Birthday Girl

That is what Jared and Lydia called me all yesterday.  It was sweet and cute and fun.

"I love you birthday girl"
"You are my favorite birthday girl"

I had such a nice birthday weekend. Since my birthday was on Sunday we celebrated all weekend since the actual day of would be pretty calm. We started Friday night by going to the UVA Men's basketball game.  Mark found some tickets in the upper section for only 7 dollars each! We are doing a date night exchange with my friend Laura so she watched our kids and we had a great night out.  I really loved watching basketball while I was in high school I totally prefer it to any other sport.  It was fun to go to a game with Mark. It took us awhile to find parking near the arena so we missed half of the first half but it sans' a very exciting half so we didn't mind. UVA really stepped it up in the 2nd half and won the game.

Saturday we headed downtown to check out a holiday parade.  It was much smaller than I expected but we met up with some friends and had a nice time. I am not sure we would go again but we couldn't know that till we tried it out.  It just was not what I am used to as far as parades go.  I am used to much larger parades and a "Holiday" parade being at night (not 10:00 in the AM) so you can enjoy all the Christmas lights. We did end up with a nice pile of candy canes which we will put to use in our hot chocolate.

 It was way warmer than we expected which was a nice bonus. 

Saturday night Mark made dinner (orange chicken my current favorite) and after that I met up with some friends at a cupcake shop.  Being here in Charlottesville has really reminded me that it is fun to have friends to hang out with! I wasn't lonely in Colorado.  I had people I could go spend time with and do stuff with if I wanted but I just wasn't that into it. I didn't make much of an effort.  I have tried really hard to get to know people and meet up with them and even plan outings.  It's been fun and I am happy I have done it. Colorado was just my time of "babies".  Their schedule was more important to me than having tons of Girls nights out and I always sort of knew that Colorado was not the place we planned on raising my kids so I wouldn't be making friends that I would be around forever. I knew we would be leaving eventually so that also kept me from trying that hard.  Anyway, I met up with some really fun ladies and the cupcakes were delicious. It was nice of them to come and it was also nice that they were happy to go out too.  When I got home Saturday night Mark had a bouquet of mylar balloons waiting for me! FUN!

Sunday morning Mark got up with Jared and Lydia and made sure they stayed downstairs so I could sleep in.  He made the orange rolls for my birthday breakfast which was great.  Around 8:30 they all came in to sing happy birthday to me. We went went to church and when we got home we ate my birthday cake.  It was delicious. Mark wrote me a very sweet card with 32 things he loved about me.  This Friday we are going to go shopping to see if I can find some fancy brown boots.  It was a really nice weekend.  Here's to being one year older and wiser too!

Temple Trip, Thanksgiving Learning and a little Artist

Saturday we drove up to the Washington DC Temple.  Mark went in first while Jared, Lydia and I walked around the temple in the 36 degree weather. I had suggested that we do it closer to when Mark would be coming out but they were ready to do it then so we did. We saw a man hanging up Christmas lights  and got excited for when we would get to see them all lit up. (December 05th! It won't be quite like Salt Lake but I think it will be pretty great) We heard him telling some people that it takes them over 3 months to get all the lights up!  Crazy! I can't imagine the storage space they have to use to store all those lights all year. As we were walking we saw these beautiful Fall Mums. I always love it when people plant these in their yards or have them on their porch. One day we will decorate our front porch with some. They had so many there. It was nice to be at the temple.  The Visitors center had quite a few pretty Christmas trees and Jared and Lydia had fun checking them out.  It felt so festive.  We played in the little house they have there (Like in Salt Lake) and watched a short video.  We ate some snacks in the car and colored some pictures.  Then we went over to the lobby to wait for Mark.  He ended up taking longer than I expected (in reality he was quite quick) so we had to leave the lobby because Jared and Lydia could no longer be still.  I don't blame them they lasted a good 15 minutes. It was nice to be on Temple grounds and then go serve.

