Cub Scout Popcorn

Jonathan picked up his popcorn order this morning, and he earned himself a red pocket knife. He was so excited to have his first knife. Richard showed him how to be very careful with it, let him use it to open the popcorn box, and then we took it back...........for now at least. You just can't be too careful!

Walkathon!

We had a blast yesterday! Jonathan walked a lot, and so did I. We were both very tired last night. He raised $175 this year for the Walkathon, so "THANK YOU" to all of you who donated. The PTO hasn't announced the prize winners yet. I think they are announcing them this week. He completed lessons on nutrition, and he learned new exercises from a local gym owner.

Reading!!!

Alyssa read her first word on Thursday night! We sat in the floor and worked on her letters - which is one of her favorite things to do. So, I made a sound, she told me what letter made the sound, and then she wrote it on a big piece of poster board (which she loved b/c I let her use markers). Then we got out our little letter tiles, and we put three letters together......c a t.
She said the sound of each one. I pushed them a bit closer, she said the sounds faster, etc., etc., and finally she yelled, "Mom! Does that say CAT?!?!?!" I yelled, "It sure does!" And her face was all aglow! It was a great moment, and one that I am glad I got to share with her. She is really trying to write words and read, so I think she'll be reading a few basic words soon, and definitely before she goes to kindergarten! Woo hoo!

Now if we could only get her to NOT practice her letters in church, that would be a positive thing! Two Sundays ago, we took her to big church with us and right as the sermon started she began saying her letters and sounds VERY loudly----tuh, tuh, tuh, T! puh, puh, puh, P! duh, duh, duh, D! Now, granted, our church is huge, and the preacher probably didn't hear it. But, the people in the back left section certainly did. Then, when we got onto her and asked her to be quiet, she started a very emotional crying fit. She said, in the most pathetic voice you've ever heard, and quite loudly, "You don't want me to learn my LETTERS!!!!! WAHHHHH!!!!" The grandparents behind us just laughed, and I had to take her out. IT was embarrassing, but funny now that we look back on it.

So, I guess God took pity on her and rushed her education along, because now she feels like she can read! Maybe she'll be quiet in church in the future! :-)

Jonathan, I am proud to announce, is in the middle of reading his first chapter book! Nate the Great, and the Tardy Tortoise! HE is loving it. He has to read on a DRA level 18 to get out of first grade, and he is already reading an 18 easily and working on 20-22 with me at home. HE is really taking off! I am so proud. And, he is currently making all A's in class--after a minor adjustment about actually reading the sign in his math problems, he is doing much better. I am so proud of our little guy. He's wiggly in class, but he has come home with no color changes in a long time, and he has even gotten several super stars in the last week or two. I will upload Walkathon pictures later today or this weekend for you. We had a great time yesterday!

Happy Halloween!!!!!

Yesterday, we carved our annual Jack-o-lantern. This year we decided to make him a bit more cheerful. It was a good time together, and everyone contributed in their own way. I drew the face after we planned it together, Dad and Jonathan carved and cleaned it, and Alyssa pulled out the pieces and supervised. We think he turned out great!

Today, Jonathan was a Ninja at school for Storybook Character Day (we borrowed the costume from a friend, and he just loved it--and he didn't get it trouble today, either!). Then tonight, he was a blue Power Ranger, and Alyssa was a Caterpillar from the book, The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar (it was a costume that Erika wore when she was little). She loved her costume, and she got lots of complements because it was so unique. They got a ton of candy, but they pooped out on the second street and we were home by 8:00. Now they are enjoying candy and reading books - it was a great evening.

Catching Up

The past three days have been all about catching up. On Saturday, Richard and I went to visit my college roommate, Jessica, and her family. We had a great visit, and our kids got along really well. It worked out perfectly that she has a boy and girl about the same ages as our kids, and they have very similar interests, so that worked out even better! Jonathan really hit it off with her son, and they played video games and Star Wars for most of the time together. The girls played dress up and wiggled on the floor like mermaids - fun stuff for them, I suppose!

Anyway, catching up with her was lots of fun, and so now we have to keep in touch and see each other more often.

