The Love Affair Continues

The love continues to grow between Holden and Fletcher. H was sitting on the floor watching PBS Kids this morning. Fletcher just crawled up and laid across his lap . . .


Thankfully, Holden was okay with it. It was too cute!

Completely Random Stuff

I've shown evidence of Holden's bedhead. Here is Quinn's (he is holding one of his favorite books) . . .


Fletcher has turned into quite the "daddy's boy" . . .

*His favorite time of day is when Brant comes home from work. He gets SO VERY EXCITED!

Well, it's official. I am a minivan-driving soccer mom (and I love it!) . . .

*This is a great Christian sports league. I highly recommend it!

This boy of mine is so very loving. He gives tons of hugs, kisses, and "I love you's" every day. One of the teachers at his preschool is always telling me that he is so very sweet . . .


The boys are at the stage where almost every food needs a dip/sauce. They will eat almost anything if they are given the right sauce . . .

*I hadn't added the green beans, yet. They require their own ketchup!
*Yes, we are still using Christmas plates. I love these big, square plates; they're great for portion sizes/food separation.

The Middle Child

Ever heard the potential woes of the poor middle child? Forgotten? Overlooked? Sandwiched between the first born and the family's baby? I know that I have heard all of those things.

But, I have also heard that the middle child can be the luckiest one in the family. The middle child is in the position to have a close relationship with the oldest child and with the baby. The first born goes off to school, and the middle child has another playmate at home . . . a chance to make another best friend.

I'm starting to see this play out at our house. When Quinn is home, he is the focus of Holden's attention (which can be both a good and a bad thing!). But when Quinn is away at school, Holden is much more inclined to spend time with Fletcher. These two have started to become little buddies . . .

And, it's been really sweet to see!

Is There Anything Cuter . . .

than a little one in footie pajamas?

I think not!

P/T Conference

Yesterday morning, I had my first parent/teacher conference with Quinn's K teacher. Progress reports came out last week, and she likes to meet with parents afterwards to touch base and discuss strengths and "areas for improvement". Because this blog serves as our family's scrapbook, I wanted to write down some notes from the conference.

Strengths:
1. Very polite to and considerate of all teachers and peers.

2. Very bright and eager to learn. Picks up on new concepts quickly.

3. "Knows his Bible." (Very familiar with Bible stories and figures)
*This morning, I sent thank you emails to his primary Sunday School and Children's Church teachers. I should probably send a gratitude email to the makers of Veggie Tales, too! ;-)

4. VERY enthusiastic about school and learning.


Areas for improvement:
1. Talking at appropriate times (usually related to strength #4!)

2. Working on bravery/controlling emotions (not crying/becoming teary when corrected by the teacher)

3. Very loud (also, usually related to strength #4!)


It was a great conference. I am very proud of Quinn. I know that he is in a loving, Christian environment and that this year will be a success. Also, there were absolutely no surprises for me during the meeting. I could have predicted all 4 strengths and all 3 areas of improvement. That's my Quinn!

I do have to share one funny insight of hers (also not a huge surprise to me). She told me that Quinn is quite the performer. Q likes to be front and center any time that all of the kids are grouped together to sing a song, tell a story, etc. He is also usually the loudest one during such performances. She said that show business may be in his future! ;-)

Here We Go Again!

As soon as I got used to life without baby gates . . .

it was time to put them right back up!

Corn Maze

This afternoon, we met our dear friends (the Fitts) to explore a local corn maze. It was perfect fall weather. The boys LOVED running through the maze and playing on the slides and tractors. We were especially proud that we completed the maze in an hour and 20 minutes (we did skip a couple of stops - we had 6 kids to deal with!). What a great time!

I Get It . . . Now!

When I was a teacher, I would often wonder about the crazy/clueless parents that I encountered. Well, I'm now one of them! Since Quinn started Kindergarten, there have been a number of times that I have been clueless . . . and a little crazy. One specific time? Quinn's phonics homework!

After Labor Day, the official Kindergarten homework began. His school uses this book for phonics:

Three nights a week, we are to complete exercises from this book. The first couple of nights were grueling. They were taking us a really long time, and both Quinn and I were getting frustrated by the process.

