Emily LOVES to read. She would be completely content if we read to her nonstop. Once we get tired, she sets up camp with a stack of books and "reads" to herself. I tried to sneak taping her today, but she caught me and then got stage fright. I ended up bribing her by telling her I would read her a couple extra stories if she let me tape her.
Today was a stinky day. I've pretty much had the blues the whole day. The kids woke up to Kyle's early alarm so they were cranky. Kyle was at work so I was feeling lonely despite the kids racing through the house. I balanced the checkbook and that was less than pretty. My best friend is getting ready to move to Philly so that's in the back of my mind. It's just been a 'blah' kind of day. Sunday night happens to also be our big "grooming night" of the week. Fresh towels, full showers, clean ears, trim fingernails, etc. As we were running through our routine, I couldn't help but smile at the kids. Even though we were getting our checklist done, they were having a great time! It's nights like tonight that make stinky days like today worth it.Emily has a friend at school who apparently always sings "Who Let the Dogs Out" so today while I was on the computer, she asked to watch the video. [Maybe this was inspired by our visit to the pet fair at the park yesterday?] Before I knew it, both kids were putting on a full concert at the dinner table. I had to grab the camera.
Most days, I wouldn't mind if someone rang our doorbell wanting to visit. This weekend, however, has been ever so lazy. As I just tripped my way through the living room, I decided I needed some documentation of this. This is a picture of what our house looks like from our front entryway. I am fairly certain that the kids have emptied their bedrooms right into the living room to make one massive (and messy) playroom. I do have to take credit for the laundry baskets, but the rest of the masterpiece belongs to Andrew and Emily. Aside from some hardcore playtime, we were able to make pumpkin cookies (below) today. I just might have to resort to using the cookies as incentive to get the kids to clean the whole living room before bed...
Today I took the kids to watch their first volleyball game. We have friends with a daughter in 6th grade who is kind of an adopted sister to Andrew and Emily. She's an only child wanting little brothers and sisters, but she also looks like she belongs in our family with her white-blonde hair (below with Andrew last summer). Her parents are the coaches for the team, so Andrew got to hang out on the sidelines with Marc (above, far right), telling the girls what to do. We had a really good time and I have to say the girls were definitely the cutest team with their pink and black garb. I had several of the girls in my class my first year teaching, so it's hard to believe they're already in middle school!
We gave some thought to driving to CA and camping for the Rose Bowl to watch our Buckeyes, but ticket prices just weren't coming down. Instead, we made a fun day of it by dressing up and having a food fest. How exciting it was to watch Ohio State not only win a bowl game (it's been too long, hasn't it?) but the Rose Bowl! The kids were super excited, as seen in the pictures. Above is O-H and below is I-O... not that we've trained them or anything.
Our holidays seem like they went by way too quickly. We had a whirlwind stream of events starting around Thanksgiving leading right up until tonight as I sit here typing, dreading heading back to school tomorrow. We had several Santa-sightings, Christmas parties/get-togethers, and family gatherings throughout December. We were in Albuquerque at my uncle's house for Christmas this year. Usually we are in Ohio over the holidays, so it was different, but kind of nice driving rather than flying across the country. Santa brought Emily a Barbie airplane and a Dora bike while he brought Andrew an ATM machine and night-vision goggles. They were both more than excited! More importantly, they are at an age when we can talk more about giving to others rather than expecting gifts from people. Andrew has taken the idea to heart and started looking through his closet and toy bins to find toys he can give to other kids who aren't as fortunate as us. I think now more than ever is a good time for all of us to remember to give.
As you might know, Andrew is slightly obsessed with anything related to fire fighters. We have a family friend who is a photographer who went to Kyle's station to get a picture of one of the trucks so he could turn it into a huge (4' x 6') wall cling for Andrew's room. Andrew was more than excited the day we brought it home and hung it on the wall (although it took 4 adults to get it up smooth and straight).
Continuing with our family tradition, we all (my parents and sister were in town) ran/walked the local Turkey Trot race Thanksgiving morning. Kyle brought home the 2nd place title for his age group for the second year in a row. Andrew had his race debut for the kids' race (above). Kyle ran with him for the quarter mile loop because he was nervous about getting lost. When he saw us cheering near the finish line, he waved and smiled real big, having the time of his life.
