And .... it's melting

Tonight was the TKD Halloween party. We went with the zombie look for all 3 kids (some "Vulcan Zombie" Star Trek *may* have been at fault...) Our crazy snowstorm with over 22 inches of snow is perfectly melted: dry streets and big heaps of snow on the grass. Perfect for trick or treats!

The boys had their conferences today. Sam is still too shy to fully "let" his teachers know where he's at - she thought he only knew 19 letter sounds. Ha! He can sound out words better than Ted! But til he loosens up, he refuses to read in class, so they can't adequately evaluate him. Luckily he's my 2nd and I'm not worried! His math is pretty amazing. They are doing things like "what are the different ways you can make 10?" and he'll reply (using his fingers, heaven forbid he SPEAK!) "5+5, 2+8, 4+6" etc. I think that's so cool. All in all, he's happy and doing fine. Cutie.

Ted's conference was intense! He had picked out 3 selections from each notebook to share with us. They have writing notebooks, journals, math, science, and probably more. I was overwhelmed. I am most impressed with how MUCH writing they do. In K/1, the only writing, other than a one-word reply, was the 15 minutes of journaling they did in the morning. Here in 2/3, it's all writing, all the time! He is still reversing letters but his writing is MUCH neater and cleaner, which is a direct result of his teacher gently encouraging to do his best work at all times. I LOVE this teacher! We set goals together (Ted, his teacher and parents). They included working to make sure the letter reversals are corrected, always using neat writing, esp in homework assignments, agreeing to check over his work in timed tests (they do Fast Facts and he'll usually have about 3 wrong (out of 100) that was just carelessness - since he finishes those tests early, use that time to re-check, not to pull out a book.) All in all, he is ROCKING. We've had private meetings about his reading and I feel confident that between his teacher, his tutor and his DAILY reading group (!), he is getting the support he needs.

I came down with a cold yesterday and spent last night and most of the morning in bed with the aches. I feel better tonight and the post-nasal drip is helping with the sore throat. Oy!

Tomorrow is pumpkin carving, soccer and Trick or Treats!

Roasting Season

We've had 3 snows already - all before Halloween! This one is a blizzard, closing down the schools, mail, work etc. The kids had fun playing in the snow all morning, drinking hot cocoa, watching Madagascar, playing Legos and doing some schoolwork. I've been busy roasting! The Dark Days Challenge officially starts on November 15, but we've been eating mostly local for a few months now. Lunch today included roasted potatoes & garlic with sauteed chard and sliced beets, all from the CSA last week. I plan to serve similar simple, yet absolutely bursting with flavor, meals all winter. For dinner tonight I roasted a kuri squash and an onion for a squash-apple soup (my MIL's recipe) that we all love. It's going to be a delicious day, with scrumptious appetizers! I may not enjoy snow, but I do appreciate the siren's call of the kitchen when the days are blustery. Stay warm, friends!

Snow!

This is our 2nd snow of the year. It looks like a pretty good one out there right now - large flakes coming down fast. Wow! Paul takes the kids to school on Wednesday and while I was supposed to sub, she cancelled so I have the morning to tame the disaster that is our home by Wednesday. All this snow (and my knitting) has put me in the holiday mood a bit earlier than usual. Hanukkah begins on December 11 this year, so I need to be on the ball. I came across this tradition recently and fell in love with it. Our holiday tradition has always been to open one gift per night, for a total of 8 gifts. One was a goodie (like a Lego set) and the others were small but special (new art supplies, a new dreidel, etc.) Last year we decided to open all 8 gifts on the first night, to get the "rush through the candle lighting to get to the presents" issue out of the way. It felt like WAY too much... stuff. I enjoyed the every night tradition because each gift received full attention each night. But at the expense of the true meaning of Hanukkah? Not worth it. This year, we also plan to open gifts all at once. But we will try this on for size. I think it sounds perfect and beautiful. What are your holiday traditions? What do you love and what would you wish to change?

FB is easier

Ted tested last night and competed in a tournament this morning. I quickly uploaded my pics from my camera onto the computer, exported them to Facebook, added a few comments and was done! But, then I felt guilty not posting here. *sigh*
I am in the middle (literally! ha!) of a special knitting project for a very special person in our extended family and have Sam's "maybe" rainbow blanket on the brain. When the kids have gone to bed and the house in cleaned up, this knitting thing is a very relaxing thing to do. Still, the blog must go on!

So, last night Ted tested for his Black Belt Recommended. This is a black belt with a red stripe on it, to signify that he is a recommended Black Belt, but not a decided one just yet. He did a great job testing, sparring and breaking boards. We are all so proud of him.

