Pumpkin Patch

Chris forwarded me an email invitation to a pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins for free. We went and while I didn't put a lot of thought into it beforehand I was blown away but how many "extra" they had. And now I wonder how many will be left to go to waste...

This picture was not even half of the field of pumpkins! And they were all beautiful and round.
And sadly, this was the only picture of a person I got before the camera died and I found out that all our spares were dead too.

The real highlight of the trip, though, was the combine. The corn at the back of the first picture was combined over and it was amazing. The combine came within inches of where we parked the car and while Chris and I watched nervously the boys were both enthralled. Any pumpkin activity was suspended until the combine was too far away to be seen anymore. I don't know who invented them, but I think combines are one of the coolest machines. It goes over a field of corn, cutting the stalk, stripping and separating the corn kernels from the cob and everything else. While very windy, it was a successful trip and were happy to get our pumpkins for free!

A visiting professor from China has been on Chris' ride list (the only person on the list). She has been very kind in gifting us with some items from her homeland. We decided as part of our thank you to include some fall paintings that the boys did.
Grandmas and Grandpas, this view is for you!

Finally!

So, I don't have a good excuse. Not like Alisa, who was having a great week with her stationed-out-of the-country husband. Or Elise, who is uber pregnant with her third and just got back from a trip to UT (so glad she didn't have the baby on the plane!). Nope, no good excuses. I just haven't had the sit and blog bug. Maybe because we are the most boring people on the planet!

Date nights and date night babysitting continue to be wonderful. We are up for sitting this coming Friday and I think we will get the little baby this time too, so our numbers will be up to 6. Fall is here and winter is coming which means we can't rely on outside play. We will have to break out our in house ideas. Wait...do we have any?

Due to the ending of a lease, the Spanish branch in our area is now meeting in our building. As there are currently already 3 wards meeting in the building this created a need for some scheduling creativity. In the end we got moved to the 11:00 time. I was VERY unhappy about this. We had been waiting two years for the "good" church time and I had been enjoying it thoroughly. You know, the time that doesn't interfere with a meal or nap or as always seems to be the case for us-both!

So, now we have not so good Sundays. Blahh!!

One thing that the boys have been enjoying is that Chris usually gets up with them and plays legos with them. He makes them all sorts of fun things, usually of the flying or rolling variety, although a house or two has been made too. (While momentarily scary, I promise he is wearing underwear!!)

(But, yes, apparently his fly is undone. Don't know why-it's not like he uses it yet!)

And at the final garage sale of the season (for me) I finally managed to score that elusive item that I have been hunting for all summer. Noah's long, long, long, awaited birthday present. We finally found a little bike!! We were just getting to the end of the season and hoping for a sale but got an even better deal on this little prize.

We had it for about a week before we could coax Noah onto it. Given the choice he kept choosing the neighbor's trampoline. But eventually Chris got him on it and it was a hit. Pedaling is still a work in progress but you can push between is shoulders to keep him going and he can steer like a star! Happy Belated Birthday, Noah!

General Conference was great and we were so excited to be able to watch it on cable this time. Comcast broadcast it in our region for the first time ever. YAY!!

And last week Chris went to a conference in NC, not too far from his brother and his family. So while he was away we had a Daddy Appreciation Week. As seems to be the tradition, one or more of the three of us was sick the whole time he was gone. I am sure it is so that I get the full "appreciate your husband" message.

Message received, loud and clear!

We went to the airport to pick him up on Saturday and the boys had fun riding the elevators and of course, seeing dad. Since he has been home it has been all-dad-all-the-time (at least while he is home). Whining and pushing to sit on his lap, have his attention, play with, show things too, etc. We are probably more glad to have him back than he is to be back:)

I Keep Checking...

my blog faithfully, everyday. But there have been no new posts. Maybe soon. I will check back tomorrow.

Parking Garage

I admit I don't remember when the fascination started but it has been ongoing for awhile now. Noah points them out to me every time we pass one while driving. I am not completely certain what the draw is but there is a real pull as evidenced by his thrice weekly requests to go in the parking garage.

There is one right across the street from Noah's preschool and he sees it as we leave the parking lot. And always asks if we can go in. Sadly for Noah, that parking garage is for residents only. Across the street from that parking garage, however, there is another parking garage for the public library. It is gated but after apparently giving up with the coded gate idea they now employ a gate attendant.

