Fire station field trip, new calling and job and good byes

A few weeks ago we went on a field trip the the fire station for preschool during fire safety week.  The fire chief did a great job teaching the kids and answering questions.  We saw a firefighter get all dressed up in his gear, took a tour of the station and then right as we were about to climb on the trucks they got a call!  I was sad the preschool kids didn't get to climb on the trucks more but am fairly confident they all had before.  It was exciting to be there as they got a call and see them take off.  It was not a use your sirens kind of emergency but still exciting.  After they left the Mom's and I sort of looked at each other like now what?  There was no one left at the station but us and they kind of said, "sorry, thanks for coming and basically you can see yourself out."  It was kind of funny!  I had never had that happen so it was a fun twist.

These kids!

There they go!

I also started my new calling. I can't really explain how I feel about it.  I am THE Gospel Doctrine teacher.  The only one.  I know the teacher before me was also the only one and maybe he was cooler with it than me but I would really like a co teacher or 2.  Part of the issue is that I started working nights at Kohls and they are open so dang late.  I cannot figure out why they feel a need to stay open until 10:00 on weeknights and 11:00 on weekends!  Who is shopping at Kohls regularly at 10:30 at night!? I can tell you, no one and if there is 1 person they are not there regularly.  Why are they staying open, paying employees and electricity for one person?  It seems totally wasteful to me.  When I accepted this calling I did not have this job but now that I do and am working nights regularly I feel really stretched to plan my gospel doctrine lesson and preschool classes and somehow spend quality time with my family not to mention take care of my house.  Mark has really stepped up as I knew he would and I am so grateful.  We went into tithing settlement last week and explained the situation to our Bishop and he seemed very understanding.  His words were" information leads to inspiration." I hope it comes soon! Last week I checked my schedule for this first week of November and they had me scheduled to close 5 nights!  I went into work the next day to talk to the scheduling person to let them know I could not work that much. When I took the job my idea was to work 2 nights a week possibly 3.  There is no way I will work there 5 nights a week!  I hope they start scheduling me for just 2, if not I will have to revaluate this idea.  We just had goals to save money for 72 hour kits and food storage and to pay Lydia's (unnecessary) ER bills from this Summer and September without using our emergency fund.  I really hope I can work just 2 days a week and get a co teacher then everything will be great! Now that I have done the job more (I am in charge of the fitting rooms, making sure the clothes are returned and that the store looks organized) and feel more comfortable with it I am realizing it's a pretty good job for me. But only for like 2 nights a week.   As far as the actual calling goes it is actually really good for me. It stretches me which Primary secretary admittedly did not. I probably wasn't doing enough to make it stretch me although they haven't called a new one yet so I still try to do the agenda and primary reminders so now I am stretched a bit more with it.  I don't mind being "the teacher" and asking questions and leading discussions but it is a lot of prep work, which again, is good for me.  I always need help focusing my scripture study and teaching this class is great for that.  People have been really kind and helpful and I have had lots off people come and compliment me on the class and I so appreciate it.  I do so hope they call a co teacher soon!! October has just been a super busy month full of adjusting!

We also had to say goodbye to the Lenox's which was so very sad.  It was my first week working 4 nights and teaching Gospel Doctrine and it was pretty emotional.  We had them over for one last dinner on Sunday and then Tara and I and Lainey and Lydia had our last Monday Funday at the Monticello Trail where it all started.  We walked that trail so many times. Pushing Lydia and Lainey in their strollers, visiting and getting some good exercise in. Always stopping to play at the logs at the end so we could chat longer.  It was a great way to end the tradition.  I used to look forward to Mondays and now they are just another day in the week.  Lydia talks about Lainey a lot, about how she was her best friend and now she wants to know all about Texas.  I mentioned to Tara that we have talked about Texas more this past week than in Lydia's whole life.  I hope we can meet up somewhere whether its Texas, Florida, or Utah sooner rather than later. I organized an ice cream farewell party for Tara and loved getting to visit with her and see all the people she touched.  She is such an awesome person.  I will miss having Lainey in my preschool class and Jared and Lydia miss playing with their girls.  We drove them to the airport Saturday and off they went. I really miss Tara.  We have gone and done a few things as a family and Jared didn't have school Friday and I keep thinking this would be so fun to do with the Lenox's.... or we should plan something with them.  Anyway. I am grateful for the 2 years of fun we had.

