Making meatballs

 Brent had the kids help him the other night making meatballs for dinner.

 

The boys really enjoyed it. And got a little too into it by trying to make giant meatballs.  But by the look on Norahs face I have no doubt she will keep these boys in line - doesnt matter that she's the youngest. 

How to brush your teeth

Joel

This boy.  Last year this time he had sludge in his bladder and I was busy googling what that meant and this year I'm googling birthmarks.  He was born with a rather large birthmark on his hip.  I was always glad it was on his hip and not his face.  But it really hasn't bothered him at all. It was really cute when he was little and would try to scrub it off in the bath thinking it was dirt. 

Last year we started getting his birthmark mapped out and measured by a dermatologist just to be on the safe side since apparently his birthmark type can turn cancerous.  We went in for his annual check this morning and the doctor decided to take a dime size biopsy of it. Poor boy.  I had told him he was just getting it measured and pictures of it and they go and cut him open and then stitch him up.  (so in Joels mind I lied to him and when you think about it I did)

  My grandpa always said his dr was knife happy since every time he would go in they would slice him up.  Joel would agree with grandpa today.  Its been changing colors and grew a lot this year so we are getting it checked out to make sure. 

But Joel was a complete rock star!  The same boy who, at the mention of his 4 year old shots, ran out of the exam room screaming bloody murder which ended up in two of us holding him down.  Today he got up on the table and I blocked his face while they gave him a shot and numbed him up then took scissors to cut out a perfect little circle (I was impressed) and then stitched him up.  I unfortunately had to see it all because I was the buffer and while I almost got sick a few times it was also fascinating how they did it.  It was deep and big.  Joel didn't even flinch.  The doctors were very impressed with Joel and so was I.  We go back in two weeks to get the stitches out but he's already refusing to go back so I have two weeks to talk him into it.

I took him and Norah to Duck Donuts after and this sweet boy didn't want to pick out donuts for himself.  He wanted to pick out donuts for Colin and made sure to get all of Colin's favorite ones. 

Tonight while Brent was putting him to bed he quietly asked Brent, "daddy....why did the doctor cut me up?"  Hard to explain to a child why you have to be proactive for cancer.  And if we mention cancer, Colin would freak out because he remembers How-How with cancer.  Colin has emptied his piggy bank each spring for the school cancer awareness week so a cure can be found and people like How-How can be cured.  These boys make me an even bigger worrier than I already was but man am I really really proud of them 

Another half

Yesterday I ran my fourth half marathon! It's still crazy to me but this time I felt really good running it which is a good thing because Sarah talked me into doing a full marathon! 

Bethany met me in Richmond. Third year running this so it's become one of my favorite fall traditions....although it was freezing this weekend and I was numb for the first few miles. 

Sarah ran her first full marathon! 26.2 miles!  

It's so fun to talk to Bethany the whole time and catch up. Halfway through Bethany handed me some energy chews. I like to eat mine all at once. Bethany took her time and ate a few every mile. Right after that I was feeling really good and was amazed at what great shape I was in compared to the last few times I've run it. And then we found out after the race that the chews had shots of caffeine in them! Ha! No wonder I felt so good.

Bethany and I are already signed up for the shamrock full marathon so it'll be an interesting winter training for it but I'm excited to train and cross that off my bucket list. And I'm hoping for a very mild winter to run.

Sarah has always ran the races first then talked me into them. First it was the 10k then the half marathon and now the full. I hope she doesn't try for anything longer! Ha! But she did amazing and is already encouraging Bethany and I on what helped her this time. 

What's that smell?

Sweet girl

Always asks me "what's dat smell?"

Sometimes I make it up if it's not obvious to me what she's smelling. 

We were in the store the other day and I was emptying the cart and holding her since she refused to sit in the cart or stand. (Not an easy task to empty a cart full and hold her) so I wasn't paying too much attention when she kept asking me what's dat smell while shoving her fingers in my face. I couldn't smell anything and said I don't know. She kept asking and shoving her fingers in my face and finally she got tired of me not answering and sniffed her fingers, licked them and proudly and loudly announced that it was pee!!!!!!! 

My big girl

This girl is growing up way too fast. 

She also has always tried to keep up with the boys too which also makes her act older.  her favorite song right now is Taylor swifts shake it off and she is constantly singing "shake it off" or saying "this sick beat ahhh" 

Babies shouldn't go up so fast! 

