Thanksgiving

Annual Thankful Tree

Jared is thankful for:
Running, money, Veterans, his blanket, his family, leaders who keep our country safe, his bed, school,  bike riding, my house, my body, tick or treating, that he knows how to read, God, stuffed animals, food, TV, my life, oxygen and the Earth.

Lydia is thankful for:
The Spirit, mommy reading stories to me, playing at the park, the library, my bed, cousins, my house, food, my family, the Prophet, preschool, scriptures, breakfast, holidays, friends, books, mommy and daddy who take care of me, healthy, family movie night, treats, eyes, and the temple.

We had a wonderful, happy, quiet Thanksgiving. We actually had an early Thanksgiving dinner with our friends from Colorado on Sunday.  It was nice to see them and funny to eat most of the same foods later in the week. Lydia loves seeing their 6 year old Regan.  We started Thanksgiving day running the Earlysville 5K Turkey Trot and kids 1/2 mile which happens to be my favorite way to start Thanksgiving day.  This was my 4th year in a row running a race Thanksgiving morning and I love it.  We saw a few families from our ward and enjoyed chatting with them.  I was sad to not run with Laura but hope we can do it next year.

After the race we came home and got some dinner preparations going, mostly setting out rolls and getting the turkey in the oven.  It was a really nice day outside so we loaded up Jared and Lydia's bikes and headed over to the fun trails near one of the high schools here.  Mark and I walked hand in hand behind Jared and Lydia as they enjoyed riding their bikes and I thought about how wonderful our life was and how thankful I am for it. I have been listening to Josh Groban's song "Thankful" a lot this month and so appreciate what I have been blessed with.  Jared did have one crash but bravely got back on his bike and Lydia got up a lot of courage and went down some of the steeper hills and had a great time.  It has been fun to see her really take to riding her bike.  She was so hesitant back in September!  Now she balances and pedals like she has always known how.  I still feel the same excitement when I see her jump on her bike and start by herself that I did when she first figured it out.

When we got home it was food prep time. Mark and I prepared dishes together and Jared and Lydia played outside.  We originally planned on eating around 1:00 but as 1:00 came and went we smiled at each other thinking how nice it was to not be worried about getting a meal ready by a certain time.  We sat down to eat closer to 2:00 and enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving meal.  As we sat down just the four of us I thought hmmm... it feels a little weird to not have someone here with us or be somewhere but at the same time I think it was the right choice for us this year.  I was scheduled to be in to work at 5:45 Thursday and not get off until 2:30 am and then I was back at 11:00 am Friday and worked till 8:00 pm.  So I worked, then basically came home, slept saw my family for under 2 hours then left for the day. I really felt like we needed some good quality family time and it was nice.  Before I went to work Thursday Hannah and Matt came up with his parents for Thanksgiving dessert. I typically make a pear pie each Thanksgiving and will admit that it was really nice to not make it this year.  Pies take a long time!  At least for me they do.  They brought 3 pies with them, Apple, Pumpkin and Key Lime.  I saw them for about 20 minutes then took off.  They actually stayed the night and then left their 14.5 month old daughter here with us for the weekend while they went up to NYC. Mark did an awesome job with Norah and Jared and Lydia. I know they are totally willing to watch Jared and Lydia for us so we will need to plan a trip away when work is not so busy.

After we ate we did some fun Thanksgiving learning times.  The ever popular Roll a Turkey was back and we did some candy pumpkin building.

At preschool we did some Turkey balloon races and they were so much fun I knew Jared would love them so we did them a few days before Thanksgiving.  Jared has also been really into football the past few weeks so we have been out playing catch.  It is rather fitting for Thanksgiving traditions and it's been fun to enjoy the last really nice days and the last of the pretty leaves.