This morning we drove our to Littleton for THE BATTLE FOR THE MOUNTAINTOP Tournament. This is our 3rd year at this tournament and it's a well-run event. This was Ted's first testing as a K4K, not a Tiny Tiger, and the other red/red-black belts were VERY good. Very tight, very snappy, very LOUD. He did well, but will need to step it up to win in this new ring. Still, he had FUN which is the point. He and the other boys were good buds by the end of the day. He won 3rd in Sparring and 4th in Weapons, walking away with the remark, "I need to work on my weapons more." Good for him, taking the initiative.

We spent the afternoon putting up Halloween decorations and Ted mowed the lawn (!!). They played some soccer in the park near our house and had a very nice family dinner of peanut soup with rice bread - random parts of that meal appealed to different people. All in all, a busy but pleasant day with the family!

Oh. Plus I deleted all the images from my computer. All the ones in my Photo Library. Nice. Guess a trip to the Apple Store in on my plate for tomorrow. Oy!

Felting

One of the many cool things about Horizons is the A&S program. The last 45 minutes of the day (before Closing Meeting & CleanUp) is Arts & Science choices. The kids pick 3 top choices and are told of their class the first day. Most sessions run 2 weeks, some go longer. Popular choices are yoga, gymnastics, karate, knitting, unicycle, mountain biking, cross country and skateboarding. Felting, Ted's choice this time (to my surprise), is so popular that kids are only allowed to take it once - ever. Even if it's offered when he's a 4th grader, if a felting newbie wants it, Ted can't take it again. Crazy! Well, he is very excited about the class and has made all kinds of cool little projects. The first day he made eyeballs. Eek! By the end of the 2 weeks I think he'll have "A Nightmare Before Christmas" of sorts, with all the odd little folk he's created. I love it!

the birthmother talk

Tonight, Mae made quite a connection between her earliest days and the adoption books we read. We were reading At Home in this World and the lines about the birthparents leaving the baby in a crowded market and her subsequent trip to the police station, followed by the orphanage, spurred quite a discussion. Usually, it begins with "Where did I get leaved, Mama?" and I reply, "At the orphanage, honey." and we move on. Tonight, she said "Did I go to a police station, Mama?" "No," I said. "Your birthparents left you right at the gate of the orphanage. Wasn't that thoughtful?" She regarded me seriously for a minute and then got off my lap and went to get 'her book.' She opened to the page that has pictures of the orphanage and pointed to the half open gate in one of the pictures. "Right here?" she asked. "Yes," I said. "You were found right away because they left you in such a good place." She then flipped a few pages ahead in her book to the picture of us with the orphanage director and the assistant. "She found me," Mae said, pointing to the assistant. "Yes, she probably did," I said. "And she would have brought you in and given you a bottle right away." She continued to look intently at that picture for a minute. Then she put the book away and came back to my lap to finish the book. Hmmm. I wonder. I would love to know what all is going on in her head.

Another week flies by...

I'm afraid that there is just not enough time to post these days. It could be the cooler weather, encouraging us all to gather at home in the evenings. We've been eating lots of delicious home cooked meals, playing lots of games, doing LOTS of art and some knitting, and some baking thrown in for good measure. We've taken this first week of Fall (or rather, Winter!) weather and enjoyed it for all it's worth. Here are the highlights.

• Monday Ted got his final stripe at TKD for a grand total of 6. On Friday he will test for his 1st Degree Black Belt Recommended belt, which is a black belt with a red stripe at the top. From now on, he will be referred to as "Mr. Moeller" since he will technically be a black belt, though not a Decided one yet. VERY exciting. He has a Tournament in Denver the next morning, his last as a color belt. Crazy!
  
• Tuesday I had my swim class and it was much more mellow. I may have to resort to training on my own. I am not getting the distance that I want/need right now. It is good for my form though, so I may stick it out. I also started in on Sam's scarf!
  
• Wednesday I went to the 9am spin class because it was 19 degrees and snowing. It was LAME. I'm afraid I may have to get up for the 6am, or pray for better weather, because I use spin classes for HARD workouts, not a gab fest. Oy! That afternoon Sam took a turn for the worse, with a 103 fever.
  
• Thursday I had my first official substitute teacher gig at Horizons. It will be nice to have the extra money and the kids at this school are so great that it's fun to be around them. That night I skipped my swim class, Ted skipped his soccer practice, we hurried to the CSA to gather our food and hurried back home to roast, bake, steam and relax by the fire. Sam and Mae stayed home with Paul because Sam was still recovering.
  