Choo Choo Soul Concert video: DC breakdancing
The weekend leading up to Thanksgiving is always a busy one in town. The outlet mall has concerts and festivities to kick off the holiday season. Last year, Mitch Musso from Disney Channel came and sang for the tree lighting. This year, we skipped the tree lighting (because last year was so crazy) but went to a Choo Choo Soul concert the night before. For those of you who do not either a) have toddlers in the house, or b) do not have Disney Channel, Choo Choo Soul is a tag-team of a girl singer (Genevieve) and a boy breakdancer (DC). The kids and I took a picnic dinner and sat right in front of the stage so they could take everything in. There was a point when Genevieve asked if anyone wanted to dance on the stage. Without hesitating, Andrew bolted for the stage. Unfortunately, he wasn't one of the kids picked to go up, but I think he was all set to breakdance had he been chosen.
I know I could never cut it as a soldier, so for that reason, I am thankful for veterans currently serving or who have served in the past. That's not a job just anyone signs up for. Last Saturday, we went to the annual Veteran's Day Parade. It was 2 hours of continuous entertainment for both the kids and us. I asked the kids what their favorite parts were and they both named at least three parade entries, so I would count it as a success. The most touching moment: a Veteran's Bus with a young man walking in front of it in shorts and a polo shirt with dog tags, pulling his oxygen tank behind him while walking with a cane. I am so thankful for those like him, fighting for those like me.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but we moved last spring. It was a crazy busy time for us, so I think I neglected to update the blog. So, yes, we moved. We only moved about 2 blocks away from our old house, so it's not too big of a change for us. Last week, the painters came to paint the outside of the house. They also painted our front door Scarlet to match our OSU doormat. :)
The kids have had their Halloween costumes planned for MONTHS. I wish I was kidding. We kind of persuaded Emily in her decision-making after last year's "Dora-hair-fiasco". We helped her to choose a blonde-headed character this year: Tinkerbell. She was more than excited to have wings (which, by the way, she did not like the wings that came with the costume, so we had to hunt down green glitter wings to complete the look).
Andrew, on the other hand, had the hardest time making a decision. He bought a flight suit when we were at the Air Force Academy this summer, but he also got a full SWAT suit for his birthday. Tough decisions. He finally said he would be both: A SWAT pilot. Perfect. He was the best SWAT pilot I've ever seen.
I just had to include this picture of Emily the next morning, counting her candy. Notice her chocolate mustach that shows she was sampling while she was counting. She seems to think that she should have a treat after every meal she eats. After eating her oatmeal in the morning she says, "I ate a good meal. Now a treat??"
Emily's pumpkin is on the left (Voted Most Creative) and Andrew's is on the right (Voted Most Traditional)
Kyle and I decided it would be fun to have a bunch of friends over for a pumpkin party and let the decorating begin. We had so much fun, we made it the First Annual Pumpkin Party, with every intention of doing it again next year. We invited friends with young kids and older kids alike, but everyone seemed to have a good time. I found Jack-O-Lantern foam stickers at JoAnn Fabrics, which were perfect for the little ones that should not have sharp objects. We set up outside in the garage/driveway with a tarp for easy clean up. The weather was perfect. We could not have asked for more.
Our pumpkin farm in the desert is no Dussell's farm, but it is a nice break from looking at cactus. The kids are at a fun age where they can remember our trip to the farm last year so they each had a "must do" list before we arrived. Andrew, especially, was a little more hands on this year, grinding corn and feeding the chickens, etc. Emily was still a little nervous around the farm animals, especially when a goat jumped up on me, trying to get our dinner. We were able to pick out the "perfect" family pumpkin to carve at the following week's pumpkin party, so the trip was a success. 
On September 13, 2009, five teeny tortoises came out of their burrow. We got to bring home two of them when they were five days old! I have been wanting desert tortoises for awhile now, so when the opportunity presented itself, we jumped on it. I am learning more and more about them everyday. They are just fascinating. What I find to be most interesting is that while they have a life expectancy similar or greater to that of a human (80-100 years), they knew all basic life skills from birth. They could walk, drink water, find food and eat. It amazes me that some of these skills take humans a year or more to learn. 
Bella keeping Woody warm. 
