A trip down memory lane

We checked out UVA's marching band practice tonight.  The weather was perfect and it was fun to see their formations. College marching bands do really awesome things for their half time shows. I really feel like the marching band/pep band add so much to sports games. They can really get energy up!  I was on the Flag team all 4 years in high school and attended every home football game. I was so glad when I attended my last football game my senior year.  We had some fancy moves, we could form a mean Y and C but were nowhere near college marching band levels.  I saw this performance last year by Ohio State and was so impressed.  UVA is not quite at this level but they were quite good. It was fun. We went with the Farnsworth's and had fun letting our kids run around and watching the Cavaliers practice. It really did bring back tons of memories from my color guard days.  My parents really were so kind to attend so many of my parades and half time shows.  I bet they were glad when I graduated. I know I was, by the 4th year I was completely done with band and color guard.

The Farnsworth's took this picture. We had just taken one of their family before. Their reaction was so funny. They were so mad that all of us were looking and smiling.  That we told Jared and Lydia to smile and they did it.  Twice!  It doesn't always work out that way but it sure is nice when it does.

Earlier today Jared, Lydia and I went to the library to pick up our Halloween books and drop off our apple ones.  As we were driving to our next errand Jared and Lydia were checking out the books we got.  I heard Jared giggling  and out of the corner of my eye I saw this:

It was so sweet to see him enjoying a new book so much.  I love to read and hope Jared and Lydia will too. He was just so excited about that book.  I can't wait to read it with him.  Our next stop was the dollar store.  A few weeks ago Sue (Mark's mom) told Jared and Lydia that she would send them a dollar if they sent her a letter.  Jared drew her a picture of us camping and we sent it off.  Shortly after that, Jared and Lydia got a super cute letter in the mail from Sue with a dollar inside for each of them.  And a picture from their cousin Anya.  Sue wrote a letter full of funny camping jokes.  Jared and Lydia were thrilled!  They carry the letter around and ask us to read it all the time.  Jared would also ask if he could hold his dollar and made sure Lydia got hers if he got his.  They had fun walking around the store and deciding what to buy.  Jared was so happy that he could get anything in the store, that everything cost a dollar. He settled on some pretend money. Lydia got a light up wand.  They loved handing over their dollar to the cashier and getting their own receipt/bag.  It was fun.

* I was waiting in line at the drive through when I took those pictures.  We needed to get more Chick Filet Sauce. We are so glad there is a Chick Filet here. We don't really ever eat there but we love having their chick filet sauce for our burgers. And at Christmas time I always get at least one of their special Peppermint Chocolate Chip milkshakes, can't wait!

Leaf Walk

One of my favorite fall books is Leaf Man.  I have read it to Jared and Lydia each fall and just love it.  Each year I have planned on taking a nice leaf walk with them but it has never played out like I hoped.  Partly because of their ages but mostly because of where we lived in Colorado Springs.  Yes there are tress in Colorado Springs but we lived on the far East side of the city and trees were at a minimum, we lived in the plains.  It felt like all the trees in our neighborhood were exactly the same so there was no variety.  Well, now my backyard is a forest!  We have so many trees and a great variety.  So we finally went on a nice intentional leaf walk and had a great time (minus when Lydia fell down as she was running and cried until a lady walking her dogs stopped by and let Lydia pet them, then the fall was forgotten. (As much as I dislike dogs they are amazing distractions for Jared and Lydia and our neighborhood has lots of them). We enjoyed the crisp weather and walked around the neighborhood collecting leaves so we could make a leaf man when we got home. They turned out great.  Jared told me at least three times how much he loved this leaf walk.  Our family goes on a fair amount of walks so it's not like he has never been on one.  I am glad he can appreciate all the pretty colors and fall weather.  He is my Fall kid.  It helps that his birthday is in October.

We enjoyed our little walk and came home to re-read the story and make our leaf mans.  It's so nice when a simple thing like a walk can turn into a whole adventure.

