Deer hunting

It is a tradition in the Heuer house to go down to my hometown for deer hunting. The kids enjoy being there for two full weekends with their Nana (or Ana in Evan speak), I enjoy the family camaraderie, and Tim always enjoys any chance he can have to shoot a deer. And yes, his total is 7 deer this year. (Thankfully we have many family members who want deer.... we cannot eat that much venison.) Do not be concerned, none of the deer that he shoots to go waste.

Anyway, with the truck completely loaded with hunting stuff, winter stuff, dog stuff, kid stuff, and parent stuff, we head down. Unfortunately, the past few years of deer hunting have not been good for me. I rarely see a deer and when I do see a deer, I don't hit them. Oh well - it is all about the family bonding anyway, right?

This year, both Emma and Evan wanted to go hunting with us. Fun, right? They had a lot of fun shopping for the blaze orange clothes and were excited to go out with us one morning. Of course, the snacks in the truck along with the portable DVD player helped. They sat with Tim mostly, although Emma did walk in the woods one morning when we were short of hunters. She had a great time, but, unfortunately we didn't see a deer. She was pretty sure she saw a toad in the woods though :-)

Hunting is always fun and I think Nana and Papa enjoying having us down too! We have popcorn, play games, watch movies and hunt a little too.

Our hunting dog

Tim couldn't be prouder of the youngest member of our family and her hunting ability. Yes, I am talking Sage here. They have been out duck and goose hunting quite a bit and I guess Sage does very well and is always eager to go out and hunt.


Here are some pics of our pup:

Where to start?

Ahhh... I feel like I can finally relax and enjoy the holiday season! My class is over! Now on to the updated blog posts, holiday pictures, Christmas cards, Christmas tree, shopping, house decorating, Christmas buildings, baking, wrapping presents and all the fun, stress of the holidays!

We have been really good the past few weeks. Thanksgiving seemed to come fast and we all had a great time. We had a very casual day with a lazy breakfast of monkey bread, stayed in jams for a long time, and relaxed. Dinner wasn't until 4pm that day so we could accommodate the big game (GO PACKERS!) and have enough time to get the turkey and everything done. I was in charge of the turkey this year and if I say myself, it turned out perfect!! Then... of course... preparing for Black Friday!

Kristen and I have the best system for Black Friday. We plan out our whole day and shopping lists the night before and then get up around 5am to head out to the stores after the midnight crazies are back in bed - ha! We hit up three stores (Walmart, Target, K-mart) and had a lovely breakfast at IHOP and were back home at 8:15. Such fun!

Then -- back to Durand for deer hunting.

The past few weeks the kids have been great and are so looking forward to Christmas! The enthusiasm is infectious and I cannot wait for the big day! Evan visited the farm yesterday with Tim and helped Nana and Papa decorated the tree. He was very excited as he told me all about the Popsicles he put on the tree. (which Tim informed me were actually icicles, which makes much more sense!) Then, I guess all the way home Evan was asking Tim when we could get our tree and actually pointed out a few alongside the road on the way home that he thought would be perfect! Our tree will be coming this weekend! This year we plan on cutting down our own instead of just going to a local lot. More on that later.

Otherwise, school for me is done until January. Unfortunately then, I will be in a four-week fairly intense class (Leadership) but at least I will get one done in only 4 weeks - yeah! The professor already gave us homework and we have 2 papers due the first day of class. We will see how it goes. My thought was to substitute this kind of class for a summer class, so I can relax then. Work is still okay... well, okay at best. I am occasionally looking for new jobs, but am tentative about that too as I know that will mean the end of my 4 day work week most likely. I plan on looking for a new job more aggressively when the holidays are over.

Emma has been very busy in school and has made some very fun art projects lately like a gingerbread house, a book on St. Nicholas, and a neat picture of her and her friends at Christmas. She has struggled sometimes on Fridays going to school when I am home, which has been incredibly hard. Hopefully that will end soon. I am not sure what brought that on, but I hope it doesn't go on much longer. She has been playing Barbies a lot lately and has been enjoying quiet time playing by herself (which is nice sometimes compared to our rambunctious boy.) She likes to help me pick out my work outfits and I like listening to her comments. Tonight, I tried on a skirt (and still had my gym socks on with it) and she goes, "Well, Mommy, I really like the skirt. Maybe with that other shirt you have with the rings. Oh, and I DON'T like those socks. Why don't you find that other shirt and take off the socks and then come back and show me."

Evan is good as well. His vocabulary has been growing so much and lately enjoys very much listening to books and reading books to me as well. I believe he has been influenced by two new boys at daycare, as they are 5 and 4 and really teaching him how to be a boy. He is constantly running, pushing his trucks, or playing with his dog. He really has taken an interest in Sage lately and has been laying on her, playing with her, and throwing toys for her. His love of games continues and we all played Thomas the Train Uno tonight and had fun.

Tim is good! He had a very successful fall hunt and is very happy about that. He is now relaxing and continuing his search for a new job.

Scared of the dark

We have been battling with Emma's "fear of the dark" for awhile now. I wish I could teach her that there is nothing to be afraid of and have tried many things, but nothing seems to work. Now, unfortunately, her unease of the dark is rubbing off on Evan.

We were at the farm this past weekend and the fears bubbled up to the surface. Maybe it was because of the Winnie the Pooh movie they watched or the Berenstein Bears book we were reading. I am not sure what triggered it, but every few minutes a little one would come out of their shared bedroom there and say they were scared. Or "scarwed" in Evan speak.

Well, apparently Evan had a bad dream (in the 5 minutes after we had put him to bed) and apparently woke up. Tim went into their room to see what was going on and Evan told him that something was trying to get him. Then, Emma, the big sister, decides to try and make Evan feel better. (in her very matter-of-fact, I know what I am talking about so you best listen to me voice)

"It's okay Evan. The doors are locked. And anybody would have to get passed Mommy and Daddy to come in. And, if they made it into our room, I know karate. I will use my karate moves on them. But, Mommy and Daddy know karate better than me, so they will probably not make it into our room."

There it is, the voice of reason.

Random dinner conversations

As said by Emma:

"Mama, let's pretend we are on the moon and let me ask you this question: Mama, would it be hard to stand on the moon?"

Me: "Well, if we are already on the moon, we should know if it is hard to stand or not, right?"

