Halloween

The boys have been counting the days to Halloween since September 30th! This morning Keagan's class had a costume parade, and then they went trick or treating to area businesses. 

Evan's class had a Halloween party complete with crafts, games, and cookie decorating.

At when it was finally dark, we all (Opa and Oma included) headed out for trick or treating. We met some of our new neighbors on Ridgecrest, and we also went down our old street to see our old neighbors. Stacey and Frank were kind enough to make treat bags for the boys filled with whole sized candy bars. Jan and Vicki had hands full of candy to pass along to the boys. We miss living on Golf Club already!

As soon as we got home, the boys had dumped their baskets and were sorting the candy into piles: favorite, good, and bad. Evan will have his favorites eaten by Sunday; Keagan will still have uneaten candy a year from now.

Fall Festival

Tonight I took the boys to the daycare's annual fall festival. The boys wore costumes, played chase on the haunted playground, played a few carnival games, and ate a piece of candy or two. It was great fun for them and their friends. 

Evan, Charlie, and Jessie

Jade and Evan

Silas, Keagan, and Charlie

Moving Day

Boxes, boxes and more boxes! 

I don't know how we did it. The moving company packed on Monday, we slept on the floors of the new house Monday night, we went to work/school etc on Tuesday, and we returned home to a house full of furniture. As of Saturday night all 125 boxes had been unpacked. All of our family pictures are hung, the fall decorations are up, we have phone/internet service again, and the pantry is full. We are settled in our new place...at least for the next eight months, and we are relieved that the ordeal is over.

Built Tough

Keagan had a nasty fall this weekend while riding Evan's scooter. The worst part is I was supposed to catch him as he careened down the alley. At the last minute, he jumped off the scooter, and the scooter went under his feet. As he was sprawled out on top of the asphalt, he looked up at me, and it was as if the knot on top of his eye was growing while I watched. Today it looks even worse with more of the eye blue and bruised. He is embarrassed about it and refuses to talk about it. And as luck would have it, picture day is on Wednesday!

After the fall and a long nap, the boys and I went to Montclair's Haunted Happenings. There was nothing haunted, and Evan was disappointed to not have experienced the fright of his life.

Today we had another soccer game, and Keagan helped me take a couple of pictures. I think he might really know what he is doing.

Academic Award

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Today I opened Evan's Friday folder to find this! What a surprise! It had me wondering if the teacher didn't pass one out to every kid. Then I wondered if she gives one every Friday and it has taken seven weeks for Evan to show "outstanding student performance". Evan, of course, had no idea what it meant or why he received it. It doesn't matter how we interpret the reasoning behind the award because we still get a free meal with the certificate, and when all of our goods are packed on Monday, it will be the perfect excuse to eat a meal out.

On a side note...The kids paid a dollar today to wear a hat to school. The money collected went to Heavenly Hats, an organization dedicated to buying hats for children who have lost their hair as a result of chemotherapy. Evan wore his all day - backwards. What a great cause!

Field Trip

Keagan's pre-school class takes a field trip to a local assisted living home every month. For October the kids dressed in costumes for the residents, and the residents passed out a piece or two of candy. Even if not every kid did, you can bet that Keagan remembered to pack a costume on the day of the trip. He chose the Batman costume that Evan wore two years ago, the same costume with one leg missing and a giant hole across the backside. We couldn't convince him otherwise, and we later decided that the cape did a good enough job of hiding any holes. In case you are wondering, the costume selected for the 31st is safely tucked away in a drawer, and as a result, it remains hole free!

Evan Tries to Pull a Fast One

Last month Evan's teacher stopped me while I was working in the yard to express her concern with Evan's academic progress. It appeared that he tried to make her believe that he could not write or read. However, he said a couple of things in class one day that made her realize that he was reading print material. She wanted to know if he could indeed read. I told her he was more than capable of handling kindergarten work and told her he was trying to pull a fast one on her. 

Evan and I had a little heart to heart once the front door was closed. It was not pretty. He told me, "If she knows I can read, then she will make me read the hard books, and I don't want to do that when I can sit at the table and do easy things." At the parent/teacher conference last week, we learned that he is indeed participating and reading with the "high" group. What is it with boys trying to get away with doing as little as possible?

