One Tooth Down

Well, it finally happened. After weeks and weeks of waiting and asking how loose his tooth is. Will lost his first tooth tonight! He will tell you that he was eating his hotdog and his tooth fell out! He was SO excited! He said that this was 'just a very exciting night!'. So I made him a tooth pillow last week and he has it all set with his tooth in it along with a note for the tooth fairy that says- 'I was chewing my hotdog when my tooth fell out'. Will wanted to call all of his friends and tell them the news. We settled on calling Grandma and Pa Pa and Gran. They were all pretty excited, as well. So, now he is anxiously awaiting a visit from the Tooth Fairy. Hope she is good to him!

Another Riccio's Convert

Well, we have converted another to the delicious pizza from Riccio's! Kate just LOVED the ground beef tomato pizza (would I have ever given Will or Ben pizza before 1!?!?). She is a third! Just wanted to share this cute picture! She just loves her food- Especially trying new things!

Will Rides the Bus

Well, he finally did it! Will rode the bus home today! He wasn't too sure about riding it this morning. I had told him that it was time for him to ride it. My car did not have enought gas to go get him today so it was out of necessity. Which I think was good for both of us. I asked the kids he rides with in the morning to keep an eye on him since it was his first day riding. Apparently, they argued about who Will would sit with on the way home! So, at 4:20 we all went outside to meet his bus. The bus stop is at the street right across from the house. Will was so excited when he got off the bus. Said it was so much fun and that he can't wait to ride it tomorrow! He sat with Olivia and Margaret (girls from carpool and neighborhood) who read him books on the way home. Boy, would I have loved to be a fly on the wall for that! When I asked him what his favorite thing about the bus was he said "Looking out the window at everything!" He looked like such a big boy getting off the bus! So, we are officially a bus rider now! What a liberation for the rest of us. I know it was mostly me that wasn't ready for the bus (I still can't believe my little boy is growing up!)- but it is just such a relief not having to get the little ones up from naps to go get Will. Hope you enjoy the pictures!!

Really?? No Gas??

Well, it's true! Charlotte is experiening a media induced Gas shortage. Of course, there is actually a problem getting gas here, but there are lines at gas stations that go on and on. People are waiting for 2-3 hours in line for gas. I know this because I am running on fumes in the van. Yesterday, Ben, Kate and I went out to run some errands and I saw all these crazy lines at local gas stations so I called Ron to see what was going on. Did I miss something??? He said that the radio and news stations were predicting a MAJOR gas shortage- so, as in good Charlottean form, everyone panicked and went out to get gas- creating the shortage! It's a good thing no one predicted a snow storm too! Then we would not only be out of gas but milk and bread,too! Anway, I was sure I had enough gas to last a few days- then on our way back from errands, the dreaded gas light comes on! So, I try 3 gas stations and they are all out! Mind you, I had already driven by several that were out. So, I think, I still have to drive 9 miles each way to get Will from school. Surely I will be able to find gas on the way. NOPE! So I call my friend Jane to see how far I can go once the light turns on (couldn't reach Ron) and much to my dismay, I realize I just might not have enough gas to get home! Well, I just made it. I mean that gas gague is so below the E that I don't know if it will start- And I still haven't found any gas!! So, we have a half gallon in the lawn mower tank. Hopefully, we can use that once some gas gets here! As for now, I am driving the accord and Ron is driving the miata. Thank God, we have 3 cars and the others had gas!!! Hope none of you are feeling my pain right now!!!


Okay- An update on the gas 'crisis': I finally got 6 gallons this morning! It was all I was allowed to pump- $25. Anway, there really is a shortage- apparently we are opperating at about 50% of the usual volume. Anway, now the van has gas- thanks to Mindy who called me while driving carpool to say that Blanchards (little station on Carmel) has gas and the line was not to bad. Only waited about 15 minutes!

Kate and her Bunny

Just had to share a picture of Kate. She just loves this bunny that Trey and Jenny gave her for Christmas. All of a sudden, she has started dragging bunny everywhere! The other day I thought we had lost her and Kate was in her crib screaming! Fortunately, I was able to find the bunny and all was well!!

