Christmas Newsletter

It's December 22nd, three days 'til Christmas, and I'm just getting around to our family newsletter. Because of my extreme need to never be late, I'm posting it instead of putting it into the mailbox. In my mind, if it's not written, sent out and arrived by December 25th, it's late.

We've had a good year. Thankfully, we didn't have too many remodeling projects, like last year. We tiled the backsplash to complete our kitchen and added some additional landscaping. Our biggest news, and boy was it a surprise, was finding out we're expecting a baby, Boy #3, on May 17th (our anniversary). I've been feeling pretty well; my daily workout helps a lot. I can't seem, though, to eat enough tuna, pizza or grapefruit juice.

We had a great, two-week vacation to Miami this summer. Normally we go down for just a week, so we really enjoyed the extra time this year. We took full advantage of our trip and spent everyday either swimming at the beach/pool or on day-excursions. It was really nice, too, to spend time with Robert's cousin who passed away just a few days after coming home.

Robert is always busy at work--never a dull moment at the courthouse and never a lack of criminals. He's hired two new attorneys this year, so he's spent quite a bit of time training them. He's still in the Bishopric, so his evenings are spent doing church stuff, playing with the boys, or watching KU.

I'm still teaching piano lessons and volunteering at the boys' schools. I was put in the Primary presidency again this summer. I've started counting down the days 'til my "free time" ceases to exist and becomes "baby time".

Adam (7 y/o) and Matthew (4 y/o) are both in school this year. Adam is in 1st grade. He is doing very well. His need and thirst for knowledge is often insatiable. He was put in the Gifted Program (2 years early) and loves it--finally something a bit challenging. Matt attends Preschool three mornings a week. He loves all the hands-on activities his teacher does. His love for scissors has gotten out of control. Just in the past week, he has cut up Christmas decorations, important papers and his clothes. He is the tease of the family, always finding the humor in every situation.

Besides Legos and reading, Adam is hooked on the piano. I started giving him lessons last month. His obsessive nature wants a lesson everyday. I've limited it to three times a week. He'll easily practice 30-60 minutes a day.

Matt will be in Kindergarten next year, so he and I are just enjoying our time together. He soaks up all the one-on-one attention. He's my little pal--and mischief maker. He's currently hiding behind the couch eating candy. He thinks I don't know he snuck it from the cupboard.

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas. Thanks to all those who have sent cards. It's nice to keep in touch.

Love,
Robert, Heidi, Adam and Matthew

Santa's Lap

Here's our annual pictures of sitting on Santa's lap. Matt had his Preschool Christmas Party this morning. Adam was invited to attend, too. Adam told Santa he wants a Wii and a Nintendo DS (expensive taste). Matt said he wants a snowman action figure (????).

Piano Recital

Last night we had a piano recital at our house for my piano students--all three of them. Adam had been looking forward to it all week with much anticipation. He did tell me afterwards, he was so nervous he thought he was going to wet his pants. He did very well, considering he's only had lessons for six weeks. Each student played two songs. Adam played, "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" and "Just a Second". The actual recital took 10 minutes max, followed by 20 minutes of refreshments and 60 minutes of playing downstairs with all the kids.

My piano students--Abe Kentner, Adam Kennington, and Spencer Hunt--notice they're all boys.

Let The . . . .

Nesting Begin!!! I shampooed our carpets yesterday. Ahhhh, it's nice to have that done. Now on to the next project.

Happy Trails & Happy Times

Here are some of our newest photos. I'm a bit late, and perhaps a bit lazy, but at least they're here. Adam has been thrilled to be taking piano lessons. Nearly everyday after school he asks if he can have another lesson. Sometimes I have time and sometimes I don't. On those days that I don't have time, he asks if he can teach himself. He's doing quite well. He has now started "teaching" Matthew, which they are both very excited about. I love the photo above--they both look so cute.

Here's Adam riding one of Aunt Kim's horses. I didn't think Adam would want to do this because he has an issue with germs & animals. He really enjoyed it, though.

Matt didn't want to ride the horse but he was definitely curious as to what they were eating and drinking.