Our first day in he was busy and didn't try to talk to me as I went in. I know he was thinking the he would come find my car and that I wouldn't be parking far from the entrance-who does if they don't have too, right? Imagine his surprise when a couple of minutes later we came back out. I rolled down my window and told him we were just passing through after preschool. He chuckled and waved.

It is becoming a habit. The other day he got up to give me a stub and I rolled down my window and said we were just passing through and he chuckled and said "oh, I recognize you now."

It seems to be the perfect ending to the happy preschool day. Noah loves preschool and asks daily if "go pweschool and drop me off?" I appreciate the notebook they send home telling what they did that day because otherwise I would not have a clue. When I pick him up, our conversations go something like this:

M: Did you have a goo time?
N: Yep.
M: What did you do today?
N: I don't know.
M: Did you all let your butterflies go today?
N: No.
M: Did you see the butterflies?
N: No.
M: What did you have for snack today?
N: I don't know.
M: Did you eat snack?
N: No.

You get the idea. Thank goodness for the notebook. I have some idea what happens each day and he loves to show it off and tell about what they did that day (just not in the car on the way home). Usually, after naps for me and after daddy gets home from work he gets an accounting too. If you give him the chance he will start at the beginning of the book and tell you everything they have done so far. We are also supposed to write and draw (my artistic talents are being severely strained, let me tell you!) about the things that we do at home so that they can ask the kids about what they did when they weren't in preschool.

Being on a strict schedule is an adjustment for me. That sounds kinda weird since I am a creature of habit and my kids are on a pretty set napping and bedtime schedule, but other than church (and I have Chris to help make that happen), I haven't had a "you have to be here at this time" kind of deal for a long time. But, it is totally worth it. Noah loves it now, will love it more when winter comes, and it makes errands a little easier with just one little one who still fits in the shopping carts.

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day Weekend started well with a great date Friday night. Noah is always thrilled when we get to go to date night babysitting. And luckily for the Tates and Everetts, Ian has quit crying about it for the most part.

But the best part of the weekend might have been waking up on Monday and realizing that Chris didn't have to go to work and wasn't going to go to work. We participated in an EQ service project and had a great day. We did some house washing, rock and week clearing, tree trimming and Chris' favorite part, dog poop removal. The boys had fun with the rags and water and were put on window duty. After the service project we went to the BBQ and enjoyed a great afternoon in an amazing backyard with teeter-totters, swings, zipline, trampolines, horseback rides, tree climbing and good friends and food. We had such a good time we forgot to take any pictures!

The Hungry Catepillar

He is a little shy getting started because of the camera. But I love his enjoyment in 'reading' the book.
And maybe now you can imagine how he sounds when he tells me "That's a good plant, mommee." to approve of our schedule for the day!

Preschool

It's all about letting go. I have found it to be particularly hard. As the days drew closer, we bought new shoes, visited the preschool and had a home visit from the director. Noah was really looking forward to going and asking diligently each day if we could go to 'pweschool, mommee.'

Monday, after we got his new shoes, he was trying them on over and over and talking about how he was all ready to go. I was cooking dinner and getting closer to losing it. So not me! Chris even asked if I needed a hug. I realize it is only preschool, and I have every confidence in the teachers but I have been having a hard time with letting him go. I have this horrible recurring thought about how I haven't taught him enough and he's not ready for the big bad world! I see him growing up and it scares me...a lot.

I was thinking about it again today as we drove there-I refuse to send my 3 year old on the bus!-and thought about how even when he was a baby I understood that no one else, not even Chris (although he comes pretty darn close!), would know this little baby as well as me. I think it is still true. I can interpret moods and needs, and anything else, pretty darn accurately and pretty darn quick. And really, I don't want that to change. So why am I sending him off to people who don't know him that well? How will they take care of him better than me? I sorta know the answers to those questions, but it is not really making it any easier for me.

Well, Noah started preschool yesterday. I think that he really likes it. This is only the second day, and only for half the normal time it will be, but he has been grumpy both days as soon as we get to the car. I think that he is tired and all the fun wears him out!
He is at the Purdue Speech and Language Preschool and has a masters student, AJ, who is assigned to him and one other student. They have notebooks that they send home everyday with something that they did that day so as parents we can ask about it. We are also supposed to write pictographic-ally about things we do at home so they can ask the kids about that. He has a cubby for his backpack and jacket and an assigned snack day.

Soon I will be full fledged soccer mom...or with the way my boys seem to grow, basketball mom!