We have done some fun Thanksgiving learning times and art projects.  It's been nice to get back in the swing of things and doing them with holiday themes is always so fun! Lydia is doing really well with her letter of the week projects.  We have made it to the letter N and are going strong.

Roll A Turkey is Jared's current favorite. He is looking so grown up these days. 

Jared is doing awesome with his reading lessons.  I can tell he is getting a little tired of them as they are very repetitive we are almost half way through. It is tempting to stop now and say he's got it but I know that he will only get better with more practice so we will keep at it.  He has also become very interested in coloring/drawing. I mentioned it a month or so ago and it has just increased since then.  Here are some of his current masterpieces.

I love that he drew Peter Pan in the top left corner. He does it in most of the Captain Hook pictures he chooses.

We love the Tinkerbell movies, especially The Pirate Fairy as seen above. 

Jared and Lydia also both love Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  They ask to watch it every morning when I do Lydia's hair so we have seen a lot of 5 minute clips.  "Yay Hey No Way!! 

Top is gold doubloons.  Left middle "X marks the spot". Captain Hook with cannons.  Tikki Tree (from Jake and Neverland Pirates) and the ocean.

 Jared drew this after his Primary lesson one Sunday.  Mark went to pick him up and Jared asked if he could go get Lydia from Nursery so he could finish his picture. It's fun to see him working hard and being interested in drawing/coloring. You will notice a reoccurring theme in all these pictures. "Pirates!" We just can't get enough of them at this house.

We also made pumpkin pie in a cup for our movie night last week.  Jared is fairly fascinated with pumpkin pie. Neither Mark or I really think it's that great so I was happy to find an idea I could do in very small easy portions.  We really love family movie nights!

Crust:
Crushed graham crackers

Filling:
Pumpkin Pie Spice Pudding

Plastic serving cups and whipped cream if you want. So fast and easy.

Another hike and bikes

We do try to go outside as often as we can. I keep hearing that the winter here is really cold.  There is not a lot of snow but the humidity mixed with the colder temperatures makes for a damp wet cold which will be very different than our windy dry winters in Colorado.  So while it is still nice out we are going out! Last Monday the school district had the day off so I met up with Tara and Laura and we went on a little hike. I am so happy I have gotten to know them. They are such nice fun girls. This time we went to Preddy Creek which we had never been to before.  It is about 20 minutes away and a nice place to hike.  There is a little creek there that has a decent flow and Laura said she likes to go there in the summer and let her kids play in the water. We will have to look into next summer.  I had plenty of sweaters for us, unlike last time we met up for a hike when we were all freezing. The weather was beautiful but it was nice to be prepared this time.  We made it to the little creek and all the kids wanted to play in it but we managed to keep mostly dry.  Lydia rudely took a stick of Jared's and threw it into the little creek which made Jared quite upset.  Laura's son Joseph said he would get it for Jared and before any of us could stop him he ran into the almost to his knees water and grabbed Jared's stick.  He is really a thoughtful boy who really looks out for other kids. He had already fallen in the creek while crossing over to the "Island" (sand barrier) so he was already pretty wet but it was so thoughtful of him to see how upset Jared was and help him out.  There were still some leaves on the trees and we enjoyed being with friends.

 Joseph, Jared and Peter being bears

We also made a quick trip to Harrisonburg.  We went to Costco (of course) and then went to play at 2 parks.  It was such a nice fall day.  We already knew we were going to miss Lydia's nap so we decided to check out both parks instead of the one we normally go to. Mark and I happened upon this other park when we came out here in April. We just called it the Fort park but really its called Purcell Park. It is mostly made of wood and look just like an old fort. It's just really different then most parks we have been to.  It was really fun to run around and see where the passages led to.  Mark and I even played some frisbee which we hadn't done in a really long time.  I wasn't super fun to play with because of my hurt ankle but we tried.*

Dreams Come True Park

FORT park.  