Why would simple phonics ladders be long, grueling, and frustrating? Because I was having him do WAY TOO MANY of them! See this chart:

For some reason, I saw "page(s)" and "4", and I thought that meant 4 pages. Then the next night, I saw "page(s)" and "3-4", and I thought that meant 3 to 4 more pages. NO!!!!! "Page(s)" and "4" actually means page 4. "Page(s)" and "3-4" actually means page 3 and page 4. By the end of night 2, the poor guy had done 8 pages of phonics ladders . . . instead of just 2 (pages 3 and 4)!!!

At the rate that we were going, we would have completed the book in a little over a week . . . instead of a couple of months! Thankfully, I figured this out on my own after day 3. And thankfully, I did not ask the teacher about it. I'm sure that she would have considered me very crazy and clueless! Geez! Can I still claim baby brain when my "baby" is 1? ;-)


And finally, an update on Holden's beloved Superman tank top . . .

He was feeling extra cool yesterday and decided to accessorize with the belt, cape, and Spiderman socks. Oh, that crazy boy! It will be a SAD, SAD day when the tank top no longer fits him. No one is looking forward to that day!

Our Little Astro-nut

Holden has recently been very interested in outer space, planets, and astronauts (astro-nuts as he likes to call them). I remembered that I had a space kit stashed away for a rainy day and thought that he would enjoy it. We put it together a couple of mornings ago, and he thought that it was super cool.

*Yes, he is wearing that Superman tank top . . . yet again! I promise that he has other shirts. He is not allowed to wear this one in public, only in the privacy of our own home! He wears it almost every day!


First, we put the planet stickers on the solar system poster . . .



*I could not let him put the Pluto sticker on the poster. The poor guy had to sit through an explanation about how Pluto is no longer considered a planet. Just one of the perils of having a former science teacher as a mom! ;-)

Then, he put the alien and rocket stickers on the back of his bedroom door . . .


Finally, we put together Holden's favorite part, the projector with lights and different space strips . . .

Did He Just Say That?

We have always talked with the boys about God and Jesus, trying to work faith into our daily conversations. With Quinn now going to a private Christian school for Kindergarten, the religious talk seems to have tripled or quadrupled. As you can imagine, it's led to some pretty funny observations.

Q: "I want to be God for Halloween, with a cape."
H: "I want to be Jesus."


Q: "I know what God looks like. He's big and wears a white robe with a brown belt. And, he has a cape."


Q: "Holden, what are you most excited about in heaven?"
H: "Star Wars legos."


Q: "Mom, I think that you're pretty as an angel."


If you ever want to know why someone is mean, not nice, or is a "bad guy", just ask either Quinn or Holden. They'll tell you that it's because "they don't have Jesus in their heart."


Finally, it's not exactly a religious conversation, but Fletcher

says the most adorable "uh-oh" I've ever heard! ;-)

Bedhead

Holden inherited my very thick hair, which often results in some pretty crazy bedhead . . .

It's quite a look for him! Ha!

Fun Saturday

We started the day with Quinn's first soccer game. I love that they announce each player over a microphone and let them run through the Upward banner!











Later, we had a playdate and picnic at the park. Melinda and Haden were visiting from Florida. It was great to see them! Love you girls!

The 4 college friends (Maridith, Charity, me & Melinda) . . .


The 9 kiddos (yikes, they outnumber us!!!) . . .

Piano Man

Sing us a song, you're the piano man . . .

And you got us feeling alright!

Soccer Scrimage

Tonight, Quinn's soccer practice was a scrimage. He was VERY excited to wear his cool new jersey and just a little excited to play soccer. Ha!

First Day of Preschool

This morning was Holden's first day of preschool, in the 3's class. He said that it was "awesome" and that he "got no time outs". Sounds like a success to me! ;-)

Sept 2010 (2's class) . . .


Today - Sept 2011 (3's class) . . .



Q wanted to hop into the picture. Please look at his poor face. Last night, he wrapped himself up in a blanket and tripped/stumbled face first into a wooden toy bench. Ouch!

A Visit From The Quinns

Over the weekend, Papa and Mama Quinn came for a visit. It was great to see them. The boys were more than happy to receive all the extra attention (and gifts!). :-)

Happy Labor Day

We spent our Labor Day at the Durham science museum. The boys had a blast. Quinn's favorite part? The snakes! Holden's favorite part? The rockets and astronauts!