Love Languages

A few weeks ago when Joel was having a hard time on the bus and at school, he and I were in his bed snuggling before he went to sleep.  I started telling him all the things I loved about him and how great I thought he was.  I was trying to encourage him.   He listened for a while then then asked if I was finished.  I said yes and he replied "good because this is boring.  can I get a toy at the store tomorrow?"  hahaha so good to know that his love language is NOT words of affirmation.  Its also safe to assume that gifts are his love language. 

30 seconds

Colin loves trader joes apple cider. He likes to drink it while he's doing homework. The other day I heated some up and handed him his mug. He started counting with this hand touching not the handle but the mug itself 1...2...3...4... And then he stopped and then started counting again. 

I asked him what he was doing and he said it was too hot. So he's learned to count to 30 and if his hand is too hot to stay there the whole time he's counting then it's too hot to drink.  30 seconds is his perfect temperature. Any longer and it's too cold. 

He's so calculated and so much thought goes into things like this. Remember  how he remembered one year the precise time he would get hot at school each day. 

He has a great mind to be an engineer so it will be fun to see what he ends up being. 

Makeup

It's probably not a good thing that my makeup is in the vanity drawers now 

I need to hide my lipstick and Chapstick

She was so pleased with herself

Pumpkin Patch

Last weekend we went to several pumpkin patches.  Joel had a fundraiser at his school at one so friday afternoon I took the kids.  They had huge bounce houses and since we went early in the afternoon there wasn't a lot of people so the kids ran from one bounce house to the other.

One would think that someone would be in a great mood since he had been asking all week to go.  But that was not the case.  Poor Joel was in an awful mood.

He is NOT making a funny face in this picture.  That was his sunny disposition almost all afternoon/night.

Oh Joel! It makes me laugh now but at the time I wasn't sure either of us would survive to bedtime.

Thankfully the next day he woke up in a great mood and after karate we met some friends at Bergeys for the morning

Except for literally losing our kids in the corn maze it was a really fun morning.  We had all done this one last year together but somehow they made the maze even bigger and more dead ends.  The boys all went ahead and the parents/little kids followed but after 30-40 minutes of still in the maze and not finding the kids we were a little worried. Then when we came out we couldn't find one of the boys but thankfully a maze worker was with him and the kids learned the lesson of if I can't see you then you cant see me and to also always stay together.

After that pumpkin patch I took the kids next door to Brookdale pumpkin patch to pick their pumpkins

 

 Colins pumpkin was perfectly round but is already rotting away on our front porch so we might be going back to the pumpkin patch again (or realistically go to walmart to get a cheap one)  Joel begged to get a pie pumpkin so we can make a pumpkin pie from scratch so I better get on that before that one rots away too.

Our neighborhood is having a crockpot cookoff and cornhole tournament this weekend, then the next weekend is a costumed bike parade and scavenger hunt in the neighborhood and then the following week is halloween.  I really REALLY love our neighborhood.

School

Sweet boy had a rough start to school. 

It's bad enough he gets on the bus at 6:55 but he was also getting bullied on the bus.  Guess it's a good thing we signed him up for karate this fall (which he's loving) 

Some boys one day took a game too far and tried to duck kiss him and hold him down. The girl across the street stuck up for him and the bullies pulled her hair. And then the bus driver gave Joel and this girl assigned seats and no one else. 

The girls father and I had talks with the bus driver and I contacted the principal. Now everyone has assigned seats and Joel is much happier now. 

But no wonder Joel wasn't wanting to go to school. 

And the fact that he keeps bringing homes notes like this:

He is his fathers child (all Brent's report cards say talks too much)

I have met with his teacher and think Joel is in the right class but it's hard when you question what is the best fit for your child. His teachers son sounds a lot more strong willed than Joel so I do think he's in great hands at school. She gets Joel so that put me at ease.  He is starting to come out of his shell at school and have more confidence in reading out loud in front of the class.  His teacher reads a lot of books and Joel loves her reading time. He also loves art class and recess. His school is really old and has all the old playground equipment like swings and metal slides which the kids all love. 

So it was a rough start and I really struggled with what to do because he was in hysterics every day for a week about school but for now we are leaving him where he is and he's enjoying it more and more.  

One good thing is that Joel and this girl have gotten to be great friends and play all the time together. Saturday night during a break in the rain the kids were all outside playing in the dark. We gave them glow sticks to be able to see them but the older kids were playing a zombie game and kait was a zombie trying to eat Joel's brain and then the little kids were following. Her little brother also wanted to be a zombie and Norah will do whatever Preston does except she declared she didn't want to be a zombie - she was a tutu ballerina princess! Ha! 

But I'm glad things are getting better and Joel is enjoying it more and more. 

Third child

This is the first time I've had a three year old all day and not been pregnant or had a newborn. Norah gets the benefit of just being able to go places all day and not have to worry about naps or baby's feeding schedule. The only time constraint is to be home for the boys to get off the bus. 

She's not enjoying it at all! Ha! 

We are both enjoying our days together.  

But I do feel sorry for Joel. He's never really had me to himself so I need to plan some special things just for him and I.  Poor middle child. 

Hokies Game

We went this past weekend to a football game.  Brent actually went the previous monday night for their big Ohio State game and missed the first day of school.  I would've pushed harder for that ticket but I didn't want to miss the boys first day so Brent got the ticket! Sadly we lost the ohio game but won the Furman game.  Colin has never seen the Hokies lose so Frank Beamer I think you need to get this boy season tickets!

We left for the farm friday night.  And then went saturday to Blacksburg.  There really isn't a better way to spend a saturday in the fall (at least in my opinion)  The boys rode that morning with Grandpa, Ma-maa and Ant Ant and apparently Joel kept talking about these dog beds that he loved to eat at the restaurant we went to and finally they figured out he was talking about hush puppies.  hahaha

 We tailgated before the game

 Joel, how do you really feel about spending your afternoon at a football game?  ha!  but he did great until the 4th quarter and had fun tossing the football to Norah before the game.  He is starting to show more interest in sports and wants to do basketball this winter and wants to toss the football with Brent but his preference for a saturday afternoon would probably not be a football game!

we went to this hokie village outside the stadium where there are bounce houses and lots of things going on free for the kids.  Colin waited three games last year to do this one bungee basketball game thing and each time he would get up to the front of the line and it would close.  This year he waited in the same line and got to do it.  Just barely but he made it and was so excited.  

He wants to be an engineer which works for his momma to send him to virginia tech! 

It was supposed to rain but thankfully it didn't and was perfect weather for watching the game.  Overcast and a little cool.  Unfortunately in packing rain gear for the kids I forgot the snacks and toys I packed to keep Norah and Joel entertained at the end but they did great and watched until almost the end.  I took them in the 4th quarter to go watch the cheerleaders and then we slowly walked to the coliseum.

Joel then climbed these columns and I think he would've made it to the top but I stopped him from going higher.

Thanks Mom and Dad for the tickets and a fun weekend