Joyful Shenanigans

I had a goal of getting one more blog in before the end of the year – obviously, that did not happen.  I started this attempt on December 5^th, but as I am sure you know, December is a crazy busy month of joyful holiday shenanigans.  Christmas parades, Santa pictures, light viewing, tree lightings, cookie exchanges, Winterfest, wrapping presents, and singing carols.  Honestly, about a million things have happened since the last time I blogged three months ago.  All the traditional fall activities were completed – hay ride, pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving, trick or treat, and costume contests.  We went camping in October.  My parents came for Thanksgiving and brought my niece and nephew with them.  We stayed home for Christmas and spent the day doing crafts and putting things together. 

The kids are fully into the swing of Kindergarten.  They are both making progress with their reading and math skills. Reading does come a little bit easier for Landon, but Riley is learning and becoming more willing to practice.  Her greatest challenge is becoming discouraged too quickly.  She easily resorts to tears when she does not know and feels like she is being pushed.  I have made dice with sight words and letters for her to practice.  We have flashcards.  We practice and practice and practice.  Landon loves math and will ask us on a consistent basis to solve math problems and he knows an impressing number of answers on his own.  Riley has the creative gene and loves to draw and color and tell us stories about her pictures.  One over her favorite things to draw is mermaids. She brings home stacks of drawings from school on a weekly basis and I can only imagine her asking the teacher for paper over and over again.   I am a little nervous about the kids going back to school on Monday, Landon’s teacher has moved away and we had very little notice.  I think he will do well with the transition, but it is a little concerning because he had been so comfortable with Mrs. Chewning and now he has to get used to a new teacher.  

At home, life is much the same.  The kids get along and play well together most of the time.  They currently have a love for the Nintendo Switch and the Kirby game.  Riley continues to love animals and building her collection of stuffed animals.  Landon is still really into Pokemon and I am proud to say I am a charter member of his Pokemon club.  We have a daily meeting on the couch at which our main objective is to catch the Pokemon that have invaded our home.  He got a ton of Pokemon cards for Christmas and he lines them up and has “battles.”  They love making crafts and prior to last week I kept all of their craft supplies in my closet.  I have grown tired of cleaning my closet daily so I added a shelf in their playroom and filled it with craft supplies – except for the paint as I am not completely crazy.  They still play dress up, pretend, Legos, and build forts.  Riley LOVES riding her bike and has quickly mastered riding on two wheels.  Pat has plans to take her to some races this month and let her ride the trail.  Landon will ride on two wheels – eventually.  He is not in a hurry.  He does love to ride his EZ Roller and has mastered the turn from the end of the driveway onto the sidewalk.  We got them both roller skates for Christmas and Riley took to hers right away, but Landon got the skates and all the pads on and then did not leave the safety of the garage.  Completely different personalities.  The both love tumbling class though and show me their new skills every week after class. 

Landon’s big news is – he lost is first tooth! I had completely forgotten it was even lose and then Christmas night he was eating some gingerbread and he told me that it made his tooth hurt.  The next thing I knew he was spitting a tooth onto the table! They have both been excitedly waiting for this milestone and I have been extra anxious for Landon to lose his teeth since our last dental appointment.  She indicated that it was likely that Landon will develop “shark teeth” – meaning his adult teeth will grow in behind his baby teeth if they are not lost first.  That statement might as well have been followed by “so start saving your money for braces!”  Hopefully he will continue to lose his baby teeth without issue.  Landon loves anything science, math, and engineering related.  He impresses us daily with his memory and his explanations of how things work.  We got him a subscription to a Kiwi Crate for Christmas and we have got two in the mail so far – and both were put together within one day of it being received.   He remains a picky eater, but then there are times he will surprise us.  The other night he picked up a fried chicken leg and demolished it! We have been adding protein powder to his milk and he has finally crossed the 39.6 pound mark! He will always eat Poptarts, cereal, and PBJ.  He has started eating meat, but it will take him 20 minutes to chew one piece of meat and that has to be DISGUSTING by the time he finally swallows.  

Riley loves crafts and drawing.  No piece of paper in our house is safe from either a pen or scissors.  The tiny scraps of paper all over the floor of my closet were the main reason I moved the craft materials to their play room.  She plays with her dolls and her animals and I have caught her a few times lining her dolls up on the floor and “reading” to them.  She has recently started making an effort in matching her clothes and carrying around a purse.  I really don’t know what to do with that one as I am usually either in scrubs or a hooded sweatshirt and jeans.  I will admit I wanted her to match her clothes a little better, but I myself and not your traditional girly girl so I will be no help to her.  She is still my snuggler and brings me a blanket every morning I am not at work so we can snuggle on the couch.  She is also the one that joins us in bed about once a week following a “bad dream.”  She loves to sing and dance and the Hubby finds it hilarious when we catch her singing current top 40 songs (with altered lyrics) when we are riding in the car.  She has not yet lost any teeth, but she is desperate to do so and put it in her tooth fairy pillow.  She takes pretty good care of her hamster, Prince Charming or PC for short.  She helps to make sure he has food and changes his water and assists with the cleaning of the cage.  Her big news- she is tall enough now to ride some of the crazy coasters at Carowinds! I have no desire to ride with her so luckily she has a daddy that is willing to ride! 