He actually had a really rough week of school the week before Thanksgiving. I got an email from his PE teacher saying that she was really concerned with his behavior in class one day. I was shocked!! And quite disappointed. I know he is not perfect, nor do we expect him to be but I really did not expect an email about how he was repeatedly not listening to a teacher. He was not paying attention in mindfulness (he is not a fan) and then asked to go to the bathroom, spilled water on his shirt and then went to the nurse without asking for permission to get a change of clothes because the adjustable buttons on his jeans were too tight.  The PE teacher was really concerned because no one knew where he was.  I had him write an apology note to the PE teacher and we talked about some different things. Later in that week I checked his "classdojo" report and for the first time he had negative points. Jared cares a lot about points and getting lots of them so I was super surprised again.  We talked some more and I feel like we made some good progress. He mentioned one kid that is really distracting and we talked about how he cannot blame someone else for his choosing to not listen.  He decides for himself what he is going to do regardless of what the people around him are doing. (This happens to him a lot in his Primary class, I so hope the classes get switched up for next year for multiple reasons.)  He also mentioned missing me a lot since I am working and how that was hard and that school in general was harder and not as fun as last year. I am glad he told me those things. Most parents want their kids to be respectful to teachers but I feel like we emphasized this an extra amount with Jared and Lydia since Mark and I are you know, teachers.  We talk a lot about making sure they do not make a teacher have a bad day, reminding them of how Mark feels when his students are off task and how that makes Mark feel.  He was his normal, happy, helpful self the 2 days he had school last week and I hope this does not happen again, but there are like 11 years of school to go so....  I was grateful we could talk and hope it did really help him. I couldn't believe how emotional it made me! I actually cried that my son was acting up in school.  I am going to need a lot of help the next 11 years he is in school and 2 more for Lydia.  This affected me way more than it should have. Another reason I really wanted to have some time alone with him especially for Thanksgiving. 

It really was a great Thanksgiving.  We have more than we could ever truly list to be thankful for.  To finish it off we decorated for Christmas Saturday and Sunday and got out Lydia and Jared's new Christmas Pajamas. Hooray for the holiday season and fun traditions!

Birthday Celebrations

I had a lovely birthday this year. My sweet friend Laura hosted a birthday get together with muffins and a cute how well do you know April Spencer game.  She is so fun and thoughtful.  It was so nice to visit with just some off the awesome people I have become friends with here in Charlottesville and I am a breakfast foods kind of person so muffins were spot on.  I made a batch of cream cheese filled carrot muffins and when I got to Laura's she had made 4 other types of muffins!  They were all delicious.  She does love to throw a party.  On my actual birthday I had a nice sleep in and then we went out to breakfast. I wish we had made the drive to Waynesboro to go to Cracker Barrel but was still happy to go out.  Since my birthday was the day before Thanksgiving Mark had the day off which was a nice bonus.  After breakfast we stopped by a sports store and found my Christmas/birthday present, a bike!  I have wanted a bike for a long time.  Especially since moving here.  Two of my very good friends love biking and typically go once a week.  I have really wanted to take it up as a new hobby/social/exercise activity and am so excited I can now.  Lydia is becoming an expert bike rider and asks to go all the time and she and Jared were both so excited for me to ride with them.  I have been dreaming of family bike rides for years now!  To add a cherry on top of this, Mark got a bike on Black Friday! While we were checking out to buy my bike the cashier mentioned that their black Friday sale was 1/2 off one item.  Mark tried out a bike and we decided he would go back on Friday and try to get it.  He got there just before they opened at 10:00, walked in and got a great bike for 68$.  For Christmas we plan on getting a bike rack as a joint present for the two of us.  It's really happening! My family went on bike rides a lot growing up and I am looking forward to it.
We spent some time riding bikes at the church and ate my birthday cake for lunch.  (In our defense breakfast was large and later in the day closer to brunch time) I also came up with a new tradition I want to start.  Mark had been asking me what I wanted for a birthday cake this year and nothing was jumping out at me.  A few weeks ago I had found a recipe for a pumpkin cake I wanted to try.  As I was thinking about making it for Thanksgiving I had the great idea to have Mark make it for my cake this year.  Then as I thought about this more I decided I would pick a cake each year and have Mark make it for my birthday.  He is on board and I am excited to start this tradition each year.  I know he is up for the challenge and will do a great job. I am so thankful for Mark who listened to what I really wanted and made it happen.  He helped Jared and Lydia make me beautiful cards and made my birthday a great day.  Since I have been working nights he has completely stepped up and taken over a lot of evening things I did around here and never complains.  I knew taking this job that he was completely capable but it is nice that he does it so naturally and well.  I love that I come home (way later than I ever should working at a department store, WHY are they open to 11:00 on weeknights?  Now 12:00 for December??) and the kitchen is cleaned, the loads of laundry I didn't have time to finish before I left are folded and Jared and Lydia are sleeping peacefully. He's a rock star and I am a fortunate girl.

