6 weeks in a nutshell

I can't believe it is already the middle of November. At some moments I (Patty) wonder where the year went and at other times I (Debbie) think it has been the longest year ever! Since Debbie is on a much needed vacation I will focus on the "holy heck this year is flying by!".

Some of the things that have happened so far this fall:

Mason - seems to be having a hard time when I work. He is fine at daycare or with his daddy, but when I come home he has serious breakdowns. It is usually worse my first day home and gradually gets better until I have to go back to work. He has become very fond of kisses. He loves to say "scuse you" whenever he or anyone else does anything that he things needs it (even if it is just a belly gurgling). He loves babies. He is very upset about potty training, some days are worse than others with this (he is the only one that thinks he should work on potty training). He gets upset if he pees in his diaper or if he can't pee in the toilet or if he pees on the floor. He tries to be a big help. If something spills on the floor he tries to wipe it up with whatever he can find (spills do include when he pees on the floor and anything includes my clean shirt that was folded and waiting to be put away and yes this was one incidence). He loves music. He sings when we listen to kids bop -Beattles or the Black Keys in the car. He loves my protein drinks and hides them in his changing table. He also loves to walk around with his hands in his pant pockets. He loves for things to be in place. He is also very particular and if he wants Mama to hand him something and Daddy hands it to him (or vice-versa) he throws a fit and no longer wants it. He likes to show you what he wants and will grab your hand to bring you in there. He has been having a hard time with allergies and we have started him on zyrtec. He doesn't like watery eyes or a boogery nose and will say "eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes" until you wipe his eyes. I can't believe he is almost 20 months old (he is my 4th kiddo I don't count in months anymore so I just had to figure this out).

Little Ethan is still the Hulk. He is a great big brother and is very patient with Mason. He is doing well in preschool and has made some good friends. There is a boy from last year that goes to a different school and a boy at day care that he calls "my best buddies". When he gets hurt he screams it is almost impossible to differentiate from serious injuries (when he fell on the corner of his UNO moo barn and had blood pouring from his forehead or if he just fell and got his hands dirty). He is one of the best sungglers ever! Ethan has always given the appearance of being a tough guy (when he was younger and he would get mad at you he would say "I'm gonna hit you, it will hurt") he is very sensitive to being reprimanded. He has an amazing imagination and is a gifted story teller. He got to go on his first hunt a few weeks ago and can't wait to go again. I treasure our time home together and I am truly dreading how sad I will be when he goes to kindergarten next year!

Mr Jacob is such a sweet guy! Everyday at recess he asks the aids if there is anything that he can do to help them. There is a new boy in his class and his teacher put him next to Jacob. Jacob has been very sweet to him even sharing his supplies when he doesn't have what he needs. Jacob also got to go on his first hunt and also loved it. Jacob loves to make people laugh and has a good sense of humor. He is learning that sometimes although it may be funny, making fun of someone can be hurtful (I remember learning this same lesson since I am a funny girl). He has also recently realized that Ethan is almost as tall as he is and at times struggles with this. We went to parent-teacher conferences last night and Jacob is doing wonderfully in school. He is a super speller almost always getting 9/8 on his tests and his bonus words are very hard! Some of them are: November, October, Autumn, Halloween. He is testing well into the 2nd grade for math and reading. He also has a love for music and desperately wants a drum set! He loves to walk around listening to his ipod. He played football this year and was quite the blocker (sometimes blocking his own team), he also scored an extra point! It was great to see the determination on his face when he played! Lots of the girls like Jacob one day when Noah told him that a girl in Jacob's class thought Jake was cute Jacob replied "A lot of girls think I'm cute".

Last but not least is our decade old Noah. We also had Noah's parent teacher conference last night. His teacher described each student with 3 words. Noah's were smart, polite and kind hearted. She reviewed his scores with us from his CRT tests and he scored almost perfect. He is often a "spelling-bee" which means he scored so well on the pre-test that he doesn't have any spelling homework for the week and he doesn't have to take the test on Friday. Noah is a great help at home and loves to help his Daddy make BBQ. He also loves everything hunting and fishing. He had a great football season! He scored 1-2 touchdowns each game, had a ton of yards, flags, interceptions and blocks for the season. It was great to watch him play. He is now playing basketball and has been having a great b-ball season.

The boys are growing so fast! We are truly blessed to have 4 incredible boys. It is wonderful watching the young men they are becoming!