We went on another walk yesterday with some friends over at Riverview Park.  It has a really nice paved trail so Jared rode his bike with Joseph (6) and Peter (almost 4).  Laura, Megan and I walked along with our strollers. The path goes next to the river  so the boys would ride ahead and play while they waited for us. Jared was so excited to ride with the boys.  He did a great job but had a scary fall on our way back to the cars.  There is one turn that has a tricky slope to it.  Megan, Laura, and I were back aways when I suddenly thought I hadn't heard the boys in a long time.  Then I heard the crying.  The mom's looked at each other and all started running with our strollers to find the boys.  I realized it was Jared crying and got so scared.  He felt so far away and I was terrified that he fell into the river!  It took forever (but not really) to reach them.  The path follows the river but has a 15 feet slope towards the river so I knew he probably didn't fall into the river and drown, but I kept worrying that he could have.  It's not like a drop off,  (I wouldn't have let him go ahead if it was) just a slope to the water.  I felt so bad for Jared.  He had made it down the hill but was too close to the edge and was going too fast. He wheel got in the dirt, made him fall and then his bike fell on top of him.  It was so sad.  Laura (who happens to be a nurse) moved his bike and I tried to calm Jared down while asking questions. It took him awhile to calm down but luckily he didn't get too hurt.  His back seems to have gotten the worst of it with some bad scratches.  Poor Kid.  It took him awhile to be ready to ride his bike again. Joseph was so sweet and stayed back and walked his bike with him.  Eventually (maybe after 5 minutes) Joseph convinced Jared that his bike was safe and they started to ride together. It was so sweet to see Joseph helping Jared and encouraging him.  I am so glad we got Jared his helmet!!

The kids: Lydia, Preston, Abigail, Joseph, Jared, and Peter.  It really is a nice 2 mile path. 

 I found a tiny tiny baby turtle not the path!  Jared is holding it here. 

 The river I was afraid of Jared rolling into. It is not very deep by the edge and he could probably stand up if he fell in. I can't wait for him to really know how to swim.

 She did very well in the stroller but was quite happy when I let her walk for awhile. 

Sad sad, sad.  I am so glad this is all he got, no other injuries. 

As we were walking yesterday Laura mentioned that Peter was riding ahead much farther since Jared was there.  She said if it was just Joseph (his brother) he would have stayed closer to the Mom's.  It made me think of "peer pressure" in a different way.  A majority of the time peer pressure is always presented in a really negative light (for very good reasons) but since we have been hanging out with the Farnsworth's I have really seen positive sides of it too.  Jared has always been fairly cautious but seeing Joseph, someone he really looks up to and likes do things makes him more wiling to try things. It's happened with swimming and riding his bike.  It is fun to see him trying these new things and being a little more adventurous.  It really proves how important it is to have good friends who aren't going to be doing stupid things. I really had great friends in high school and middle school and never had to worry too much about peer pressure.  I hope Jared and Lydia will too and that they will be great friends and examples to others. 

We are enjoying our fall so far, and it's just beginning! We have some fun plans for the month of October. One thing that has been sort of off lately is my time management. I have always prided myself for using my time well and getting the things done that I needed to and doing the things I want to.  For some reason I can't get it figured out here. I can't balance it which is really unlike me and sort of throwing me for a loop. Like I have never felt like this before. It makes me feel very un me.  I have been trying to figure out what is different here what is contributing to it. I think the biggest thing is the fact that Charlottesville has so many fun (and affordable) things to do. As we were talking yesterday Laura was asking Megan and I what we did for fun in Colorado (Megan came out from Denver) and all I could think of was: the zoo, parks, and the library.  Those really were our best options. It also seems here that people want to get together more.  I feel like play groups never worked out for me in Colorado and here people are seeking me out and asking me to do things.  It's so foreign.  I kind of have a hard time adjusting to it.  It's not like I dislike myself or have low self esteem I just have never had people inviting me to get together so often. So people are either really friendly here or I put off very unfriendly vibes in Colorado. (I sure hope I didn't). In reality I think it has a lot to do with: the ages of Jared and Lydia (our schedule is a lot more flexible now), the fact that I was watching Tanner and the lack of fun things to do with other Mom's in the Springs.  I used to get so excited about doing learning time with Jared and Lydia. I loved planning the activities and looked forward to it and now I sort of drag my feet.  (Maybe I am burnt out on those activities?  That just shows I really couldn't have my own class it's only been 3 years) It's just been a weird adjustment. I hope I can figure out a new "schedule" and plan our time better.  Maybe when winter comes and the weather isn't so great I will be more motivated to do learning time. This is my last year to have a lot of control over what we do and get to do it with both Jared and Lydia. Next year will be a whole new adjustment. A sad, happy one. Maybe that is why I am having this trouble so I will adjust to next year better.  