Jared asked for these fake mustaches for his birthday (totally random but sure) and they led to an impromptu photo session after dinner Sunday.  It was so fun how these 5 kids could play so well together. Jessie is 10, Tegan is 8 and Jared is 7 and Lainey and Lydia are just 5 months apart. I loved how Jessie and Tegan were so good at including and having fun with Jared and him with them.

Pumpkin Patch and a perfect Fall Hike

Two Saturdays ago we went over to Greenfield Farm for some pumpkin patch fun.  This is a cute little pumpkin patch in Ruckersville. I had already taken Jared and Lydia to Cox Farms but I wanted a chance to go together as a family and this little pumpkin patch was perfect for a quick outing after soccer.  We enjoyed a fun corn maze, (my favorite part) a hay ride, playing in and on hale bales, petting animals, sliding and digging.  It was nice to go with Mark and extra nice that it was only 15 or so minutes away.  Good old fashioned pumpkin patch fun.

Not quite the same sliding experience as Cox Farms but they knew going into it that this pumpkin patch was not like that one.  They enjoyed themselves plenty. 

This week after soccer we decided to go on a Fall drive and combine it with a quick hike up in Shenandoah National Park.  My friend Tara had recommend a 1 mile hike called Black Rock Summit and we were not disappointed.  We were not the only people who had the idea to take a drive into Shenandoah but after we got past the entrance there wasn't much traffic at all. There were cars parked all over but we were lucky enough to get to our hike as 2 cars were leaving the parking lot so it worked out great.  It was nice to see lots of people out enjoying the beautiful weather too.  This hike was quick and easy and once you finish you come to some great rock formations that are perfect for scrambling on.  I was having a hard time describing the leaves. I couldn't really tell if they had peaked or were about too. I am pretty sure they had because its so late in the season but it was such a hot summer and it stayed warm for so long that it is hard to tell.  There was colors out but it was also really patchy.  Certain spots just looked like the wind came through with one big gust and took all the leaves and other spots just down the road had trees full of leaves.  It seems late for it to not have peaked like I said I am really not sure.  Either way we found some pretty colors, saw some great views and enjoyed hiking and playing.  Lydia loved the hike and kept racing ahead of us and Mark hustled to keep her in view. I had fun hiking along with Jared.  He stayed right with me and held my hand tho whole time and I loved the one on one time with him.   Once we got to the rocks Lydia started climbing around fine and then got completely scared and couldn't get off the rocks fast enough.  Jared on the other hand could have stayed and climbed up and down and all around them for much longer.  It was great to try somewhere new and I am sure we will be back. We love Virginia!

Truthfully, I loved seeing this many cars waiting to go into a national park.  

Soccer Season: check!

Saturday was the last day of Soccer for this year.  Lydia and Jared both had fun this season and want to play again.  I am grateful that Mark was willing to coach Lydia's team and for the patience he showed all those 3 and 4 year olds who can be pretty hilarious on the field.  A few people on Lydia's team were quite aggressive which she was not a fan of and it had to be clarified that you want to help your teammates not tackle them and push them a lot more than you would think!  Those kids sometimes had a lot of pent up aggression!! Lydia did learn a lot and got really good at dribbling the ball down the field.  I didn't make it to the last practice on Wednesday but Mark said she scored 4 goals which is awesome.  At the last game Saturday her team was split in half to play another team and she was pretty much the only one playing for her team, everyone else was busy forming a wall in the goalie box.  I am happy she had fun, learned and didn't give up. I am super grateful for the coach Jared lucked out to get.  Jared's coach did an awesome job and Jared really learned a lot.  His coach was so patient and encouraging and did a great job rotating the kids out of positions and teaching them with useful drills and good sportsmanship.   Lydia's group was ready to be done for the season a little bit before this week but Mark and Katie the assistant coach hung in there.

