Did I miss Fall?

Where has the time gone? Where ever it is, it took fall with it! It has been a while since my last post; it's always a thought away. I must say the snow we have is beautiful! What a beautiful gift! I mean how often do we get a gift dumped in our laps with such force? It is unfortunate that the weather is so cold, barely time for play or photo opportunities!

Things are going well. Thanksgiving was a joy with family. We were able to spend time down-state with both Gregg's and my family. Cousins played and food was consumed! We came home on Sunday to a house decorated for Christmas, as we had followed through with our annual tradition and decorated the weekend before Thanksgiving. We're enjoying the lights, the fires and the thought of spending time with family again over Christmas break!

Kyle is growing! Every once in awhile I look at a pair of pants he's wearing and wonder if it's his pants that are shrinking (if you know me well enough, you know that it doesn't take much for me to shrink just about anything) or his body that is growing. Kyle is doing an excellent job in school. He received all A's and one B+ this past marking period. He continues to enjoy reading, and per his teacher continues to awe his classmates with his drawing. The other day he went to the museum and loved the planetarium and the fact that they were able to "wander" throughout the building with a buddy finding things from a list they had been given. It has been a blessing to see Kyle grow. Kyle certainly isn't that little 7 year old boy we first met at the airport in 2005. Not only has he grown physically, but he's grown spiritually, academically, behaviorally and socially. It's just an amazing sight for me, and something of awe when I think about who he is today, who he was yesterday and who he might be tomorrow. I thought that once he had learned certain positive traits I would never have to remind him again or that perhaps he would never digress..I've found I was a little naive. I'll learn and so will he. He continues to do an excellent job serving as big brother to Jack! He works hard to make Jack laugh, keep him busy and keep him safe.

Jack continues to throw new twists and turns in our daily activities. He loves to go for a "ride" in anything he can turn into a ride...the walker turned upside down, the laundry basket, even the broiling pan. Though difficult to catch every word, he has quite a vocabulary and fills in with babble (yes, I'm saying he talks a lot, rarely a quiet moment) when he's not entirely sure of the words. We've dealt with biting, hitting and fits..but we've been completely consumed with laughter, chasing, teaching, playing and reading. Jack spends most of his time in the 18 month room at daycare; though he moved over a little earlier than I was expecting it has proven to be great fun for him. Most days he finds one of his favorite toys and I might be lucky to get a wave goodbye before I head off to work. Our biggest and latest issue has been the snow!! He has always loved to be outside, but once we finally got over his fear of the snow (yes, he didn't want to stand in it) we learned he hated his boots! I think his moc's have caused him to wonder what thick soles are good for. The other day I spent an hour with him in his boots and me in mine, walking around the basement sharing silly stories about cool boots...Needless to say, it worked. Jack then went outside for a few minutes and the very next day went to daycare with his boots on. The first thing he said to the first caregiver he met was "Boots" (she of course thought he said "boo" and exclaimed boo back..that's where we're working on the pronunciation), he proceeded to share his boots with everyone he met. Not only did he enjoy exclaiming his satisfaction with this new item, but he screamed when I took them off in order to settle into day care that morning. It's not over, he's not entirely pleased with the whole winter thing, and we're still working on the fun of sledding..One thing that he absolutely loves though, EATING SNOW! He begs for a piece, we've even been known to keep it in the fridge as a "treat".

We're busy preparing for Christmas fun, work is the last thing on our minds, yet we continue on! I've found my days quite a bit busier with continuous changes within our company and a growing census. Gregg anticipates Christmas break when he'll have a couple weeks off!

Fall

I love fall! On October 11th we traveled down-state for a short weekend trip. I believe we picked the best day for a fall color tour! We also were able to spend time with Gregg’s side of the family and watch our nephew, Nathan, who is a senior this year (can you believe he was that little ring bearer in our wedding?), win his last home soccer game! We’ve also enjoyed a few quiet weekends at home, spending time together and taking care of things around the house. Ahh!