St. Nicholas visited our house the night of December 6th and filled the boys' shoes with goodies. It such a fun tradition that we adopted from living in Europe as children.

I'm So Crafty...

I'm so crafty............I (unexpectedly) create people!

ETA is May 17th (happens to be our anniversary).

Final product is a boy! (thank goodness I don't have to buy a bunch of new clothes)

This was so completely not planned. To be honest, I'm still in shock and can't completely believe I'm pregnant--even though I've had 16 weeks to process it. And I never thought I'd be having a baby at 36. So, how's that for a shock. It was the surprise of the century for us.


As for other news, Adam has been tested and put into the gifted program at school. Typically the students don't start this until the 3rd grade. However, the 1st grade curriculum was simply not challenging Adam at all. We're really glad and grateful his teacher and school recognized his need for something more demanding. Since he's the only 1st grader in the program, he'll have one-on-one instruction with the gifted teacher each week.

Rob is off to Topeka for the next few days on a business trip. We just got back on Sunday and now he's gone again.

All & all, it's been quite a week.....and it's only Wednesday.

CO/WY Trip

We had a fun week up in Colorado and Wyoming. We spent a couple of days in Fort Collins, celebrating (some more) Adam's birthday. What can be better than swimming, Toys-r-Us and Chuck E. Cheese? Tuesday afternoon we drove up to Cheyenne, so Grandpa could do dental exams on all of the boys. Adam had to have an extra procedure done, too. Thank goodness for free dental care and Grandpa. Talking about teeth--Adam lost two teeth while in Cheyenne. On Wednesday, Adam and Matt spent the day with Grandma, which means McDonalds, chocolate chip cookies, and new toys, while Robert, my sister, Holly, and I drove down to Denver to go to the temple. We didn't have Thanksgiving on Thursday because Derek, Alexis, Evan and Greta (my brother and family) weren't arriving 'til 6pm. We went to the Salvation Army during the morning and volunteered. My mom and stepdad also happened to be driving their truck through northern Colorado on Thursday so we all got to see them. That was a fun and unexpected surprise. Adam and Matt were enthralled with the big semi and all of it's buttons. Holly and I got up before 5am on Friday and headed out to do some shopping. I found some good toy deals. The great thing about shopping on Black Friday is I'm always home by 7am. Adam and Matt really enjoyed playing with their cousins, Evan and Greta. I wondered how much the boys would pay attention to them since they aren't quite two years old yet. But, they had great fun together. I think Adam and Matt loved the attention Evan and Greta gave to them. I was a bit surprised how patient Adam and Matt were with them. We had our big Thanksgiving dinner on Friday. Then on Saturday we went back down to Fort Collins to Owen and Kim's house (brother and sis-in-law). They train and board about eight horses on their property so Kim gave the kids pony-rides. Matt wasn't up for it this year but Adam really enjoyed it. In fact, he went twice. We then headed into town for some close-to-authentic British fish and chips, which were yummy. We're picky about our fish and chips since we've had the real thing from our relatives and travels in England and New Zealand. We burnt off lunch at the swimming pool. It was a fun Thanksgiving trip. We hadn't been anywhere for Thanksgiving for the past four years so it was nice to go and especially to have everyone there.

Hip, Hip, Hooray...

...It was Adam's birthday! Doesn't that face prove he had a great day?! Adam loved his birthday. He said he wanted to eat junk food all day...so he did--doughnuts for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and of course, his favorite, McDonalds for dinner. He wanted to stay in his pajamas all day...so he did--until 5:30pm when we went to McDonalds. He opened his gifts in the morning and spent the day playing with them. After dinner, we let him rent a movie from Hastings and stay up late to watch it. Last month he decided he didn't want to have a birthday party with friends but instead do a fun, special activity. Tomorrow we're heading to Cheyenne, WY for Thanksgiving break. On the way, we're stopping in Ft. Collins, CO to go to Chuck E. Cheese and Toy-r-Us. We even found a killer deal ($45) at the Hilton, so we'll stay a night (even though it's only 45 minutes from Cheyenne) so the boys can swim and have fun.