Evan: "No, we are NOT on the moon because we need a space helmet and space pants, and a rocket ship to blast off in. Yeah, that is how we get to the moon, we need to blast off in a rocket ship."


Then, tonight, we were talking about different places we should live. Emma all of a sudden throws out Mexico and Hawaii. I start to ask her what she knows about Mexico and Hawaii and why we should live there.

Emma: "Well, Hawaii is really hot and by the ocean. We could learn how to surf there too. Plus (eyes looking back and forth) Justin Bieber lives there."

Evan: "Justin Bieber is stinky. That means he needs to go to the potty."

Time at the farm

A few weeks ago, daycare was closed and Evan took a small trip to the farm to visit Nana and Papa. He was so excited about this because as he put it "I am going to feed calves and eat pancakes!"

With that short list of things to do there, he got busy. He helped Papa feed calves in the morning, went hunting for treasures with Nana, and rode in the combine. He loved riding in the combine and was really good for Nana and Papa, so that is always good to hear.

Emma and I went to visit later in the week as she was off of school Thursday and Friday. We got to do all the fun stuff that Evan did and then some! The Kellogg's were there also and we all played games, visited with family, and climbed the bluff.

Climbing the bluff was always such a fun activity when I was a kid as we trekked up the hill with family and backpacks filled with everything for a good campfire & hotdog roast. Unfortunately, this time the trails were not the same as they were when I was kid. On the way up, we were fine. On the way down, let's just say I had to find a path. As my uncle put it "I was kind of questioning your navigating skills on the way down." and to be honest... so was I. In other words, I couldn't find the way down, so we had to make it. All involved were big troopers as we ducked under brush, plowed our way through berry bushes, and well, descended down a steep part of the hill. I had little Kate on my front in a sling, I was carrying Evan on my hip part of the time on the descent as he was NOT having a good time, and I was trying to appear calm for my loyal followers. Not so much fun. Well, at the time it was not so much fun. Looking back on it, it was fun. I just feel bad for all the wilderness we were trying to climb through. Next time, we will be much more prepared.

Here are some pics of the time spent at the farm:


Dad with his new ride. Let's just say he does anything for his grandkids!





Evan feeding calves. The day I went down there with him, it was his second day helping Papa feeding calves. So, Evan was telling me exactly how to do it. He told me how many scoops of milk replacer to use, how much water, and where the pails went.

Here he is, acting all cool, waiting for the next calves to feed. (and yes, he is standing on a little "mixing station")

Step #1: Add the Water

Step #2: Measure and add the milk replacer:

(and when asked if he wanted to bring some in the kitchen for breakfast, he did the "No Mama! I am not a calf!")

Step 3: Mix! This was probably his favorite part:

Emma was there as well. She didn't get into the feeding of the calves as much. She was just playing with the kitties.

Here are some pics on the bluff. This was when we finally got to the top and we were enjoying our snacks.

My kiddo's with the great view. Evan exclaimed "Mama, it beautiful up here!" and Emma agreed with "I can see forever!"

Here are the girls waiting for the combine in a corn field.

And, my little girl:

Kristen with Kate:

Happy family at a camp out

About two weeks ago I hosted a small campfire at my house with the book clubbers. However, not one to ever waste an opportunity, Tim and Evan started the campfire early and we had the neighbors over for hotdogs, smores, chips, and beer. (for the adults obviously)

It was a great, great night for a fire. The stars were out, the temperature was great, and all the kids had fun. Evan kept saying he was going to "sit out and watch the stars" and the girls were always roasting marshmallows, giggling, and chatting.

And yes, the babies were there too. Here is Charley with his Daddy, keeping warm. The twins had a great time too.

Go Packers!!!

These were taken at the big Packer - Viking party that was held at the house. Attendees = 4. Yup, just the Heuer's.

Luckily the Pack won! And my children had the clothes to celebrate as well, which Tim was not happy about. I say.... too bad about that.

What a great season we are having!!! It is so much fun. Hopefully this Monday will be good as well.

Evan in a hole

And here we have...

Evan in a hole.

I won some trees at a big chili feed at the cabin. Evan, being Tim's big helper, had to help digging the holes, planting them, and watering them. I was enlisted as well and Evan had a lot of fun digging and jumping.

And yes, Sage was there too.

Aiming for the moon

Tim and Evan were walking down the driveway last night to get the mail. Emma and I were at at church for Sunday school and they just got back from swimming lessons.

So... they are walking in the dark and Evan is looking around and says this:

Evan: "Daddy - there is the moon!"

Tim: "Yup - there it is."

Evan: "I wanna go there Daddy."

Tim: "Well, maybe someday you can. But, you will need a spaceship."

Evan: "Yea and a space helmet."

That was pretty much it. But I thought it was cute for a three year old. Apparently he mentioned it again to Tim this morning about wanting to go to the moon.

My little fighting dragon

Tim and I both wanted to sign up the kids for karate at some point in their young life and the time has come for Emma. She has actually been in karate since September and really enjoys it so far. The class is only a half hour long and the beginning of the classes are spent sitting down and talking about respect for ourselves, family, and others. That is the part that I really like.

She struggles going at times (which she seems to do with may things at times), but once she is there, her smile says it all. She enjoys the kicking and the punches and all the things that go with karate. It is fun for me to watch her "spar" with the other kids in her class. Since September, she has gained 2 stripes on her belt for (1) listening & being respectful and (2) for her ability to do the "positions."

Here she is showing off her positions or stances after karate last week:

Jury is out yet as to if she will continue on with karate after her session is up. If it is up to Tim, she will continue for quite awhile. It is fun to watch her do it and I can tell that she enjoys it once she is there. However when she fights going, it makes me wonder if we should let her do it.

Flying like a bird

Last night rated as one of the best nights we have had... okay, maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but it was so nice. It was really nothing special, but it was just really good. Supper was a good comfy dinner of sloppy joes and potato soup. The kids were happy and chatty. Tim was starting on my wood floor in my living room and all was good. Then.. I looked outside. It was the most beautiful sunset. Beautiful and vibrant pinks and purples and it inspired me to get outside with the kids. So, we rushed getting on coats and shoes and made it outside to take in the night. We ran around, pretended we were airplanes, and fell down on the damp grass and laughed.

