Count Down to Gra's

The gifts for tomorrow night are wrapped and tucked under the tree. 

I love watching you sniff around, feeling and shaking your packages, trying to guess what is in each one. Asking us, as if we might tell. 

The dogs are all set to go to Uncle Jeff's tomorrow. Our gifts for friends and family are all ready to be dropped off, too. 

Tomorrow night we will heat blankets, climb in the jeep in our jammys, stop for our milk shakes and french fries, and drive around looking at lights. Then we will come home for you and Sarita to open your gifts.

Then to sleep early enough to rise early and be on our way!

Our bags have been packed for days. 

You keep begging me that we could leave sooner. 

We can not wait to head out for Gra and Pepere's house in just TWO mornings!!! 

A Merry Merry Christmas it WILL be! :)

A Good Sunday

Today was fun. 

I went to church myself this morning. You and your Dad made pancakes, had breakfast together, and played. You were racing matchbox cars when I returned. 

Then, your Dad met with his friends in town for the Packer game. Your neighbor friend Henry, came over to play for awhile. When the game started, we decided to pack up the toys you were using in a suitcase, bag your pb&j sandwiches, and head over to Hen's house. I watched the game with Bill and Teri while you and Hen played some more. 

This was the first in 20 consecutive game that the Packers lost. It was hard to watch, but eventually had to happen. 

After the game we returned home to Sarita watching movies on her own (for the first time) in the living room. She was just starting her second show, "Pirates of the Caribbean", and so I decided to take you out to see one of the many fun and cute looking kids' movies in the theater. We saw "Arnold Christmas". It was cute. 

Then we went to the mall to do some Packer blues retail therapy. It was so much fun. I got a new jacket and some great shoes. You helped me pick out LOTS of soaps and hand sanitizers at the big sale. We bought a few Christmas gifts, and you got a couple scarves and some gloves. You were so sweet and fun to shop with. I love spending time with you. 

When we got home it was 8pm. Your Daddy caught us up to speed, as a friend of mine had stopped out to pick something up. She dropped off a letter for you in the mailbox of your wooden house. SO sweet. 

Also, someone special in your life came over unexpectedly and dropped off a custom little mattress and sheets for your house, and an AWESOME kid's packer recliner. You were SO excited!!! You called to thank him, and you talked to him on the phone for a long time. I'm sure you each made one another's day. 

Now you are in your house, on your new bed, being read to sleep by your Dad. I am about to take a shower and get into my new snuggly Aeropostale jammies. Your Dad and I have eating, snuggling, and show watching to do. I am also going to be using my Christmas gift from you and him; the massage chair that finally came in tonight!!! 

What a great day we've been blessed with. 

I can't wait for tomorrow! :)

The House

Just as I suspected when I wrote the last post, 

I wasn't able to hold back from building a stronger, better, 

cooler playhouse than the cardboard one you were living in. 

At first it was just a dream. Then we drew some ideas on paper. 

Then we worked out the measurements, just to see... 

Finally, we made a small scale model of the house out of cardboard 

to see if it could really be done. 

Thursday morning, we did some internet research 

to choose what type of wood we "wood" use. 

Then we made our list and headed out to Home Depot. 

We got the plywood, 14 hinges, door handle, two wooden knobs, 

8 feet of chain, hooks, magnets, wood screws, lights, batteries, 

a small mailbox, and even a new set of blades for mama's skill saw. :)

We hauled it all home and got to building. 

Sarita came home from school and joined us. 

She's quite the little builder herself! 

We did it all right in the living room, since we're having 

new floors put in next month anyway. And it was warm. 

It was a great learning experience for all of us. 

There was laughing, and crying. Thankfully no one got hurt. 

We bonded and brainstormed and built a house together!!! 

The house is awesome. It's 6' long 3.5' wide, and 3.5' tall. 

It has a long window with a homemade curtain 

from a cat fabric you picked out at Joanne's. :) 

There are two fold up table/shelves. 

They are held to the wall by magnet closers, 

and they hang down on hinges and mini swing set chain (SO cute). 

They have wooden knobs to pull them down. 

There are glow-in-the-dark stars on the flat ceiling, 

a place to hang your Ipad for movie watching, 

and a wooden crate on the wall to hold toys, stuffed animals, art supplies, etc... 

There are four battery powered light sconces on the walls 

along with your camping lantern. 

You have your CD player, books, art, and toys all moved in already. 

The best part about the house is that the roof is easily detached 

and the whole house is hinged at the corners so that 

it can be completely flattened and moved into any room in the house! :)  

Last night you slept in it for the first time. 

It is temporarily in the living room until the end of the weekend. 

We will move it to the bridge upstairs until January 1, 

and then we will bring it to your bed room, for good.

Here is the house tour video you made this morning:

The House

Last week we went to Michael's Craft Store for something or other. 

We found these on sale for $10: 

(pic from internet)

You wanted one SO badly. And so we bought one. 

We assembled it together, and you began to color the outside. 

Six days later we've put on another $10 addition to your house, 

and you haven't been seen other than to ask for food, go potty, change clothing,

and... well, I was going to say shower, but come to think of it, I don't believe

you've done that since the house was built. Yikes!

You have literally moved into this house. 

You have your art supplies, books, CD player, books on CD, 

the camping lantern you Dad bought you, 

your Ipad hanging like a TV for movie watching, and your bedding 

all crammed into this little 6'x 3' box. 

We've even attached a mailbox to the outside, which you use everyday. 