Monticello Trail and BYU vs UVA!

Last week my friend Tara asked if I would be interested in checking out the Monticello Trail with her.  She has a little girl who is just 6 months younger then Lydia.  She moved her with her family about 2 weeks after us.  I had never even heard of the Monticello Trail and am so glad she invited us. I dropped Jared off at preschool and then Lydia and I met up with Tara and Laney.  At first I was a little nervous that it would be a group of people but it was just Tara and me and I am so glad. I really enjoy meeting new people but always prefer visiting with people in small groups, not even really groups just one other person is my favorite way to do things. It just makes it so much easier to visit and really get to know them. I also felt pretty cool that she would ask me.  We had a great time enjoying the scenery and visiting. The first month or so we were here I tried to attend so many events and really put myself out there as it was a goal of mine to really get involved.  Then I sort of felt overwhelmed with all the new people and lost some of my drive because it's just so many new people so I scaled it back some.  I am trying to find a nice balance and going out with Tara was perfect.

The trail is packed gravel and boardwalks.  It's a good two miles and if you follow it long enough it takes you to Monticello. We didn't go that far but we walked for a good long while.  It was great to visit. I am sure Mark and I will go back with Jared and Lydia many times.  It will be so pretty in the fall.  I did see a couple of trees that have started to change. It has been so fun to drive around town and see colors appearing.  It makes me feel so excited!  I am so glad I could go with Tara and find a new place for our family to enjoy too.

Lydia was a little trooper.  She had to be in the stroller a long time.  

After we got back from camping we went to the Farnsworth's house (Laura). Her husband Josh is a major BYU football fan and they get cable just for the 4 months of football season.  They have an open door policy for people to come over and watch the games with them.  Mark and I are not die hard BYU fans, we are happy for them if they win but don't care if we miss a game.  We do really like the Farnsworth's though so we headed over and had a great time hanging out with them.  Jared was so happy to play with Joseph and Peter and I had a great time visiting with Laura.  Since they live to close to us we walked over to their house.  Jared and Lydia were both wearing BYU shirts.  We passed one of our neighbors and he commented on them being Cougar fans in this territory.  It was sort of fun that they played each other.  Jared was rather conflicted. I got out his BYU shirt figuring it was what he would want but he said he wanted his UVA shirt which surprised me.  I told him he could wear it if he wanted or he could wear his UVA shirt and BYU hat and cheer for them both but he decided to go for BYU.  I think Mark was glad.  They both wore their BYU hats.  Mark had a nice time watching the game, and BYU won so everyone at the house was happy.  Laura and I visited and then went on a walk with our kids.  Jared, Peter, and Joseph all rode bikes and Jared was in heaven. He was so excited to be riding his bike with the boys and somewhere besides our little section.  It was a nice afternoon.  We are so glad we have found some nice people to hang out with.  We walked back home before the game was over so I could finish getting dinner ready.  Mark stayed outside with Jared and Lydia as it was cooking and we got to chat with our neighbors a bit.  I am so glad we are where we are and that we are all feeling better.