Kyle is doing well. He has come to love weekends. I have found this has been helpful in at least one area; he is doing much better at keeping track of the days of the week! He even changed his calendar to the right month a few days ago. His calendar has been known to be months behind. He continues to be truly a delight. He is certainly all boy and all of ten years old, but he really is a blessing. He does very well in school and loves to read. Right now he generally struggles with rushing through work to get done. When a mistake is made on schoolwork or chores at home it’s generally because he was rushing through it to move onto something else! He knows it is something he needs to work on and he really tries to improve. Recently he received his mid-semester grades; he received all A’s and one B! Soon he’ll be going on a field trip to Lafarge’s quarry. They plan to witness a live explosion and afterwards participate in a small artifact dig. He is looking forward to the trip! Kyle decorated a pumpkin this year. I believe he had fun, but learned the hard way that sometimes the good ole’ fashioned jack-o-lantern is the way to go. He asked to be a pirate for Halloween, of which I obliged (kind of simple costume, so how could I complain?). I think the costume will look just fine…in the dark!

Jack is a riot. The kid rarely stops, laughing, talking, running, playing, moving, etc. Lately we’ve been working with him as he’s a little aggressive at daycare. I like to say he just loves a good reaction, but whether or not that is the case, I suppose we need to curtail the behavior. He and another girl, Emma, particularly like to pick on each other (at least it’s even). He’s learning what “no” means, but most importantly he’s listening when he hears the word! Needless to say we have temporarily banned him from Church nursery. He is transitioning from the 0-18 month room to the 18 – 24 month room. He LOVES the big kids and has a pretty good understanding of his place there (good behavior, means more time spent in the big kids room). Jack can talk non-stop at times, both his own language and Toddler English. Last night (at bed-time, go figure) he babbled effortlessly to himself as he climbed, jumped on and fell over a pile of outdoor cushions we had brought in from outside. He has all sorts of words as part of his vocabulary, though not necessarily pronounced correctly. Moon, doggy (for a long time we thought he was calling them daddy until we noticed a slight variation in the d-words), book, and Kyle (which is simply Ky) are a few. I believe his favorite phrase may just be “no, no, no.” Which, quite honestly, is kind of funny when said. Jack, too, will be a pirate for Halloween.

Work has been fine. Keeping busy, even though our census is low. My parents will return from their trip to Germany/Italy soon. I’ve enjoyed their stories via email thus far. I am in desperate need of a haircut but am patiently (maybe not so patiently) waiting for Thanksgiving when Anne will be able to cut it. Jack’s daycare will be visiting our nursing home on Halloween day and I am looking forward to seeing him during their visit.

Gregg finished up soccer season with a banquet on the 22nd. The whole family was able to attend (a free meal – how could I pass that up?). Jack kept everyone entertained and ate like a horse as he always does. Gregg is keeping up with the house and making sure we have wood available for our evening fires. He is also hunting. I must say that I truly appreciate his new hunting skills (learned from a very expensive conference – yes, they have those for hunters); it allows for a few more days at home, of which he and the rest of the family very much appreciate!!

On a side note, a family who has a Christian ministry in Russia will be in the states next month. They are doing WONDERFUL things in Russia (www.russia4christ.org). They will be touring a few areas, raising money for their ministry in the orphanages. Please keep them in your prayers. To see all the great things they’re doing, please check out their web-site and prayerfully consider a donation to their ministry!

Did I mention that I love fall?

This past weekend, Kyle, Jack and I enjoyed Fall Harvest Day at the Museum. I would say it was the perfect year to go, as next year Kyle may be just a bit too old. We enjoyed our time checking out the museum, visiting the old church and school house, feeding goats, petting a llama and making things. I asked Kyle what were the top three things he enjoyed and he said the stuffed animals in the museum, the live animals and making things (rain stick and a spider gourd). The weather held out for our time there, a bit chilly, but feasible. We received apples from the group at the school house and that kept Jack happy for the entire second hour of the trip!

Gregg spent his weekend at the cabin with my brothers, Joe & John, my Dad and my brother-in-law, Casey. Many late nights, no deer (though they did see some) and I am sure lots of food. Gregg has about a week and a half left of JV boys soccer. He’s also getting into the hunting season (yes, you know, the other fall season – at least I didn’t call it huntin’ seasin’). Gregg did get a doe during early gun season.

Kyle is doing well and now that soccer is over we have a little more down time to spend at home doing activities, homework, chores, etc. This weekend Kyle helped me decorate baked goods for a bake sale at work. He did a superb job! He was also a big help with Jack while Gregg was away. Jack just loves to copy Kyle, find Kyle and play with Kyle. He has been doing well at school; he has a hard time putting his reading books down, always does well on his spelling tests, and continue to enjoy his time out at recess.