Keagan's Tale

Keagan was home on Monday with croup. He was better today but he wasn't quite himself. He was cranky and tired and uncooperative. This morning I had to ask him three times to get to his room to get dressed. After the third time I told him, "Keagan Harris, get your tail up these steps NOW!" With a straight face, he looked at me and said, "Mom, what are you talking about? I don't have a tail."

Apple Pickin'

For three weeks the trip to the local orchard to pick apples has been penciled on our calendar. It was a bit of a disappointment this year as there were very few apples on the trees. We were literally crawling under the branches of the trees looking at the fallen apples and grabbing those with the fewest bruises. However, the boys had a blast climbing the trees and using the apple picker. And you can bet we got enough Granny Smith apples to make a few apple pies.

Fall, A Season of Change

Fall at our house means football games in the backyard between the Cowboys and the Aggies.

It means leaf collections and looking for "fruity pebbles" in the trees with changing colors.

It means showing off new skills learned at school.

We're Moving Again

Much to my dismay, it seems that this moving ordeal is now a reality. I have ignored it and left all decisions to Wes (with the exception of finding a new house) because I have secretly hoped that we could avoid a move. Yesterday, however, Wes received the stamp of approval from DoL, and he made his way to the last office for another signature and approval for a fund site. Today he drove to the transportation office at Belvoir and arranged our pack out for October 20. On the 21st the moving company will drive our precious goods 1/8 of a mile to our new house. Because for the past three years I have said that if we had a bigger house I would entertain more, I have decided to do just that, and I have decided that no matter what we will buy a house when we get to our next duty station. 

Evan and His Journal

This morning I was awakened with, "Mom there is trash everywhere. Come quick!" I peeked out the window to find the receycling bin overturned and plastic strewn across the deck. I am assuming the neighbor's cat got into our yard last night. Evan quickly replied, "This is an event that I need to write about." He took out his new Halloween pencil and his journal and wrote this.

"A cta ran on the porch."

Proof that Writer's Workshop is working!

Let's Celebrate

Our friends, the Cranes, have two boys the same ages as Evan and Keagan. We have a lot in common with them: we are both military, have two boys 21 months apart, we are soccer moms, and we both live in rental houses in the process of a short sale. Lately, we have spent a lot of time trading stories and advice. Their older son Hunter had his sixth birthday today at the bowling alley. It was the first time that either of my boys had bowled, and Evan was super excited about giving bowling a try. Some how he had learned the lingo (spare and strike) and he used it appropriately at the party. We had a great time!

Motorcylces and Tigers

On our way home from school today, Keagan said, "Mom, I want a motorcycle." Evan responded, "No, you don't Keagan. They are dangerous." Keagan said, "No, they are fun!" This exchange epitimizes our boys. Keagan is adventurous and daring. Evan is prudent and cautious.

Further down the road Keagan asked, "Mom, do tigers shave?" Assuming he was mentally comparing a lion and a tiger, I tried to explain that tigers don't have manes like a lion. He replied, "No, I was wondering why the tiger has shaving cream around his face. Does he shave?"

Home, Sweet, Home Number 7

In the ten years that Wes and I have been married, we have moved six times. At the end of the month we will be moving into house number seven. The owners of the house we currently rent are going into foreclosure and the owner is hoping to sell the house before the bank repossesses it. Thankfully, the owners of the new rental house have agreed to lease their house to us for eight months. The two houses officially sit 1/8 mile apart. 

What a relief to have some questions finally answered! Now we are awaiting paperwork from two banks that will allow the gov't to move us for free. The boys are excited about the move, sort of anyway. Keagan is still worried that he will never see his Thomas trains, bunk bed, or collection of costumes ever again. Evan really wanted to live on a street with a friend from school. Unfortunately, the cul-de-sac has very few young kids. In my spare time, like I have any!!!, I will be cleaning out closets and trying to consolidate as much as possible. And we must find a washer and dryer.