This Guy...

Can we all just take a moment and appreciate the fact that I am completely spoiled by this man:

 Saturday night, we went to see Love Never Dies, which was a fantastic show.

Then yesterday, he gave me a full day off. I had the opportunity to go to a yoga retreat, and he pushed me to go. He also pushed me to phone in the day, taking a lovely nap before I went and a hot bath when I got home. He made a beautiful brunch and a fun dinner. I did nothing. And while I was doing nothing, he started repairing our dishwasher and dryer. And swept and mopped.

And then this cuteness:

He wanted to read; Frosty wanted to snuggle. Melts my heart. I think I will keep him,

Halloween Happenings

 We had so much fun celebrating Halloween this year! For the first time in forever, we had no plans for the weekend and the kids had Monday off--it doesn't get much better. The weather was perfect, so we pitched the tent Friday for a little backyard camping:

 The kids spent three nights in the tent and most of the days. Brad and I loved sitting upstairs at night with the window open listening to laughter and watching flashlights swirl around the tent.

Sunday, we carved the pumpkins:

 But we also got a little unconventional. Issa wanted to melt crayons over hers, and I was afraid the prolonged heat of the hair dryer might turn the pumpkins to mush. Enter my creme brule torch:

 And Evan wanted his to look like a planetarium dome. Enter the drill:

 And then Brad got crazy and attached smaller pumpkins to his:

 The end results were pretty special:

 Monday, the kids decided to decorate pillow cases for trick-or-treat bags:

 And then we baked Halloween cupcakes:

 And then I texted Brad that I had lost my mind and it was all too much crafting.

Tuesday night, we had our annual street party pizza dinner prior to trick-or-treating:

It took two pictures to be able to see both of mine. I love how this crew just keeps expanding! The older ones just keep bringing their friends to us instead of leaving. Issa invited Ellie to come this year:

 They actually walked the neighborhood with Ellie's family, but I insisted on the sibling picture before they left:

 Harley Quinn and Deadshot had a great night!

Evan invited a friend to walk with him, and then he ended up at our house for hot cocoa and the great candy swap:

I loved passing out treats to about 400 kiddos, and I was so impressed by the sheer joy of the evening. All of the families were relaxed and polite and just enjoying the night. And with that, we said goodbye to Halloween 2017:

Part Cat

So...I have a small secret: I have become a carpool cat-napper. Since Issa has to be at the studio so close to the time school gets out, two days a week I pick her up. If I'm not there 45 minutes before the bell rings, I'm out on the street worrying I'm going to get crunched by passing traffic. So, I go early. I always have grand plans of grading or responding to emails, but the sun comes in and the van is so cozy. I've discovered I can pop my sunglasses on, lock the doors, and get a super high quality power nap. It's a good thing.

And so it begins...

Issa has another spirit week, and today is hat day:

The hat is not the noteworthy bit, however. She is wearing my sweater. That is all.

Little Man

Brad is in Denver for work right now, and I saw a completely different side of Evan last night--one my mom has been telling me about.

With Brad gone, Evan has decided he needs to be the man of the house in the most adorable and impressive way.

We had a tornado watch last night, and Evan took it upon himself to check the alerts every fifteen minutes, keep us updated, and remind us we were just fine and it wasn't time to worry yet. He stood with his little hands on his hips watching the wind and evaluating the sky until the watch lifted.

When he was getting ready for bed, he went room to room and put down the windows and locked them tight. He was quite aggravated I asked him to leave the back door open--even though I promised to close and lock it when I went to sleep. He checked the garage door twice, and reminded me three times to lock the back door before I went to bed.

It was so sweet to watch him shift into this caretaker role. It was one of those parenting moments where it felt like we might be doing something right.

Such a Fun Weekend

This was another weekend for the books!

Brad was in the mountains doing a hiking meditation with some of his dojo friends having a fabulous time! Meanwhile, the kids and I packed our weekend with all kinds of fun.

Issa had dance Saturday morning, and Evan headed to the dojo to coach Mighty Dragons. I was so proud I thought I would burst:

 While many of the coaches watched the littles warm up, Evan jumped in there with them. Sometimes the kid drives me crazy, but then he has these moments that are beyond redeeming.

We picked Issa up from dance and Nana up at her house and then we headed to a Cailidh here in Hillsborough! It was a Scotish music festival at a historic home built by someone from Scotland. I'm sad to say that I've lived here for 12 years and never ventured to Ayr Mount until this weekend. It is gorgeous:

 See...punk moment. Evan was not into pictures. The Poet's Walk on the property is absolutely gorgeous down by the river:

 And it was such fun to walk while we listened to the fiddles and pipes.