We are also trying to get in as much bike riding as possible and it is really paying off. Jared is doing so well. He is really gaining confidence and enjoying riding his bike.  It is so fun to see him ride by himself and see how pleased he is with himself.  I feel pretty confident in saying that he knows how to and can ride a bike on his own. Lydia loves her balance bike and goes super fast.  We headed over to Riverview park Saturday when Mark got back from his Scout campout. (It was quite cold. I felt bad but they all survived and I didn't get nearly as worried as other times which was nice) We love their paved path. It is one of the most level spots in town it feels like. Jared was nervous to ride at first because he remembered the bad crash he had a few weeks ago.  Mark would get him started then run alongside him. He did awesome!

 I wish you could see how happy he is! 

We did one loop on their bikes then played at the park then did the loop again and played again.  It was nice. It has been so interesting to think about our life here compared to Colorado. Jared and Lydia are just at these really fun ages to go and do things (because they both can actually do them and I am not as crazy about naps (yet still pretty crazy) since they are older) and there are so many things to do here. It's such a great combination! I also walked the Monticello Trail again with Tara. We both just love going there. This time we went on Friday so Jared was with us. He was a good little trooper to walk as much as he did. We stopped to play on the logs for awhile which made he and Lydia happy. We will miss the perfect fall weather when it goes away. I can't believe how nice it still is for the first week of November!

*Monday we went over to Pen Park to let Jared practice riding his bike on more level ground.  Mark wanted to try to pay some tennis so we brought our tennis stuff with us.  Mark and I were rallying and I totally stepped on a ball and fell down so hard.  I just stepped backwards and didn't see it there.  It hurt so much. It is feeling better but is still a little tender.  Its unfortunate timing as I am planning on running a 5K on Thanksgiving again and would like to do some running before then.

Parent Teacher Conference

Mark and I attended our first ever parent teacher conference on the parent side today. Jared's preschool does them in the Fall and Spring.  It was nice that Mark had the day off (teacher comp day for his parent teacher conferences last month, they were both in the evenings from 4:00 - 8:00).  We dropped Jared and Lydia off in the child care room and went to meet with Miss Tina and Miss Carleen.  Jared is doing great! He loves school and is learning how to be a good leader.  We talk to him about this a lot. To remind him that he is the oldest kid and needs to make good choices and not follow kids who are not. We talked about his social/emotional development and then his academic development.  Their ratings are C: Consistently SG: shows growth NY: Not Yet.  In the academic section he had only one SG out of 18 categories.  It was in "Negotiates with words." All the others were Consistently.  They said a few times that Jared was a very smart child.  I think the world of Jared and do think he is intelligent but know I am pretty biased.  I really don't know how to tell if someone is smart at his age.  I am curious how one determines that someone is smart? Like what have they observed that led them to that conclusion.  Is he really smart or just well prepared from what we do at home? One example they gave was that he would connect things they were doing in the classroom to experiences he has had at home.  I asked Mark how he would describe it which helped some.  Regardless I am glad that they have observed him and noticed this. It makes me happy that he he is ready for kindergarten academically.  I did it! I am happy that our learning times and art projects have paid off.  We will keep at it! They asked if were doing a reading program with him and I told them we were using "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 lessons" and they said they would put out some beginning reader books for him as he does enjoy the reading nook.  His physical/motor skills are very good too. He needs to practice a little more with scissors but we will work on it. They did mention that he is not always very interested in the learning activities they plan or the art projects.  He doesn't often choose to work on letter worksheets or go to the drawing/coloring table. He would just rather keep playing with his friends. (they are a play based school) But he does them with a good attitude when it is required. His attitude towards teachers (and adults in general) is really important to Mark and I. We often tell him to make sure he is not an annoying kid like some of the ones Daddy has in his classes. Although, the number of annoying kids Mark has is much less here in Virginia then it was in Colorado which is great!

As far as socially he still has some room to grow. He is way ahead of where he was last year at this time so I am happy. He needs to work on cleaning up better, (at home too, we are in a rough patch with that right now sadly) cooperating with adult direction, using material purposefully and sitting well at circle time.  They described him as a good leader and friend and that lots of other kids follow his lead. He is just a normal happy boy (a smart one that is).  I completely agree.  This is why we have him in preschool so he can learn how to take directions from other adults and understand that he cannot do whatever he wants whenever.  I am glad things are going so well. He is a great kid.