Hip, Hip, Hooray...I'm 7!!

Posing with his presents. Thanks Grandmas, Grandpas and Nanna for the fun presents!

His version of cake and ice cream was a bit different this year. He wanted a KitKat Ice Cream Pie and SpongeBob cupcakes. He enjoyed both.

Happy Birthday

Today is Adam's 7th birthday! Here he is posing with his new glasses.

I'm a Pretty Princess

I warned Matt if he dressed up in my clothes, I would take a picture of him.

Attack of the Naughty Boys

For those of you with boys, you know that potty humor simply comes with the package. They are born with a potty humor gene. Sunday evening Adam and Matt were going to town, talking about anything and everything that involves potty talk, male anatomy, bodily functions , etc. It dawned on me that next week we'll be spending time with our niece and nephew for Thanksgiving. My boys are going to corrupt them! They will no longer, especially Evan (he's a boy--he has the gene), have innocent, nearly 2 year old, minds and vocabulary. Matt is thrilled about this prospect. He wants to try to teach Evan how to burp. So, Derek and Alexis, if you read this, we warn you and we apologize in advance.

Low-Key

The Primary Program is over! Hallelujah!! This was the 4th one in six years I've been in charge of. The kids did great, everything went fine, and thank goodness, I've got a year before I have to do it all over again. I intentionally planned nothing for this current week, so I could simply relax and enjoy doing nothing. The boys are doing well. Adam got his glasses and likes wearing them. I'll post a photo as soon as possible. He looks like a little professor. Matt keeps us laughing--he is a hoot. He's loving preschool and is starting to get out of his 'shy' phase--which is great, because he's beginning to share his sense of humor with others, and not just at home, with us.

Sad Day

It was a sad day today. This morning I finally put away my summer clothes. I wish I could wear shorts year round. It's always hard for me to do this, simply because I don't want winter to arrive. I guess I can now officially start my countdown to spring when I can pull them back out again.

Dr. Appt.

I took Adam to the doctor today. My baby needs glasses. He seems so young to get glasses. He's very excited, though. I remember when I was 8 years old, we were visiting my grandparents and cousins during the summer. My 12 year old cousin, who I thought was super cool, had both braces and glasses. In retrospect, she probably looked a bit dorky, but to me, she looked awesome. I told my mom a number of times that summer that I needed both braces and glasses. Go figure--it must be an age thing to want to wear glasses.

Halloween '09

Is there anything better than Halloween for a kid? Maybe their birthday and Christmas, but not much else. Halloween is pretty hard to beat. Adam and Matt were anxiously counting down the days until Saturday. It was all very exciting but boy, was it a busy week. The beginning of the week I was busy helping Adam's class, teaching piano, going to Liberal for Adam's appt., finishing up the Primary Program (at the library since our hard drive and printer are kaput but that's another story), going to a luncheon and visiting teaching (and that's what I can still remember). The second half of the week was dedicated to Halloween activities---and there were a bunch. Friday morning I helped Matt's preschool class with their party. Then went straight to the church to set up the Primary's activity for the ward party. From there we went to Adam's school to help with his class party. We got home and had a message from the library saying that Adam had won a pumpkin. So we raced over to pick it up. Ate a quick dinner and went to the ward's party and trunk-or-treat. Saturday was a bit calmer. We took the boys to see "Astroboy". We hadn't been to a movie in a few months, so they enjoyed that. Their Grandma had sent them some McDonald Dollars, so we went there for dinner. By that time, they were more than ready to start trick-or-treating. We left the house about 6:45 and were out 'til 9:00. They had SO much fun. The first hour they ran from house to house. The weather was great. We didn't even need jackets. We just went around our neighborhood and didn't have to drive anywhere. It was great. Most of houses were participating. One of them had set up a haunted house. It was sooooo good! We went twice.

Here's Matt's preschool class. He's kneeling, first one on left.

Here's Adam during his school's Halloween parade.