Before our walk, we had fish and chips on the lawn and listened to a fabulous duo on guitar and flute. The floutist also sang, and she would tell the story before each song.

I think the highlight for the kids, though, was Nessie:

 She was made of a tube and floated on the pond as we listened to bagpipes.

Saturday night, Issa, Nana, and I went to see Little Mermaid:

 It truly was magical! The way they did the costumes so the mermaids and fish swam was amazing. I was not prepared to be impressed, but I truly was.

Sunday, the kids and I decided we needed a pajama day to recover from all the fun. We were very productive: cleaning, grading, doing homework. We just did it all in our pjs.

Sometime mid-afternoon, I heard whispers that can only mean trouble. I came out of the kitchen to see this:

It seems Evan shot his little rubber chicken and got it stuck on the ledge. Nothing a little PVC pipe and a bungee cord couldn't handle. Why they had PVC pipe and bungee cord upstairs is a quandry, but that was just not a question I was willing to ask.

An Escalation

The rat has escalated.

Last night, I tucked it in Brad's gi sleeve. I was sure he would feel it when he packed his bag. He did not. It was discovered when he went to get dressed in the dojo changing room. I'm pretty sure that we now are "that weird family" at the dojo.

So...I kind of had it coming. I went to put on my shower cap this morning, and I screamed. Not a little shocked gasp. I screamed. The rat was inside.

Issa took it and put it somewhere. I'm a bit afraid of where it will end up next. Halloween must arrive before my nerves are completely shot.

Dental Drama

Just once I would love to take the children to the dentist without being summoned into the little room on the right. Alas, yesterday was not that day.

A year ago, Evan received the official diagnosis of a dental delay. His baby teeth are just super happy in his gums. He has lost four on the bottom, but that is it. Yesterday, the dentist told me it isn't time to worry, but it is time to be proactive.

We now have an appointment with an oral surgeon at the end of the month. It sounds so scary when they start the conversation with that referral, but we are looking at one of three option which can only be determined by an oral surgeon and his mac-daddy dental equipment.

We are hoping for option one: his teeth are just comfy. If that this the case, we may pop the baby teeth out just to encourage the big one to drop, but we could also just wait it out.

Option 2: he has two sets of adult teeth in the front. This is a bit more complicated. The two sets could be blocking each other. If that is the case, they would pull the baby and one set of the big teeth. Problem solved.

Option 3: his big teeth are slighted shifted up there. If that is the case, they aren't pushing the baby teeth out. We would pull the baby teeth and then look forward to orthodontia.

All in all, none of these are terrible, and we will know at the end of the month. That said, I would still really love a boring day at the dentist.

Little Rats

Fair Warning: If you come visit us you might find a tragically pathetic fake rat hiding somewhere odd.

Two years ago, Buddy the Elf arrived on Halloween riding said rat. Buddy left; the rat stayed as decor.

Last year, the kids and Brad spent the Halloween season moving him around to unexpected places.

This year, Brad and Evan have upped the rat hiding game. Yesterday morning, I awoke with a crick in my neck only to discover I had unwittingly slept with a rat under my pillow--that's how tired I was the night before. Of course, the rat then moved to Evan's bed for when he woke up.

Last night, we climbed into bed to find the rat hiding right where Brad's feet go. He took the rat and put it in the pants Evan planned to wear this morning, which was a rude awakening for the boy, who then put the rat in the underwear Brad had laid out. Brad moved it to Evan's room, where it was quickly spotted and the hiding place declared lame.

The rat is now somewhere. I have no idea where. However, I have been assured it will not impact me at all. I am not holding my breath.

Lovely Weekend

This was a crazy busy weekend, but it was all really fun!

Friday night, we started the weekend at the Latino Festival at school. Brad and I were only there for a half an hour before we left the kids with Nana and went to a friend's house for dinner. I got to man the maracca booth, and I think I have successfully gotten all of the rice out of my shoes by now.

Saturday morning, I wrote the final Read-a-Thon report while Issa worked on homework. When the boys took off for the dojo, Issa and I took off for a lunch date at Pizza Hut:

 She had earned a BookIt free pizza (yes! BookIt still exists!), and she was very proud to plop that certificate down. We talked for the entire hour we were there. I'm so grateful that she still talks and wants to share everything.

