Halloween 2014

I really enjoyed this Halloween.  For the first time ever, Dennis and I were able to go trick or treating together.  Dennis' Mom offered to come over and hand out candy for us so that we could both trick or treat with the kids.  Meghan and Miranda also came over and joined us.  The kids had tons of fun and got a ridiculous amount of candy that I am sure will last us another year and most will end up getting tossed in the trash and never eaten.

This was Leah's first time trick or treating and she did great going up to the houses and saying "trick or treat" and saying "thank you".  She was not shy at all.  We only had her do maybe 5 or 6 houses, spread out, because she really slowed us down.  Most of the time she was content to just sit in the wagon and eat her candy.  She is a sucker for lollipops, literally!

We hit one house that everyone was scared to go up to.  Colin was the only one who would go up and then Evan went up with Dennis.  The rest were too scared.  I was impressed with how into Halloween some of the houses around us were.  It was a great night.

All About Logan

Sometimes I feel like maybe I don't talk about Logan enough.  Being the third child I can certainly relate to Logan.  Logan is sandwiched between the two older kids who are currently in sports and school, so there is a lot to talk about with them and with Leah who is the only girl and the baby, so again, lots to talk about.  So, today, I am talking about Mr. Logan.

Logan is easy going for the most part.  He entertains himself pretty well.  He is kind of in between wanting to play with the big boys and enjoying the toys that Leah has.  He keeps Leah honest.  Meaning, he doesn't overly cater to her needs.  He isn't as nurturing with her as the older boys, though he certainly is at times.  He likes to also pester her, liking taking her lovey and seeing her reaction.  They are good buddies a lot of the time but also fight at times too.

Logan is starting to enjoy learning a bit more.  He has never been super interested in reading or wanting to sit down and do letters or numbers, but recently he is starting to show more of an interest in these things.  We have his teacher conference next week so I will know more about how he is doing in school then, but I can say that he really enjoys going.

Today, I took him and Leah to a new story time at an education store.  The lady asked at one point if the kids knew what animal was coming up next in the book and showed them a picture of some eggs and a small part of the animal.  Logan said, "Chicken!"  She asked him how did he know it was a chicken and his response without a second hesitation was, "because I know everything".

I should also point out Logan is not as shy as my older two were and are. I think Leah and him both will be more outgoing.

Another funny Logan story… driving in the car he told me "I hope God gives me 25 babies, then I will dress them all up in Olaf costumes".  I said, "Wow, you must really love babies".  His response…"No, I really love Olaf"!  (Olaf is a character from the movie Frozen if you are wondering).

Today Logan had his costume parade at school.  Since it was raining, they had to do it indoors.  He changed his mind at least 10 times on if he was going to wear this years costume, Jake the pirate, or wear last years costume, a dragon.  In the end he chose Jake.  Though, I have a feeling he may change to the dragon on Halloween since it will be much colder that night.

Frozen on Ice and Pumpkin Carving

This past weekend…

Friday night the kids school had a Monster Mash dance/party.  They had fun eating dinner there, dressing up and "dancing".  They didn't really dance, just ran around.  They also got glitter tattoos and played a couple games.

Friday night my parents spent the night so they could go to a wedding nearby.  Then Saturday morning my Mom and I went to Evan's last baseball game.  He played well and ended the season strong.

If you look close you can see Evan's expression in this one…typical Evan!

Saturday night I took Logan to see Frozen on Ice, we had a blast!!!

Dennis went to Colin's football game where they won again.  He has one more regular season game next weekend, which I will miss because I am doing a Physical Therapy course all weekend, and then he will have playoffs the following week.

Sunday, the kids spent the day carving pumpkins with Dennis, that is something he looks forward to every year!

Pumpkins and Ice Cream

Today was one of those days that I am not exactly sure how we are going to make it in say 5 years when all the kids are in activities.  I have said it a million times, but I could easily have 10 babies, but 4 kids may kill me.  Don't get me wrong it is a lot of fun, but when lunch is a quick smoothie at 3:30pm, because you realize you haven't eaten yet, you know you have been busy.