On Saturday the head "soccer organizers" brought juice, donuts and bagels for the kids and each player received a medal. I am happy to say that both Jared and Lydia played hard and earned their medals and love them.  Jared was happy his team won the last game of the year and he even scored a goal.  He really did gain some good skills this year.

Falcons

"Dragons!"

Jared's coach asking, "who wants a medal?"

Handsome soccer player!! 

I'm glad it was a good fun season for them both and glad we are done, but truthfully not as glad as Mark.

Celebrating Jared

We had a fun time celebrating Jared on Friday!  I can't believe he is 7 now! We decorated his room with balloons Thursday night and had him pick some presents to open before school (which he thankfully felt well enough to go to).  He requested coffee cake for breakfast which was a change from previous years and turned out well.  Awhile ago I made it and totally forgot to put the baking powder in so it was pretty much not a cake but this time I remembered all ingredients even if it was 6:00 in the morning. I told him I would bring him a special lunch at school for his birthday and he requested a cheeseburger from McDonalds. I warned him that it would not taste as good as his Dad's but he still wanted it.  Lydia and I met him for lunch and he ate about 1/3 of it. I didn't force it because they really don't taste good and he has already decided he wants Chick Filet for next year. It was not a year for a party but we did have the Shaw's and Farnsworth's over for cake after school. They kindly got him a LEGOS set and some fun coin collection holders which he loves.  We played a few rounds of categories as we call it, with the spray bottle and everyone loved it. Mark made a delicious ice cream cake with a bottom chocolate mint layer and a vanilla with brownie layer on top. It was delicious, my favorite combination yet.  We decorated it with some Star Wars toys and it was gobbled up.

I think he felt pretty special and we sure love him.  He is still completely obsessed with money (which I admittedly do not love or understand. Every time we go to a store he asks if he can look for money people have dropped, ("No I don't want you crawling on the floor at every store to look for money...")  and loves Star Wars.  Grandma Sue and Marmee/Grandpa Vince and Aunt Susan/Uncle Brett all sent him money with his cards and he was thrilled!!  When he comes home from school he loves to go to his room and sort through his money. He hopes to have a vast coin collection one day.  He is silly at times and loves playing outside.  He is doing well in school and he and Lydia get along pretty well most of the time for which I am grateful.  One of my biggest hopes is that he and Lydia will be best friends. We met with Mrs. Geer, for parent teacher conferences today and I was delighted to hear that she "loves having Jared in class."  She went over his test scores, he is basically where they want 1st graders to be closer to the end of the year which is great.  He loves math and does a great job with reading.  Mrs. Geer was really happy with his writing.  It has really improved since last year. He has way more details and it's fun to see what he remembers or what stood out to him from a book or some activity we did. After the test scores we went over more personal conduct type things which I care more about and I was so happy to hear that he is respectful, follows class rules, participates regularly, is friendly to other kids and respects Mrs. Geer and tries his best.