• Friday Sam and I had a pleasant morning baking and watching old family movies. After picking up Ted and Mae, we had a mellow evening doing LOTS of art and then watching Paul play soccer. I am a terrible photographer, especially without the aid of a tripod for the no-flash segments. Oh well. It was fun and really spurred Ted on in his enthusiasm for the sport.
• Saturday we did our seasonal furniture rotation to better suit the chilly temperatures. I love the cozy family room and enjoyed watching the Kona Ironman while finishing up Sam's scarf last night. I had put the younger ones to bed early while Paul took Ted to Ted's double-header soccer game.
  
• We are officially finished with the Star Trek series. We started watching (the original) BEFORE Mae was a part of our family. 4 years later and we are actually through. We're not sure what we're going to start in on next - suggestions are welcome. It's nice to have a short something to watch to relax at night. *sniff*
• Sunday everyone but me moved the basement "stuff" from the garage back to the basement, so we can now park the car in there. Hooray! I had coffee with Dawn, a soprano I sing with at the temple. It was a lovely morning, a restful afternoon, and a cozy evening with a delicious crock pot dinner, nicknamed "A Taste of Autumn." Mmm. Now to get these crazies in bed!
  

Update!

I should rename this blog "The Update Blog." Oy!

Sam's 6th birthday party was last Saturday at the pool, which was a blast. We joked that it was the J party. He invited his buddies from preschool: Jason, Jacob, Jocelyn, Jonah and Joshua (plus the odd boys out, Adam & Alex). The kids all had lots of fun in the water (last year it seemed that no one was comfortable enough in the water but Jason which was a bit of a bummer for the other kids), but this year everyone was all over the place. We need to do thank you notes this weekend - Legos, Bakugans, K'Nex and "Lil' Squirts markers" - terrific presents for this little guy!


We did some fun crafting this week, while enjoying a respite from the brisk Fall weather. I've been working hard on my knitting this week and the kids wanted to knit too. So, since I can't possibly figure out how to teach them, we made stuffies. They drew a picture on red felt, cut it out, punched holes, and then sewed them together with yarn and added stuffing. Worked like a charm and kept them occupied for hours. I got this wonderful idea from my new favorite book (and accompanying blog) on the planet, The Creative Family.

My knitting is coming along. I've had 2 disasters but luckily I have two friends who knit who have bailed me out. I'm about half finished with my scarf. I'm so excited! I really do enjoy it, although at my beginning level I can't do anything else but watch what I'm doing. It will be fun when it's automatic and I can whip out a hat while watching Star Trek. Someday! The scarf is a lovely autumn shade of burnt orange. The kids are arguing over it, so I plan to take them to the yarn store with me and have then each pick out a skein for themselves and I'll make them each a scarf too. I am touched by how enthusiastic they are with this new little hobby of mine, and how proud they are of my work. Cuties!


And Ted was in miner mode, after a week of post-Keystone science at school. This week he started twice per week tutoring with his tutor plus the reading group he's in at school (each child is in a reading group based on level. Ted's level is with the para, who just happens to have a degree in Special Ed! Love it!) They are putting him on an IEP for reading, with the expectation that he will catch up by the end of 2nd, and SURELY by the end of 3rd, with all the extra support he's getting. His reading homework is twice that of the other kids, since he has to do his "reading homework" (which is reading a book and commenting each day in a reading log on what new developments are going on) as well as his tutoring homework (sight words, phonics and lots of "easy" reading aloud.) Ted is such a trooper and takes it all in stride. He brought home some pretty nifty algebra homework that left me in awe. He has his father's math brain for sure. He is SO HAPPY at school. Tonight he's at a sleepover at a 3rd grader's house. They went to Dave & Busters, then home for a movie, then scheduled sleep time (we'll see!) and then out to breakfast tomorrow. He has really taken up with the 3rd graders in his class and I'm loving their quirky and fun personalities. This is shaping up to be a pretty terrific year.

Mae had her first playdate at our house today. She's been to other friends' houses before but never had someone over here to play. She and Judy had a blast. Hannah is up next Friday! I hope to go through the class and get all her little friends over, in an effort to boost her confidence (she's not sure they actually like her ... I think she and Judy parted best friends today!) The did art for a long time, played some games, did some wild jumping and tickling and generally had a great time. I'm so relieved - she is much nicer that I thought she was ... with other kids she seems to shut down and not interact but clearly I'm not seeing the other side, or what happens when I leave, because she was fine. A bit bossy, but aren't most girls? Hooray!