Never Leave a 3-year Old Alone with Stamps!

Need I say more?? Ben and I got some Halloween stamps at Target this morning and we were using them while Kate napped. When she woke and I was dealing with her, Ben decided to stamp his face! He was so proud of himself!

Will Scores

So wish I had a picture to put with this! Will scored 2 goals at his soccer game this weekend! Of course, it was a little easier seeing as he was standing right in front of the goal waiting for one of his teammates to get close with the ball. Ron called it 'cherry picking'! But, no matter how it was made, Will could not have been prouder. His little face just lit up and he threw his arm in the air and said 'YES!'. He and his team have really started to get better. Most of them are grasping the idea of passing and working together. They are all having such a great time!! Will just loves playing and looks forward to each practice and game! Will try to get pictures next week!

Reading Celebration Day

Will's school had a Reading Celebration Day on Friday. Each student dressed as their favorite character from a book and parents came in to read. Will dressed as Jack from The Magic Treehouse. He wore his yellow shirt, some red glasses and I made him a little red backpack that he put his notebook, pencil and field guide in. He was so excited. I voluntered and read 'Chicka Chicka Boom Boom'. I wore a grass skirt, hat and lei. It was such fun. Will was so excited to see me and was so proud that his mommy was reading to the class. He stood at his seat for the whole book! After the reading, around 11- all of the students went out to the field for a picnic. Ron had stayed home for the morning and brought Ben and Kate up for the fun. The boys were so excited about having a picnic- Kate could have cared less! Anyway, we all had a lot of fun. Can't wait for next year!!

Best Seat in the House

Kate has a favorite spot to sit now. It is the little rocking chair we have in the sitting room. She loves to climb up in it and then climb back out and sometimes, she just likes to climb in it, stand up and rock! She is pretty good- but notice the nice bruise on her forehead. She took a header out of the rocker the other day and got a pretty good goose egg! What a little monster!!

Ben Knows Everything!

The other day, Ben was complaining thathe did not want to go to school. I asked why he didn't want to go and he said 'I already know everything!'. I said 'You do? What is our phone number?' He thought and thought, you could see the wheels spinning. Then, with a grin on his face, he whispered to me 'What is it again?' It was so darn cute!

Funny Things Our Children Do

This morning after Will got dressed for school he came downstairs and went into Ron's closet to get a TIE! He had on an short sleeved button down shirt and khaki shorts. He was desperate to have a tie to wear and was in there looking for one that matched! I had to tell him that he really didn't need to wear a tie to school and, anyway, 'daddy's ties will be too long'! He answered with 'I told you that we needed to get the tie at Target!' I have promised to find him one that he can wear to church!!

A Sunny Start to the Day

Sometimes I outdue myself as a mommy! Yesterday Ben, Kate and I went to Trader Joe's to pick up some groceries. While we were there, we sampled their banana pancakes that had cream cheese and fruit on them. Ben just loved them so I thought we would make those for breakfast this morning. Of course, I had to make sunny faces- the boys LOVED them. Will looked at me and said 'this sure is a healthy breakfast!' So fun to send them off to school with smiles!!

Sick Day

Well, it was bound to happen. Ben woke up with a tummy ache! He spent the whole day Sunday on the couch watching TV. Had a fever on and off so I decided that he might need to go to the doctor. So, after 1.5 hours at the urgent care, a throat culture and a urinalysis (thought he might have a UTI) we were sent home to take Motrin! They wanted to give us an antibiotic- but there was really no need as all test came back negative- some doctors I really don't get! Anway, after the Motrin kicked in, he was back to his old self!! I asked him if he was just pretending so he could watch TV all day!