I do not think he is perfect but I do think I need to give him more credit than I do.  He is a smart, good, nice, happy kid. My experience with him outside our home in a learning environment is mostly from Primary and I get super frustrated when I either see him not listening or ask his teachers how he was in class and they say he had great answers but was silly or not adding to the spirit of the class.  Drives me crazy!! ( I know church is long and I know he is still a kid but come on!) I can't begin to count how often we talk about being a good example and not following others who may not be making the best choices and how important it is to make sure he is not contributing to his teachers not having a positive experience at church. I don't expect him to be perfect but I do have high expectations about things like this.  He should give his teachers the same respect and kindness he gives Mrs. Geer.  We talked about his quite a lot this past Sunday when I got so irritated at his behavior at church. He has been quite the stinker about Sundays the past month or so.  Saying he doesn't want to go to church because it is boring and Sundays are too long and it makes me so sad because I remember feeling the same way about Sundays when I was growing up and I feel like we have tried hard to make it a nice day of being together.  I get it I really do but I wish he didn't feel that way. This past Sunday started off really poorly but at least ended up really nicely.  I think I just need to make a more concentrated effort to have simple ideas ready and things we can do together to really make it a day for us to have less distractions and just quality time together.  We did more Sunday activities together this past Sunday and while I may have liked to do something by myself I loved the spirit we had in our home. I really do need to work harder to set the tone for our day. I hope I can do so and that all 4 of us can contribute to an enjoyable Sabbath day.

I stopped by Costco that morning and found these awesome BB8 pillows there.  Once I saw them I kind of knew I had to get them for Jared and Lydia. We very rarely buy them anything just because but for 10$ I couldn't pass it up. I told Lydia to not say anything to Jared when we picked him up and left it sitting in his seat. His look of surprise was fantastic.  

We had the usual, ham potato soup and meat rolls for dinner and conducted the traditional birthday interview.

2016 Birthday Interview, 7 years old.

What is your favorite color? Blue
What is your favorite toy? Giant BB8
What is your favorite movie? Star Wars 6 and 7
What do you do well? math
What do you like to do with Daddy? Special outings
What makes you happy? Blankie
What is your favorite scripture story? Ammon
What is your favorite song? Shake It Off
What is your favorite animal? Dolphin
What is you favorite book? Magic Tree House
Who is your best friend? Tyler
Where is your favorite place to go? The beach and the lake
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play tennis
What is your favorite drink? Sprite
What is your favorite holiday? St. Patrikc's Day and Halloween
What do you like to do with Mommy? Special outings
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Coffee Cake and Crepes
What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Meat Rolls and Ham, Potato and Broccoli Soup
What do you want to be when you grow up? Person who makes a lot of money.

We love Jared so very much and look forward to watching him grow up!

visitors, soccer-ing, digging and hiking.

It's been really great to get out and enjoy the awesome weather the past week. We've gone on picnics, played at parks, ridden bikes, gone hiking and played and watched some soccer. (We also celebrated Jared's birthday, I taught my first Gospel Doctrine Class, had my first day of my new job, and went on a field trip with preschool to the Fire Station but those can be another post, more of an indoor one? Looking at it that way it was a really busy week!!!) We spend a fair amount of time outside throughout the year but to me there is just something special about these Fall days. They give me extra energy and excitement.

This week started out with some visitors from Mark's family.  His sister Susan came out with her husband Brett to visit their daughter Hannah over in Lynchburg.  They came up on Sunday and stayed with us until early Tuesday when they flew home to Washington.  They are really fun people to visit with and we loved seeing them. Sunday we went over to UVA and walked around Grounds and the Rotunda and Monday Lydia and I walked the Monticello Trail with them.  I took the stroller for Lydia which helped a lot.  Charlottesville is such a fun place to show people.

 At home later that afternoon she was super tired. She had sadly woken up around 5:20 that morning with a coughing fit and never went back to sleep.  She would not have made it far without that stroller.  That afternoon was really weird.  From about 3:00 on she could not sit down without trying to lay down and go to sleep. I didn't want her to nap because then she wouldn't sleep at night but if I left her alone for a few minutes she would lay down right where she was and fall asleep.  It was crazy.  Around 4:30 I was getting dinner ready and she was reading with Susan when all of a sudden she threw up! I was so surprised.  None of us saw it coming.  We had her take a warm shower and then just put her to bed.  She fell asleep as soon as she got in bed and slept until 7:00 the next morning.  She woke up like nothing happened. So weird.  And it was weird later in the week when Jared did the exact same thing minus the coughing. Poor kids.  I'm so glad it was a short thing.  My only guess is that maybe they were dehydrated?  But what are the odds it would happen to them both in one week?

