Look closely...

at the tv in the background. Is this a coincidence or not? You be the judge.

NO HOMEWORK!!

Avery came home today and said that he got all of his homework done at school today. He finished his spelling for the week, and literally had nothing he had to do. It was a fabulous afternoon. He was able to go outside and jump on the trampoline, play the Wii, whatever he wanted to do. Today he was able to be a kid. The reason he was able to get his work done at school was because they went on a field trip. They didn't have time to start anything, but they did have a little time in the classroom. It gets better...he had recess!! I just had to share this wonderful day with you all, since I'm quick to share the frustrating ones.

Halloween party update

Avery went to the party tonight, even though Keith and I had doubts. My hope was that he would get to know some kids in his class better. Well, there were no other boys that he knew. Apparently, it was a party for not only his age, but older kids as well. It was also somewhat of a neighborhood party. We sent him with my cell phone in case he wanted to come home for any reason, but we never got a call. I think he had fun, but I'm not sure he would do it again. He said that most of the adults were smoking, which really makes him uncomfortable. It was definitely outside of all of our comfort zones. Is this how we're going to feel for the rest of our lives?? Constantly wondering and worrying about them any time they're not with us? The older I get and the more experiences I have with my kids makes me so thankful for my parents. I wish this was information I had as a teenager. I guess nothing but experiencing it yourself can make you understand how it feels. Bummer.

I miss nap time

I really do miss nap time in a lot of different ways. I miss taking them myself, but I really miss them most when the kids stop taking them. I don't remember exactly when Avery stopped taking naps, but I think it was somewhere around 2-3. Brady stopped napping when he turned 2. I remember it very clearly because I just couldn't believe it. That was the hardest thing for me to accept, a two year old that wouldn't nap. Even after the boys stopped actually sleeping, they would just lay in their beds quietly (or not quietly) for a little while. When Brady stopped napping, I had a four year old and two year old, so I definitely needed that little bit of time to myself. Well, I'm afraid that we are approaching no nap time with Chloe. She's always been a really good sleeper, but lately she's not napping as much. Just a few months ago, she would sleep 3-4 hours easily during the day. I was hoping that she would nap until kindergarten!! :) Actually, the funny thing is that I'm not that bummed about no nap. I'll definitely miss it, but in some ways, it might make our day easier. The boys are not riding the bus anymore, so if she takes a nap, most likely, I would have to wake her up to drive to the school. It also makes getting errands done a little more difficult because I have to work around her nap. I guess there are definitely good and bad things about it. I think every time Chloe quits one phase, it's going to be hard just because I know it's the last time I'll go through it. It's so bittersweet.
I actually wrote this a couple of days ago, but I'm just now posting it. I missed her nap today for sure! The other day it didn't bother me too bad that she didn't nap. I guess it just depends on the day! Is it bed time yet?? :)

Homework

So, it's been about a week and a half since I last vented my frustrations on here. I said that I wasn't going to do it anymore, but I knew that wouldn't last very long. Avery has been coming home with one to one and a half hours of homework every night. He has so many books that they won't all fit in his backpack. He's forgetting homework and not getting everything done, which isn't like him. I think that he just has too much going on to remember everything. He's also still not having a regular recess. On top of that, we've had issues with the bus driver. I'm not a fan of the bus to begin with, but I thought we would give it a try in the afternoons. It was really nice not driving to the school and waiting in line. At first, they were being dropped off where I couldn't see them. They were supposed to be dropped off at the end of our street. I called the bus driver, and he made me feel guilty, like I was asking for him to come to our driveway. Anyway, he changed his route so that he could drop them off at the end of the street, but that made them 10-15 minutes later than usual. One of the reasons I liked the idea of the bus, was because they would get home about the same time as if I picked them up. So much for that. I guess you can't go by the website or what it's actually supposed to be. The final straw was when Avery told me that the driver yelled at some kids for spilling water. He not only yelled, but cussed at them. Avery said it wasn't just one time either. I was so mad!! I know that bus drivers aren't required to have the same education as teachers, but they should be able to control themselves around kids. They are still adults. I'm planning on calling to complain about him, but I just haven't done it yet. I want them to know that it's not acceptable to use that language around the kids. Brady told his teacher, and she seemed upset about it, and told him to tell the principal. Maybe they will do something about it without me having to complain, again. Anyway, there's the latest with our lovely school system. I'm not wondering if anything else will go wrong this year, I'm just wondering what it will be.