Overall, we have been busy, but I am ready to get back to the normal routine of school next week.  With school comes boy scouts, girl scouts, tumbling, dance, and all the other extra activities that bring our life routine. 

Cotton Candy!

Yeah... Riley is on there.

and this one..

Helping to decorate the tree...

Mount Holly Parade

Winterfest

Opening geodes.

Life is "cray-cray"

Typically Fall is my favorite time of year, but this year is off to a rough start since the weather has not “dipped” below 90 degrees FOREVER! I love the crisp air and curling up next to the fire pit under a blanket – I don’t like sweltering in the sun.  The kids don’t seem phased though and have already insisted on the Halloween decorations both inside and outside the house.  Of course, this now means that i get asked daily if it is Halloween yet.  The current costume plans are for Riley to be Princess Jasmine and Landon has requested to be Ash Catcher (?) the Pokemon trainer.  I can assure you that Riley's costume will not change as she loves the costume we got for her in Disney World, but Landon may make a last minute decision so I will keep you updated.  

We have had a pretty busy start to the school year for the kids and full time work for me.  We seem to have it down to a rhythm now though making it all much easier.  We do our reading at night before bed and we lay out our clothes for the next morning.  I get their vitamins and things together in the morning while I am making my lunch and we see each other in passing before I leave for work.  I pick them up from a friends as soon as I get off and we all go home and crash for a bit as apparently Kindergarten is exhausting. They love riding the bus "home" from school and the Hubby drops them off in the morning.  We chose to put them in separate classrooms and I think we definitely made the right decision.  They have two completely different learning styles and it is showing already as Landon is flying through his reading each night.  He has a firm grasp on the concept of sounding out words and is able to read us some short stories.  It is a bit more challenging for Riley and she becomes very frustrated with herself quickly.  I don't think she recognizes all the letters yet - especially the lowercase letters- so we are doing some extra work with those at home.  I think she will "catch up" in no time and my hope is that they both learn to enjoy reading as much as I do. They both love school though and come home with stories.  When we sit down for dinner, Landon will say " so is anyone going to ask me about my day?" or Riley will say "so everyone, how was your day?" and it makes me laugh every single time. 

We are also in full swing with all of our activities.  Riley is still taking dance lessons weekly and they are both in tumbling as well.  Landon has joined the Cub Scouts and Riley has joined the Daisies.  They love to play outsides with the neighbors - when it isn't so hot.  I recently got them some EZy Rollers and Landon has gone out every night since to play with his "chair on wheels."  In the house, Landon loves to play with his Legos.  His current toy of the moment his a Charmander that my parents built with him at Build a Bear and it has started his affinity for Pokemon.  He has a beautiful imagination and will "find" Pokemon everywhere we go. I am afraid to introduce him to that Pokemon Go game as I feel like I would never have possession of my phone again, but at the same time I want to see the joy on his face in seeing the Pokemon in "real life."  Riley loves to draw and play with her Princess Barbie dolls.  Currently, the new favorite in the house for both of them is Mario Cart on the Nintendo Switch.   It is requested nightly when we walk in the door from school, so I usually will let them play for a little bit as some down time. 

Our biggest adventure over the last month was DISNEY WORLD! We have been planning this trip for many moths now, but we didn't tell the kids about it until we literally an hour away.  It was an amazing experience and i loved getting to see their faces as they met some of their favorite characters.  As we finished one of the first rides we went on, The Little Mermaid, Landon ran out screaming "This is Amazing!"  We walked into the Magic Kingdom on the first day with zero wait for them to meet Micky and Minnie and I could not have planned a better entrance into the week.  We had a few rough moments along the way - Landon became sick, but we pulled off an amazing trip for them and it was actually pretty thrilling for us as well.  For me, there is nothing better than seeing the look of amazement and joy on their faces.  Riley got a princess makeover and we went back into the Magic Kingdom for the firework show at night with her dressed like Princess Jasmine.  The smile on her face as everyone called her Princess made my day.  Landon was able to build his his very own droid.  We took them to a character breakfast and they got to meet some of their favorite characters from Disney Junior.  I definitely think we picked the right age to go as they are still talking about it and I am hoping that memories were made that will last a lifetime.

