Addition

Wayne has had LOTS of quiet time on the couch these past few days, so I started teach him addition.  It is the cutest thing!  I can't wait to show him this someday, when he's taking advanced algebra and is frustrated.  I'll remind him how far he has come, and the capacity that God gave him to LEARN!

Be sure to turn off the music, by hitting the pause button on the player to the right of the blog, before playing!

Preschool Field Trip #3

Friday was the BIG field trip to Stoneyridge with Wayne's class.  He had been looking forward to it for a month!  Of course, since Weston was puking the night before, I needed to stay home with him and Wyatt, so good ol' Grandma stepped in to save the day and take Wayne!  I don't know who was more excited, her or him!

 And bless my mom.. she took a camera and got some great pictures for me!  I was so disappointed not to go.  I've missed his two other field trips for sick kids and one because it was an "off" day field trip, which means that I worked.  Well, add another field trip to the "Mom couldn't come" list!  Have I said how bad I felt?  When he woke up on Friday morning, he came running into our room, saying, "It's my special day!  My trip to the pumpkin patch!"  He cried and cried and sobbed when I told him that I couldn't come with him.  When I tried to tell him that someone else was going to take him, he cried all the more and said, "The only one I want is my Grandma!"  When I told him it was going to be Grandma, he jumped up and down on my bed, saying, "I so esited, I so esited!  I going to the patch with my Grandma!"  Precious!

 I heard that Wayne was pretty quick to point out that even though these pumpkins were on a tree, that is not how pumpkins grow.

 The cutest pumpkin in the patch!  I loved hearing my mom's observations of how Wayne interacts with his classmates.  He is very kind, and will almost always let someone else have a turn before himself.  He also doesn't really care if he's with the group or not, he just does his thing. 

 Wayne is super impressed with this "horse" that has a mailbox head!

Thanks Mom for taking Wayne, and having such a nice time.  He loved it!

Thank goodness it's Saturday

Because that means that it's the end of the week.  This week is over, and tomorrow a new week begins.  It's a day of rest, but we've had A LOT of those this week.  On Monday night, poor baby Weston puked out his mouth AND nose at the dinner table, and continued his run through the night.  I felt so bad for him, and he just wanted to be held and rocked, and sang to.  I think Weston is also one of those folks that has the "If I'm going to be miserable, so are the rest of you" attitudes, so poor Wyatt also got the brunt of Weston's grumpyness.  Weston also refuses to puke into the toilet or a bowl - he's scared of them and thinks that they are the reason he's puking.  So he trys to run away, which means he's running into a carpeted area or bedding, at which point I have to pick him up and hold him to calm him down, at which point he finally pukes.  On me.  Lovely.

By Tuesday night, we were both exhausted, but he had turned the corner.  We thought.  By Thursday night, the puke's had returned and the poor guy was down for the count.  Again.

So Friday I missed Wayne's field trip to stay home with the little boys, and still hoped that Weston was on full recovery and we'd be able to go trick or treating Saturday night.  We were also missing Grandma Groen's birthday party, so Ethan asked if Wayne could go with his family.  Wayne was so excited, and was glad that his Dad was going to meet him at the party, and that they could be have some special time.  Tanya picked him up around 4:30, and by 5:50pm my phone was ringing.  As soon as I saw their number, I knew.  My perfectly healthy little boy had come down with the flu in the hour and a half since he'd left!  I picked him up, and he puked 3 times on the way home.  To the poor farmer who received our puke bowl deposit at the end of his driveway... I am so sorry!  Wayne and I battled the flu bug most of last night, and this morning, and now I am hoping *AGAIN* that we are over and done with it. 

 

Tomorrow will soon tell!

The boys got to use knives.

On Wednesday we hauled out the knives, pumpkins, and templates, and set to digging and carving!  By far, this was our best year, help wise.  Wyatt played with his little pumpkin, and Wayne and Weston helped Tyler dig out the big ones.  I was making dinner/baking/puttering around the kitchen, and pitched in a little bit and took pictures.  It was perfect!

 And in keeping with how we roll around here... They carved in their diaper and undies.  And when they were done, it was a seamless transition to the bathtub!

 Weston kept saying "Yuck!" as he dug out his pumpkin, and he was itching to get ahold of the knife.

 Wayne was really, really good at the poking part.  Mr. Anal!