Matt was GI Joe. Getting him to cooperate for a picture is like trying to get a donkey to cooperate. I finally told him he could act tough and didn't have to smile. Whew, what a lesson in patience.

Adam is Dan from Bakugan (Japanese anime). Don't tell him I put this picture up. He, on the other hand, loves to take pictures and will ham it up.

YEAH, WE'RE TOUGH!!

Checking out their stash! Notice Adam's pile is larger--Matt gave him everything he didn't like. There is a dentist in town that is buying Halloween candy for $1/lb. The boys picked out what they don't like and we're going to take it in tomorrow, so they can earn a little money. The dentist is then sending the candy to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Fall Post

Well, we're in the thick of Autumn. There are lots of nice things about Fall--pretty leaves, crisp apples, Halloween. But to be honest, the first thing I think of about Fall is simply it means we're getting closer to winter and cold weather. And I can't stand winter. However, I'm trying to keep a positive spirit about the season. So, I'm focusing on the good things. We've got one week 'til Halloween. The boys are getting excited. I've carried on a Halloween tradition from my childhood. Every night during the last week before Halloween, my mom would come into our rooms after we had gone to bed but before we had fallen asleep. She would have a lit candle and would say in a spooky voice how many days 'til Halloween. Adam and Matt love this. Tonight is the first night of the countdown. I haven't reminded them about it, so they'll be surprised this evening. Here's a photo of the scary face I made for our front door. The boys think it's really cool because it's scary. The pumpkins are the ones we grew in our garden. The other two photos are of the boys helping with yardwork this morning.

Our Weekend

Last week, Robert got really sick. I took him to the dr. on Wednesday because he had started coughing up blood. They thought he might have swine flu so they did a flu test on him. Thankfully, it came back negative so he could take antibiotics. Initially we had plans to leave on Thursday for Kansas City to visit Rob's parents but we weren't sure if he would feel better or if we would go at all. By Thursday evening, he was feeling a lot better. I even let him sleep back in our room. He had been quarantined to the guest room in the basement, so we could avoid his germs. By Friday morning, he hadn't had a fever for more than 24 hours and he felt up to the trip. So, we quickly packed and got on the road in two hours. We stopped after a couple of hours for a break and some lunch. We pulled into Wendy's parking lot and Adam said, "I'm going to throw-up". We quickly opened and the door and he quickly did his business. I think he had just gotten carsick because he still had an appetite and wanted to eat lunch. He ended up eating 11 nuggets, oranges and a drink. We made it up to Kansas City (6 hours away) without anymore excitement. Saturday we did some shopping and had a nice bday dinner for Robert. We went to church on Sunday and saw old friends. We got a late start home--didn't leave 'til 1:30pm. Again, on the way home, Adam started feeling carsick. Thankfully, nothing came to fruition. We drove a few hours and stopped for dinner. By the time we got back on the road, it was 6:30-7pm and was getting dark. The last 110-120 miles we have to drive on a small state highway. It is desolate, has no shoulder and very seldom any traffic. We had 50 miles to go and BAM--a deer ran into our van. The driver's door, front panel, and headlight are all dented. In fact, the door will only open up about 8-9 inches without resistance. Thank goodness I'm not a big person. We have had the worst luck the past four months with moving objects and our van. Our car accident in June resulted in a $130 monthly increase for our car insurance. We haven't called yet about the deer because we're afraid what that will do to our monthly premium. Dumb deer!

What a Life!

Today I was thinking about the life of a 4 year old. They've got it good. They're old enough not to have to take naps, don't need to wear diapers, can get themselves a snack, don't have to go to school, and pretty much get to play all day. My 4 year old spent the day watching a little bit of Spongebob, played with Play-Doh, had lunch prepared for him, then made chocolate chip cookies, played with Mom whenever and whatever he wanted, watched a movie, played with his brother, had dinner prepared for him, and now gets to have someone read to him. It's like a permanent vacation.

Birthday Celebration....?