Jack continues to work on his teeth – seems to be a theme. He doesn’t run a fever like he once did, but he certainly doesn’t sleep well, has a constant runny nose, gets cranky and drools a lot! He is talking quite a bit more these days, not necessarily sensible conversation, but it’s a start. This weekend he couldn’t stop copying the fun words and sounds he heard Kyle and I say. Words like, wow, ow, Kyle, hello, goodbye were abundant. He is saying Kyle’s name…It’s usually Ky, or Yle, generally not both together. He also loves to point to the sky and say moon when we leave for daycare in the mornings. Jack has a little foam chair that he loves to sit in and climb all over. This weekend he was setting the chair on it’s back (if you can imagine), then laying on the end of it, putting his head in the back rest and rolling over..basically completing a somersault over his chair…and of course ending with his eyebrows raised, his mouth open and exclaiming “Ow”!

Gretchen and Lincoln are getting used to the new schedule too! They love the days we have time to give them some exercise. I would have to say it may be one of their favorite seasons (hunting season), they love it when Gregg gets a deer! They love when Kyle plays with them and tolerate it when its Jack’s turn. Kyle will get them running or tugging, while Jack is more interested in riding on, growling alongside, using them as a step stool, or finding out what will happen if he…

Three Weeks In!

We're rounding out week three and things seem to be falling into place. Schedules are set, time with eachother is limited, but things overall are going well. Gregg drives the boys in two days a week, while I do the the other three and take them home every day a little after 4:00.

Kyle has been enjoying fourth grade. I would say thus far he has found science lab to be most fun (besides the obvious recess and gym). This week they each got a chip's ahoy cookie to test the theory of a 1000 chips in every bag. They had to count the chips in their one cookie and times it by 40...and of course eat the cookie when they were done. For those who are curious; it appears it is quite likely each bag has at least 1000 chips. He has been enjoying the rec soccer team we hastily decided to place him on this year. Unfortunately, we are being reminded all too much why we DIDN'T want him to play rec soccer, but we're hopeful for the future. He scored a goal last week, and plays a very intrical part in passing, reading the field and moving off the ball. He fits right in, talks to all his teammates and has a lot of fun. His memory (in many things, usually not in the things I tell him to do) remains to be terrific; specifically in the area of spelling words. This week he had all of his words memorized the first day after they studied them as a class. That will always amaze me (likely because my memory lacks any sort of impressive features). Kyle continues to be a wonderful big brother to Jack, often helping me out by playing with him while I make dinner or put groceries away.


Jack continues on! He is doing well at his new daycare (some old and some new workers). Finally, this week he has been just a little less clingy when I drop him off, pending there is an old worker available to greet him (and food). He particularly likes Ms. Linda, of whom he has always ben fond of and continues to melt into her arms when she takes him on. At the moment he will only take naps for Ms. Linda or Mr. Mark (the director's husband); I believe it has to do with their patience and will to win! Jack continues to climb, and now finds it fun to jump/fall off the items he's climbed. He loves animals, outdoors and anything water. He's still working on many of his words, but things like water, up, down, baba (which could mean anything), daddy, mommy, doggy, kitty, ball, hi, bye are all coming out in some sort of form. I did hear him say "Ky" the other day, but not since. I think it'll be very cool for Kyle when Jack does start to say his name. Jack loves to kiss and wave at night time, and when Gregg and Kyle aren't home for him to say goodnight to, he's happy to give the dogs kisses instead.

No plans for the moment, just our daily business. Hunting season is around the corner, and soon that will likely fill the void left by the end of soccer season.

Back To School

Did I say something about being ready for a routine and the start of school in my last blog?  What was I thinking?  Life is busy!!   None-the-less, I do see routine in the near future and I'm okay with the idea.   School started this week, and, boy is it obvious.   Traffic, schedules, homework, soccer games, lunches..the list goes on.