Halloween!

Thursday was costume day at Mark's school so Jared, Lydia and I headed over to show off their Pirate costumes.  Lots of people take their kids to their spouses work so why not? It is always kind of fun to take Jared and Lydia to Mark's classes.  We hadn't been to his class yet this year, well when he had students. Right now he has 7th graders. The office staff and Mark's students enjoyed seeing them dressed up and seeing that Mr. Spencer has a life outside of the class.  One of the SPED assistants is Middle Eastern so she likes working with Mark since they have that connection.  I had never met her before but Mark had told me about her. We walked into the class and she was so excited to meet us. She told me that she thinks Mark is like "a holy man" and seeing his family bought tears to her eyes!  She literally teared up seeing us all together. It was kind of overwhelming in the sense that I have down nothing to deserve this kindness of her. She just loved Jared and Lydia.  They each "trick or treated" in the class and got a treat from Mark's candy jar.

The main event of Halloween was Trick or Treating at the Lawn at UVA. Way more fun then going to a mall or a trunk or treat!!! It was pretty crazy too though. So many people!  And so much candy.  The lawn is essentially the old residence halls.  It is also where the oft pictured Rotunda of UVA is.  (Sadly it is being renovated for like the next 2 years. We will for sure have to stay till they are done so we can see it!!) Jefferson envisioned a place where scholars could meet, live and learn. I don't thick he ever imagined this event but really he was pretty visionary. So all kinds of students line up in front of the residence doors with bags of candy and hand it out to the trick or treaters. It is not just one person at a door handing out candy its like 5! It was fun to see into the rooms and see what they looked like and to see the floor covered with like 10 -15 bags of candy! Jared and Lydia loved it!!

If you look behind Mark you can see the residence halls.  He is in the large courtyard in the middle. He is looking at a mirror image behind me.  So many doors!!

 Very fitting costume for the location. 

 I had to carry her bucket for her a little over half way through. 

 As we were leaving we saw this little haunted tunnel.  I was proud of Jared for going through. He loved it! 

We were told it would be crazy and really chaotic and good luck with parking but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it went. It was not as overwhelming as I thought it would be.  That seems to be my trick.  Imagine things will be really bad and then they aren't as bad. It's all about your expectations.  Laura told us where they normally park so we went to that parking garage first and found a spot on the first level.  Then we walked out of the garage onto the street and there was Laura and her family! Such good timing.  Chances are slim we would have found them at the actual event it was so crowded. We saw a few people from the ward and one student from Jared's preschool. We didn't lose Jared or Lydia and they got so much candy their buckets were too heavy for them to carry! Jared was so happy to see Peter and Joseph and I was so happy it was as fun as it was.  We will for sure go next year. It can be our new Halloween tradition.

After trick or treating we headed home and had dinner.  I sorted through Jared and Lydia's candy to get a small collection to give to any trick or treaters we got. They didn't even notice it was gone! We live in the far corner of the development and had about 5 groups of trick or treaters.  Both Jared and Lydia got to hand out candy and they loved it. I was happy to get rid of some candy and that I didn't have to buy any.

We stayed home most of today. It was really pretty cold out and Mark had an all day Scout training. I told Jared and Lydia that they could eat as much candy as they wanted today and tomorrow and whatever was left over would be sent to school with Mark. He likes to reward on task/cooperative kids with candy.  I planned some fun activities with the candy and took down all our Halloween decorations and put up out Thanksgiving ones. I love holidays!

We sorted and counted our candy.  Jared had 68 pieces and Lydia had 55 minus the few they had already eaten.  (They probably each had about 25 more pieces that I gave away to trick or treaters and put in a bag for Mark's classes like Twizzlers gross!) Then we matched candy names to the alphabet and conducted and experiment to see if a candy floated or sunk. It was a lot of fun.  They also stayed in their pajamas until after nap/quiet time which they loved. Now onto Thanksgiving!