 Speaking of feeling better.  We met up with Laura downtown Thursday.  We had planned on playing at the Children's Museum but when we got there it was closed.  The weather was beautiful so we just hung out downtown.  As I was driving home Lydia told me her tummy was hurting.  As soon as we walked in the door I had her go sit with Mark and got her a bowl.  About 10 minutes later she threw up! She was so upset about it.  She has seen Jared do it but had never really thrown up before.  I was getting ready to make dinner but she decided I needed to be with her in the bathroom not Mark.  Mark kindly took over making dinner and I hung out with Lydia for about 30 minutes in front of the  toilet. She was too scared to leave it.  It was sort of scary being with her.  She would lay in my arms totally limp and could not keep her eyes open.  I was singing her songs and whenever I finished she would struggle to open her eyes, ask for another song then close her eyes again. It was so sad.  She threw up again and then we left the bathroom and she laid on the couch with her bowl and watched a show.  It was so random!  She had maybe 4 bites of toast for dinner but just wanted to go to bed.  It really wore her out. She took a warm bath then went to bed and slept really well.  The next day she was perfectly fine.

This picture is of her and Jared "hiding" before their shower.  It was on Wednesday, laundry day and all the baskets in the house were empty I love that feeling.  Too bad it never lasts for more then 4 hours, if that. Goofy kids!

Camping Round 2

Jared and Lydia have been asking to go camping again since we went last month. I have been busy planning out what fall activities we want to participate in over the next few weeks and realized that this was probably the best weekend to go.  There are just so many fun things to do over the next few weeks. The weather was perfect for camping so we headed out to Sherando lake again. We left Charlottesville around 5:00 and got to the campsite (exact same one as last time A26) right at 6:00. Mark started our fire so we could eat at a decent hour and we set up camp.  Our new tent really sets up quickly which is so nice.  We had hot dogs and baked beans and of course S'mores for dessert. Only this time just Mark and I had roasted marshmallows.  Jared and Lydia ate them as they come.  I remembered to bring glow sticks for this trip and Jared and Lydia loved them.  It was fun to sit around the campfire together and relax.

 Right before Lydia dumped her plate on the ground. We did encourage them to eat at the table but we're ignored, we were camping after all.

We put Lydia and Jared down around 8:45 and Mark and I chatted for a bit then headed to bed.  This time around we stayed plenty warm and I didn't spend half the night wanting to go to the bathroom but being to scared to go.  It was great.  Our kids were up by 6:30 or so and we let them get out of bed around 7:00.  We took our time with breakfast and enjoyed hot chocolate, eggs, and this french toast bake I made before we left home.  Hot chocolate tastes so good sitting by a campfire. Jared and Lydia played around the campsite while we packed up. After all was cleaned up we headed down to the lake.  Jared and Lydia were pretty determined to swim. Who cares that it was 9:30 in the morning.  Mark kindly got in his swimming suit and went in with them.  The splashed around for a bit but spent much more time on the beach then in the water.  It wasn't too cold but was definitely not as warm as last time.  While they played at the beach I went on a little walk around the lake.  It took me about 30 minutes to do the Loop around the lake and it was nice to be out in the woods. Some of the trees have begun changing colors and it was fun to enjoy them.

 We found this stick bug pretty fascinating. Jared was pretty nervous to approach it, Lydia just walked right up to the tent and stuck her face by it.  Jared is so much more cautious than Lydia.

 Scene from my walk:

Once I got back we hit the road and made it home in time for naps slightly later naps but early enough for them to still get a good 2 hour nap. A semi jack-knifed and possibly rolled over so traffic was really bad on the way back.  We actually waited so long that we turned the car off and saw people getting out of their cars and walking around.  I am not sure if the driver was injured but the truck and cargo carrier looked really bad.

We are so glad we could go camping again.  We will see if we fit one more trip in before it gets too cold. I hear that it does get cold here but I am not sure I believe it.  Colorado Springs didn't get a ton of snow but it had such horrible wind. I am really hoping we don't have that here.

New path, new bikes, and more.

Jared and I stayed home from church Sunday.  He had a runny nose and leaky eyes on Thursday but I hoped it was just some allergies, by Friday night he had started coughing.  I wasn't feeling so great either so we decided Jared and I would stay home from church.  When Mark and Lydia got home we were ready for a change in scenery. Mark had not been on the "new" to us paved path so we drove over there and enjoyed the fresh air on a leisurely walk.  Lydia rode in the stroller until we got to the little bridge then after admiring the bridge for a while she switched spots with Jared who was quite happy to be pushed in the stroller. The path is great for little walks like that. I wish it was a loop but it is paved so therefore gets bonus points. It was really nice to be outside enjoying the lack of humidity. Something that has surprised me about Virginia is how cloudy it is. I don't mind it at all.  Colorado claims to have 300 sunny days a year which is probably pretty accurate but I have always enjoyed a good cloudy day so I am happy that Virginia has been as cloudy as it has.

