Fall Fun

I've been so sick that I've been neglecting the blog. But, I don't want to forget these precious memories! Last Saturday, October 30, was Calvary's Harvest Fair or Fall Fest. I was a little disappointed that they changed the time to 1-5 since that's over our boys' nap times, but we still went at 3 when the kiddos woke up. The event is a lot of fun, and I'm always impressed when churches throw a very well-organized event as a service to the community free of charge. So many people volunteered there to make sure families had fun, and I think that's really neat. The boys played in the bounce house, road on the barrel ride, played a lot of the little tike games in the "pumpkin patch" area, won prizes and were thrilled to be there. Joshua kept saying that it was his fall party. We saw a couple folks we knew and missed others that were there but we didn't catch with all the crowds. Phredd played as we ate our hot dogs and apples, and we left after having lots of fun. Unfortunately, I didn't remember my camera. DOH!

I forgot to mention that earlier that week on Wednesday morning, I went to a little play date at my friend Renee's house. She invited me & Caleb over to 'play' (or chat) with her & Lila. We had fun. She had her third child this past May, so I was getting the scoop from her. :) Her son, who just turned 5, was also at Calvary that morning; and she was telling me about his piano lessons. I bet Joshua would LOVE lessons, so I may look into it for him.

That afternoon, Joshua had soccer shots, and since it was raining, they were in the gym. I can see why the coaches prefer to be outside. There were also other unsupervised children in the gym at the same time, and one little boy was playing basketball right next to where they were playing soccer. The other little ones became distracted, wanting to play basketball as well. The next week (this past Wednesday) they were outside again and did much better. Joshua LOVES it! He did not ask to play basketball, but he listens to every word the coach says and tries his best to complete the task. That said, I've noticed that he doesn't like to kick the ball near the other kids and will back off if someone comes toward him. I think he's afraid of accidentally hurting someone else, and he's so gentle that he'd rather just wait his turn. That said, this isn't a 'wait your turn' kind of sport. While the other kids are pushing to get toward the ball during scrimmage, he hangs back but will kick it if it comes to him and runs on the outskirts. It's fun to watch!

Moving back to last Sunday, the actual day of Halloween, Daddy decided to do some yard work. While we have taken down all our old nasty trees, the wind blows leaves from our neighbors' trees and yards into ours. I actually LOVE to look at the various colors of trees, so I'm not complaining in the slightest. Daddy is good about making piles for the kids to play in as he worked. They LOVED it! All the pictures from this post are of them that day. They were having a blast. Caleb will not look at the camera while he's having fun, so there aren't many good pictures of him. But, he was enjoying himself.

That was the last day of October. On Tuesday, at preschool they changed the calendar and Joshua was excited to tell me that October was done and it was officially "NO-vumber." Sooo cute! That night during dinner he also sang us a song that said "Hello, Mr. Turkey, how are you?" (clap clap) "With a gobble gobble and a wobble wobble" (hand motions) "Hello, Mr. Turkey, how are you?" (clap clap). Then he said "YEAH!" and put his little fist across his body - we both cracked up! It was adorable. He's also sung as (to the tune of the "the Wheels on the bus") "the family at the table says 'thank you, God'... on Thanksgiving Day!" They have a little program at preschool on November 17 (which happens to be the same morning of my doctor's appointment - if you remember, please pray that I can safely and easily make it to both!). We're looking forward to seeing him perform his Bible verses and songs.

This week I've done a lot of cooking. Eating a ton has been one way of coping with the nausea (even though it's horrendous for the waist line!). I made Grandma Ginder's chili mac (and it turned out AWESOME!) with corn bread, I made a roast in the crock pot and tried to make brown butter noodles with it (only the butter was 'light' so it wouldn't brown... we ended up with just buttered noodles, but they still tasted good). I also made tuna noodle casserole, and a couple other easy 'throw it in the oven' type dishes. Thursday night I didn't cook since I had school, and Friday I went out with friends for a Mom's Night Out. It was fun!

We've been trying to work with Caleb on potty training with little success. He can hold his water for long periods of time, but he seems completely adverse to actually going on the potty. He waits for nap time and bed time for his diaper. Oh, child! Please start enjoying the potty! He has been doing much better on sleeping in a big boy bed with Joshua. They still talk for a little bit at night, which we expect, but they also both go to sleep at a reasonable hour and don't seem to be waking each other up. We still need to rearrange the room, though.

Ever since my last post about Caleb not being a snuggle buggle, the opposite has been true. He wants to be held, he tells us "I love you!" and gives big hugs and kisses. I guess we shouldn't label either boy. They go through 'seasons' just like we do. Caleb's been enjoying coloring, reading books, and singing songs. He also puts on his big boy undies by himself. He tries to do almost everything himself, but he struggles with some things and grasps others so quickly that it impresses us.

Joshua is doing better and better at writing his name. In fact, his teacher commented on how much better he's doing. He's definitely a lefty. And he writes everything backwards at this point. But, he's working on it. He enjoys writing and learning new things. I love the artwork he brings home from preschool, and I think that it's been really good for him as he's learning how to interact with other children and learn from a teacher. He and Caleb really miss each other on preschool days, but I think that's sweet, too. They are so close!

The other day we were playing Potato Heads. The boys still love them! Caleb will put his pieces on in silly places to be funny, and Joshua always puts the same pieces on his potato, in order. Then when he's finished, he tells Caleb he'll help him, and he does. Caleb will let Joshua help him put the mouth in the right place, the nose in the right place, etc. It's cute to watch. Joshua loves the 'potato family' and Caleb likes when a potato has its tongue out so he can pretend it's licking everybody.

It's getting colder and darker, which makes me sad. Literally. I know in January if we 'get up to 40 degrees' it will feel like a heat wave, but now days in the 40s make me want to cry. We met Mamaw at Park City this past Friday morning to play at the indoor playground and let the boys burn off some energy. They had fun. Then they asked for a milkshake from "King Burger." At first they said they were out of them, and Joshua literally burst into big tears. So, the man made them milkshakes. Not sure if they didn't want to turn on the machine or if it was broken or how he did it or why they didn't have them at first and then miraculously did, but I was glad that they made the extra effort because the Bean was thrilled.

The boys & I have played the Candy Land "Gingerbread" men game for countless hours these past couple weeks. I think we'll probably have Santa get the boys some more preschool games such as this one, because they LOVE it! Joshua also plays with his Leapster and enjoys that, and Caleb has been playing with his puzzles. They both enjoy playing with cars, rolling or bouncing balls back and forth, and building things with their blocks.

Caleb's new expression that cracks me up is "That's ENOUGH!" I think he's heard it from us one too many times, and as we wipe his nose, he says it back to us. I giggle when he does. He has the sweetest little voice but tries to speak with such authority. He also has been saying "I don't fink so!"

Joshua has learned that the best answer to "which is your favorite" is BOTH! He also has been cracking us up by bringing up "Evil Dr. Pork Chop" (or ham) at various funny times. He is such a character!

There's more I could and should write, but I'll save it for another day. Enjoy the fall pictures!