A New Season

Clues that fall is here:

1.  I'm wearing pants...and socks.
2.  There is a chill in the air despite today's sunshine.
3.  School is in full swing.
4.  Leaves are starting to turn & fall.
5.  Orchard apples.
6.  Ginger abandons all her "cool" spots, ie, tiles, linoleum, spots right next to vents - for her warm spots, ie our Brandon's lap, blankets, and "sun" spots:

Yep - she knows the season is changing too. :)

Wow!

I admit it - I'm a proud mom. I think my kid is pretty darn smart.  He remembers everything.  He knew his letters & numbers before age 2.  You could point to any make of car & he could name it at age 3.  He just has an amazing memory...one that sure would come in handy for myself sometimes!  However, one thing that has not ever been easy for him is writing/drawing/coloring.  Those fine motor skills are not easy for him.  He has struggled to grip his pencil/crayon/whatever the correct way and it can be frustrating for him.  He's really come a long way, though,  and really has been liking writing down some of his favorite words he knows - Mom, Dad, Ginger, play, and more.  Tonight, though, he really showed me what he's been learning in kindergarten over the past few weeks.  Each day in his class, one of the students has been the queen/king for the day.  The queen or king gets to tell the teacher things about themselves & the teacher writes it all down, demostrating how to properly write in sentences.  Luke comes into my room earlier with his little notepad & tells me how one of his stuffed animals (Fox in Socks) is king for the day in his room & he proceeds to show me what he's written about Fox.

Just in case you're not practiced in the art of reading an emerging writer's work - it says, "Fox is 7 years old.  His favorite color is red.  He loves his mom."  Notice the correct capitalization at the beginning of each sentence & periods at the end (except for the last sentence where he ran out of room (: ). I am in awe of the kindergarten teacher - that he could sit down & put this together without any prompting or support just thrills both the mom & the teacher in me.  So - sorry, but I'm in proud Mom mode tonight & couldn't help but share my excitement.

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to my dad (and me).  Growing up, I always thought it was pretty cool to have my birthday just 3 short days after my dad - something special that he and I shared.  We got to celebrate with the family last night and we had a terrific time with one another.  As the years go by, it is getting more crowded & a lot louder, but the fun we have together doesn't change.  It's such a blessing to enjoy my family so much.

The birthday kids

The highlight of my night - lots of wet birthday kisses from my neice Ellie. :)

A New Old Favorite

Brandon & I love to get out and walk with Ginger every day, but this love is not shared with us by Luke.  Since he's started school, I try to get home as quickly as I can on 2-3 days of the week so we can get a walk in before Luke goes home & spare him.  Well, let's be honest, it also spares us a lot of whining.  We've always enjoyed heading down to the Amity Woods Nature Trail since it opened two or three years ago, but this summer, in addition to the concrete trail, they've cleared out brush and laid down mulch in new trails through the woods.  This has become a way to entice Luke into walking with us and enjoying it.  He considers it an "adventure" to "explore" the woods.  And if Luke loves it, I don't even have words to put down how Ginger feels about it.  She is literally "on the trail" of the wildlife she scents out as we walks.  It has been a pleasure to enjoy this new old favorite.