Yesterday was Robert's birthday. I won't say how old he is now, but the "less-than-a-year-to-enter-his-fourth-decade" countdown has begun. He took the day off, lounged around, watched TV, took some naps........because he was SICK. What a bummer-being sick on his birthday. We had an abbreviated version of a birthday party. No special birthday dinner--just chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. No birthday photos--he wasn't "beautified". And no birthday cake--at least for him. The boys and I enjoyed it. He finally felt better today and had a piece after lunch. Some type of flu bug has been going around here. Matt woke up at 4:30 this morning with a fever. He spent the morning in bed, when he wasn't throwing up. Adam finally felt better yesterday and went back to school. He had been sick since Friday. He said half of his class was absent yesterday. I haven't gotten sick yet and hopefully I won't. However, I'm exhausted from taking care of all of them and cleaning and disinfecting the house everyday.

A Bit of a Blur

The past couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur--the feeling of "where has the time gone?". These are the random things I remember from the past 14 days. Grandma & Grandpa Leonard came down from Cheyenne the last weekend in September. The boys were excited to show them our 'new' (almost a year old) McDonalds. We also went to a craft show in the area and had a picnic afterwards. The previous post told about all the stinkin' repairs we've had lately. The van is back in the shop today, getting the final repair. Rob and I took the vacuum apart, but alas, it is still not working properly. It sucks up the dirt; it just doesn't go in the canister. So where is it going? Hmmm, the mystery of the day. Adam came home early Friday afternoon with a fever. He still has a fever, a bit of a cough and sore throat, and he threw up this morning. So, is it swine flu? I don't know. I know he has the symptoms of swine flu except for the high fever. His has been between 100-101, and it tends to come and go. Is it the regular flu? I don't know. I took him in 10 days ago and he got the FluMist nasal spray. We figure we'll just let it run it's course and pray the rest of us don't get it. I cut my hair a couple of weeks ago--cut 5 inches off. Now it's a bob. I was just tired of the length and it was so fried from the summer heat and swimming, so it was time to chop it. My watch has a pedometer on it, so I'm anal about counting my steps everyday. Last Tuesday I had 45,000 steps. That's my record so far. My watch also tells me my average mph for the day, how many calories I burned and how many miles the steps total up to be. Last Tuesday I walked over 25 miles. It was just one of the days, when I never sat down. I went with Matt's preschool class on their first fieldtrip. It was a "B" fieldtrip. We went to the Beauty salon, the Barbershop, the Bank, the store full of Balls, and the zoo to see the Baby animals. It was fun but definitely tiring. So, how's that for a random post.

The Broken, the More Broken, and the Most Broken

So, we're finally back on-line. Last Friday was a bit of a doosey. It was a cold morning so I drove Adam to school. As he's hopping out, the 'check engine' light came on. When I got back home, I went to check my email but I couldn't get the internet to open up. After a few frustrating minutes I figured out the wireless router was blown and no longer working. I moved on to vacuuming. And, you guessed it! That wasn't working either. So, the vacuum is still not working. We bought a new router and have the internet again. And, the van is going into the shop tomorrow to figure out what's wrong. Serenity now!

State Fair

Yesterday we went to the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson. Although Robert has lived in Kansas 30 years, he had never been to the state fair, let alone Hutch. Because he grew up in the Kansas City area, he inherited the attitude that everything west of Topeka is on another planet. Living in far southwest Kansas has been an eye-opener for him. We had a fun time and the boys really enjoyed the carnival rides. We set a $50 limit but boy, we sure could have spent four-times that amount. It is a 2 1/2 hour drive to Hutch so we had a full day. Adam and Matt enjoyed feeding and petting the animals in the petting zoo. This goat not only ate Adam's food, he ate his cup.

Although Matt's face doesn't show it, both he and Adam were in heaven when they saw this GIANT gumball machine.


Adam's in the 3rd car back--the brown-haired kid

Matt and Robert went on the dragon coaster. Too bad I couldn't get a closer shot. Matt's face was a cross between jubilation and terror. They're in the first car.

We even got to see pig races.

Here's Adam high above the fair in the ferris wheel.