Then, the kids ran to the swingset and they both LOVE the swingset. I was pushing both on the swings, giving them underdogs and all of a sudden Evan started doing his "MAMA! I am flying like a birdie!" and he starts flapping his arms and kicking his little legs. Luckily he still likes swinging in the buckle swing, so he was safe as he was flapping. Anyway, he starts flapping his arms wildly like a bird and Emma starts talking and chirping like a bird and I just take it all in. The beautiful sky, my kids, the evening and everything. It has been a stressful few weeks and this just seemed really right and fitting and really just needed.

After the swings, it was a mean game of freeze tag, more wrestling and tickling and we went in for bath.

Just a perfect night, not brought on by spending money, doing something lavish, or running the kids around places. It was simple, at home, with family, and spending good quality time together. In the end, that is all we have and it is wonderful.

A kindergarten crush

"You know what Mom? Charlie said he loved me today."

--sigh-- already?

I thought Emma maybe liked Charlie, a little boy in her class and on her bus. I had the first inclination when she gave him two of her froggie reading buddies she got in school and the froggie reading buddies were a BIG deal in school. (Charlie didn't get one) The first one she was sad she gave away. But then the next day, she gave him another one and it wasn't an issue. Then tonight, when she told me something about Charlie saying he loved her, my head shot up and I did the "What?"

"Yeah" she said with a nonchalant tone but a smiley face.

Me: "What did he say?"

Emma: "Well, he told me he had a crush on me in class today."

Me: "Oh really? What did you say to him?"

Emma: "I just said okay."

And that was it. We will see if this little kindergarten romance continues.

Carving

With all the Halloween hullabaloo, we had the carving of the pumpkins on Sunday. The kids always get excited for this as well and it is nice that they are now getting older so they can participate a little bit more.

Their least favorite activity?? Take the goo out. Their most favorite? Drawing on the pumpkins and starting the carving.

Evan tried to carve, but was more successful with drawing on the pumpkins.

It amazes me every year how easy those little "Kid carving" kits make it for the kids. Emma loves that I trust her to do this and is good about asking for help if she needs it.

And (thanks to my friend Molly for the idea) Evan's favorite thing about carving pumpkins? Giving him a hammer and golf tees and letting him nail them into the pumpkin! He absolutely loved this and it kept him very busy! Plus, we had a pumpkin that had grown soft so we didn't want to carve it anyway! A perfect way to keep a little guy happy.

The incident

Just quickly...


Here is a pic of Emma and Evan sitting in the boo train... before "the incident!"....

So, I was giving the kids fun rides around the yard on the lawnmower while they were in the trailer. You know, doing circles, going fast, stuff like that. Unfortunately... the trailer tipped over and cries ensued. I don't know how it happened, but apparently the terrain was rough and over they went. Hopefully, no one (including the neighbor kids who were also along for the ride) got hurt. Of course now I get the "No more wild and crazy rides, right Mama?" and Evan while telling Nana about the tip "Anna, I almost broke my arm!"

and no, he wasn't even close to breaking his arm :-)

The Haul

Halloween is always so much fun around here. The kids get so excited and I get excited because it is the start of the Holiday season. ALREADY! The Holiday season :-) I cannot believe it. Anyway, so Halloween is coming and the kids have known what they wanted to be for a long time. I think since the summer. It has always been Astrid and Hiccup from "How to Train A Dragon." Fun and cute, yes, commercially made, easy costume? Not so much.




I started the making of the costume process roughly a month ago. I printed out some big pictures of the characters and in the way of Project Runway, I had to "Make it work!" HAHA! Of course, dealing with the Minnesota weather, my first concern is always to keep the kiddo's warm. So, I bought some fake Ugg boots for Emma and had Evan wear her old ones. Some vests and Fleece coats were purchased and then was the skirt and headband for Astrid. Not too bad. I spent more than I normally spend on costumes, but in my defense, mostly everything other than the skirt, is wearable again at normal times.




I was able to volunteer in Emma's classroom early that day for the big Halloween party and that was so much fun! They had 5 stations with fun Halloween activities, such as pin the nose on the jack o' lantern and Halloween bingo, lots of snacks, and the the Halloween parade. Even Tim made it in to watch the parade and Emma was so excited to have us there. She was unfortunately also emotional and we had some big tears again when we left. However, once again, we got an email from her wonderful teacher saying that she calmed down not soon after we left and enjoyed the day again.




After the classroom Halloween party it was more work for me and then preparations for the big night of Trick -or- Treating. Emma came with me to pick up Evan from daycare so she could see her friends. Then, off to pick up a quick pizza and head back home to rush through supper and get the eager little kiddo's in their costumes.




Here are some pics of Astrid and Hiccup.

Yes, they don't look exactly look like the characters, but both were happy (and warm!) with the final costume. It was neat to see Emma exclaim in the mirror: "Mommy! I am Astrid!"

A pic of the family.... minus me, of course!



Emma swinging her axe. These were a HUGE hit for the kids and they were constantly jousting and hitting things with them.



And Hiccup. He didn't really like wearing his vest or his horns and didn't really understand why he had to wear them. But, I made him wear them when we were out trick-or-treating.

We headed out around 6pm with the neighbors in the boo train! The boo train is always a huge hit and it couldn't have been a better night! The kids were comfy in the trailers with their blankets and anticipation on their faces! We hit up a different area of our neighborhood this year and the families were so happy we visited! We were told many times "We didn't have any kids last year! Thanks so much for stopping." and, the thing the kids LOVED hearing "Take more candy! we may not have anyone else stop!"

All-in-all, a great evening!

And after... LOVING the candy!

And... one of my favorite things of the evening...

Evan going through his pile of stuff and after finding this exclaims "Look Mama! Beer!!"

More kindergarten

Emma had a fun field trip today at the Lake Elmo Fire House! I volunteered to go along, as the kids were just walking there in the morning from their school, but the teacher said that Emma (while not crying) was still sad for me this week, so I didn't go. However, I heard all about it when she came in off the bus.

Her first question? "Mommy? Where is our family meeting spot?" "Ummm.. good question Emma. What is that?" "MOM!" (pretty much rolling her eyes at me) "It is the spot the family meets at when there is a fire in our house!" Well, of course it is. :-) I did the "Well, let's ask Daddy when he gets home from work!"