After a trip to Wegman's to get the weeks groceries, Logan, Leah and I went to Logan's class field trip. It was at a great farm in Chantilly.  We got to ride on hayride, that went through a swamp, pick pumpkins, ride big slides, roast marshmallows, see animals and do lots of running around and playing.  It was a great time!

Temper tantrum because I went on the slide with her.

That was followed by rushing home to get there before the school bus.  I got stuck at every red light and pulled up to the house just as Evan was walking up the driveway.  We did some homework then got back in the car to pick up Colin from the school.  He is starting a math club called Math Olympiad, where he will compete against other schools and learn different strategies to solve problems.  He seemed to enjoy his first day.

Then it was home for more homework, I got dinner together and put Leah down for a short nap, since she hadn't had one yet.  Then we woke her up to drop Colin off at Football practice, then came home and finished making dinner.  Dennis got home just in time to finish feeding the kids and I went to Colin's practice to take him with his team to Dairy Queen.  The coaches promised a couple weeks ago to take them, their treat, because of how hard they have been working.  The kids were so excited to get ice cream and we completely took over the Dairy Queen tonight.  Colin even tried to convince me to give him the $10 I owe him so he could get seconds.  Of course I said no, which he wasn't too happy about.

The CEO

I always wondered what a daughter who has 3 older brothers would be like.  Would she be a dancer like me? Would she love all things girly…makeup and jewelry and dresses.  Or would she take after her brothers and be tough and enjoy sports?  I am still not sure about what sport she will like, but Leah loves jewelry.  Anything that resembles necklaces goes around the neck.  She loves to climb up on my bathroom counter and sit in my sink and play with my make up while I am in the shower.  And she loves to say, "So pretty" when she wears a dress or fancy shoes.  Oh and she loves to sing too!  She closes her eyes and is very dramatic when she does it. I have to admit, I LOVE this!

Well, in case you think she is all girl.  Leah is my first child to be a climber.  She gets up on the kitchen table constantly, it doesn't matter how many times I say no.   She gets into things too.  She is also tough.  She is not afraid to say "No".  A lot.  She stands up for herself.  She is stubborn.  She knows what she wants and she makes sure you know it too.  She is sassy and sweet and spunky and stubborn and many other things.

She is independent, which seems to be a theme with many of my kids.  Every time I take the boys to Religious Education class Leah wants to walk, not be carried, and she runs in ahead me with her cute little strut like she owns the place.  In fact, a dad there has now started calling her, "The CEO", because she is so independent.  He will see her taking off and say, "there is the future CEO again".

Temper tantrums all the time!

Leah likes things done on her terms.  I think she will say "No" only because you want her to say "Yes".  For example, at night when Dennis wants to put her to bed she will say, "No, Mommy".  Meaning she wants me to do it, not Dennis.  Then when he wants to give her a kiss she says "No, Mommy"again.  But, as soon as we close her bedroom door she starts crying for a kiss from Daddy.  We discovered if Dennis says, "No kiss" then she will cry for a kiss from him.  She wants the opposite of what we say!  I have a feeling this will be a ongoing theme in her childhood.

There are worst things then being independent and I am extremely proud of how tough and independent she is.  Even though it makes for some battles of wills at times, it is a good trait.  I was painfully shy as a child, so I admire how social and confident she is.  I hope she never looses that fire and spunk, but keeps her sweetness as well, and if she ends up a CEO one day, I certainly wouldn't complain!

By the way, the picture above is her eating from my plate.  She will eat anything as long as it is on someone else's plate…Kale, Red Onion, avocado, etc…  Just another example of her being her own little person!