When the boys got home, we ventured out to the pumpkin patch! We went to local family farm, and we had a blast. This was the best I could manage at a sibling pic:

 They had a fun slide, a mediocre hay ride, and a more challenging than imagined ball toss:

 They also had amazing pumpkins! Issa is going for a non-traditional sculpture made of tiny white ones this year:

 Brad hauled his and Evan's because Evan helped Dad choose two tiny ones to make into eyes for Daddy's big orange one:

 I can't wait to see how these turn out!

Sunday, Issa, Nana, and I headed to the ballet with my students:

I think it was the best afternoon of ballet I have ever seen! It was a Halloween theme of three ballets: the woman in the white veil (my fav), The Raven (Nana's fav), and Sleep y Hollow (Issa's fav). There were moments that made the entire audience gasp, and it was some of the most thoughtful choreography I have ever seen.

This week promises to be a little calmer; here's hoping!

Our Little Reluctant Writer

This boy. See that ornery face:

 He may be the end of me. He is stupid smart. His mind works a million miles a minute. His pencil, however, is a bit reluctant. If left to his own devices, his handwriting looks like something an elephant did with its trunk. Enter the new writing homework...

Each week, his teacher will send home a prompt for his to write about. Last night, he was to imagine what would happen if he had a dinosaur. After his initial insistence that he had all week and shouldn't have to do it last night because I am the meanest mom ever, he finally realized I wasn't budging on this (in case he didn't do his best work and had to redo it today), and he sat down to write:

He wrote a great paragraph about his pet pterodactyl that would fly he and his friends all over the world to eat good food. He smiled while he came up with his idea, and he wrote neatly with proper spelling and puctuation--just like we all knew he could.

Issa is quite convinced he might be a novelist when he grows up. I'll be content with getting out of third grade without me pulling all my hair out.

Caught Up

Much of my weekend looked like this:

I spent the weekend digging out from September. My house has been deep cleaned, and I'm caught up at work--including all the grading. It is good.

That being said, by the end of the weekend I was over it. You know it's bad when I'm jealous because Brad "gets" to stain the mailbox post. There was something more alluring about big projects versus the mundane. But...it is nice to be back to rights and out of the hole.

We already have big plans for next weekend, and I can't wait! Now to just stay this caught up so I can enjoy it guilt free!

Bit of a Week

I've been wanting to blog all week, but life has just been a bit much. Nothing bad--just busy. 

Last weekend, Issa got to take a Master Class with a hip hop instructor from NYCDA:

 Hip Hop is definitely still not her favorite, but she is liking it more and loved the class!

Thankfully, one of the other dance moms volunteered to take her home from the class and keep her for the night! We pawned Evan off on one of his friend's families, and Brad, Mom, and I went to see Circus 1903! We had a fabulous Cuban meal before hand, and the show was a lot of fun!

The kids came home Sunday morning to discover we had been Booed! You know it's a good bag when Evan asks to take a picture with his new cup:

 We also decorated for Halloween Sunday. I've very amused by our haunted ship:

 And Mother Nature helped us out with this authentic decor on our back door:

We loved watching him work until the wind blew the web down.

The rest of the week was kind of a blur, though! Read-a-Thon is basically over, and it ate up a lot of my time this week. I'll pick up the teacher surveys early next week and then write the final report.

Wednesday night, Brad and I went to the Optomist Club executive committee dinner. Our chair won a four course tasting dinner at the Angus Barn at a charity auction, and he used it for this event. It truly was amazing. We were down in the wine cellar, which we got to tour. They have been on Wine Spectator's list continuously since 1986, which is a huge deal. The meal was amazing, as were the wine pairings, and it was a lovely evening celebrating the fact that the event raised $38,000 for charity--$10,000 more than last year! Somehow, Brad and I left as the new webmaster and secretary.

I've been on fall break the past two days, but I've spent it Read-a-Thoning and deep cleaning the house.

Thankfully, we have a pretty quiet weekend. Issa has three days of dance, but they are not long days, and I have a mound of grading. Brad and I Evan are creating a training space in the garage. It will be busy, but it will also be lovely to just enjoy some fall weather and rest a bit before what I truly hope is a much quieter week!

"One Day Without Incident"

Well...we are no longer drowning, but our little family does seem to still be a bit on the struggle bus. Lots of little quirks have popped up this week which have made the transition away from crazy a little bumpy. We still haven't clean cleaned, and the laundry is still mounding. We have discovered the bottom of the kitchen, though, so there's that!