 Wayne wanted a happy pumpkin this year...  good job buddy!

 See?  I told you they went straight to the tub!

 After their jammies were all on, we headed to the front porch to admire their handy work for another year.  Weston had a Thomas pumpkin, and he LOVES it.

 Wayne was really into giving me "happy smiles like my pumpkin."

 Well done my precious boys!!!

Stoneyridge 2010

Stoneyridge - Here we come!  Once again this year, this was a "should we go?" and a "Why not, load the kids in the car!" spur of the moment type of trips.  When it's 2 minutes down the road, it's easy to do!  Wayne and Weston were so excited to walk around, it was Weston's first year to be "free" from the entrapments of a stroller. And we actually let him run around with Wayne.  It's crazy to think how much these guys have grown in 12 months.  See LAST YEAR's post for the details, or just a snippet from below!

They were so cute, and small!

 

And now here the three boys are this year.

So cute!

A highlight of our trip... feeding the goats.  They worked together as a team, and didn't even fight!

Stinkin' hilarious.

Wyatt is so darn stinkin' adorable too.  His sweet baby blue eyes, get me every time.

These poor, poor, traumatized chickens.  I am so sorry that these two hoodlums were chasing you, screaming at you, and making your feathers fall out.

See that sign?  It says no running, no pushing, no climbing bins, and have fun.  1 out of 4 isn't too bad, right?

And here is a first guys.... Wayne took this next picture!  He took is responsibility very seriously, and after several practice shots with me standing by him, he told me, "I got this mom, get in the picture."  When Tyler and I tried stepping up in the frame, with him as the woman and me the man, he yelled, "You are wrong!  You gotta switch!"  I am officially grooming him to be my assistant photographer now.

This hay wagon "ride" was a little wild.  One piece of advice for you driver.... SLOW DOWN.  You'll make us mama's feel a little better.

This dude is by the corn maze, and I thought he was cool.

Hey!  How much are these cute pumpkins?

 

How did this little dude grow so much in a year, and yet still look the same?

And while not officially part of Stoneyridge, the cows at the auction barn attract their own crowd!

What you need to know to survive a 2 year old with the flu.

1.  The night is short if you all sleep, and long if you don't.
2.  The night is twice as long if he's throwing up.
3.  You can't get mad at the poor, sick little boy who just threw up all over you, your heart hurts too much that he's so miserable. 
4.  The steam mop is a girls' best friend. 
5.  Do NOT let older siblings see the puke, or the puddle will be twice as big.
6.  Keep the laundry moving.
7.  A warm bath calms his stomach.  And him.
8.  When given the choice between puke on the carpet or you, take the "you" every time.
9.  No matter how many times he asks for milk, don't give it to him.
10.  The day is long if he sleeps, and LONGER if he doesn't!

What goes on in the backyard.

The boys spend lots of time playing in the back yard, and are getting pretty good about playing without me.  Hoorray!  Wayne plays in his sandbox... from the tower.  We are needing a good hard rain to wash all that sand he's hauled up there, down a level!

Weston is all about the lawn mowing.  And cleaning up and stacking things.  He likes to put the bubble mower inside the wagon, then push the wagon to "mow" the lawn.  Weirdo.  He takes after his dad!  :-)

 Wayne and Weston's favorite thing, hands down, is to late Sadie out of the kennel to run/chase.  They EXHAUST her, but she keeps on playing with them.  They have no fear of her, and she loves them to pieces.  I'm not much for animal/pet love, but it is so sweet to watch them all running like crazy people.

 When we are just going to stay at home, and play in the backyard, anything goes for "clothing" around here.  PJ bottoms, boots, and a tshirt?  Whatever.  As long as he's outside, it's fine by me!

 The boys have a total obsession with the bird bath.  I also call it the "poop bath" to remind them that BIRDS POOP in it, but they play in it anyway.  Eww.

 Sadie was TRYING to hide from the hoodlums, to no avail.  She was too tired to even hold her head up!

 Weston calling for her.

 And Wayne chasing her.

 Weston drives his tractor everywhere, and is slowly improving on his steering skills.  Slowly!

 And he's not so good at reverse.  His version is to climb off, pull it out of the bushes, then climb back on... and drive directly back into the bush!  He has clipped more than one of the back yard plants!

 Poor Sadie... about to get high-centered.

 

Alrighty... more to come!  There's Stoneyridge adventures to tell!