 Lydia took off running and didn't look back!  We did get her to stop and wait for us eventually. 

When we left Colorado we gave away Jared's bike and Lydia's tricycle.  They had both pretty much outgrown them.  Jared has been waiting patiently to get a new bike since we left Colorado.  We decided that when he filled up his charm jar with good deeds he could get a new bike. Typically we do not buy things for him when he fills up the jar, we do things with him but this seemed like a good plan.  He filled up his jar yesterday so today he and Mark went to the store, just the two of them and picked out a bike and helmet. We had looked at bikes a few times and he had decided he wanted an orange bike.  Fortunately it was in stock today and Jared is now the proud owner.  He picked out a Dusty (from Planes) helmet since it matched so well.  Mark also picked up a balance bike for Lydia. So many parents I know swear by them so we went with it. Lydia was quite confused that it didn't have pedals but figured out how to maneuver it. I can't say that she loves it but hopefully with time she will get more used to it.  She did have some fun "riding" around and then realized that we were letting her and Jared play in the front yard and abandoned her bike to do some exploring.  We all enjoyed the lack of humidity and had a nice evening outside. I think we will be spending a lot more time in our front yard now that there are bikes and less humidity. Mark and Jared practiced turning, making figure eights and circles and braking.  

 Me: "Look excited!" 

 The parking area in front of this town home has a bit of a slope so we really needed to go over braking since the brakes are on the handle bars on this bike. We also ended to go over the fact that he doesn't have to stop he can actually turn the bike and go the other way. Good things to know.

Jared is still coughing some but is so much better.  Unless he has a rough night I am going to send him to preschool, he didn't go Tuesday. Today we (Jared, Lydia and myself) attended out first parent committee meeting.  The school asked for 2 volunteers from each class and I thought, I can do this! So I am going to try my best to get involved.  The other volunteer did it when her son was at this preschool (her daughter is in Jared's class) and is someone who really gets stuff done.  I am glad to be working with someone who is so willing to help out and knows what is going on. She seems very nice.  The meeting was mostly about the Fall Festival they are holding on October 22nd. It sounds really fun but tickets are 8 dollars. I have never attended a festival like this but it seems a little steep to me. I remember loving going to the Lincoln Elementary School Fall Carnival growing up. I wonder how much my parents had to pay... Anyway I am excited to get involved, I think. 

We also went to our 2nd story time at the Library.  Most libraries I have attended just have drop in story times but here you actually have to sign up for them and they fill up! Lydia has her story time Weds. at 10:15 and then Jared's preschool one is after it at 11:00.  Parents attend the 20 minute "class" with the 2-3 year olds and then drop off the preschoolers.  They need to stay in the library but it is set up for kids his age to go by themselves.  It's really well organized and pretty fun.  I am glad he can go since he is only doing preschool 2 days.  It's nice to have another planned independent activity for him.  Today the 2-3 yr olds focused on Pirates (perfect timing since Jared wants a Pirate birthday party, that's right we are finally planning an actual party for him.  We are doing the "big year" parties: 5,8,12,16.) It was fun. A nice girl from our ward is in the class too so its fun to sit by them.  Jared and I sit behind Lydia and I tell him he can participate but can't give answers since he knows a bit more then the smaller kids.  He does very well.  We did some puzzles in the children's area while we waited for Jared's story time.  When it was time for him to go in he acted nervous and wanted me to go but I gave him a kissing hand (love them!) and said I would wait outside for him, when he came out he had the biggest smile.  He enjoyed every minute of it.  We love libraries and sure spend a lot of time at them on Wednesdays!  They do actually have drop in ones that we have yet to attend. I was just surprised at how official it all was. They have laminated name tags for the participants and everything and 2 different "teachers".  I am glad that we got spots. 