Kyle seems to be settling right into school.  Not really a surprise to me, he always seems to look forward to making new friends and catching up with the old.  He also likes a challenge, and like most kids, loves to show us his accomplishments (of which will apparently flow with new science experiments, daily homework assignments and the ability to claim membership within a team).  Yes, we unexpectedly signed Kyle up for a local recreational soccer team.  Our area is still quite behind, so he finds himself on a full-size field amongst a co-ed 10-U14 team for his first team experience.  He started a little late, missed a few games, but seems to fit right in and loves being a part of something bigger then kicking the ball around at home.   Sadly Kermit the frog passed away today...He came down the stairs today and noted..."I think Kermit died."  I asked him why he thought that and he stated, "Because he's all stretched out and not moving like when my other frog died".   Good observation....  We'll wait for Dad to get home.

Jack comes up with something new each day.  Today we were at the store and he saw a ball, at which time he reached for it and called out "ball" for the first time as if he'd been saying the word for months.  This evening he was playing with a turtle that plays a tune and vibrates, he found that laying on top of it was the best thing since nursing.  He has moved to one nap a day, for the most part, which in turn has made him a bit sleepier earlier in the evening so now he goes down at 7:30.   As of Monday, his daycare owner will take over a local day care center that sits behind my work.  It'll be interesting to see how he'll react in a new place (fairly recently built as a day care center, with day care facilities, activities and equipment).

At work we continue to prepare for the State's revisit..lots to do, to say the least.  I take Jack and Kyle into daycare and Kyle's bus stop three mornings a week, while Gregg handles (will handle) two mornings.  Those two mornings I'll go to work early so that I can get enough hours in that will enable me to leave every day at 4:00 when Kyle gets off the bus.  Schedules are going well in this area with recent changes... Kyle gets on the bus with our dentist's son, at the dentist office on a road just behind my work.  Jack will now go to Daycare at a center on that same road, less than minutes from Kyle's bus stop and my work.   Furthermore, Kyle's bus driver is GREAT..she drops him off at my work place every day as our dentist's son doesn't ride the bus home.  Things work out, don't they?  

Gregg is at three schools this year, and will settle in eventually.  I tell people he's still in denial, and I am sure he would agree.  He had a soccer game this evening..yes in the rain... Remember, they play in the rain.  He is finding himself quite busy with the team, but satisfied with his outlook on it this year (as am I).

September marks Kyle's adoption-- It is hard to believe as it seems as if he has always been a part of our family!

Enough said.  Praise God for a wonderful family, a home, and the many blessings set in front of us daily.

Life This Week

Each day gets a little bit busier as school draws near. It has been a good, long summer (though Kyle and Gregg would both agree it has been short). I think I am ready to get Kyle back into a daily routine (though, Kyle and Gregg would both agree this isn't necessary!). It really hit me the other day when I came home from work and found Kyle still in his pajama's, slightly stained from the past few nights of drool. I made a comment. What mother wouldn't???? Snickers, that's what I got, a snicker from both of them! Okay, so maybe, as an adult, on a particular given Saturday I may have been found to be in my pajama's come 1:00 PM, BUT, this is completely acceptable, as I am an adult. Not-to-mention, I likely had a really good excuse! I was probably busy cleaning, Kyle, on the other hand was busy having fun! As I was saying, routine, I'm looking for routine. Thankfully, it's coming, it's around the corner and come September 2nd there will be nothing any one of us can do about it!

As you may guess, Kyle is enjoying his summer. He now has a frog, apparently named Kermit (the 2nd or 3rd or 4th maybe, we're not entirely sure). He is quite fond of it and enjoys watching him eat grasshoppers, crickets and worms. I am just glad Kyle appears to be too old to have any sort of desire to eat a live frog (can you believe I have a friend whose 4 yr old just ate a LIVE FROG this past week). Kyle learned of his 4th grade teacher for this fall, I think the two of them will do well together. He is not familiar with her, but Gregg taught with her for awhile and she coached the JV girls HS soccer team for a year. We'll find out on Wednesday who his classmates will be when we attend his open house. Today Kyle attended daycare with Jack! Gregg had a game all day in Marquette, so Kyle had a day away. I think Jack was most pleased with the idea this morning. Kyle was tolerating the idea. I am sure it will give him a good idea as to whether or not he'll enjoy one more day there on Tuesday next week (Gregg has meetings all day). Wednesday and Thursday he'll go to work with Gregg and then have Friday (except high school soccer practice) and Monday off before the big day!