Jack-o-lanterns

The boys love when we carve jack-o-lanterns. Last year we didn't get around to it, so I made sure we got to it this year. Keith and I each carved one. The boys picked out a stencil,( no we didn't just carve that on our own), and we did our best. It was fun to do it, and somehow it makes us cool, even for just a few minutes. Of course the boys picked out the creepiest ones. We didn't do one for Chloe this year, but I'm sure it would have been Dora, and I really don't think I can put that on a pumpkin. I guess next year I'll have to find a pattern for that on line or somewhere. Anyway, I just wanted to share them with you all. Sorry they're so evil looking. I didn't think they would be quite that bad.

I'm not surprised...

74%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

I found this on someone else's blog, and thought it was funny. I think it's pretty accurate. It would be higher if I could think of something to blog about everyday. I'm definitely addicted though. I'm curious how addicted the rest of you are?

Aww man!!

Chloe is getting so big, and changing every day. Lately she's started saying some really funny things. If she asks for something and we say no, or if she's just bummed, she'll say, "aww man!" It's really funny to hear things like that come out of a two year old. Just today I realized where she got it. I think she picked it up from Swiper the fox (Dora the Explorer). Since Swiper isn't always nice, does that mean she's picking up bad stuff?! :) She sounds just like him too. She's very southern and most one syllable words have two or three when she says them. The girl has so much personality, and she has more facial expressions then anyone I've ever seen. This morning I heard her singing in her bed, (she still hasn't figured out that she can get out of bed by herself!!) and peeked into her room. I asked her what she was singing, and she showed me the motions she was doing with her hands. It looked like wheels on the bus, so I asked her if that was what she was singing. Well, I was wrong. She was singing, "if the devil's in the way, we will roll right over him!" I thought that was hilarious. We sang that, at her request, a couple of weeks ago in the van, but that's the last time she's heard it. Their little minds are amazing!

Halloween party

Avery got an invitation from someone in his class to a halloween party. I'm so torn about what to do. I know I'm overprotective, but is there really any other way to be anymore? I really want to let him go so he can get to know everyone better. I don't think he really feels like he has good friends yet. The problem is that I have no idea who these people are. We don't know any of the parents here. It's so stressful to figure this stuff out. I know this is only the beginning of all this kind of stuff. I know Avery's a good kid, and I completely trust him, but I don't know about everyone else. I remember my parents telling me that when I was growing up. "I trust you, but it's everyone else out there that I'm worried about!" I guess we have a week or so to decide. Sometimes I get so busy trying to figure things out myself, that I forget to turn to the one "person" who can help me the most.

Trampoline fun

We finally got around to putting up the trampoline this afternoon. August and September were too hot to play outside anyway. These cool days and perfect evenings are wonderful. I love this time of year, even if it is a month late. I was trying to get action shots of the kids, so they're kind of blurry. I had to take quite a few of Chloe to get one where she was actually in the air. We only let them jump a little since we don't have the net up yet. Notice the field behind us with the bails of hay. It's so nice to know that there will never be any houses right behind us.

Water pik

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you let a nine year old water pik his own mouth? Well, probably not, but I'll tell you anyway. Water ends up all over the bathroom, on the mirror, ceiling and walls.
To be fair, Keith and I have both sprayed the bathroom ourselves. We have to use the water pik every day to make sure Avery's mouth is clean and no food is stuck under the contraption in his mouth. His a really good sport about it all. We are already counting down until he gets everything out of his mouth.

Conferences...