 

34!

Outside!

We have been making the most of the great Fall weather we are having.  I don't dread the cold weather like many people I know but I do for sure prefer this perfect Fall weather.  We have been hiking, bike riding, and park playing as much as possible.  We are fortunate to have great people to do it with too.

Before we moved from our town home here our kind next door neighbor gave us her son's old bike.  It was the next size Jared would need and this past week he started riding it and is loving it.  The thing he loves most is that it has gears.  To try it out we went with the Shaw's on some great paved pathways Julie and Chris found a few weeks ago.  I had never been there and am so glad she showed them to us. The trees were beautiful and it was so fun to try out somewhere new.  Julie, Lydia, and I walked around with Lydia occasionally riding Jared's scooter and enjoyed watching the boys ride ahead together.  They love being together.  They also do a nice job including Lydia which is so great.  I can't wait to go back!

We met up with some friends at Forest Lakes Park one day before picking Jared up from school.  Lydia really likes playing with this sweet little boy Dash yet sometimes needs a little nudge to remember to play with him. They will both be at Baker Butler next year along with 3 other boys from Lydia's Sunbeam class.  It will be fun if she ends up with some of them in her Kindergarten class. Her number one choice would be Dash. We also took an afternoon to stop by Chris Greene Lake Park.  Jared was dying to ride his bike again. Originally I was against it because I had to go to work that night but I decided to stop and am so glad I did. The colors were gorgeous, so much better than I expected. It was such a pleasant surprise!  They have a little park there with some nice paved pathways.  Jared and Lydia had fun playing and he was of course happy to be on his bike.  I was happy to be out with them and in such a beautiful place.

Last week I went with Jared's class on a field trip to Ivy Creek.  The parents all met the buses at Ivy Creek and 93% of us arrived at 9:30 which is when the note sent home told us to arrive.  In reality the buses were not arriving until 10:00.  Fortunately there were some nice parents to talk to from Jared's class and it was a good chance to get to know some of them.  There is one student in particular that Jared has mentioned being friends with more than others, his name is Marcus and his parents were there and it was really nice to get to chat with them.  It turns out they live on Chris Greene Road so 2 minutes from our house.  If Jared pursues this friendship it could be fun to meet up with them and nice to have a friend so close.  We went on a hike with one of the Ivy Creek Foundation volunteers and learned about leaves changing colors and different types of trees.  We had a few minutes up at the barn to look at nests, skins, and other nature things found there.  It was nice to learn a little bit about the history of Ivy Creek.  It was bought piece by piece, 10 acres there 20 here by a freed black man and his family and used as a farm.  As time passed on they no longer wanted the land and developers hoped to come in and build houses but the county got the land and created a great convent hiking place.  We have mostly gone to play in the creek in the summer and it was nice to be there in the Fall. I'm glad I could go with Jared and spend that time with him and get to know some people from class and see him interact with them. And I'm glad Charlottesville has so many fun places like that.

Biggest, oldest tree at Ivy Creek. 

Saturday Mark attended a family history conference for most of the day so Jared Lydia and I went out to play. We started by riding bikes at Riverview Park, then played at Meade Park then spontaneously met up with Hannah, Matt and Norah for lunch at Costco.  They needed a break from Lynchburg and we were happy we could see them. It was fun to be outside and go places we hadn't been in a while.

These two.

Today was a magical day where they were the best of friends and it filled my heart right up with hope and love.  Most days they are fine with each other and play together well enough or just leave each other alone but today the fun they had and their good nature towards each other was awesome. 

