New Pictures....

The boys and I were looking at old Shutterfly albums last night and I realized it has been forever since I  took and nice pictures with my good camera. I take it out every so often and snap pics, but I never take my time and set the white balance the right way or focus on their eyes....

Today, I bugged all three kids until I got a few halfway decent pictures. They are still not the best.... but better than what I had been getting with my iPhone! :)

Christmas 2014

Another Christmas in the books.

Christmas Eve, we went to early church (3:30!). The first two services, that one and 5:30 were family services. Ben and Simon had been learning songs at Sunday School, so for the first year ever, they both sang with the children's chorus. Super cute. :) Jonathan could have gone up too, but wasn't feeling it!

After church we headed over to Babby and Grandad's for their traditional Christmas Eve finger foods/present opening extravaganza. The kids had fun, though Jonathan was kind of a pill. All the Christmasing has made him more than a little out of sorts lately.

Home for bedtime and to wait for Santa!

Christmas morning, the kids spelt in until nearly 8:00. When they got up, we let them open a few things and then waited for my parents, my brother and his wife, and Aunt Debbie came over for our Christmas breakfast!

The big hits this year were the laser tag guns. The dud (so far) that I thought would be a big hit is the LEgo Fusion set we gave Simon. He hasn't even opened it yet. I'm thinking maybe in the long and cold winter months during a snow day from school that might make an appearance. Also, making a mental note (again) for next year to scale back even more. I had actually pulled some gifts out Christmas Eve and put them away for birthdays... leaving Ben and Simon each with eight presents. Of those, maybe 3-4 were "big" things...as in things they had put on their lists.... (the laser tag guns, a couple DS games, the Risk game Ben asked for) The rest were little things I had thought they would like (a couple books from the book fair, some origami paper for Ben, a puzzle).  I really should have just stuck with the 3-4 big things and stockings.  Jonathan got his bow and arrow (huge hit), a new cash register, and two books that he cast aside (but that I'm sure will be become bedtime favorites soon enough)

I had also gotten them (as a joint gift) the Disney Infinity game.... and I think it kinda bombed... at least Christmas morning. I wish I hadn't gotten it!

After our breakfast, we headed over to Tom's parents' house. This was a lot more chaotic than it has been in years past. What used to be orderly one at a time present opening deteriorated into everyone opening everything at once. We're not sure why.... I think our mother-in-law has given up on any kind of order with 7 grandchildren in the picture now? lol.  Anyway, it was a lot.... I'm going to suggest next year that maybe we let the kids do secret santa with each other.

We had brunch over there and then all scattered to our respective home to crash! I'm fighting a cold now and was so exhausted...  hoping to have a quiet weekend to recoup!

...And to All, A Good Night...

Finally got A Christmas photo of the boys....   it's not great....I took it at the end of a three-hour Santa brunch and so they look a little disheveled. (at least the pancake syrup on Jonathan's sweater and his snotty nose didn't show up in the photo!) LOL.  Buuuut.... it will do. I didn't even notice that Ben had his hands on his hips until we got home and I looked at the pic. I was more focused on keeping Jonathan's hands out of his pants. 

Winter Germs and Other Fun....

Jonathan is under the weather today with a head cold. He's barely speaking, which is always weird because he a kid who NEVER STOPS TALKING.

He's home from school, which is sad for two reasons:
1) It was his last real day before break and
2) it was his LAST real day before break... LOL.

His little pageant is Friday and I'm sure he'll be fine by then... so that's good. But today, we are stuck home. Not good when I had about a thousand things left to do to get ready for Christmas. But, I am enjoying the snuggles.

I fear Simon is right behind him. He left for school today saying his nose "hurt" and was a little sniffly. ARGH. Washing my hands like crazy because, while I am happy to care for my sick babies, I do NOT have time to be sick myself. Truly. NOT AT ALL.