Making the Adjustment…

Just wanted to give a quick update…

Colin has worked hard at football and impressed the coaches with his knowledge of the play book and now starts as Tight End on Offense and Line Backer on Defense! I am so proud of him for working hard and earning the starting positions.  His team is now 5-0, so that helps his enthusiasm for the game too!  They played this past weekend at a high school stadium and it was so fun to watch from the bleachers.  The weather was perfect and it was a great day.  Colin played the entire game!  Evan didn't have a game this weekend, so we were able to all be at Colin's game together, which was also a nice treat!

Found this in Colin's backpack and thought it was awesome!

Evan is doing fantastic at baseball.  It is so neat to watch his growth each season.  He has gotten some great outs.  His last game, he caught a pop fly at 3rd base and was able to throw the ball all the way to first too.  I am so impressed with his development.  He is also gaining confidence in his own abilities which is always nice to see as a parent.  Evan takes things very personally if he strikes out or gets out at a base.  But, he is working on not crying, staying strong, and not getting down on himself too much and for that I am very proud.  It is a work in progress.

Logan is going to 3 day 3 hr preschool at a great preschool we found.  They are fantastic, but I do wish their program was longer then 3 hrs.  We could have sent him to 5 days, but the cost was higher then we want to spend with only having one income coming in.  He is enjoying it and asks every night if he has school tomorrow.  He is also enjoying going to a play group I joined with other kids born the same year as him.  We have his play group every Tuesday morning and a playgroup for Leah on Wednesday mornings and he enjoys both.  I am enjoying meeting some other Moms as I don't have any friends here in NOVA yet.

Leah, I will write more on next time.  But, she is doing well too.  Her language is crazy, she is able to really get across what she wants.  She takes great naps most days and is overall pretty easy even though she is very independent.

School is going ok for the older boys.  Overall, this school system, while good, is not at the same level as their school in Indiana.  They are finding it kind of easy and thus a bit boring.  They also find PE boring, I guess in VA it is more about exercise and less about fun.  Both boys are having to repeat math because they were a grade level ahead in Indiana and Loudon County Schools doesn't offer that.  Their teachers are trying to make it more challenging for them and I know they are in a top group but it is still easy.  

Colin is having a tough adjustment because he was in a full time gifted program in Indiana, where every single subject was accelerated and that isn't offered here.  I feel like he has had to take a huge step backwards and I am having major Mom guilt over it. He is currently being tested for their gifted program which is a once a week pull out program.  He would go to another school once a week.  It is completely different though, it is not academic based it is more critical thinking, so not sure if he will get in to that or not.  I don't think he is as much gifted in his higher level thinking as he is just a quick learner and needs a more advanced academic program.  Also, it isn't based just on test scores but also relies on a parent questionnaire and teacher recommendation, so not sure what they are looking for.  

While I love Ashburn, it is new and clean, people are friendly, there are lots of kids and everything is 5 minutes from me, I do have regrets that we couldn't find a house in Fairfax County.  I wish we had put education higher on our priority list and even though I love having a back yard, maybe we should have compromised that?  Colin really needs the challenge and I worry he is not getting that.  I think my other kids will be fine and probably excel in this school system.  But, I worry Colin won't reach his full potential.  

Luckily, both kids seem to like their teachers.  Colin has a male teacher, Mr. Mihalik, and seems to be enjoying that.  Evan has Ms. Nevius a more nurturing grandmother type, which is a perfect match for him, since he needs someone who is patient and can help boost his self esteem while still being structured.  I am very happy so far with the teachers they have.  The principal (not sure if I mentioned this already but he was principal of the year for the Washington area a couple years ago), is also fantastic.

We are happy to be back in VA, but it is an adjustment as all moves are.  I think Dennis is actually the most excited to be here.  He grew up in NOVA and it feels like home for him.  For me, having grown up overseas a lot and only really being in NOVA for my senior year of high school (as well as a few years when I was younger), I don't have as many fond memories, in fact that was the worst year of my life.  So, it doesn't feel like home to me.  I don't have friendships here.  My only hold to the area is my family.  Dennis is reestablishing old friendships and is loving being back here and that is nice to see.

