Happy Halloween!

He's some pics of our fall adventures. Everybody had a great time at the Scout Campout. The highlight for Thomas was the rocket shooting, but I also taught him how to whittle. He kept showing everyone his knife, which I think is Grandpa's. Nolan had to learn a lot of outdoor skills for an achievement, one of which was building a fire. This was no small feat since it poured all day! Nothing that a little firestarter couldn't fix!

We are ready and excited for Halloween. I'll post pictures of their costumes soon. Today they have their parties at school and a parade.

In school, Nolan has been bumped up to the advanced math class which we're all excited about. And Thomas has started reading chapter books!

Rocket Man

Here's Thomas launching the model rocket he built (with some help from mom and dad) at the Cub Scout camp out...

Teacher Conferences and a wet Campout

Chris and I met with the kids' teachers this week and they are doing great! Thomas seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. He's going to school and coming home with a happy face every day. He is already reading at a level that is usually half way through 1st grade. Nolan is reading at a level that is half way through 5th grade. Both are improving in their writing and math. Math still isn't a strong point for Nolan, but he knows his facts really well. He loves social studies. I'm proud of them both.

Baseball is over for Nolan and Thomas has 4 more swim lessons to go. I think I'm going to sign him up for another session. Nolan will start basketball in a couple weeks. Both kids had a Cub Scout Pack Meeting this week. We are finishing up the popcorn sales and have a camp out at a local Boy Scout camp this weekend. It is supposed to be pouring rain and cold...so I am NOT AT ALL looking forward to it. Nolan is spending the night and Thomas and I are only spending the afternoon. We hope to find a way to use tarps to keep dry. Wish us luck!

Next week we have 2 half days because of continuing parent-teacher conferences. I finally go to traffic court to settle on the ticket I got in August. And we finalize the week with Halloween! Nolan is going to be a knight and Thomas is going to be SpongeBob. Chris and I are celebrating Halloween by doing a 5K race together...Chris' first race since we started running together and my first race since I did the marathon 6 years ago. Chester will celebrate by laying on the couch!

Cub Scouts and Baseball

Over Columbus Day weekend, Nolan played against Wilton in baseball and won 19 to 14. Thomas had his first Den outing at Camp Boyhaven. They had great activities for all the Tiger Cubs in the area, and Thomas had a blast. Today Nolan had his expanders put in for his lower jaw. He has a lisp now!

Tomorrow, the cook can't be at the Bethesda House (respite for the homeless) so I'm cooking for 100 people...wish me luck! This weekend's activities include selling popcorn at the Co-Op for Scouts, Fright Fest at the Great Escape and our final baseball game (against North Colonie).

Mud, mud and more mud

We hiked up Kane Mountain on Saturday with Nolan's Den, and it was like walking up a running stream! I've never hiked with so much mud. It was a short hike with not much view, but it was a lot of fun going with a bunch of people and going up the fire tower. It was really cloudy but at least it didn't rain. The sun came out as soon as we finished! We scrubbed the boys sneakers and set them under a fan all night so they would be dry for school today.

We are are settling in to the school routine now, especially Thomas. He was having trouble with the morning rush and the long school day. But he's getting on the bus great now, and talking a lot about his classmates. He came home one day last week and told me one girl in his class gets to watch R rated movies! It was like she was his hero or something! I told him to find out what movies she's watching because I'm not buying it! He's even doing better with sitting still in church and participating in his religion class. The first week of religion he ran out the door into the parking lot, and the second week he hid in the closet the whole time. This week, we told him he could hang out with Gaba afterward if he did a good job. It worked! He even did a skit in the classroom. So he's really growing up and getting past his little fears.

Nolan had a good baseball game yesterday, though they lost 7-6. He hit a double but they got 3 outs before he made it home. He just loves to play. We have a few weeks left before fall ball is over. Then 2 weeks break before basketball starts.

I decided against the book club...I didn't even make the first meeting before quitting! It wasn't for me. I've been saying no to a lot of commitments lately, it seems. I can be such a hermit.

So this week Thomas is having a friend over, swim lessons, baseball practice and I get to babysit the 2 little girls down the street again. I have an all day workshop on Saturday so Chris will have the boys. Sunday we split up and I take Thomas to a Cub Scout event while Chris takes Nolan to his baseball game. And Wednesday Chris and I will have been married for 14 years! Wow! Time flies when you are having fun.