Splash Park, Discovery Museum, and UVA Soccer

I found some old pictures from a day at the splash park.  We really had a lot of fun hanging out at them this summer. I am so happy we live somewhere that has not just 1 but 3 of these free parks.  We only made it to 2 of them but from what I have heard we went to the best two.  We can always check out the third one next summer.  Today is the last day they are open and it is nice and drizzly. The weather is looking more fall like in the 10 day forecast (not a day above 81!!) and I am more than ready. 

Thursday was really hot and humid so I was happy that our weekly playgroup met at a park with a water area.  Jared was at preschool but Lydia had fun going back and forth between the water and the play equipment. It was nice to get to visit with some other mom's even if it was just a little. I am just really not that good at playgroups at least ones at parks. I don't consider myself a hovering parent but I still prefer to be pretty close to Lydia as she always wants to play on the older kids playground.  At this particular park (Greenleaf) she kept wanting to slide down the fireman's pole but really doesn't know how to do it very safely.  Mostly she puts her hands on it then jumps.  So I need to be nearby.  But it was great when I could visit with some people. That afternoon we met up at Pen Park for a friends birthday.  We had cupcakes and tried not to melt in the humidity. I always look forward to Fall but I am looking forward to it even more here in Virginia because I am not a fan of the humidity.  After the party we picked Mark up at school and drove up to Harrisonburg to Costco.  Last time we were there they were just putting out Halloween costumes and we saw a pirate one that Jared fell in love with. We told him he could get it when we got closer to Halloween. He has been asking when we were going back to Costco since we told him we would get it next time.  So we picked it up and it has gotten a lot of use in the last 2.5 days. I hope it stays mostly intact until Halloween. We also picked up a costume for Lydia. At first she wanted to be a Fairy and we figured she could wear the Tinkerbell costume she already has but then she said she wanted to be a Princess which was fine but while we were at Costco we found a girl Pirate dress and she was sold.  They are the cutest pirates I have ever seen.  Lets hope they stay excited because Halloween is really far away still.  I am happy the outfits are getting used though. Sadly on the way home from Costco Jared got sick and threw up.  He had been feeling poorly since we left the park and ended up throwing up right as we turned onto our street.  He is really very good about getting it all in the Ziploc bags now and we are very good about always having them in the car.  I think he was just not feeling well from the time at the park.  He doesn't handle hot weather really well and when humidity is thrown in he really feels it.  Poor kid. 

We have been trying to get back to the children's museum for awhile now and finally made it.  We went one afternoon after naps and Mark met us there after school.  We started out in the back room in Little Charlottesville but ended up spending most of our time in the replica log cabin.  Jared and Lydia made many dinners and breakfast's, worked in the garden and gathered eggs.  We also spent a fair amount of time in the little forest room.  I think sometimes I forget that we live somewhere that has been around a really long time.  It is hard to imagine living in a house like this.  I was trying to explain it to Jared and I am not sure he believed that this cabin was what many houses were like. It was fun to go back.  We were planning on going with some friends but one of the kids got sick. We still had a nice little outing. 

 Last night we headed over to UVA to watch a Women's Soccer game.  The secretaries at Mark's school had told us that these games were some of the funnest.  We were impressed that a soccer game had as many people as it did in attendance.  Good for those soccer players.  Mark really loves watching soccer so he was pretty happy.  We sat over in the grass across from the stands and Jared and Lydia had a blast running up and down the hill. I think they were amazed we let them run around so much and not stay right by us. The weather was perfect and UVA won.  The CavMan Crew organizers were there and they handed out Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream vouchers for the kids in their CavMan Crew shirts.  Jared and Lydia were so happy.  They really had a great time. Jared had fun running around with little kids and Lydia had a great time exploring and getting complimented by spectators. Her hair curled surpassingly well for a change and she was pretty cute.  Both at the game and the museum Jared came up to tell me he made a new friend.  I am happy that he is figuring out how to interact with other kids and it amazes me how quickly kids become friends.  It was cute last night, when Jared and his new "friend" ran over to our blanket to tell us they were friends they then ran over to the little boys parents blanket to tell them the same thing. Such innocence.