Pageant day is a little complicated this year. Ben's new school is holding their Christmas thing on the same day at the same time. This is a little strange to me since a decent number of kids from J's preschool have siblings at Ben's school. You'd think there would have been some coordination there. We were going to skip it entirely since this is probably Jonathan's last pageant AND Ben has only been there 2-1/2 weeks so really, how invested can he possibly be? BUT....he wants someone there... so we are splitting off and Tom is going to Ben's school and I'm going to Jonathan's pageant.

Simon doesn't have any special Christmas performance this year... just a little class party next week. Which reminds me... I need to buy hot chocolate cups for that. Adding that to the to-do list.  The massive, never-ending to-do list.

Just trying to take it all in stride and whatever gets done, gets done... whatever doesn't? Well, it's just that kind of year. Made the decision to not send Christmas cards this year and that took a huge load off. We'll take a nice Christmas photo Sunday at the Santa brunch we're going to... and I'll post it on FB or send it via email to most people on our card list. I just ran out of time this year.  Bonus,  $50 saved on postage and cards! ;)

The boys are excited and counting down the days. I asked each one which they most hope to find under the tree:

Ben - the new Pokemon DS game (thankfully he mentioned this last week and I picked it up! He doesn't like to make Christmas lists... he just hopes Santa figures it all out by osmosis)

Simon - Minecraft animal figures  (thankfully, my MOM got these for him after I suggested them awhile back... because these were not going to be under the tree from Santa!)

Jonathan - A Bow and Arrow set and a microphone (both covered! WHEW!)

As for what else they are getting...  Ben is getting a couple books, another DS game, a Lego Fusion set,  some origami paper, and some science things (a rock hardness testing kit and some owl pellets)

Simon is getting a couple books (both Minecraft-related), a DS game, a Lego Fusion Set, a minecraft sword, and a minecraft Lego set

Jonathan was the toughest this year... i opted for a new cash register for our play grocery store (he has worn the old one out), the bow and arrow set, a stuffed pigeon from the Mo Willems books, and some books.

I might be forgetting a couple little things.... but those are the main ones.

As joint gifts, they are getting Disney Infinity, an old Mario Smash Brothers game my brother introduced them to that they ALL love to play, and laser tag guns (which I also found out a bunch of their friends are getting so they can have one massive game!!)

I'm definitely ready for Christmas break. It will be nice to be off the mom-taxi and lunch-packing train for a bit. I know I'll be more than ready for them all to go back to school when January 5th rolls around, but for now, the break will be nice.

Ready or not... here comes Christmas!

OH! And one last thing! Simon FINALLY has a loose tooth on the top! :) He'll be top-toothless by spring, I predict. I was rooting for this to happen soon... he's getting a little old for the top-toothless look! ;) I was starting to worry it wouldn't happen until third grade!

PReschool Extended Day....

We are now test-driving two days a week of preschool extended day.... and I can not lie, it is OH so nice. Jonathan loves it, I am getting SO much done, and we still have our Friday afternoons together.

I considered adding him to his regular class's afternoon since he has taken to extended day so nicely.... (his class is split... he and two others leave at 12:30, the rest stay until 3)... but I think like having the option based on how our week and I like that he gets to spend time with Miss Sally and my friend Beth, who run it on Mondays and Wednesdays, respectively.

Yesterday, I even came home with this cutie wootie photo that they took to use to make a Christmas ornament!  ;)

Behind...

I don't know what it is about this year, but I am just NOT on schedule. We haven't taken a Christmas photo yet.... I just started on my baking yesterday and honestly don't even really have a plan. Usually I have a spreadsheet. LOL!

There is just too much going on lately and not enough hours in the day. It hasn't helped that with the school change, I lose a half hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon to drop off and pick-up.  I have been trying to figure out where to reclaim that time from. I'm getting up a little earlier.... but I still feel like I'm going non-stop all day and never quite catch up.  Definitely going to welcome the Christmas break to regroup and reorganize.

This week was particularly insane.

 I need some time to breathe....