--then-- it all spilled out-- rambling, excited sentences with big, round, blue eyes and emphatic hands, gesturing her movements and pointing when she was serious, and so much fun to see her get so excited!

"We walked to the fire hall today! and, I got to be first in line. It was fun but cold. AND, we got to sit in a fire truck and that was REALLY cool! and you know what Mom? If there is a fire, you have to walk like this" (as she drops to the ground and crawls on the floor) "AND - you have to keep talking loud because fires are loud and you can't be scared of firemen when they come in and get you. They are just there to save you and to help and you should yell "help me, I am in here" and to check for a fire you put your hand ABOVE the handle, not on the handle, and feel the door. and if the door isn't warm, you can open it a little bit and peek your tiny head out and see if there is smoke but smoke is only high up in the air so that is when you get on the ground. AND (after Tim tells her that our meeting spot should be on the driveway) we meet on the driveway and if one of us is missing, we tell the firemen and they will come in and get us."

then, Tim has to ask "what about if Sage is missing? Will the firemen come in the house and get Sage?"

"Yes, the firemen will help stop our house from burning and will save us and Sage if we are not in our meeting spot. Fire is VERY hot so we don't want to be in the house long if it is on fire. Fire is dangerous!" and this went on for about 5 minutes during supper.

I couldn't help but smile as she kept rambling on and on and so serious about this. Which is great, because it is a serious thing. It gave Tim and I a nice opportunity to talk to her about fire and danger and not playing with matches and all the fun parental stuff we get to do.

Of course, the girls had to play fireman when they got off the school bus today. They were running back and forth from room to room putting out fires. Sage was their fire dog and they told me to stop-drop-and roll a few times as well.

It is nice when learning like this sticks with little kids!

Quotables... by Evan

We had some good friends over last week for dinner. We were toasting some good news with some champagne while the kids were having a fun movie night with popcorn, tons of pillows, and Halloween Winnie the Pooh or Franken Pooh or something like that. Tim had to go in the living room (by the kids) to get some glasses or something. Evan must have been concerned that Tim was shutting off the movie because he exclaims: "Daddy! Don't turn it off! The movie isn't done yet. Go drink a beer!"

***********************************************************************************

Then, I was putting clothes away one day and sorting out other clothes for laundry. I was folding, throwing clothes in a clothes basket and in my cleaning mode when I found a pleasant surprise: $10 in a jeans pocket! Yea! I love when that happens. So, I throw it on my dresser and continue on with my chores.

A few days later, I am trying to find my $10. I cannot find it for some reason. I think about my past days, about how I had wanted to put it in my wallet, that I was going to put it in my "work clothes pile" so I could remember to put it in my wallet, and racking my brain to figure out what I did with it. I look in drawers, behind drawers and cannot find it. Then I do the "Tim! What did you do with my money?" He looks slightly irritated and walks away. So, yea, nothing there. Then, I question the kids....

Me: "Emma & Evan - did you take my money on this dresser?"

Emma: (feeling hurt) "No Mommy! Really, I didn't take it. I promise!"

Evan: (very nonchalantly) "Yea, I took it"

Me: "Evan- why did you take it?" (while still slightly relieved that it has been found and I am not losing my mind)

Evan: "I had to keep it safe. It just lying there. It in my piggy bank! Not, it safe." Now, looking very proud.

Sure enough... we run into his room and look... my $10 in his piggy bank.

and yes, I took it out when he wasn't looking. To keep it safe... like at DSW or the Gap.

The 10 mile run

The 10 mile run for the TC Marathon weekend went, overall, pretty well. The TC Marathon weekend has pretty much a run for everyone: 1 mile, 5K, 10K, 10 mile, plus the big marathon, and then many kid and family events. In the past I had taken the kids to compete in the kids events and they always had a great time. Two years ago, I ran the 10K and knew I had more in me. After the 10 mile run, I figured, you know what? I am good with 10 miles :-)

The run was from the Metrodome in Minneapolis to the Capital in St. Paul. The course was pretty hilly, but along the route were some really pretty scenic views of the cities. We ran down the Mississippi River Road, Summit Avenue, along the Cathedral, and down John Ireland Boulevard to the Capital.

My friend Megan and I ran it together and met in the wee hours of the morning at 5:30am to make the transfer buses that left from the Finish line and took us to the start at the Metrodome. The run started at 7:10, so we were there in plenty of time. However, with the 8500 runners they had participating in the 10 mile, it was good to get to the metrodome early.

The run went pretty well overall. Around mile 7 my knees and hips were getting pretty sore and that is when I was really ready to be done. I pushed through and still ran the rest of the way (albeit probably a bit slower) and was able to finish strong in my mind.

I was a little disappointed in my finish time. Yes, I realize that I shouldn't be disappointed. But, when training for it, I was running roughly 9:10 - 9:20 minute miles. I finished at 9:58 per mile on average. I am still happy that I did it and feel good that I did it. Hopefully next year, I will go faster. The course was a little hilly and I wasn't running with my strong-beat music, so maybe that can account for some of it, who knows. Anyway - still, a good accomplishment and something to feel proud about.

Here are a few pics of the event:

I think I am looking pretty wiped here! This is towards the finish.. . . probably mile 9.75

And... THE FINISH!!! The clock that you see is the gun time. My chip time was 1:39:33. I did it in one hour, 39 minutes, and 33 second. Average pace was 9:58/mile and per my age, I finished at 50%. Not bad.

Here is after eating our snacks, stretching, getting our medals and wearing our ugly, ugly finisher shirts! I kept thinking to myself "I just ran 10 miles and all I get is this ugly shirt?"

I do think that I will do this again. It is a great way to stay motivated and in shape. Maybe I will do a half marathon, but I wouldn't try to push myself as hard to keep running if I do a half. My knees and hips were pretty sore and by the end of that day, I wasn't walking all that well; my body was pretty stiff and sore. But the weird thing? I do one of these events and my competitive nature kicks in and I think "I can do better. I can push myself more." But, I know that my body may not take it. Or, I will switch back to triathlons. Time will tell.

Thanks for all the well-wishes the weekend of the run! They meant a lot. Maybe next year some family or friends will want to do this as a team! Think about it!

