Schoolwork

Alex's homework has jumped from not much to off the chain this year.  We have projects, worksheets, flashcards, writing assignments, reading, and online coursework.  He enjoys what they do in class but doing homework is like pulling teeth.  This was his Whale Shark habitat diorama project.  Neither Brad nor I was enthused about a diorama project, nor was Alex, but we muddled through.  I think he did a fantastic job, meeting all of the requirements and doing his research thoroughly.  Phew, glad that's done!

Field Trip to the Quarry!

Abby's class at school is called the "Busy Builders", so when the notice for a field trip came home to go to the Vulcan Quarry, I wasn't surprised.  The quarry charters a small bus for the kiddos to ride down into the quarry and they get to watch out the windows as the trucks do their thing.  Apparently this quarry was established in the 80s and there is enough rock left to continue mining the quarry for 85 more years!  It was very interesting, even for the parents to watch the large chunks get loaded into dump trucks for the ride up to the top of the quarry and then unloaded into crushers.  The rock eventually is used in road construction work.  Abby loved the fact that there was a female dump truck driver and the manager giving the tour said she is the only female...but the best driver he has!

Exercise

Alex continues to take instructional tennis class at the local racquet club and enjoys this new hour long class now that he is 8.  His strokes are developing and they sure do run them all over the place!  He has two friends in the class too which has been a treat.  Abby looks forward to joining the 5 year old class in January when she turns 5.  Rain or shine they can practice as it is indoors so we never miss a week!

Abby is taking gymnastics through the park district and last week I was thrilled to see them using BOSU balls!  He had the kiddos jumping across several of them and then later in the class he was trying to teach them how to do pushups on the ball.  Too cute!  He also runs them for the full hour.  They seem to do best in classes where there is little downtime to get distracted or bored.  We usually hit the playground for a bit afterwards depending on the weather.  

As it gets cooler we will go back to swimming once a week with friends at the rec center pool.  I took them both on Columbus Day and had to drag Alex out when it was time to go.  It is a great way to burn off a little energy and keep up those swimming skills they worked so hard on this summer.

Tigger, Again?

Without fail, the Tigger costume comes to the rescue for any chilly Halloween occasion.  It says "Size 4T-6" but my kids have both worn this garage sale find at age 3 and age 4.  It is nice and toasty.  There are plenty of backups in the costume bin too at this point in case of a freakishly warm Halloween.  We love watching what they pull out to get dressed up, not even on Halloween!  Abby went to a costume party at Burke Lake Park on a rather chilly fall day recently, so Tigger won the coin toss.  She rocked it, whiskers and all!

Ten Year Anniversary Trip

Brad and I spent last week in the Dominican Republic, at the Excellence Punta Cana.  We had never visited an all-inclusive resort previously and were eager to try that out for our ten year wedding anniversary.  Grandma Eileen flew in on Saturday so we knew the kiddos were in good hands.  Both kids are old enough to help show other adults or babysitters where things are, which makes all the difference in the world!  I left pages and pages of typed instructions and we were off to paradise very early on Sunday.

In Miami, FL we met up with our good friends Dave and Becca Talley as they prepared to celebrate Becca's milestone birthday.  We were so glad to have traveled together as we had a blast playing cards in the evenings on the patio, dining out together and floating aimlessly in the ocean waves.

The food and drink were both very good and there was plenty of variety among the restaurants onsite.  I'm sure there was more to try around lunchtime but we opted for the 12:30pm pizza drop on the beach most everyday due to convenience.  It was about an hour van ride from the airport to the resort and we were so glad to have set that up with a reputable company prior to arrival.

There were SO MANY honeymooners!  It was very sweet to be around so many newlyweds.  The beach was very quiet, much different from this summer's beach trips.  An adults only resort is definitely the way to go on a grown up getaway.  I think we remember saying the same thing over and over again in Napa, CA a few years ago too..."It's just so quiet here!".

Wi-fi was spotty but usually available, sometimes even down on the beach, although there was a lot of just sitting in the shade reading books.  We were able to FaceTime with the kids most nights and they had a blast here with Grandma.  

Brad and I took a kayak out one afternoon briefly but luckily there are no photos of that debacle.  We spent time in the pool, in the lounges, at the nightly show (think Michael Jackson tribute show), but mostly at the beach under a palapa.  It was nice to just slow to a snail's pace for a few days and reflect fondly on the last ten years.

By Friday we were ready to see our kiddos and began the lengthy trek home.  We were thrilled to see them Saturday morning, bright and early!

Nature Quest

A friend told us about Nature Quest on Mondays at Hidden Pond Nature Center near our house.  Preschoolers gather to hear about various insects, reptiles, birds, etc. and even get to "pet" the animals.  They go outside on a scavenger hunt of sorts and then at the end there is a craft and snack.  Abby's school days are Weds, Thurs, Friday so we are always up for adventures on Monday/Tuesday mornings!

Work Picnic

Note: while beautiful, that face paint was a bear to remove.  We spent allllll day a few Saturdays ago in Maryland at Brad's company picnic.  It is such a family affair with plenty to do for all ages.  Abby particularly enjoyed pumpkin decorating, while Alex simply ran into the patch and chose the biggest pumpkin available and passed on the decorating portion.  The lassoing game was new this year, had never seen that before, but we haven't lived in TX in a very long time either.  I'm guessing it is a rodeo staple.  Brad works on the committee that sponsors the picnic and I think they do a fantastic job each year.

Signs of Fall

 Signs of fall include glow in the dark Halloween PJs from Grandma, acorn collages, and busting out the fall hand me downs from Catie and Vanessa.  The leaves have started to fall out front, time to start raking before it gets out of control!

Bike Rodeo

The first scout event of the school year was the Bike Rodeo!  What a neat event.  The kids practiced starting and stopping, hand signals, navigated a road course, obstacle avoidance, riding on rough terrain, and basic bike safety.  Even in the pouring rain that ensued, the boys got a kick out of having their bikes out in the rain and riding around the school grounds.

Apple Picking

Back to our favorite pick-your-own farm, Hollin Farms, for apple picking season!  Both kids enjoyed this, despite the warm temperatures, and we had eaten most of the apples in a weeks time.

Bathroom Remodel

Phew, that's done.  As cool as the yellow bathroom was, the rusted out hole in the tank made us think it might be time to replace at least the toilet.  And while we were at it, maybe pull out the vanity...and the mirror, well and the light fixture and tiles, oh and don't forget that horrible floor, set in several inches of concrete.  Fun stuff.  

We did have the tub professionally reglazed and the plumber had to extend the tub spout pipe in order to install that.  Other than that, this was a weekend warrior project.  Lots of weekends.  The new bathroom is beautiful and we love it!  Brad's friend Matt, again, helped get him started with the tile work.  Sam had a tile saw we could borrow, which worked out well as the shower walls needed a lot of special sizing.  We owe those two guys endless cases of beer for all of the tools they so graciously loaned us.  All in all, an excellent learning experience.  Oh, and save yourself the trouble and order the Moen fixtures the first time (amazon).  Burst cheap shower heads without brass fittings aren't worth the trouble they cause.

Currently we are between projects, which is a very zen place to be :)