Last night we headed over to UVA to watch another mens soccer game.  We met up with some friends but only stayed till 1/2 time.  UVA played Notre Dame and ended up winning 1:0.

When I picked Jared up from school Thursday he told me he had a headache and seemed not quite himself.  We played at a park for awhile and then headed home. I had him take a hot shower with some peppermint oil and after that he laid down on his bed and fell asleep. This was at 5:00.  He slept until 7:30, woke and talked to Mark for a few minuted then went back to his bed and slept until 7:00 the next morning!  Sound familiar?  He woke up feeling great which was a relief because Friday was his birthday and being sick on your birthday is kind of the worst.  Because he was not feeling great on Thursday so we did not think a late night would be a very wise idea and we had big plans for Saturday.

We got up Saturday and headed over to soccer.  We are down to our last 2 weeks. It's been a fun season but I won't be sad when its over.  It's a fun thing but soon we can move on. Jared did great in his game today and scored 2 back to back goals.  He was goalie for awhile and did a nice job defending the goal. It was fun to see him succeed and enjoy himself.  Lydia's team seemed to struggle to remember what the goal of soccer was but did run around a lot. After soccer Mark and Jared headed over to the Archeology Site at Monticello.  Mark had taken a tour of it a few weeks ago with the other Social Study teachers on a professional development day and hear about their archeology day for kids.  They offered a 30 minute introduction to archeology and let the kids dig on site (or near it) for awhile.  Jared really enjoyed the archeology site at Montpelier so it was great timing for him to go do this at Monticello.  As of today he thinks he might like to be an archeologist.  Last night when we conducted his birthday interview and asked him what he wanted to be he could not think anything (he finally came up with someone who makes a lot of money) but as of today 24 hours later that is what he wants to do.  I wanted to be an archeologist for a while too when I was growing up. It will be fun years down the road to see how it all plays out.

Our last outing of the day was a hike up to Humpback Rocks.  We thought about going to a pumpkin patch since Mark hasn't gone this year and didn't go last year either but opted on the hike instead.  It was such amazing weather.  We got to the trailhead just after 1:00 and started out.  To get straight to the top is only .8 miles but it is a decent incline the whole way.  Jared and Lydia did awesome.  There were some parts that were wet from a spring I am guessing, which made them slippery but we went through them just fine.  There were lots of people on the trail so it took us a little longer than it may have other wise (just under an hour to the top) but everyone was happy and friendly.  At one little break a really nice girl walked by and asked if we wanted our picture taken because we were such an adorable family.  As a matter of fact we did want our picture taken.

Side story.  Even though the trees are just starting to change colors around here we opted to hike today and see if much had happened up in the mountains (it has not).  Because the trees might have started changing and we would be in a beautiful place I was thinking about possible Christmas card photos and could not decide what to wear!  I needed to be comfortable and so did Jared and Lydia and we were hiking so practical was important too it was quite the headache!  I am happy to say I was pleased with what I came up with. I still remember my lesson from our failed family pictures at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs that my outfit is most important as I care the most about these pictures.

The hike was a perfect outing for today. It's really awesome that Jared and Lydia are the ages they are now.  We have so much more freedom for outings.  They really did great hiking. No complaining and great attitudes.  We all had a great time.  We stayed at the top for awhile to enjoy the view and hope for a good family picture and were not disappointed.  Lydia got a crazy second wind on the way down and practically ran all the way down the mountain. Mark was happy to stay with her.  We made it down with no slips and even found some nice walking sticks.  Hooray for perfect Fall days!

It would be fun to go back in 10 - 14 days for a color update but there are so many other places to check out it's hard to go back to one sometimes.  

She was really on one on the drive home.  

cute cute girl. 

Fall fun has started!