The awesome swimming ability of Mr. Evan Heuer

Tonight was Evan's first night of swimming lessons and he was so incredibly excited. I made the mistake of telling him a few weeks ago that he was going to be attending swiming lessons and he jumped up and down, assumed he was going to swimming lessons at that time, and got a towel and was all ready to go. Everytime we took Emma to swimming lessons, he thought he was going and then was very disappointed when he couldn't go into the water

So.. tonight came and swimming lessons was all he could talk about. He came home from daycare and immediately put on his swimming trunks and was ready to go. Tim was the lucky parent that took him there as I was teaching church to a bunch of kindergartners.

The report I received (other than Evan jumping up and down when I got home and rambling some three year old nonsense about swimming lessons) was. . .

He was all smiles the entire time and went to the teachers right away. The set up there is two teachers per class and Evan only had two other boys in his class; so, really good teacher time. He listened well and kicked, flapped arms when asked and was very attentive. Unfortunately, he was a bit too anxious and excited as he decided to take some measures in his own hands. When the teachers were out in the water teaching the other two boys, Evan decided that he could swim on his own and jumped off the ledge and into the water. Luckily, there is a lifeguard right there; however, the lifeguard had to jump in twice and pull Evan out of the water because, of course, Evan doesn't know how to swim yet . Tim just laughed and shook his head and I had a serious conversation with Evan about waiting for his turn and being patient.

The Stillwater 1-mile

Last weekend, the kids and I decided to participate in the "Kids Lead the Way" 1 mile family run at Stillwater to raise money for something. I cannot remember what right now as it always seems we are participating in something, but it was a fun event and we are always happy to help out the school.

As Tim was out hunting that day, the kids and I joined Craig and the girls at the 1 mile run. After registering and buying the shirts for the kids, we head out to the field towards the start. The kids are all in good spirits and are enjoying seeing some of their teachers there outside of school and are looking forward to the run. When it is time to start, Kyra, Emma, Evan and I start out running and get ahead of our pack. They continue running for a little while, stop a bit, and then start up. It is not long after that when Kaylee starts to join in running as well. The course was at the Stillwater high school, so it was fun to see the huge school the kids will be at a few years down the line. The kids take turns running, walking, skipping and hopping and I switch between running and struggling to run while carrying Evan. We are nearing the end (which was really only a half mile, but we were so slow that others really running the mile were really at the end) and I was pushing the twins, the girls were running ahead and Evan was happily riding on Craig's shoulders. People are taking pictures and handing out ribbons to everyone who finished. The girls are very excited with the ribbons and are chatting excitedly about their accomplishment.

We decide to do one run/walk along the track around the football field as Evan was now decides that he is Lightning McQueen and has to take a spin around the track. He was happily zooming around the track making various car noises and sticking out his tongue and the girls are still pretty much running the course. We finish, grab some water and head out. It was a busy morning after the run with the Home Depot craft project, kids safety displays there, and grocery shopping and we finally make it home.

Then the kids start fighting, which they seem to be doing constantly now. It goes something like this:

Emma: "I won the 1 mile race today. I got a ribbon. Evan didn't get a ribbon, so he didn't win."
Evan: "Yes I did Emma. I won too Emma!"
Emma: "No you didn't. You didn't get a ribbon. I was way ahead of you, so I won."
Evan: (looks at me with big, blue, curious eyes: " Mama, I won too, right?!"

Me: "Yes, you both won. Emma, just because Evan didn't get a ribbon, it doesn't mean he didn't win."
Emma: "Then, why didn't he get a ribbon?"
This continues for a few minutes and I hope they will work it out. However....

--- it was sometime during this fight that Evan took the ribbon away from Emma and Emma pulls it back and I have to get in the middle and take the stupid fifty cent ribbon away. That leads to yelps from both kids and a stern look from me with a warning: "you fight about it and it becomes my ribbon"

Finally, I come up with something and tell the kids that the reason Evan didn't get a ribbon is because he was on Uncle Craig's shoulders. Since Uncle Craig is such a tall guy, the people handing out the ribbons couldn't reach Evan, hence, Evan not getting a ribbon. Both kids won because they had fun and there were not winners or losers today because it wasn't a competition. ( I am also wracking my brain trying to figure out what I did with my ribbon and why I didn't make sure after the run that both of my children had a ribbon.)

Both kids seems fairly content with this answer, but of course, just to stir the pot, Emma has to say, "Well, I was still ahead of Evan and finished before him. "

Grrr....

Elephant Tears

I mentioned in a previous post that I had lunch with Emma this past week and was able to be the Royal Reader in her classroom. Well, I volunteered at the school this past Friday for their Walk-a-thon and was able to be at the school for 2 hours at the Hula-Hoop station. The kids were participating in a walk-a-thon to benefit the school and raise money for new technology in their classrooms. (Which - side note - Emma's class had the largest pledged amount for kindergarten! So, because of the big win for that, they get a yogurt & fruit party some day in class! Much different than the cookies or pizza parties we had when I was in school, but, I am sure the kids will be excited nonetheless)

Anyway, Evan and I were volunteering at the hula-hoop station and helping all the little kids hula hoop. Evan tried many times to get the hip movement down so he could have fun with the hula-hoop, but unfortunately, he was not successful. So, instead we lined the hula-hoops up and made worms, jumped through them, whatever it took to keep him busy when our station was not in use. It was fun to see all the classes outside, enjoying the beautiful day, getting some exercise, and raising money for their school. Emma was once again very proud to have me there and always ran up to me with a big hug and smile and then hula-hooped with her friends. When it came time for her class to go in, she gave me a really tight hug and sad look and then headed to join her class at the snack station (pretzels.. another healthy snack) and I went again to help Evan make more hula-hoop worms. After a few minutes, I hear "Kelly!" and I turn around to see Emma hugging her teacher and heading towards me. Unfortunately, Emma was getting pretty upset because she had to leave me and go back to the classroom. I run over there (and leave Evan with Kristen and the twins who were there to cheer on the walkers) and kneel down to Emma and give her a huge hug. "Mama, I don't WANT you to go. I want you to stay and I want to stay here with you!" and then some tears come down. I try to talk to her and tell her that I need to help out, I try to give her a hug and tell her she will be okay, but nothing really helps. She just keeps crying and hugging me.