I'll end with some of the beauty I have seen around Charlottesville lately.  These pictures do not do it justice but it was the best I got. It is really windy tonight and I am sad the leaves will soon be gone. 

Driving down our street

Voting!

Early Tuesday Mark and I voted.  We went in one at a time while the other waited in the car with Jared and Lydia.  Albemarle County doesn't have school on election days.  They did it last year too and it still seems weird to me. I distinctly remember seeing adults walking into the cafeteria when I was in Elementary school on election days. I know schools are used as polling places which is why they do it but it seems like for many it would make it harder for parents to go out and vote. It is great for us though.  Neither candidate we voted for won, we did not vote for the same candidate and neither of us voted for Trump or Clinton. When we found out who won we were really surprised/shocked.  We were in bed by 10:15 or so election night so really had no idea who was even ahead.  In honesty it feels embarrassing that Donald Trump is representing our country now. He is not even a politician which I understand was a part of his appeal. He has no experience in politics whatsoever. Why is a "celebrity" now our president? And one who is so rude to so many people. I just don't get it. I have read a few helpful articles explain how this seemed to happen and can kind of understand, and overall have been impressed with how people are handling it and treating others in my little social media world.  Mark took time in each of his classes today to talk about the results and explain the electoral college and popular vote to his students.  There were some students with real concerns. I am glad he could talk to them and teach them about the system which I am totally ready to have changed.  He also had a great discussion with Jared today who asked" "Why and How did Trump become President?" I love that he added the how.  Then he said "Why did Trump have to win?" We will hope for the best. This year Albemarle County had a school bond on the ballot and it passed by 73%!  It makes me so happy that I live in a community that passes school bonds.  Both of the cities we lived in in Colorado, Greeley and Colorado Springs (one school district of the many in the Springs) had school bonds that did not pass.  Maybe they were not written well but I was not the least bit surprised they didn't pass. Good job Albemarle County!

 Today in preschool we talked about elections in general and what it meant to vote and had a fun mock election.  We had 4 ballots:  Food preference: Pizza or Macaroni and Cheese. Dessert: Ice Cream or Cookies. Animals: Dogs or Cats. "President:" Farmer Brown or Duck based off the book, Duck for President. The kids loved voting. I made little "I voted"stickers and they were so proud to wear them.  I also had them fill in papers about what they would do it they were President and for their Journal entry I had them write who they wanted for President. The results were: Trump, a little boys Grandpa, a little girls Mom and Lydia voted for herself. Here is her paper: not all bad ideas.

Secret ballots

We decided that we would vote first thing then drive up to the Temple.  The temple was closed a lot of the summer and we hadn't made it up there since it opened again. I am glad we went.  We ended up both doing a session so we were there a long time but Jared and Lydia did great.  Lydia has been asking for weeks to go and I am glad we made it.  While I was inside Mark took them to Wheaton Regional park.  I had heard about it last Spring but hadn't made it there yet.  He said it was great. It is only 15 minutes from the temple so a really good option in the warmer months. I'm glad they could go.  While Mark was in his session Lydia, Jared and I ate a picnic lunch near the temple, walked around the grounds and enjoyed the visitors center.  They have made quite a few improvements to make it more kid friendly in the 2 years we have been here which is super nice.  As we ate outside we enjoyed watching them hang Christmas lights and bring the Nativity pieces out of storage.  The next time we go the Christmas lights will be on which we really look forward to seeing. It was a nice peaceful way to spend the day.

Halloween

Last week we went over to Baker Butler for the school trunk or treat.  I am really glad we could go as I had to work Halloween night. * Trunk or treat at Baker Butler was perfect.  I used to very much turn  my nose up at trunk or treats but realize they do serve a good purpose. The weather was great, there was a good turnout and plenty of candy. We had a great time walking around with the Shaw's and seeing friends from school. There was no school the next day and we did some fun activities with their candy.  Jared had a bad cold Friday so he wasn't up for much but we had some fun.

His eyes show how he was not feeling great at all. 

Halloween night spoils. 

They were pretty stoked to get these full sized candy bars. 