I'm so happy October is here.  We ended September with some great Fall weather and went out to enjoy it. Jared didn't have school Monday so we headed up to Cox Farms again. We drove up with the Lenox's and met up with some friends and had a blast enjoying the slides, apple cider, corn maze and hay ride.  This was our 2nd time going and we were not disappointed. I had recommended it to a few families who came up to join us and they loved it too. It's just a fun place and this particular Monday seems to be there discount day (they did it last year too) so its only 6 dollars which is great.  We met up with the Farnsworth's, Shaw's, and Lattin's.  It was a party.  I was worried it might rain but it just ended up being cloudy.  It was cool at times but I much prefer that to bright, hot sunshine beating down on you when you are walking all over a farm.  There were cute baby animals and no one got hurt or lost so it was a really great day.

Mark saw this picture and commented on how grown up Lydia looked. 

Jared tired various lanes to see which was the fastest one.  He decided it was Lane 5.  

Tuesday Lydia and I headed up to Carter Mountain to pick apples for a preschool field trip.  Again I was worried that it would be rainy but it turned out to be a beautiful morning.  We picked our apples then met up for an apple snack (mini applesauce muffins) and some apple books. I am so grateful for the preschool families I have.  They are awesome.  It was a great field trip.  Jared was supposed to go on a field trip to Liberty Farms on Friday but the bad weather caught up with us and they moved it to Tuesday of this week.  I have preschool that day so I will not be going but I am sure he will have a great time.

We spent most of the weekend watching General Conference it seems.  I made cinnamon rolls of course and Mark hosted a Priesthood Session BBQ, at which Jared kind of drove him crazy. It didn't help that Jared had been cooped up a lot of the day being still and quiet and that he had eaten so much junk food for conference treats. I would have taken him with me but we want him to have fun memories of priesthood session things with his Dad. Maybe next time.  We did take a quick outing to ride bikes at the church between sessions on Saturday and while we were there Lydia figured out how to pedal and balance on her bike at the same time! It was pretty exciting. We are one step closer to family bike rides.  For all I love about Charlottesville it is not a great place for bike riding but I have been looking forward to family bike rides forever and am happy we are getting closer.  I feel like my family did a fair amount of family bike rides when I was growing up and I am excited to do it with my family. She was so excited to figure it out and can't wait to ride her bike again.  The last time we rode bikes she spent a lot of time riding Jared's scooter and I wonder if it helped her gain confidence to try her bike. She hadn't ridden the scooter much before and had fun doing it so maybe she finally believed us that she would like riding her bike too?  At any rate I am so proud of her and happy for her. While Mark was hosting his BBQ Lydia and I went out on a date.  We stopped by Dominos and got some pizza and then headed outside for a pizza picnic.  Mark never wants to order take away pizza.  He likes our homemade calzones more but sometimes I just want junky pizza! I am happy that Lydia was wiling to eat it with me.  After we ate our pizza we played at Broadus Wood.  She wanted to swing on the swings so I got her going and then jumped on the swing next to her. I started pumping and talking to her about how to do it and she did what I said and figured out how to pump!!  It was pretty awesome.  Saturday was a big day for her!  Figuring out how to ride her bike and pump on swings.  She is growing up so well.  We have been working consistently on her reading lessons the last 2 weeks and things are really starting to click.  It's so helpful and nice when they are ready and want to learn, they can do it so fast. I remember Jared being this age, just before and at 5 and learning so many new things.  It is fun to see it with Lydia too.  Today at dinner she randomly started counting and counted up to 50 with no mistakes.  She was supposed to be listening to Mark read the scriptures but probably felt like she had heard enough church talk for a day! This is a really fun age for learning. Hard to believe she will be 5 in 4 months.  We went on a quick walk between sessions today and as she and Jared were walking ahead of Mark and I a little I just felt so much love and contentment about our little perfect for us family.

Conference treats and coloring.

 I actually printed out some "grown up" coloring sheets for Mark and I and they really 

helped me stay focused during conference. I love coloring.