I look to her teacher for help and she kind of shrugs and offers the same soothing words to Emma. I then suggest to eat lunch with Emma again to see if that helps. She perks up pretty quickly and hugs me again and agrees that is a good idea. I do remember telling Emma though that she cannot cry after I leave the lunch room and that she needs to be happy that Mommy is able to visit and not sad when she leaves. She nods happily and agrees and her teacher also says that if I have time, I can be the Royal Reader again. I agree and Emma finally goes to join her class in their classroom.

I shake my head and go back to the hula-hoop station. Kristen offers to take Evan with her and the babies back to her house for lunch and nap so I can spend some more time with Emma. And yes, I leave the hula-hoop station unattended so I can be with Emma. I had to make the executive decision that the hula-hoop station could man itself (since really, there wasn't much for me to do there anyway) since the teachers are walking with the kids also.

Lunchtime is fun. This time, I didn't bring a snack lunch for Emma and I, since I was caught off guard for this visit, so I had school lunch with her. It is amazing to me how organized the lunchroom can be with three meal choices and milk choices and so many kids going in-and-out. Emma and I choose the box lunch that day which consists of Fruity Cheerios, Yogurt, sunflower seeds, an apple, carrots, and graham cracker goldfish. We eat with a bunch of her smiley friends and have a good time.

When lunchtime is up, it is settled that I will be the Royal Reader again, so Emma picks out a different crown, same wand, and different book. I start reading the story and am about halfway through when I look down at Emma (who is sitting on the reading rug with her friends this time) and she is sadly looking up at me with huge elephant tears slowly rolling down her face. Let me tell you, if this wasn't a heart-breaking site, I don't know what is. I (while still reading the book) try to smile at her and mouth the words "it is okay" but the tears keep rolling and her eyes continue to get red and splotchy. When the end of the story comes, I put her on my lap and give her a big hug as I talk to the kids a bit about the story.

Leaving was so hard . . . almost one of the hardest things I have done.

Emma started to cry harder and harder and say, "No Mommy! Don't go Mommy! Take me with you Mommy!" I tried to be strong, but I know I had a few tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat as I tried to explain to her that I needed to go and she needed to stay with her friends. She continued to hold on to me and tell me not to go and I tried to gently get away and tell her it would be okay. This went on for what seemed like forever when the teacher looked at me and said, "it will be okay. You go. She will be fine once you are gone." So, I forcibly had to hold Emma away (after one more big hug and kiss on the cheek) and leave the room. The teacher is holding on to Emma and trying to soothe her when I leave. As I am leaving I can hear Emma yelling "No Mommy! Take me Mommy! Don't go Mommy!" all the way down the hall. I sat there (in torture!) and debated going in there to take her home with me, but finally, sadly, left to go see Evan.

When Emma came home from school that night, she told me "I only cried for you 4 times Mommy!" as though that was a good thing and I told her that I wouldn't be visiting her for a little while. I saw her teacher later that evening at Stillwater Spirit night as well and she agreed that I probably needed to wait a few more weeks until I came to school again. She said that it didn't take Emma long to settle down and that the rest of the day she was fine, but still it was probably best to wait.

The funny thing is that I thought Emma was fine at school, which she is, but not as much as I thought I guess. She really seems to enjoy it, but I am not sure what makes her so sad about seeing me there and knowing that I am leaving. I thought I could get in the habit of meeting her for lunch more or volunteering more, but now I don't know. It was too hard on both of us this last time that we will see I guess.

So many emotions with Kindergarten - it is crazy!

Evan’s feistiness

Evan, not to be outdone by his big kindergarten sister, has had a few fun things just for himself lately as well. He started Sunday School this past Sunday and I was told, as I was unable to be there for it, that he did well. Tim said he sat down right away and started coloring his picture and the report back from the teachers after the class was that he listened well and had a good time. When I got home that morning, he told me a little bit about it, told me he heard stories and did crafts, but that was all I got out of him. We will see next weekend what he does and what he brings home. He does feel like a big kid that he gets to go to his own school now.

He is doing well at daycare without Emma and has fun playing with his little friend Will. He and Will, however, have a bit of a tumultuous relationship as they both really enjoying playing together, but unfortunately fight quite a bit too. In the evening when Evan asks me what his day tomorrow is, if I say it is a Theresa day, he get’s excited and says “Yea! I get to play with Will!” So that is good. However, when I pick him up from daycare, it is usually “Will hit me!” or “Will bit me!” or sometimes “Will wouldn’t share with me, so he got a timeout.” Now, I do not think that my kid is a little innocent victim here at all, but unfortunately even though Evan is the older one, he can be the more passive one.

So, lately, Tim and I have been talking to Evan about being friends and how to be a nice friend and basically now to deal with Will. Now, we get reports from Theresa with a laugh of, “I was in the other room dealing with another kid and I hear loudly, “NO WILL - I SAID NO!” With Evan pushing his arms straight out in an attempt to stop Will. Thankfully – it has worked! Apparently, Evan did poke him in the eye one day, but that was after Will was not being nice too. It is a relationship with give-n-takes.

Evan is looking forward to a small vacation of sorts he will be taking in a few weeks. Daycare is closed a few days the end of October, so Evan will be heading to the farm to stay with Nana & Papa. He was excitedly talking about this the other day and telling me how he will ride a tractor with Papa, go to the barn, see the cows, kitties, and calves and ride the four-wheeler. He was also talking about his gator and Papa’s gator and comparing the two. (Unfortunately Papa does not have his gator anymore (just for the dairy breakfast) but maybe he could be talked into buying one by a small little three-year-old blond boy.) Anyway, He was comparing the gators and telling me how big Papa’s gator is. “Papa has a big gator because he has a farm. I have a small gator. I am a small little guy. I have a little butt and I have a little peepee.” By this time, yes, I am cracking up with laughter.

Evan has also turned into my little helper lately. He likes helping me vacuum, dust, and clean. He enjoys helping me cook and tries to help with whatever I am doing. I am surprised at times because sometimes Emma and the neighbor girls will be outside playing and Evan will choose to stay inside with me and help. I was making Tim’s birthday cake last weekend and I got the “Mama. I help you. I can make a cake. I make good cakes.” Yes, he gets in the way many times and spills the ingredients or stirs crazy. But, he has fun and we get to spend some nice time together. I bought a mini baking set the other day from Ikea, so Emma and Evan have their own little rolling pin, pie tin, cake pan, and stuff. We haven’t used much of it yet, but we will soon as I have a LOT of apples to use up.