Stranger in a Strange Land...

The rest of us are morning people.... Ben, not so much...

Updates...

Fifth grade Take Two is going well. Ben loves every aspect of it. His list why gets longer by the day! He says the classes are all more interesting, and they do all kinds of in-class projects and hands-on experiments. Lots of opportunities for moving around. There is more freedom.... he especially likes that on the rainy days when they have to have indoor recess, they can choose what they want to do -- whether they want to play board games in their classroom, go over to the other fifth grade room and do something different or even go to the gym and play! (he chose the gym last week) ;)

So far everyone seems nice. There are a couple boys he talks about more than others and says he sits with the same group at lunch every day. :)

The most amazing thing to me, is that his attitude about school changed almost overnight. He brought home some graded classroom last week and the difference in his effort, neatness, etc was night and day.   It's something I had hoped would happen but did not expect to see so quickly.

There are little things I love about it.... like that the daily homework is on the fifth grade website, along with any papers that are needed. Spelling words are there, vocabulary words, test information.... everything.  There was a slip that needed to be signed about an upcoming science test, the document was linked on the website.... Ben didn't have to remember to bring it home.  The website/homework thing is SUCH an easy, simple thing to do.... and makes a world of difference for a kid like Ben.

Anyway, so we are off to a good start there. :)

Simon.... Simon is doing well! He just finished up his second round of cello lessons through school and starts a new one next week. (they go by quarter) He made progress despite me being truly AWFUL about making him practice. Yesterday, he spent part of the day picking out all of his cello songs on the piano.  He has an ear for music, for sure.... I did discover that the instrumental music teacher has not actually been teaching them to read music.  Now, I KNOW Simon could pick this up reading music quickly....  that's the kind of thing he's really good at!  So over Christmas break, my plan is start working on this with him because I think once he can read the notes on the page, he'll really take off.  I got the level 1 piano book I used when I was a little kid and thought we'd just start it and see how it goes.

Schoolwise, he is doing well. We have an IEP team meeting coming up Wednesday and I don't think there is a whole lot that needs to be said. He has hit a groove this year. :)

He and Jonathan have become the best of friends. They play together constantly. This drives Ben insane. He feels like he has no one here at home to play with because the two of them have their dress-up/pretend games they play all the time and Ben wants someone to play sports with. I need to do better about inviting kids from school over. I say this all the time but life is just so busy.... and time keeps getting away from us. :(

Jonathan is loving his standing extended day at preschool! I may even add a second one after Christmas. We just dropped his group that he was doing through the county in favor of the teacher coming to his regular preschool more often to work with him. He had lost all of his same-age peers there to preschool placements and was left with two young 3s who didn't speak much English and another who was more like him but socially where he was a year and a half ago. The teacher's supervisor came to observe the group and thought Jonathan was the "typical" peer placed there to be a model for the other kids.  We enjoyed going, but the teacher and I agreed he wasn't getting much out of it at this point and the time would be better spent at preschool and maybe doing another activity on Tuesdays and Thursdays in its place.... so I'm looking into swim lessons or gymnastics.... library storytimes.... that sort of thing.  He just needs to spend as much time as possible with socially typical peers. He's doing SO well.... and things are a hundred times better than they were last year, but the more social stuff he gets now, the better.

I didn't do a post about Thanksgiving.... but we hosted it here and it was good. I feel more comfortable with that now and it's actually almost easier to just have it here. My sister-in-law and I do it as a team and it just works. The kids had a blast, we hardly saw them all day. The food was great and we all survived. ;)

So that's about it for now! I have a goal to do a post a day this week... hold me to it! :)

Second First Day of Fifth Grade....

:)

He was a little nervous this morning, but mostly excited! He talked my ear off all the way to school. I walked him in because they had wanted him to get there a few minutes early to get his things situated. They welcomed him with smiles and I left him in good hands. He was SO happy. Can't wait to pick him up today and hear how it went!