Jack is doing well too. He's had a rough go of it a few days this past week with a tooth that just can't poke through his gums. It seems like he has been working on it for months. He is definitely enjoying his animals. He loves to imitate different animals, and meow's regularly when he see's a picture of a "ditty" (which in his case can even be a pig). He loves to chase the dogs around, and is also becoming a little more curious with them. I know what he's thinking when he's eyeing up one of the dogs...."what will he do if I.....jump on his paw"? I'm really being tested with his 14 month old tantrums. On occassion he really gets mad, I'm talking a dramatic mad, whereas he cries, flops on the floor and puts his head in his hands. I'm hoping that it seems a little worse this week because of the tooth that's been teasing him. Time will tell, and for now I ignore it, find him something else or have my own tantrum right alongside him. Things he finds fun at the moment are: sitting in his chair and eating snacks, bringing things to us, sitting on the tractor, pulling his little pop toy around (the other day he pulled it down the entire driveway and wanted to keep going on the road when Gregg tried to turn him around!). He has also discovered the word, "hi" and has tons of fun (when he chooses to, of course) when he uses the word.

So, Mom, does any of this sound familiar? You told me my time would come...It's here!

Everything else is going alright. Soccer is in full-swing and Gregg is busy with practice and games. Most days he takes Kyle with him, and from time to time Kyle gets a chance to play with the big kids (or the hurt ones). They had their first game in Ogemaw on Monday. They did alright and won (always so much to learn). Gregg got his teaching assignment for this fall. He'll be split between three schools this year (always subject to change of course). He'll be at Wilson (the school by us) all day on Thursdays, then Long Rapids (maybe 10 min from us, and out of town) two mornings for a couple of classes, and then at Lincoln (his primary school) the rest of the time. He's sure it will work out fine.

I'm doing well. Probably more excited for school to start then Kyle is. It's fun, going to the open house, getting the paperwork for school, class list, items needed, schedules.. I love that stuff! I don't look forward to sending Jack back to daycare every day, but one of his favorite workers is a long-termer so she'll be there almost every day to help him (and me) through it! Work is fine, we survived state survey, and are now fixing the things they searched high and low for (it's amazing what they pick a part to find).

Saturday we plan on attending an air show at the base. We're all looking forward to it. It'll be 3 hours long, and I heard one of the pilots of an f-16 on the radio say that Alpena is one of the best set-ups they have seen for a show. I think it'll be great! Alpena hasn't had one in 20+ years and it's all free with plenty of time to see the planes on the ground. It should be a nice weekend (despite potential rain).

At our house one can tell that school is around the corner!  Try-outs for high school started this week, so Gregg will find himself up at the school daily for awhile..Which also means that Kyle will find himself right along side!  Gregg will coach the junior varsity boys soccer team this fall and this week marked the start of the season with try-outs.  It'll be an interesting time!

Kyle continues to enjoy his summer, even if the last few weeks will be spent with Gregg at soccer practice!  He plans on getting a frog before the summer is over, he started preparing the tank today.  He continues to be a great big brother.  He plays with Jack so well and is regularly "checking" on him to make sure he is okay.  Kyle had two friends over (brothers) on Tuesday for the day and I think they had a great time; spent a majority of it in the pool from what I hear.  Unfortunately he may be on his way to catching the cold that Gregg, Jack and I have. Kyle is anxiously waiting to hear who his 4th grade teacher will be this coming year.  We just ordered some new school clothes on-line, and he recently got his new tennis shoes for the year (he's growing!!!  he's at 4.5 shoe size and 12 slims!!).

Jack is growing..yeah, still!  He seems to enjoy twirling (though he hasn't fully mastered it) and growling like the dogs most these days.   Gretchen and Lincoln often play and growl throughout their play.  As soon as Jack hears them, he'll walk towards them and start growling.  The other day he put his face right near Gretchen's and growled.  When he twirls, he goes just long enough to make himself slightly dizzy and falls with lots of giggles.  He still loves his Dad and Big Brother.  He just lights up when he sees them.  He's working on his words still, but doesn't quite have the pronunciations down.  I would say he is still best at Daddy and Mommy, but is working on more, dog, bear, deer, shoe, and I think he tried to say kitty today.  He loves to sit at the bench with Kyle now.  I can't keep him in his high chair for too long any more.  He did finally make the sound "K", so perhaps he'll have something close to Kyle's name soon!