My Royal Duties

It as been so wonderful outside lately! We have been enjoying the beautiful weather lately and definitely taking advantage of what could be the last nice days before the snow flies. The past few days have been filled with side-walk chalk, apple picking, mini races in our driveway and much time spent on the mini gator.

Emma is still enjoying kindergarten and I enjoy seeing her run off the bus and excitedly telling me about her day. She had a fun field trip a few days ago to an apple orchard. She got to bring a sack lunch, have some apple cider and apple donuts, and pick out a small pumpkin to bring home.

We hadn’t heard anything more from her teacher about Emma being sad or unsocial at school, so I thought it was time to meet her for lunch. WOW – was she excited! But, I was hoping for that response. It was decided between her and I that I would bring in a lunch for both of us and then she told me how some parents wear a crown, read a book, and the kids can ask them questions and that she really, really wanted me to do that. “MOM? Can you please come into my room after and read a book? Please, Please? That would be super cool!”

In anticipation of the big lunch, I emailed her teacher to see what time her lunch was, make sure it was okay, and to ask about the book reading thing. Her response? “I would love it if you could come in and be our royal reader! That would be great.”

So… it was set. I met Emma at her kindergarten room right as she was coming in from recess. She saw me at the far end of the hallway, flashed me the biggest smile I had seen for a LONG time, and excitedly grabbed my hand and headed to the lunch room. All at once, her little classmates were milling around us, asking me questions, talking to Emma, and following us to the lunchroom as well. They were showing me their lunch bags, telling me what they were getting, and chatting about recess. It was so fun to be there and Emma was beaming and so proud the entire time.

Emma picked out a table at the lunchroom and we sat down to eat our sack lunch. All of the little kids sat down by Emma and I and continued their rambling talk about school and everything under the sun. I was surprised at how quickly the time flew and before you knew it, we were lined up and heading back to the room so I could be the Royal Reader.

When we got back to the room, all the kids sat on the reading rug and I was led to the rocking chair by Emma. Her teacher got down a big box full of crowns and royal wands and Emma got to pick out what crown I got to wear and what royal wand she got to use. As all the kids settled down, the teacher told me what the plan was. Emma, being my royal helper, got to use her magic wand to pick kids and have them introduce themselves to me. So, it was “Hi Kelly, my name is ” for all of the classmates. Then, Emma picked out her library book for me to read to them, Where the Wild things are. The kids sat and listened pretty well on the reading rug and Emma decided that she wanted to sit on my lap and listen to the story. After the story, Emma got to use the magic wand again to call on kids so they could ask me a question. The questions ranged from “what do you like best about Emma?” “What is your favorite color” and “what do you do after school?” It was so much fun and Emma really enjoyed the power of the magic wand and me being there. After many, many big hugs, kisses, and “I will see you in 3 hours” I left and headed back home.

It was so much fun and I am so glad that I had a chance to do it. Emma was so proud that I was there as well. However, Emma told me when she got home that she cried a little bit for me after I left, but not that much. Her next question? “Mom? When can you come and be the Royal Reader again?”

Me

How about a post all about me for once? After all of my musings of my children, deciphering my scribbled notes so I don't forget some happening, and staying up late to record everything about them... here is a little something about me.

I had a birthday! I am now 32 years old - wowza. I had a great birthday, did a little shopping and spent a little too much, but had a great time doing it!

I am back in school and taking Fundamentals of Law every Tuesday. The professor is great and has weird, quirky cases for examples. I am really enjoying it so far.

I have agreed to be Emma's Sunday School teacher again and this will be every Monday night now.

I am running a 10 mile run this week and cannot WAIT to have that over :-) I am proud of how far I have come, but am ready to be done running for a little bit (and to not feel sore constantly) and focus on a few other things. Wish me luck!

Work is still good. Really busy, but still challenging so that is good and needed. Our business unit is in the process of acquiring a huge global business and we are currently working on that integration, so, exciting things may be coming.

What else? Maybe I am not as exciting as I thought. That is all I got.

Kindergarten

After a few weeks of our new schedule, Emma is settling right in to Kindergarten. The Sunday following the first week of school, we did get a call from her teacher telling us all about Emma. She said that Emma is very respectful and does all that she is asked, but that she hasn't been engaging socially with other kids. She said that Emma has been pretty shy and keeps to herself quite a bit and has cried some during the day because she is sad. She assured us not to be nervous or worried about it and that some kids are just slower to adjust than others.

My first reaction? What? My Emma is shy? I have always seen her as an outgoing, confident, leader- among- her- little- friends girl. How can Emma not be reaching out to little kids?

However, as the literal shock wore off, I started to think about more about Emma and her past situation. She HAD been at the same daycare for 3 years and was incredibly comfortable there. At Sunday School, I was her teacher one year and she knew some of the kids the other year. For all of her swimming lessons, softball, etc, either Tim and I have been there. This was the first time she had been really on her own in a entirely new environment.

So, Tim and I have discussed this with Emma and talked to her about how to meet friends. We told her that it is okay to be sad and nervous and shy because other kids are too. But, we assured her that it will get easier and gave her some idea's for how to reach out to other little ones.

Now, a few weeks later, Emma seems to be doing much better. She is always excited for school and ready to go. She tells me she doesn't cry anymore during the day for me, which is fabulous! Emma tells us about her little friends and who she eats lunch with and plays with at recess.

All-in-all, it seems to be going well and I am so excited for her! She comes home singing the color songs she learned that day and shows me all the crafts she worked on. She was so excited the first day she brought home a library book and has her school pictures and first field trip tomorrow!

It is crazy to think about how big my little girl is getting, but so fun as well. Before you know it, she will be going to her first birthday party.

Evan at Three

Evan at Three.... where do I start?

We had his three year check today and it went very well. He is 32 pounds which is roughly 50th percentile. I cannot remember his height offhand, but I do remember that it is at the 17th percentile. So, right on target with weight, unfortunately a little lacking on the height. No, I am not worried, but seeing that his Mom and Dad are both on the short side, I am not that surprised :-)

He is great... he is a wonderful, loving boy. He has started giving such tight little hugs with his little arms around my neck and I absolutely love it. He is really enjoying our Fridays together now and they have been fun. I constantly hear "MAMA! Mama, come play with me!" and a lot of times it is hard for me to resist.