It's crazy that she's already older than Joel was when she was born. We are content with what we have and not planning on any more kids at the moment, but I'm not sure that longing for a baby will ever go away. 

Especially when we go visit best friends who have a newborn.  And then we are all in love and Brent tells me to stop sending him pictures like this! Ha! 

Reading

Colin and I have been reading Harry Potter the past few months. Brent was amazed one weekend when we both stayed up past midnight reading. It was then that I learned Brent has never stayed up late reading a fiction book. My brain can't imagine that at all. I have spent many many nights staying up late reading since I was little. Brent was used to the fact that I stayed up reading at night but the fact that Colin pleads to stay up every night reading is amazing to him. And even more amazing I think that Colin woke himself up at 5am to finish a chapter. 

He also found out Colin is reading another novel at school in between assignments. So basically Colin has his nose in a book all day long and I couldn't be more happy. 

He is on the last Harry potter book and I'm just waiting for him to finish so I can read it. It's my first time reading them and I'm glad it's with Colin. It's so fun talking to him about it.  We made a deal this weekend where he could stay up as late as he wanted but if he went to bed past midnight he had to take a nap the next day.  So he went to bed at 11:59 both nights! Ha! 

He woke up at 5:21 this morning to read so I'm hopeful I will be reading the final book soon.  

Leaves

We've been going on bike rides lately and Joel will stop and pick the perfect red or orange leaf. 

He refuses to take the training wheels off even though they aren't really touching - I have it so one is a few inches off the ground. But he will bike a few miles with me so the training wheels stay on. Whatever gives him confidence. He told me that when he turns 6 he will take then off 

She dressed herself and put the tutu my mom made her under her dress. (Mom she could use a few more of those!) 

It's really fun and also a little sad when we know the exact streets to go to for pretty trees since there aren't many that have turned colors or will turn colors this fall. But the fact that Norah is in a sleeveless dress in November is nice! 

He takes this job very seriously 

Homework

  Joel has had homework for the past 3 weeks. I was really nervous about this. I was worried he wouldnt want to do it and then no amount of bribing would be able to get him to do it. Thankfully he gets it all one monday and then returns it on friday. So we have a few days in there that we can let it slide if he doesnt want to do it

 But thankfully he has loved doing it.  I'm sure that will change at some point but he comes home mondays and just goes right to it. and usually will complete most of it in the first night. 

 There was one day at the end of September where he refused to get on the bus.  I had to carry him to the bus, sit him down in a seat and ask Colin to sit next to him.  And the bus driver had a 5th grade girl on the other side and left him screaming his head off.  I felt horrible and cried when the bus drove away but knew it would get worse if I drove him to school.  I was a little worried he would just bolt out the door at another stop but he came home and said he stopped crying before he got to school.  Because he didnt want to be sent home.  How ironic! but totally Joel.  Since then we've had no problem and he actually cries now that he has to come home.  Something clicked inside him and he now loves school.  He loves learning and is starting to sound out words himself. He comes home and makes up his own worksheets to complete. 

I also hear all about kindergarten.  There is one girl who likes to kiss all the boys and has picked one to be her boyfriend. Thankfully not Joel.  He doesnt tell us much about what he's learned academically but we know everything his friends tell him or do in class.  It was fun going to the trunk or treat because I kept seeing all these kids yelling "hi Joel" and waving to him.  It seems he is pretty popular in his class and according to Joel is also the fastest kid in his class.  This has been good for him because he has always competed with Colin and now he's in his own element and doing really well. 

Costumes

The boys had a trunk or treat at their school friday night.  We already had the Steve Minecraft head so that was easy to talk Joel into wearing that but figuring out what to do for Colin was harder.  He had all these intricate plans but finally I talked him into being and Enderman from Minecraft.  He wasn't thrilled at first but after figuring it out was happy with it.  All these kids were amazed and he got so many compliments that he started really loving his costume when we were there.  Which amazed me since its really just a black box over his head. But you can't buy it in the stores so that made it unique I guess.  He was happy so thats all that matters to me.  Although it was hilarious watching him do the cake walk. He couldnt  really see down so a few times when they said get on a number I'd have to lead him to one.  haha  but he did win once.  Norah was a butterfly.  Or a "princess budderfly" according to her.