I  actually think Richmond having lived there 12 years (the most in one place), would probably feel most like home for me.  We would have moved there if he had found a job there and I really think it is a great place to live.  I struggle with the cost of living here.  I am a frugal person.  I have spent hours on the computer trying to find the best deals for furniture.  I refuse to spend a lot of furniture that kids will ruin anyway.  And, I am not comfortable with how much money we spent on a home.  I am already thinking about the day our kids move out and we downsize. 

But, there are perks too… I love that my family is close by and my parents offer to babysit without being asked, like they did recently for my birthday.  We don't ask people to babysit very much, because we don't like to burden people, so if someone calls us (like my Mom called Dennis) and offers to babysit it means so much.   I also love that my kids are being raised near their cousins and they are becoming best friends.  And I love that Dennis is happier with his job.  I have said before there is no perfect place to live, but it does feel nice to know we have settled somewhere and hopefully will raise our kids in this home for a long time.

Ladies Trip to NYC.

My Mom is part of a jazzercise class.  Every year a bus takes them to NYC and they spend a weekend shopping, going to shows and of course eating.  Well, this year, my Mom had a wedding to go to the weekend of the annual jazzercise trip.  Not wanting to miss out on NYC this year, she asked us as soon as she got the wedding invitation if we would be up for another ladies trip to NYC.  Of course, we all jumped at the opportunity.  So, this weekend, my three sisters, my sister in law (Fanchon), myself and my Mom spent the weekend in NYC.

Friday, we drove up (well all except Fanchon who flew from SC to meet us and Holly who was already in NYC for work).  We were chatting so much that suddenly Julie, who was driving, says, "Guys, I didn't want to say anything, but we just totally averted a disaster.  I have 5 miles left of gas and I have been stressing the last 15 minutes because there were no exits with a gas station.  I finally found one!".  Well, we were barely back on the road when suddenly Julie says, "Is that noise my car?".  Sure enough we pull over on the highway and we have a flat tire!!!

Carol calls AAA, but in the meantime we decide to attempt to change the tire ourselves, not knowing how long AAA will take.  The spare was under the car and none of us knew how to get it down.  So, I pull out the manual, read it and get the spare down.  Then Julie and Carol, change the tire.  It didn't go quite this smooth, the car collapsed at one point thanks to soft ground.  But, the point is, it got done.  Julie was literally tightening the last bolt as AAA pulled up and announced we did a great job.  We all remember well a summer years and years ago in Ocean City where my Dad took the opportunity of a flat tire to teach all of us how to change it.  I have to admit, I couldn't remember how to do it all that well.  But, luckily my sisters did.  I joked that I was the brains and they were the braun, for reading a manual I could do!

Anyway, we had to get a new tire put on and then get back on the road, but still made it to NYC in time to get dressed for dinner, walk around a bit and then head to dinner and then a show.  We saw Kinky Boots and it was great!  After the show we went to a favorite of ours, Ellen's Stardust diner.  It is just a diner, nothing too special food wise.  But, the waiters and waitresses all sing.  It is so fun!

In fact, we love it so much we had breakfast there Saturday and Sunday too!!  I probably shouldn't admit that.  It is kind of embarrassing to go to a city with literally thousands of restaurants and go to the same one 3 times, but we love the atmosphere.  Eating while watching super talented people is just so fun.  Saturday we also went to the spa for facials and massages, found a hole in the wall thai restaurant which was awesome, did a little shopping, saw the 9-11 memorial (very amazing) and had dinner in Little Italy.  It was a great day!

I am so lucky to have a family who enjoys spending time with each other and who makes it a priority.  And, they are easy.  It isn't an effort.  We all really get a long.  The fact that David's wife, Fanchon, wants to spend her weekend with us shows this too.  It was a great weekend, but as always coming home to my babies was really nice too!