Going back to work today, after not only a four day weekend but also four days off for workshops, has been all about catching up. Teachers stopped by my office with issues, stories, and concerns.........so I caught up on all of those. Paperwork was waiting for me, so I TRIED to catch up on all of that. And, catching up with Jonathan's missing work since he was out was also a big thing. It was a good day, but I'm tired, and I'm still not caught up. I guess living sort of gets in the way of my To Do list! :-)

Palo Duro Adventure

The Palo Duro Canyon - "Grand Canyon of Texas" - second largest canyon in the U.S. - who knew!? It far exceeded our expectations, and we are glad we went. The pictures just don't do it justice. Here's the story of our journey.

We stopped on the way to Amarillo in a little town called Groom. It is the home of a weird leaning water tower, a sculpture garden that depicts the crucifixion of Christ, and the biggest cross you have ever seen! This is Jonathan telling Judas that he is a horrible man. He made a point to tell him off! :-)

Home Sweet Home! What a beautiful view from our campsite! The sun rose each morning over the ridge, and it was beautiful. This thing........whatever it is........crawled about one inch from Richard's foot, and it scared us both to death! (Okay, I did some research. This is a 40-legged centipede. I always thought they had 100 legs, but I guess not. Anyway, the dude online that got stung by one said it felt like a hammer smashed his hand. So, it's a good thing Richard didn't step on it!)

Richard walking near our campsite - it was very big and open - good for watching for rattlesnakes and little kids, we thought.

The munchkins enjoyed the firepit and sitting near it like two little adults chatting.

The deer here were very friendly....a little too friendly at meal times. Here they are trying to figure out what Richard is getting "for them" out of the car!

On the trail toward the Lighthouse. This is the beginning - everyone is clean, happy, and not exhausted! Jonathan was fascinated by his whistle that his Dad gave him in case of an "emergency." He blew it once because his legs hurt, but we told him that was not an emergency - even though he was CONVINCED that it was.

Below you can tell we're a little farther along, and Alyssa is starting to wilt. Jonathan found a stick, though, and he was excited to be like Dad with a walking stick to use to kill snakes! What a tough boy! He talked and talked about how he would kill one, and I know if he saw one he would probably run like crazy blowing his emergency whistle the whole way!

Below, in the distance you can see two little spikes - that is our goal - otherwise known as the Lighthouse. This was the first time we saw it, and we were a good mile and a half into the hike at this point.

We're getting closer - and the zoom lens doesn't hurt, either! We ate a snack and rested in the shade on the plateau between the two pillars. The boys climbed to the top of the one on the left, but it was too dangerous and tricky for the girls, so we sat and rested with some German tourists.

The kids and Richard at the base of the Lighthouse. This was a bit longer than 3 miles to get here, and we really had to climb the last portion - quite tricky for little ones because there was a lot of dirt that made it slippery.

Resting and posing at the top. What a cute pair! And what troopers they were! Everyone who passed us, including a large group of police officers, said they couldn't believe they were hiking the trail.

Jonathan hanging over the top to wave at Mom! AGH! Thank God Richard had him by the legs!

Richard and the kiddos on the way down - this was the trickiest part with all the slippery dirt. We had to go very slow and really pay attention to where we were walking!

At the end of the hike, we went to the Trading Post and got ice cream and cooled off. Then we went to the top of the rim and viewed the canyon from above. We could see how far we had hiked, and we were very proud we made it.......and that it was over. We were dirty, stinky, and just plain tired. But we had a great time. Richard said he had no idea that it was going to be that hard of a hike, and he was proud we all made it. We drank all the water we carried, and we could have drunk more. We all gulped down an extra bottle when we got back to the car - along with a Capri Sun each! :-)

Below, Jonathan enjoys his pancakes the last day of our campout! What a silly boy!

A is for Apple

Jonathan and his class went to an orchard this year as part of their study on apples. They learned about all the parts of an apple, the life cycle of apples, bees, pollination, cotton farming, and just basic plant life cycles. The presenters also talked about pond life and composting as well. It was a fun trip.

Enjoying an apple with his class........and the scarecrow!

We even bought two apple fritters. Jonathan enjoyed the rest of one in my office after school, and we gave the other one to Dad and Alyssa......they thought it was yummy, too!

Open House was a good time for Richard to catch up on what Jonathan does all day. Alyssa always enjoys visiting school - she can't wait until it's her turn!