FHE-part 2

Adam and Matt have REALLY gotten into this "Home Alone" movie. They've watched it a number of times now. Too bad it's due back at the store today. Adam is secretly drawing up his own "battle plan". It has a diagram of our house and the boobytraps for each room. He doesn't want Rob and I to know about it but I saw it in his closet. Matt has been quoting the lines from the movie. He has a particular favorite. All day yesterday he was saying in his little 4 year old, gangster voice, "Keep the change, you filthy animal". It cracks me up.

FHE

On Monday for FHE we watched the movie "Home Alone". We had been telling the boys that it's such a funny movie, so they were quite excited. They thoroughly enjoyed it. It was just as funny as when I first watched it 20 years ago. Of course when we have a movie night they expect treats...and lots of them (hence the tablecloth to protect the carpet from sticky fingers).

**Side note--Today I bought two bottles of body wash, two tubes of mascara and a pack of tic-tacs and paid only $1.24. Ahhh, the power of coupons.

I've been a bit MIA. Last week I had really bad allergies and I felt so drained. I never had allergies until moving to southwest Kansas. We've got so much stuff in the air here--cow manure and dander, hay, weeds, multiple harvests of multiple crops, etc. It's killing me. We've also been working on our laundry room. It's a big space, about 120 sq. ft. We painted the walls, trim, cupboards, shelves and doors and changed the hardware.
Yesterday we took Adam and Matt down to the new waterpark in Liberal again. It was the last day to be opened for the season. This Saturday we're planning on going to the Kansas State Fair.
Primary is going fine. To me it feels very routine. I've had this same calling four times in the past six years. I'm trying to be excited about it, but it's a struggle occasionally. I was released from being the choir pianist. So, it is nice to be down to one calling. Six months ago, I had four (and that's not counting VT).

I'm Spoiled...

I woke up yesterday morning with both anticipation and hesitation. I began my day like everyday, waking up at 5:45 to walk for an hour. I left the house, crossed the street, walked down the sidewalk about 100 feet, and then the rain began. It got heavier and heavier, enough for me to turn around and go back home. At 7:00 I got the boys up and got them ready. Adam was at school by 8:15. Then Matt and I took some pictures (see earlier post) of his first day. I took Matt to school, ran errands while he was there, and then picked him up at 11:30. Between 11:30 and 1:30, I had a bunch to do. I fixed lunch for Matt, Robert and I. Robert got his bag packed. He left for Manhattan "the little apple" Kansas on a work trip and will be gone 'til Sunday. Matt and I then picked Adam up at 1:30 to drive down to Liberal (70 miles south) for an appt. with his OCD doctor. I initially thought the day was going to be a bit hectic, but amazingly everything went smoothly. After the appt. we played at a park and got ice cream before driving back to Garden City. While cruising along, I started thinking that I'm spoiled being a stay-at-home mom. There are tons of things I get to do that working moms don't. When I took Matt to school, all (and I mean all) of the other children just ran right into the room and didn't worry a bit about where their moms were. Matt was only one that was nervous to be there. This same thing happened when Adam started preschool. And I think it's because all the other moms work and the other kids have been in daycare. I'm thankful that I don't have a job and that I could stay as long as needed with Matt yesterday. And that I can pick him up everyday and not the babysitter. I am thankful, too, that I can use the entire afternoon to take my son to the doctor and not have to worry about using my vacation/sick time. I love living across the street from Adam's school and being able to stand on my front porch and watch him play at recess. Or have the time to walk him to school and then take extra time walking home so Matt can jump at all the low-hanging tree branches to try to get leaves. These are all things I wouldn't be able to do if I had to work and not stay home with my boys. Granted, staying at home has not always been a picnic. There's definitely been sacrifices we've had to make--like cutting our income in half when Adam was born and not being able to buy a house until we'd been married for over 10 years. There have been many days when I've felt isolated and lonely but the blessings of staying home have definitely outweighed the sacrifices.