I know after all the whining and complaining I've been doing on here, I should have posted last night about the conferences. Honestly, I'm simply tired of thinking about it. Have you ever had anything that consumed you so much it just left you feeling exhausted? That's where I am.

Anyway, here's the latest. We met with Brady's teacher first, and everything went great. I wasn't worried about it, but it's always nice to here that everything is going well. It's also nice to get a chance to talk with his teacher more. I'm not up at the school every week, so I don't really have a relationship with the teachers. So then we went to Avery's. Luckily there was no one in line, so we didn't have to wait too long. His teacher is super nice. I knew that the first time I met her, but without frequent communication, it's hard to keep that in mind. I do feel bad about how upset at her I've been. I'm bad about that. I assume the worst, and I have a big mouth. (I know it's hard to believe!!) Anyway, we didn't jump right in, but let her tell us what she had to say. When it came time, we mentioned that our only problem was the whole recess thing. I think she feels the same, but her hands are tied. They are trying to get outside more, but this week, they only went out once. They are having to change things around because of the new reading program. We heard the same thing from both of their teachers. That the county spent tons of money on this reading program, so that's why they are required to do 90 min. of reading. It is literally shoved down their throats. I'm so frustrated at the whole stupid situation!! I feel like the people who make these decisions aren't teachers and don't have a clue about what is really best for the kids. Anyway, we didn't pull out the print outs we brought with us about what they are required by law to get. It just wasn't that type of situation. His teacher was so nice about it, but she still doesn't quite understand how we feel about it. I don't know what we'll do now. I guess we'll just see how it goes. I know one thing though...I'm done talking about it around the kids. I've not been as good about waiting until they're in bed. I know that it affects them, so I'm determined to put it behind us and make the best of this year. I feel closer to his teacher, and I know that she truly wants what's best for the kids. Unfortunately, I think it's the system that is failing us now. So, I think I'm done venting for now. I get ahead of myself and run my mouth, and then I regret it. I am sorry for putting the majority of the blame on his teacher. Thanks for letting me vent my frustrations.

Parent teacher conferences tomorrow...

I'm hopeful that all will go well tomorrow when Keith and I meet with the boys' teachers. I'm trying to keep my posts as positive as I can, but it's been a challenge. Sometimes I just have to vent about stuff. It seems like there has been plenty to vent about lately, but I'm hoping that everything will be cleared up after talking with the teachers face to face. Brady's conference is scheduled, but Avery's teacher didn't do things the way most people do. We got a note saying that conferences are from 3:15-6:15, and they are first come basis. She said that she would like to talk with everyone, so if we could please wait on her, but if that is inconvenient to let her know. I don't think she really wants to know. On top of this, the book fair is this week, and tomorrow night is family night. How are we supposed to wait on one teacher, go to the other scheduled conference, and then bring our kids to family night so they can buy a book? Seriously, I'm not making this stuff up. I'll try harder to be positive in tomorrow's post!

Finally!!

There's always something you can't find when you move. Because we moved twice this summer, there was even more confusion. There were some things that I knew I had with me at Chris and Mindy's, but couldn't find anywhere. I knew that I had my favorite spatula with me in case I had to make any cakes, but it was driving me crazy trying to remember where I put it to move here. I love it because it's all one piece, so it's super easy to clean, and it's silicone so it's heat resistant. Something else I've been searching for, (but completely unrelated) was some stuff from Bath and Body Works that I bought this summer. I'm too cheap to go buy more, especially since I knew that it was somewhere in the house or garage. Well, last night I decided that I should look in the garage better. It didn't take any time to find exactly what I was looking for. It just shows how incredibly lazy I am!! Anyway, I was so excited to find it, that I just had to blog about it!

This is beyond random!

This is a tile in our bathroom. I think it's a little creepy that there is a skull or scary mask on it. I see this everyday, and always think it's strange. It's actually on several tiles, but this one is the most noticeable. I think I'm going to dream up some great story about it, and charge admission to see it. Wow, I really need a hobby. I can't believe I'm actually blogging about this. You're all going to quit reading now, aren't you? Oh well...

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