 On Halloween night Mark took them trick or treating to a few streets in Forest Lakes and they got so much candy!!  I got home and looked in their buckets and was super surprised at what was in there.  My favorite was the Capri Suns one family handed out.  Many families let the trick or treaters pick their candy so Jared and Lydia got lots of their favorites Twix for Jared and Kit Kats for Lydia.  Lydia somehow ended up with 59 Dum Dum suckers! We let them sort the candy and pick their most favorites, about 30 pieces and then it all went in a bag of Mark to take to school and hand out to students when they are awesome. (It may take awhile for him to get through all this candy as his students this year are not quite up to par as previous years.) It was a little sad to not go to the Lawn like we did the last 2 years but it was also fun to do street trick or treating like Mark and I did growing up.  I could see us easily rotating back and forth between the 2.  Lydia hadn't really done it since she was so little in Colorado and even then we went to just friends houses and the zoo so this was kind of the first time which is funny since Jared is 7! I can't believe he has had 7 Halloweens!  I feel a little costume flashback coming on...

2009 Colorado Springs: Dinosaur

2010 Colorado Springs: Giraffe

2011 Colorado Springs: Scarecrow

2012 Colorado Springs:  Hamburger and Cupcake my personal favorites so far.

2013 Colorado Springs:  Spider and Bumble Bee, my 2nd favorite

2014 Charlottesville: Pirates! 

2015 Charlottesville: Pirate and Witch

2016 Charlottesville: Robber and Kitty Cat 

The choosing of a Halloween costume was no easy task for Jared this year.  Lydia knew by September that she wanted to be a cat which I thought was a great idea.  Jared went back and forth between ideas but didn't really have one thing that he felt strongly about except I am sure you guessed it, money.  I only write about money so much because it is such a big thing for him and when he reads this to his kids or himself when he wants to know what he was like growing up he will know exactly what he cared about! Finally on Monday night I was done.  A decision had to be made.  Not only did he need a Halloween costume by Thursday but he needed a book character costume to wear to school for character day.  If I was going to need to order something there was a real deadline.** After dinner Monday I was inspired.  We had been talking about costumes and I thought money.... what about a robber!!  I quickly sold Jared on the idea, he loved it and then gave him 3 books (that we already had supplies on hand for a costume for and the book) He could choose from: Clifford the Firehouse Dog, (firefighter costume,) a Pirate book, (anything from our pirate supplies) and Click, Clack, Boo where he could dress up as Farmer Brown. Since he was not picking anything I didn't feel bad giving those options. Had he truly been passionate about a book we would have worked with that but he really wasn't.  He ended up choosing the Clifford book.  Worked for me.  I found black shirt, a black mask, and some black number/symbol stickers the next day and we were good to go.  I loved how it turned out, it fitted him so well.

Lydia's costumes was super easy and drama free.  I am so glad she knew what she wanted and stuck with it.

We carved our pumpkins Sunday after church and they turned out great. We just continued with their themes from their costumes.  Last year Lydia loved cleaning out her pumpkin this year not so much.  Jared was actually quite helpful with cleaning it out and poking the design. We also made some Halloween sugar cookies and decorated them.  We waited to eat them until today because I love how they taste after having a day for the frosting to soak into the cookies. So soft and yummy.

Great after school snack.  Look how old Jared looks!!

I saw a post on Facebook today that talked about setting up the Christmas tree and said there was only 7 weekends until Christmas!  Crazy!  We  need to get our thankful tree up pronto.  I am glad Jared and Lydia had a happy Halloween.

*Side note It was so slow last night! I was there from 6:00 - 10:00 when they close, and there was 1 customer from 9:00 on and maybe 4 around 8:00!  I know they had to have lost money to pay 6 employees and bills but who am I say when a store should close early actually I am one to say so they could have easily closed at 8:00 or even better 6:00!
**I really love this idea but why did they think Halloween was the time to do it?  Elementary kids are already going to be dressing up so its not like it is their only time to do wear a costume. I think March, which is national reading month would be a way better time to decide.  By then young kids starting school will have read more books and discussed them in class and be more advanced in their reading skills.