Last night, Brad decided we needed to go out to dinner to celebrate all that is going right. It was a brilliant move. No dishes. No cooking. Just talking and laughing.

Over dinner, I wanted everyone to be proud of me because I passed on another volunteer opportunity, and Brad declared, "Huzzah! We need to get you one of those signs: 'One Day Without Incident." Instead of injuries, we will celebrate days without you volunteering for something!"

He was kidding, and we all were rolling with laughter, but it's true. And I'm trying. What I'm grateful for, though, is a family that supports my crazy schemes--especially a husband that is a real partner in this crazy life of ours. I can't imagine doing it without him.

It's Fall!!!

I so love fall! It's absolutely my favorite time of the year. The leaves have been changing, and I find myself getting giddy everytime I drive down the highway and see a little more yellow.

And then this arrived in the mail last night:

And now I will be hauling out all the pumpkins. Life is good.

We made it!

We made it to the last week in September! The past two weeks were a whirlwind of chaos, but we made it!

Both conference presentations went well last week, and I left both conferences with a couple of new ideas, which is always my goal.

Read-a-Thon is in full swing and going well! We are a little ahead of last year, so I'll take it!

The house is still standing, and today I will start a deep clean. Brad did a Herculean job keeping our heads above water, and I'm looking forward to settling back in to my housekeeping routines.

This weekend, we have nothing but fun planned and I can't wait!

Wacky Tacky

This kid:

She is fearless. This is her first middle school spirit week. Yesterday she and Ellie twinned in their TTP t-shirts and matching headbands. Today is wacky tacky, and she went all out. I'm so proud...and I'm also really hoping at least one friend went all out, too. Let's just keep it real.

I Have the Coolest Family

We had a fabulous weekend. I'm exhausted, but everything went so well!

Hog Day was a tremendous success! Our first dessert competition had a goal of ten entries and $100 raised. Those were Mom and I's goals. The Board just wanted it to happen and didn't care if they needed to spend up to $200 to make it so. We had 11 entries and made $206! What was even better was that it was a true family affair. Both kids pitched in and worked hard. Mom ran the bake sale prep while I ran the judging. Brad sliced and plated every dessert for the bake sale. We had a few learning curve moments, but we problem-solved and the larger group had no idea. It was beautiful!

Yesterday, Issa and I went to the ballet. She djed there and back, and I just love hanging out with her these days. She has a wicked sense of humor, and I am so grateful she still wants to hang out with me. Last night, I was working on Read-a-Thon rosters at the table, and she sat down with her laptop to do some school work. She put on her music, and we sat and worked and occassionally chatted. It was lovely.

I think I will keep these people...

This Week Brought to You by Coffee and Jesus...

...not neccessarily in that order.

Over the summer, I volunteered for many things not quite realizing how the stars were aligning. So...the run down.

1. Read-a-Thon started yesterday. This weekend and Monday, this happened:

 630 folders stuffed and ready to go. They were distributed Tuesday morning.

2. Tuesday we celebrated this very shy 11 year-old:

 Bless her heart. She had planned a grilled meal, but Irma. So...we went to Weaver Street and made a quick cake.

3. Yesterday was the official Read-a-Thon kick-off:

I got the bulletin board up and spent the entire lunch reading and talking about Read-a-Thon with all the children. It was so fun! But exhausting.

4. Tomorrow is the Hog Day Dessert Competition! So. Many. Last. Minute. Details.

5. I'm running a state-wide conference next Wednesday.

6. I'm presenting at a conference Thursday.

7. I'm presenting at a conference Saturday.

8. Bless. I'm tired.

Happy Birthday, Issa!

Somebody turns 11 today!!! She begged us to start the celebrations this morning, and we were too happy to oblige she woke up to gifts on the table:

 And balloons in her door:

 Evan might win this round of gift giving:

 We were so impressed by his thoughtfulness. He wanted to get her a headband from Headbands for Hope for her, and he chose it completely on his own. I think her face says it all.

From us, Issa desperately wanted a microscope:

 I don't know who was most excited:

 Brad has been plotting with her science teacher to get something similar to what they use as school. He also chose a slide mounting kit and a couple sets of prepared slides so she could look at things right away:

 I think we will be looking at all manner of crazy things in the coming days.

This girl:

Well...I think she is just about the coolest 11 year old ever! I love the person she is becoming. She's kind, thoughtful, and genuinely funny. I sure do love her!