Landon and Riley continue to grow and change before my eyes on a daily basis.  Being around so many other kids at school has "broadened" their vocabularies in interesting ways.  Riley informed me yesterday that something was "cray cray" and I didn't quite know what to say back.  The Hubby loves it when we catch her singing some top 40 song from the backseat also.  Riley continues to eat everything while Landon is still cautions, but he is improving.  I think school lunch has a hand in that as he comes home and tells me everyday what he eats and since they have such a short lunch period we have also seen some improvement in him eating faster! Overall, nothing new to report - just getting used to the new "normal" in our house and I wouldn't change a thing - except maybe a little less arguing between the kids. ha ha.

First day of school...

Breakfast with the Disney Junior characters

Just stopping the Storm Troopers...

Watching this moment was one of my favorite.

So this was when Landon was not feeling well at all... passed out, but we have picture proof!

Riley was asked to play the Beast!

Kindergarten better be ready!

Kindergarten. We start Kindergarten tomorrow! I can hardly believe that the time has flown by this quickly! The kids are a combination of nervous and excited.  They will be in different classrooms, but Landon drew the lucky straw and a neighborhood friend will be in class with him.  We have done a lot of talking about how all the kids will be new to school and they will make friends over time.  Riley is most nervous about meeting people while Landon is most nervous about being able to eat his lunch in the allotted time.  Priorities.   The biggest change around here is that I have graduated from the Practical Nursing program and am working full time as a nurse at Holy Angels.  I am on first shift so it has been an adjustment for my sleep as I am not a morning person and have been staying up late to study and sleeping in a bit and now, I have to get up and out the door – often before the kids have even work up.  It won’t be as bad once they have started school as they won’t really have a chance to miss me during the day, but they have noticed the change and me not being home during the day.  They are happy that I am home at night though and have been able to read them their bedtime stories and get baths done.  

Abrienda stayed with us for the summer- free slushie day!

 Landon has a super active imagination at all times.  He currently enjoys pointing out the Pokemon that he “sees” everywhere we go.  He also carries around imaginary balls in order to catch the ones he sees.  (Please no one ever tell him that there is actually a game that puts Pokemon out into the real world) He is busy all the time sorting, and organizing, and talking, and playing, and creating.  I have trouble keeping up with him most of the time! He has done very well with this summer with completing the worksheets and projects that I have given to them.  He still writes his name with a capital A because he insists that he cannot write a lowercase a, but I am sure that will change eventually.  He is great with math and has already started some of his multiplication.  He continues to love all things mechanical and being able to figure things out.  As I type this he is explaining to me how the ball he just threw did not hit the ceiling because it did not have enough force.  Seriously though, as smart as he is, this kid takes forever to eat.  His record is 1 hour for 3 black beans.  He procrastinates and fights and gets distracted and in the end we are all exhausted.  He likes to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cheese, poptarts, and bananas.  It is a struggle to get him to eat meatHis current favorite toys are Legos, stuffed animals, and his Slinky dog from Toy Story.  He always has at least one toy with him and attaches to the toy of the moment until he finds something else to carry around.  We have signed him up for tumbling this season and he and Riley will be in the same class.  I also think I am going to take him to one of the boys “break dancing” classes and let him check it out.  He had mentioned last season that he wanted to dance and I think he would have fun. 

6th Birthday party at the Schiele Museum

Riley loves to draw and paint and make projects.  She keeps herself busy cutting up paper and gluing them together. No piece of paper in the house is safe. As she sits next to me now she has a scrap notebook and a pen and told me she is writing a list- of what I have no idea.  Riley loves to sing and dance and has some current top 40 hits that she likes to sing along with, since I have no idea who sings what anymore I could not even tell you the name of the songs.  We do get a kick out of hearing her singing in the backseat though.  Riley just got her hair cut short and she loves it.  It will hopefully make things a little easier on school mornings as she doesn’t like me to put her hair up and fusses the whole time it is brushed.  Daddy is going to be in charge of getting them ready for school so that challenge will be on him now.  No challenge getting her to eat though, the challenge is getting her to stop eating.  She would eat all day long if no one stopped her! She loves everything, but reports her favorite food to be macaroni and cheese.  Her favorite drink is whatever you are drinking because she is going to ask to have some of it.  We took the plunge and got her a hamster for her birthday and she is in love.  She likes to get him out in his ball and let him run around the house.  She loves all of her stuffed animals and any toy that is animal related.  She loves to read and have books read to her.  Her favorite thing to do is to help – even if it is just putting the dishes into the dishwasher.  She is super sensitive and it makes me a little worried about how she is going to get along at school, but she also makes friends quickly so I am banking on that skill to get her through. 

Memaw and Papa came to visit!

We are all adjusting to our new schedule and routine. We still manage to keep busy and take the kids on a lot of adventures…. 

Super excited to bring Prince Charming home

Finished it!

Trampoline Park.

She was D-U-N.

There are a million pictures like this on my phone...

Checking out a new park.

Papa!

Legos at Discovery Place

Building with Abri

Journaling our "hike"

Learning to ride 2 wheels!

They love the roller coaster...

Mommy tolerates.

and rides that spin...

Fishing during our camping trip.

Got her!