Matt's 1st Day of Preschool

Matthew had his first day of preschool yesterday. To say he was not thrilled about it, is a HUGE understatement. He is such a momma's boy that he had no interest in going anywhere without me. For the past month he has told me repeatedly that he doesn't want to go to preschool and that he won't have fun and that he'll just stand in the corner and not doing anything. Too bad his tactics didn't work. The following pictures accurately represent my attempts at getting a "first day of school" photo. His actions say it all. "Arrggghh, I don't want my picture taken."

"You can't make me."

"See, I told you. You still can't make me."

"Fine. You can see part of my face."

Ahh. Victory! A small grin.

I took Matt into his class and stayed around for 10-15 minutes. He was not happy when I told him I was leaving and would be back later. I left and spent the next two hours wondering if he really was standing in the corner, ignoring everyone. When I picked him up he was smiling. As we walked to the car, he said, "Mom, I was wrong about something. I was wrong that I wasn't going to have fun." (Me)-"Did you have fun?" (Matt)-"Yeah, can I come again tomorrow? And next time, don't stay a long time when you bring me, just a short time." Ahhhh, victory! He's excited about school now and is bummed that he only gets to go three days a week. His teacher, Ms. Janine, really is wonderful. She has such a warm and friendly personality. Adam told Matt, "she just loves the kids."

Weekly Tidbits & Musings

We're getting back into the routine of a school schedule. This was the first full week of school for Adam. He's doing really well, and like any normal kid, tells me he doesn't want to go to school every morning when I wake him up. On Monday he came home and was really excited because he made a new friend, Cole. And, that "it only took four days" of school before he had a new friend. He said last year it took him a lot longer. Cole is the only student in Adam's class that is new to the school. So, I'm happy and proud that Adam is being friendly to the "new kid".

Sometimes I think Adam has an adult brain in a kid body. Every so often I catch glimpses of what he's going to be like all grown up. Monday night while getting ready for bed, he told me he had to make a "to do" list for the next day. I asked him where he got that idea and why would he need to do that. He responded by telling me he had to do it so he wouldn't forget what he needed/wanted to do. So, I let him write his list. He listed six things to do, including, going to school, watching TV, playing with Matthew, and watching more TV. Beside each item he drew a square so he could check it off as he completed it. Is this really organized or really anal?

As I've posted before, I love finding a bargain and paying as little for something as possible. This week I spent $40 for $100 worth of groceries. It takes a little planning and strategizing, but anyone can do it. Here are a couple of my latest finds. If you shop at a grocery store that has a store card (the kind you scan to get the sale prices), there are websites that can link electronic coupons straight to your card. AND, you can use paper coupons as well. EX: $1.00 paper coupon for cereal + $1.00 electronic coupon = $2.00 off. This week I got boxes of fruit snacks for $.50 each and Hamburger Helper (good food storage item) for $.10 each. The websites for the electronic coupons are: http://www.shortcuts.com/, http://www.pgesaver.com/, and http://www.softcoin.com/. Right now I've got about 100 coupons on my card. I would bet between the three sites, there are at least 150 coupons.

With Adam back in school and Matt starting preschool next week. And the fact, that they're growing up and will both be in school full-time next year, makes me feel like I'm in "limbo-land". I remember feeling MANY times when they were babies and toddlers, how nice it would be when they were in school and I could do "this, this, and this." But now that they're going to school, "this, this and this" just doesn't seem as important or worthwhile. Sometimes I feel like I have to find something to do just to fill the time. I know there are things I can do to postpone this phase, like keep Matt home from preschool, but that simply delays it. There's nothing that will avoid it. Don't get me wrong, there are times when I think to myself, "Hallelujah, I've got the house to myself". Or grocery shopping by myself is definitely a huge bonus. But, there are times, too, when it just feels downright lonely.