However, as discussed a little in the past, he can be a bit stubborn. He is testing us and trying to assert his independence, which can be difficult at times. We are getting through it and working with him on it, so hopefully, it will get better.

Some tidbits on Evan at three:

He is quite the chatterbox actually; he takes after Emma on that front. There are times now when I pick him up from daycare and he chats the whole way home - it is very cute. I always like to ask him and Emma about the best parts of their day and the worst parts of their day. Evan's best part of his day usually goes like this: "I go to Tesa's, I eat breakfast, I play with Will (his best friend), I swing, we play in sprinkles, we have snacks, I ate hotdog, I take nap, I play cars...." and so on. It is fun to listen too.

His favorite things: CARS! Obviously. He is still always carrying around a Lightning McQueen in one hand. He loves tools and putting things together. He is Daddy's little helper and will drive his gator and follow Tim when he is mowing the lawn. If Tim is using a saw, Evan has his plastic saw and is helping. Both of the kids were out helping Tim trim trees and get them ready for Fall last weekend and Evan came in twice, dig into his toolbox and grabbed something, and then left.

Handy Manny is also a favorite and he is enjoying some of his new Handy Manny toys and books that he received for his birthday.

Evan has not decided if he is left handed or right handed. He will eat, color, hit a ball, golf, or anything with both hands. Sometimes, I think he is a bit more dominant with his left, but that is still to be determined.

He is very independent and likes to do things himself: About two weeks ago, his toy truck needed new batteries. So, he got one of Tim's real screwdrives and took off the back. He then took out the old batteries and asked Tim for new ones. He got the new ones in correct, screwed the back on, and was off playing with his truck again.

He can be a Momma's boy at times and loves helping me in the kitchen. He likes stirring, "chopping", making his own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and his favorite: being my chocolate chip taste tester.

He wakes up in the morning and is instantly ready to go. He wants to put his clothes on right away and get started.

His favorite food: Steak. He refused to talk to the doctor this morning, as he can be a bit shy, but when the doctor asked Evan what his favorite food is, he looked up said "Steak!" with authority.

He can be shy. He tends to bury his head in my arms or my legs if new people are around or if he is tired. This makes me a bit nervous as he starts Sunday school in a few weeks and I am not sure how he will react.

He loves balloons, trains, eating (he could eat constantly!), playing Thomas the Train on the computer, and his gator. He adores Emma and is always doing what she does. However, they are constantly getting on each others nerves. If she is playing with something, he has to have it - and vice versa. I threatened them both yesterday to take away all of their toys for a day and see how they like that.

Fishing is one of his favorite things to do at the cabin. He does pretty well at it as well. He can cast all on his own, and reel the line in. Waiting is not his strong suit though. Luckily at the cabin, there are many, many sunfish just waiting for a worm. So, he does catch a lot.

He is usually always wearing a tie-dyed shirt. He has like 3 or 4 of them, which he inherited from siblings and cousins and those are usually the shirts he picks out to wear. Although, he calls them his "double" shirts. I am not sure where he got that one.

That's my little man in a nutshell. I am so blessed and happy that he is with us.

The new family pets

Emma has found a love of everything creepy crawly lately. It started with toads in buckets that I would have to pick up and put in. She had many toads named Hoppy that we had for a day and then sadly, she would let go. Or once, it was a family tragedy when Evan let Hoppy go and didn't let Emma know. You would have thought that it was a true serious problem when Evan did that.



She now will pick up little toads and play with them for a long time. She will build them toad houses in buckets and try to catch them bugs so they won't starve. Now, her new fondness towards creepy crawly things has evolved to this:

Tim found a little lizard at the cabin and Emma was in creepy-crawly heaven. She let this thing crawl up her arms, she would play with it, and would help Evan pick it up and play with it as well.

Now, I cannot say I really mind this. I think it is good that she is not afraid of this stuff. However, I tell her that nothing like this comes in my house. She has said she wants to pick up a snake lately, which I tell her is fine, but there is NO WAY that thing is coming close to me. We will see if she gets that brave.

Emma's sweet ride

On Saturday, the kids were outside helping Tim put tape around the trees (a Fall family favorite activity) and I was inside cleaning. I know what you are thinking... how lucky am I, that I was cleaning toilets, vaccuming, and dusting while poor Tim and kids were outside enjoying the beautiful fall day. Hmmm...


Anyway, I was inside when all of a sudden Emma bursts into our back door exclaiming:


"Mommy, I have the best Daddy EVER!" while she was all smiles.


I smile, as I always love hearing her stories and ask her to tell me more.



"Well Mama, Daddy let me drive the lawnmower! All by myself!" Sure enough, it is not long before I see this outside:

And then, not long after, I see this:


And then, of course, Monkey See, Monkey Do. (although, he did have some help as his little legs were not even long enough to stretch and make it!)


The kids love it and obviously we have the lawnmower set to go really slowly, so no real danger. Emma asks if she can help Daddy outside every day now and while Emma was at karate tonight with Tim, Evan and I spent about 20 minutes with him slowly driving around the yard.

Evan's proclamation

I was cleaning up raspberries, so Tim went outside to call the kids in to get ready for bed. The little blond heads bounce up the lawn, then the back steps, and in the house and immediately start asking for candy, snacks, or whatever to delay bedtime.

Tim says, "So, Evan... tell Mommy what happened in the garden."

Evan: "I ate a bug."

I, curious, looked at Tim who is trying hard to keep from laughing and I look at Evan again with his serious face and plainly say. "What?"

Evan: "I ate a bug."

Now, I cannot stop from chuckling and looking at Tim is not helping one bit. Evan is so serious and so nonchalent about it, that it is humorous.

Me: "Why did you eat a bug Evan?"

Evan: "Because."

Me: "Did it taste good?"

Evan: "NO!"

Me: "So, did you learn a lesson? Will you eat another one?"

Evan: "Yes Mama. No more bugs."

Unfortunately, we have had a beetle problem on our trees and in our garden, so it is Tim's belief that he accidentally ate one that was on a raspberry. I really hope that was the case.

And - to mention - this was roughly 30 minutes after Tim stuck his head out the window to yell at Evan to stop climbing up the side of the sandbox. He was roughly 4 feet in the air when I caught him and had to stop it. We should maybe start a betting pool for when Evan will get his first broken limb. I am betting within a year. Anyone want to take an over/under?