World Cup Soccer-

Well, maybe not World Cup action- but it was such fun watching Will and his team play soccer this morning. It was Will's firts game. He was so excited to wear his uniform. His team is the Cameroon Tigers. All of the children are 5 and most are playing for the first time. It was a great game and all of the children had a fantastic time! Will didn't score a goal but he defended the goal and kept the other team from scoring! They play two 20 minute havles and take turns- only 4 players from each team are on the field at a time. When we got home, Will didn't want to take his uniform off and wore it all day! He said he can't wait until next week. After the game, I asked him if he had fun- he said 'Mommy, we scored 10 goals- but it is not about winning- it is about having fun!' That just made my heart sing!! I took some video and will get that on later. Hope you enjoy the pictures!!

Another Day

Will had another great day at school! When we picked him up, he told me that he had lots of fun and got to got to the library and check out a book! He is buying milk at school and gets a devilish look on his face when I ask him what kind he bought- he always says 'chocolate!' Hopefully, he gets bored with that soon. I can't imagine the amount of sugar in that! I also had a PTA/Ciriculum meeting last night. They have a great PTA with lots of parent involvement. Found out that we don't have to sell anything! What luck- I have already been hit up from friends to buy things for their childrens school. I am so glad we don't have to sell (I don't mind the buying...just the selling!!) Anyway, they just do a fund drive the month of October and raise all the funds they need for the year during that. The ciriculum meeting was in Will's class. Found his little table and met the moms of his table mates. Ms. Szura went over the basics for the class and offered up one story while going over the reward chart and treasure box. She said the children are so excited about earning their stars and looking forward to picking out a reward that they keep eyeing the treasure box (a big wooden treasure box). She looked over earlier in the day and there was Will, head in the box- not touching- just looking at the treasure. Ms. Szura said 'Will, we aren't picking treasure now.' And he said 'I know, I'm just looking to see what all is in here!' So like him! I can just imagine him desperate to see what was in that box!
Will did great in carpool and found his class all by himself! Can't believe he is growing up!!

Waiting on Carpool

This morning, Will rode to school with his carpool. He was so excited- can't you tell! He stood outside on the sidewalk for about 5 minutes. When Mindy arrived and Will climbed in the car, he looked excited and a little scared at the same time. When I asked if he wanted Olivia or Margaret to walk him to his class, he told me that he knew how to get there. Such a big boy now!! Can't wait to pick him up and see how his day went!!

Off To Preschool

Today, Ben started back to preschool. Boy, he sure wasn't happy about going! Just look at his face! He told me several times on the way that he was not going to have fun today! Of course, when we got to school, he walked right into his class and sat down to a table full of playdoh!




















And, after school- he was so happy! I asked him to show me how much fun he had and this is the smile I got! He can't wait to go back on Thursday. When I asked about his day, he told me 'I saw Helena on the playground but when we went out, she had gone in. I sure wish she could have stayed on the playground longer!'. So, he had a great day- made a bag with is his handprint and learned about the letter 'L'. He is going to have a great year!!

First Steps

Well, we knew it was bound to happen- Kate has taken her first few steps! Boy are we in for it now!! Thought she was a little tornado crawling... She is just taking 1 or 2 steps at a time but is doing it with such confidence!! Kate has, also, started waving. And, boy, can she make the faces and noises!! She loves to stick out her tounge now and blow rasberries. And if you copy her- she just giggles!! Can't wait for you all to see her again!!

New Occupation- Landscaping!

Well, we are finally making some progress on the new landscaping for the front of the house. Ron has traded in his CPA for a shovel! He has been hard at work the last two weekends trying to get through the dump truck load of mulch we had delivered several weeks ago! The boys have 'helped' a little- filling up their buckets and wagon!!

We are also working on a new path that leads from the front door to the back gate. Ron had to put a drain at the end of the front walk and is going to have to add a drain hose- we get so much run off when it rains! I worked on transplanting monkey grass. Boy, do we have a lot of monkey grass!!! The mulch is mostly spread now- next weekend it should be done. We are going to get the front lawn seeded in a few weeks. Can't wait to have a green frontyard!!! The boys had a great time helping us today- they found HUGE earthworms- what fun for little boys!!!