Hallelujah!!--

Our "summer car saga" is finally over! It has been one "car drama" after another for the past three months. In May (before school got out), our beloved Honda died (boo-hoo). So, we were down to one car-a bit of a hassle but nothing we couldn't handle. Then, in June, the boys and I were in a car accident. So, then our "one car" was down to half-a-car. It took another month before we could even get the van into the body shop for repairs. Thankfully, the owner of the body shop lent us a car (for free) while they were fixing the van, otherwise we would have been down to zero cars.We were initially told it would take one week to fix the van, however, it took three. We finally got it back yesterday (after school started back up again). A couple of weeks ago, we finally found another car to buy, to get us back up to two cars (once the van was fixed). We bought a 2002 Mazda Protege with only 53,000 miles on it. That's only 7-8K miles/year. We got a really good deal. Hopefully, there will be no more "car drama" for the next five years.

1st Day of School

Yesterday was Adam's first day of school. He had a great day! The night before, we went to see his classroom and meet his teacher. Her name is Mrs. Crook. This is her 33rd year of teaching. She is really friendly and personable. He knows all of the kids in his class. So, we think he'll have a great year. Adam just thrives in school--the schedule, the busyness of it, and the constant learning--everything he loves.

Last Day of Summer Vacay!!!

Today is the last day of summer vacation for Adam. School begins tomorrow! A couple of weeks ago I asked him if he was excited for school. He told me, "No, it's really going to cut into my time." That cracks me up; he sounds like an adult. On Saturday he received a postcard from his new teacher, Mrs. Crook. Since then, he's been getting excited. Especially since it's the teacher he wanted. (She lets them run 5 laps at recess; the other teacher only lets them run 3.) Last night we had a Back-to-School FHE. I showed them pictures of me when I was starting 1st grade and preschool and read to them from my baby book what I liked about both of those school years. Robert then gave them each a father's blessing, which they were both really excited about. This morning I told them we can do whatever they want today. They've decided they want some extra TV time, to play games, go to the playground, and to go to lunch. This evening we'll go to Adam's school to meet his teacher and see his classroom. And then tomorrow it's rise-n-shine for school at 8:20am.

Miami Pics--swimming

I finally figured out how to download our photos onto the boys' computer (our laptop is still busted). Since we were down in Miami for two weeks, or as Matt likes to say, "16 days", we have a lot of pictures. The day we took our camera to the beach, there was a ton of seaweed. There must have been a storm during the night out at sea and the tide brought it in. The boys loved it! They had a lot of fun with it. With the seaweed comes lots of little fish. Adam and I caught one in his bucket. It was fun. He and Matt played and stared at that fish all morning.

Litter bugs! Adam found some trash in the seaweed.

This is Matt's handiwork. Robert and I at the beach.

Robert and Adam playing in the water. It looks like Adam is squinting because salt water got in his eyes.

This is the resort we stay at every time. Ahhh-right on the beach!

The boys really enjoyed swimming in the pool. The water was so warm--just like a bath. The day I took these photos, it was so humid that my lenses kept fogging up.

Both Adam and Matt love to swim. By the end of the two weeks, Matt was swimming without his swim belt. They did great.

Matt and Grandma Chichi played with the boogie boards a lot. He would stand on it and then flip backwards. Lots of good laughs!

Here comes Baywatch!

Miami Pics--the waters of Miami

We took Adam and Matt out to the Everglades. Adam had been out there when he was 1 y/o but didn't remember a thing. This time we knew they would enjoy it.
Robert, Adam and Matt with an alligator. Matt wasn't too sure about this. Earlier, the "crazy croc" wrestler had put a baby alligator on the boys' heads.

One of the alligators we saw on the airboat tour. It swam right up along side the boat.

Robert and his GQ pose. This wasn't intentional--it just worked out this way. The boat had stopped to allow us to look around the sawgrass and look for gators.

Heidi, Adam and Matt finishing the airboat ride.

We took the boys down to Bayside. It is in downtown Miami. It is an open-air shopping area and also, where all the boats dock for tours and cruises. Adam and Matt couldn't believe how big the cruise ships were. One summer, while in college, Robert worked at a store at Bayside. He got to show the boys. It's called "Art by God" and has all sorts of natural, earth stuff--fossils, rocks, even dinosaur bones. Needless to say, it's very expensive.

Here's the boats. Pass the causeway (bridge) is a cruise ship (it's a bit hard to see).