Oh, Gregg is a celebrity in our family as of today.  He made the local news as he was filling the Honda up at a local gas station.  They interviewed him, video taped him and did some editing back and forth for a nice little gig...Can you guess what they interviewed him on??  He was well prepared.

I have been home sick the past two days.  I think Jack and I are finally healing.  He'll go back to day care tomorrow and me to work...I've got lots to do these days, which is very nice as the day goes by much quicker!!

Kyle & Jack

Kyle had a wonderful time at camp. He says he could stay there forever. When we inquired as to whether or not he would miss us, he said "yeah". He's been doing well this summer, enjoying it most definitely. Kyle had a friend stay the night last Friday night and they had a blast! Kyle has been working hard this summer, stacking firewood in order to earn rights to a bow that he and Gregg bought earlier. Kyle has also been spending some time in the pool we borrowed, this has been great for him after receiving swimming lessons in the spring. Just last week he finally mastered a back float and most recently I've noticed him working hard in swimming back and forth.

Jack continues to entertain us on a daily basis. He begs for the outdoors, games of chase and people to watch his silly faces. Gregg & Kyle recently taught him to baulk like a chicken and mimic a deer call, so that has been added to his bag of tricks (growling like a bear and barking like a dog). He has 6 teeth in and is working on two more. Most recently he loves his morning bowl of oatmeal and pineapple!

Kyle is away at camp!

Gregg drove Kyle to Camp Chickagamee yesterday around 2:00 PM. Kyle shared that he was excited but a little nervous too. Our church holds one week of camp there for 3-6th graders. I wondered if Kyle would be okay, and Gregg assured me that he would probably be too good. I think Gregg is right! Kyle will be loving it, the outdoors, rustic, kids surrounding him!! I know he'll miss us too, especially Jack. When he came back from fishing I noticed he couldn't keep his hands off of Jack!

Gregg will spend three days at camp helping teach archery (he'll go each day, about 50 minutes away). I think it'll be nice for Kyle to see him, but we definitely feel bad at the homefront as Jack has to go to daycare during those days!

Jack is keeping us busy. Thankfully he's generally set in going to bed at 8:00PM - we actually enjoyed an early movie last night with Jack in bed and Kyle at camp! Jack will sleep through the night, but usually gets up for a bit around 5:00, maybe 6:00 AM and then generally falls back asleep for another hour or two. His napping is still hit or miss; 30 minutes one day, 2 hours the next or two naps of an 1 1/2 another - we try, but if he doesn't want to sleep he'll cry, fuss and play for an hour in his crib! The other day Gregg found him on top of the table! Yes, on top of the table; he climbed up the bench and then onto the table. Needless-to-say, he loves to climb. He also screams any time he gets denied going outdoors or climbing up steps (I can't count the amount of times that happens in a day). We're working on his 12 month old tantrums.

Work is fine! I still appreciate the setting much more than when I was there the first time. So many things have improved since then. Unfortunately, all the staff are experiencing major changes due to a new company taking over. It is evident in the current attitudes of many. Hopefully this will pass!

I hope to post more pictures this week once I take my laptop to a wifi spot. Keep checking!

One Week Post Reunion

I have had either a hotdog, hamburger or piece of chicken with chips and salsa since Sunday for lunch and dinner and you know what, it's not that bad!  I believe Gregg and Kyle are on the same roll but enjoyed a variety on Monday & Tuesday while they experienced Cedar Point with family.  

I think we felt a little depressed once everyone left!  We do hope everyone has recovered from their visit and travels!

Kyle enjoyed a few hours with one of his friends from school this evening, while Gregg played soccer in town and Jack entertained me at home.

Work has been a bear, with so many changes from our new company, everyone seems to be going just a little insane....I like to think my sanity is much better off than those of my co-workers, but I am probably not the one to ask!

Jack is doing well at letting us know when he's done eating with shaking his head no.  He also LOVES to climb.  He climbed up onto the couch and then up the back of it in attempts to reach the deer on the wall.  I was unable to witness the original event, but once home for the evening I saw his little legs and arms go!

I am working on a Jack family reunion survey; hopefully it'll be helpful.   I'll keep everyone posted!!