents took us to a football game for Brents birthday.  I think thats the best way to spend a birthday and so glad Brent agreed!  And really there is nothing better than spending a saturday in Blacksburg. 

 Thanks Mom and Dad! 

 Joel was not into a picture

 Norah was so excited about the bikes. Just like Colin was when he was about this age. 

 This year they had what they called "hokie village" next to the stadium with free bounce houses and lots going on.  The boys loved it. Norah not so much.  It was loud and she freaked out when the marching virginians walked by. She is not a fan of loud noises.  I was a little worried this would be the first time in 8 years I would have to leave the stadium with one of my kids.  But thankfully when we got in there she was fine.

 Joel went from loving every minute of it to asking when it was over to wanting to stay to asking when we would be headed back to the farm and go to the creek.  I told him we would walk down to the creek before we went home but he thought that meant that day.  So when we got in the car after the game and it got dark (we didnt get back to the farm until 11pm) he would cry about every 20 minutes "you lied! you said we would go to the creek!  lets get colin (Colin rode in the car with ant ant and my parents) and go home! You lied!" When he woke up at the farm the next morning he was all smiles and ready to go to the creek.  Oh Joel.

 Thankfully when we got into the stadium she didnt seem to mind the noise.

 My dad got us great seats but it was in the middle of the student section and we are old and want to sit down and watch the game.  Plus Joel and Norah like to move around so we ended up in the away team (haha W&M maybe had 50 people there) and had several rows to ourselves.  Sarah and Colin came up to meet us and gave up their very very close seats.  Not sure Colin was too excited about that!

 Joel and Norah were about done at the end of the third quarter so I took them down to play in the grass behind the stadium for a few minutes.

 These two.... she loves him....at times...At the farm there was a yellow jacket nest on the back porch so we kept the kids off of it while my dad sprayed the nest.  There is a hammock on the back porch so Norah kept pointing out the window and telling me "bed mommy. bed.  Joely sleep on bed outside!"  She kept saying Joel was sleeping there so I told her "norah there are bees out there. Joel's not sleeping there."  And if I wasn't watching her face I would've missed it but she responded by an evil grin and then quickly "oh no..... joel no sleep with bees"  Sweet girl sometimes she is not!  Norah knows exactly how to push Joel's buttons.  She treats him differently than she does Colin.  She will let Colin push her in the stroller but not Joel.  Or let Colin sit next to her and not Joel.  I'm thinking a few hours away from him during the day and she'll realize how much she misses him.  She always has to know what her Joely is doing at all times and plays with him the most.  Joel can get her laughing the hardest but also makes her the maddest. 

 This boy loves football.  

 Joel, Norah and I ended up next to the MV's for the end of the game.  Norah wasn't scared then but maybe watching the cheerleaders helped and the fact they were looking for the hokie bird. 

Colin and Grandpa.  Colin's personality is a mix between my brother and dad.  He may look all Goedecke but he is just like his uncle and grandpa.