I'm not entirely sure what this fulfills for you, but you have never been happier.

You even SLEEP in this thing at night! Which is a miracle. 

You haven't been in your bedroom in days. 

There are probably dead fish and hamsters everywhere in there! :)

I'm doing everything I can not to run out to Home Depot and buy 

all that we would need to make this house thing 

a more awesome more permanent play place for you. 

I keep reminding myself of the things that I always tell your Dad 

about kids not needing "the best, coolest, most expensive things". 

And that I believe it's better for you to live without than to have everything.

I don't know how much longer I can hold onto those week and 

quickly fading ideals! 

Christmas is just SO near!!!

An Overview of November

I know I haven't been keeping up with your blog so well these days. 

Blogging and blabbing have awesomely been on a back shelf for awhile. :)

A friend of mine recently told me that she wishes she 

would have done something like this blog for her grown children, 

and it encouraged and spurred me on to write a quick overview of the past month. 

In short: 

The weather has been so wonderful. 

The temperatures have been unusually warm most weeks, 

and we have only had one snowfall in-which the snow didn't stick around.

It was Sarita and Apple's first snow ever.

We even got to go sledding!

The warm weather has allowed us to keep taking walks and hiking in the woods,

visiting with the neighbors while Apple and Zeus play, grilling outdoors, 

and enjoying the screen room much longer than we are used to.

It's been really really wonderful.

We collected lots of different leaves, pressed them in books under mattresses,

and created a beautiful work of art, which is not completely put together yet.

We've been enjoying our evenings of activities together; 

from your Daddy and I cuddling in to read Farmer Boy aloud 

while you listen and work on your Christmas projects, 

to baking cookies and drinking hot cocoa over Christmas music with Sarita. 

It's been a quiet, cozy month. 

Oh, and you've taken an active interest in learning how to 

chop quick and evenly like your mama does. ??? 

You've been doing very well and have been quite handy in the kitchen! 

  

Even with all the good weather, I've been geared up for Christmas festivities 

far earlier than usual this season. 

We started listening to Christmas music in the last week of October!

I feel way more relaxed about Santa and Frosty and Rudolph, 

now that you're older and understand the clear difference 

in things I've been so careful not to create fuzzy lines between for you. 

We're enjoying the songs, movies, stories, and even the occasional dress up of

the fun fictional characters that come along with the holiday. 

I love it when santa empties the dishwasher!

We finally did a Thanksgiving Tree, which I've wanted to do for a few years now.

It was fun to create it together, and it's been a huge blessing 

for each of us to write down our gratitude each day. 

Even our friends have participated now and then. 

Counting blessings has gone from being a repetitive menial task for you

to something you enjoy quieting and really thinking about.

Your lists have become so sweet and unique to the activities of your day.

They read like a little journal. :)

We just finished up our last few days of school for your first quarter of the year.

With only a couple of days off over the past three months 

we are so ready for our free December. 

I'm sure we will do plenty of pieces of school here and there over the weeks off,

but it will be such a nice break for the most part. 

Even the last couple weeks we were getting restless. 

It helped to move our "class room" time to different areas of the house 

to change things up a bit. :)

Other tidbits of current info on you:

You went to your first NFL game! 

Someone kindly offered to take our picture for us 

when I brought you outside to hear all of the loud cheering.

It was so much fun! And Sarita's first game, too. 

You're pretty much over needing to be called Kevin. 

We have been shopping and inspiration hunting together for a home 

beautification season coming up, and you have been a BLAST!

You're wearing your cat costume all day and night, just about every other day. It's so cute.

You LOVE cleaning the house with me. Amen!  

You are NOT allergic to gluten after all, 

but thanks to rice dream we have all finally stopped drinking cows milk.

You have not had any stomach issues and you are worrying a lot less. 

I'm not sure if or how they correlate, but we're glad for both.

You can NOT wait to go to Gra and Pepere's this month.

You're getting much more realistic about money 

now that you have your checkbook system.

You would like to watch Cars 2 every single day.

And you are finally in love with your new dog, Apple, 

who you work very hard and well with to train and play. 

Hopefully, I will be a little better at blogging for you in December. 

If not, I'm looking forward to an end of the month overview of our Christmas! :)

You are my sunshine.

Who Would Have Though...

Six years old is bringing about all kinds of new firsts.

God, help me. :)

A Conversation Over Breakfast

Me: Are you ever lonely... eating and playing and being the only kid in your house most of the time?


You: Yeah, sometimes.


Me: But you still don't want a brother or a sister, right?


You: Why? You think you could do that?


Me: Well, Daddy and I just want to make sure you're okay. We could do something about it, but we'd rather not. 


You: Well, sometimes I'd like one. But adoption would be best for me. 


Me: Why is that?


You: Because I don't want to have to go through that thing where the mom abandons the six year old for the baby.

Learning Update

With early morning recipe reading, measuring, and mixing

fresh baked muffins with apple slices.

Co-op US History

and Around the World classes.

Nature walks.

Autumn gratitude.

Park visits and tire swinging in your own woods.

Hikes. 

Unique discoveries.

Kevin's Nature Box

filled with treasures. 

We're still going strong with the hands on learning.

Your reading and writing are also coming along so nicely.

I love to hear you read. You use so much expression.

I can tell you have been OVER read to (if that's possible) all your life.

Your writing has always been good in concept,

but now that your learning disciplined penmanship

and how to use punctuation it's even sweeter. 

And your love of science. Oh, science.

 I could go on and on... later.