Boo!

WHAT? Its the last week of October?

This month has gone by in a rush! I feel like I have much to share, but little time to do so. It has been a busy month of teaching, of soccer, of volunteering in Mylie's class, and of learning. Here are a few short updates with more to come.

Blake has his final speech therapy appointment today!! He has a final evaluation and he did so well on it. I am in awe of him and so grateful to the therapist who worked with him. When he started this process in March I had to make a list of his words and he had 10. I made a new list last week and it was over 170 and I have heard him say so many words in the last week that I didn't have on there. He is a different kid, he is more confident and a little chatter bug. He is so funny and always has a story to tell us. He is using sentences and communicating so well. I had no idea what to expect when we started the process, but I did not expect this!! I am so happy and proud of him, and proud of Mylie too, for working so hard to help her brother.

It hit me the other day that it is the last week of October and we still hadn't done pumpkins!! Yikes. Off we went this afternoon to pick out pumpkins and then Jeff helped the kids carve them. Great work guys!

It doesn't feel like it has been fall for very long, but it also feels like it might be winter at any moment. In fact the high for tomorrow is 45, I was digging the kid's winter coats out tonight.

I had to capture pictures of my favorite trees. Both these trees were probably only 5-6 feet tall when we planted them. They are huge now and I love the beautiful colors.

My summer reading spot transformed.

This week promises to be a busy one as well. It is the 10th week of the semester, yikes, I cannot believe it. I have decided the only time I will ever be caught up on grading is at the end of the semester, after grades are posted! :)

A beautiful day in McCall

Nine years ago on a beautiful October day, Jeff and I took a day road trip to McCall. We hadn't been dating for long, but we both had the day off of work and went on a drive to admire the beautiful fall scenery. Although we had not been dating long, it was that day that I knew I would marry him, that I would have babies with him, that we would live happily every after!

Every October we take the same drive. Then it was just us:

But of course, now there is them too.

The leaves were beautiful and the sky was so blue.

The kids had a great time hanging out at the lake.

And looking at boats with the binoculars.

Or smiling at Mommy.

Posing with Daddy.

And running from {fake} turtles - that he later shot with a {fake} gun. Don't ask, he is weird. :)

It was simply a quite lovely day. We told Mylie stories about when we were dating and first married. She asked all about when she was a baby. It was so fun to just laugh and tell stories. While at the lake, Jeff and I sat and held hands and watched our babies play. Nine years ....

Looking forward to a day off!

I am so excited about tomorrow. I am off of work and there is no school and I CANNOT wait to spend the whole day with my babies. It has been a busy month at our house. Kindergarten starting for Mylie, new daycare/preschool for the kids,soccer three times a week, a busy semester teaching 12 credits for me, and a busy last few weeks of training youth court volunteers.

But tomorrow there is nothing. I'm hopeful the kiddos will climb in bed with me in the morning and we will watch cartoons and cuddle. There will be no hurrying or rushing to get anywhere. No packing lunches or backpacks. I look forward to playing, to going to Toy Story 3 at the dollar theater, and maybe go to the park.

I know that life doesn't slow down, so there is no use waiting for it to happen. I have to make it happen. Our lives are busy, and that is OK, we are OK with that. But it is important to carve time out. Time where I am not multi-tasking. Time where we can just be.

"I'll always be here for you Bubba."

Today I had one of the most touching moments I have had as a parent. Blake fell asleep on the couch late in the afternoon watching football. When he woke up he was not a happy boy. I tried to calm him, but he wanted nothing to do with me. Jeff tried, same result. First he laid on the floor and sobbed. Then he got up and went and found Mylie. He was sobbing, saying, "Sissy, sissy." She came in and said, "Do you need me Bubba?" She sat on the couch got his blanket, and lifted him up on her lap. He laid his head down and held her hand. She rubbed his head and whispered, "I''ll always be here for you Bubba."

I get tears in my eyes again just thinking about it now. He calmed right down and laid there with her for awhile. She talked quietly to him and when he felt better, she went and got him a drink and off they went to play. Oh how I love these kiddos of mine!

Boys are different.

So, without a doubt, I am learning that boys are different from girls. This morning I went into Blake's room and there were raisins on the floor. He had undoubtedly snuck these from the pantry. I told him that he could not take food into his room or bugs would get in his room. This always worked with Mylie. I thought it would work with Blake too. I was wrong.

I asked Blake, "Do you want bugs in your room?" His eyes lit up really big, he started nodding and saying, "YES!" Then he proceeded to excitedly act out when I interpreted to be he killing "hoppers" (grasshoppers) with a "hamma" (hammer).

Yes, boys are different!

Learning from them!

Tonight, when Mylie was saying the prayer at dinner, she included the following request for help from Heavenly Father, "Please help me to write my name good, and my lower case Es. Help me to hold my pencil the right way and to not hurry too much with my work." I couldn't resist grinning, but it was also a good reminder that we can go to the Lord with all our problems. Something like a lower case E may not seem like a big deal, but to her, that was what she was working on earlier in the day and I was touched she would ask the Lord for his help.

After dinner, she and Blake were in his room playing. I went in to check on him and she was helping him clean his room and teaching him how to fold his blankets.

Somedays these kids are so wild and crazy, but I am always reminded by simple things about what a blessing they are in my life.