Plan of the Night

There comes a time every night where I am done and the kids just need to go to bed. They might not be tired, but I am. So off they go. We do some hurried routine of brushing teeth, potty, prayers, tucking in and kisses. Then I say some ridiculous mom thing like, "It's late and you have school tomorrow so I want you to stay in bed. No goofing around. I love you- good night." I head downstairs and go about my business. It is not long before I hear the quiet patter of the children's feet. Occasionally there will be the whizzing of Hot Wheels, the toot of a train or the crashing of a gizzillion blocks. I pretend I don't hear any of this. What I never hear is an argument. The kids know better. Mom thinks they are sleeping and if she found out they were actually up goofing around they would be toast. 

So, somehow the evening is a kind of Utopia.

I'm not sure who coined the phrase, but Tad is the biggest proponent of these nocturnal gatherings. The kid's call their post tuck-in play, "The Plan of the Night". The first time Tad spilled the beans about their playtime and their, "Plan of the Night" Superkid and Abizella let out an emphatic "SHHHHHH!". I pretended I didn't hear and feigned naivety. The truth of the matter is that as long as they willingly scoot "to bed", I'm cool with it. I actually find it heart warming that they play so cooperatively together. Of course I can't let them know I'm privy to what they are up to! 

I don't have any actual pictures of these events, that would blow my cover. 

I mocked these up for the blog....

Plan of the Night...

Busted!

Just kidding.... there pretty much has to be blood before I'll go break up the party.

Teacher's Pet

Every time we send another kid off into the cruel world of school, we have some concerns about how the child will fare and what challenges the child will face. For Little Chief, shoes are a big issue. He pretty much doesn't use them. And because he is the 4th, it just isn't a battle worth fighting. So he is the kid who shows up to church barefoot, with socks and shoes stuffed in the bag. He is also the kid at the grocery store that all the old ladies tisk tisk at throughout the New England winter. His cowboy boots (and sometimes Abizella's) are the only exception to the rule, but of course it has to be his idea. So we had to come up with a strategy to set him up for success in following the health department's mandate. I'm normally not a fan, but when LC spotted the Spiderman-light-up eye shoes I knew he was ready to trade in his Fred Flintstone feet!

And while he was a little hesitant the first week, when I took him to school last week, he tore straight up the ramp...

...and positioned himself to be first in the door.

Thumbs up, right? .

..well... except for some unpleasantness that involved a not-so-convincing act of shock on my part when his teacher reported some of his undesirable tactics. The next day I asked him how he was liking preschool and he happily said something about building a castle and then turned cloudy and said, "I don't like those ladies. I want those ladies to go away." 

So to summarize, school's cool, or at least it could be if the teachers would just bug off.

Jaws on the Move

This guy has a busy agenda. He has the entire house to explore and conquer. 

He is always on the move and he is EVERYWHERE.

He is way too busy to sit around lackadaisically nursing these days. 

Too much to look at, too much to do.

No worries, he snacks on Cheerios and Mom's honey crisp apple sauce during the days and the bar is open all night long. While I really did enjoy those days when he used to sleep during the night, I really love the snuggle time and I know by now it doesn't last forever. I love how this little yummy body curls up next to me, and I love playing with these curly little toes while he sleep eats. 

I am so in love with this little munch!

H20

This may not be Jaws' first trip to the pool, but it was his first trip in the pool!

After a winter of being tethered to me in the Bjorn, and a summer of being restrained pool-side with Pops during swimming lessons, Jaws finally had his day. This is the first crawling Toad I've taken to this pool. It has a zero depth entry, which is perfect for the littlest among us.

He was adorable to watch. He was a little scientist discovering the differences between solid and liquid states. He would place his hand on the top of the water anticipating that his hand would stop there. Then, much to his astonishment it would crash down through the water's surface to the bottom of the pool. After a few trials, he would splash the water and giggle. 

After each break, he would experiment again. He was a major fan.

Another amphibious Toad!

Fall is HERE.

I'm afraid I have to admit it. I finally like fall. I still hold a minor grudge for it killing summer, but how can you dispsise the season that brings you Honey Crisps? Pops had to work, but he sent orders to bring home apple cider donuts. We are pros by now. We know if you are going to buy 4 bags of donuts, you better get there at opening and you better buy them first. And they are still warm. Yum!

As soon as I told Little Chief we were going apple picking he said, 

"And we are going for a tractor ride!" Obviously last year's ride left a favorable impression. 

Thumbs up for this year too!

We were off to the orchard to find our trees. 

Everyone knows that you have to taste the tree to make sure you have a good one. 

But honestly after 10 months of flavorless mealy grocery store apples, how can you go wrong?

It's like biting into heaven, right Superkid?

Abizella said we should stick a pole in her and roast her over the fire pit. 

It is a good thing that Big Abi came along. The best, redest apples were on the tippy tops of the trees. She demonstrated true committment to the Honey Crisp  Goodness by hoisting all 84 pounds of Superkid up on her shoulders to get the best ones.

Abizella got in on the action too!

It's a good thing too, because we were double fisting them.

Jaws was impressed with his first harvest...

Thank-you pickers! 2 bushels should pull us through a couple of weeks. We'll be back for more.

Then down to the play ground to burn off the sweets...

A visit to the petting zoo...

A little bird watching...

And a tailgate picnic. Mmmmmm kettle corn, apple cider donuts, apple cider and APPLES!

Fall tastes so good.

Bicycle! Bicycle!

"I like to ride my bicycle, I like to ride my bike. I like to ride my bicycle, I like to ride it where I ride."

Superkid, Abizella and I woke up at the crack of dawn and absconded with our bicycles. I can't believe I have only thought of this now. At the end of summer. At the end of about the  3rd summer they know how to ride bikes. We try to sneak in bike rides when we can, but truthfully, with the stroller, tricycle and training wheeler sometimes it is more than I can handle. Riding bikes is about my favorite thing ever. And this bike ride ranks high among my favorite memories ever.

We live about 1-2 miles from a State park with lots of rolling hills and trails. The kids did a great job.

Abizella brought little Abizella along her her dolly bike seat. They both loved the hills.

At least going down. Both of the kids had to push their bikes up a couple of doozies. We will be back next week to build up our stamina.

When we got home, the kids rushed in and told Pops that they only fell one time each (Superkid reached out to touch the inside of the covered bridge as he was cycling through and torqued. Abizella was staring at the flower souvenir she picked and placed in her bike basket when a tree jumped from the side of the road right in front of her.) and Mom never even fell once. Success.

Why Sunday Afternoon Simply Can't Be Beat

1. Pops' chocolate chip cookies

2. Sugar coma naps

Climb Every Mountain

In other Big Boy News, Jaws' teeth are long and sharp and 

smooshy squash just hasn't been cutting it anymore...

Time to upgrade to Cheerios!

And crawling soon became yesterday's trick too. 

Pops' caught one of Jaws' early attempts at pulling himself to standing...

This attempt was short-lived...

No worries, he has mastered this skill and his crib is now officially on the lowest rung.

Now he has other mountains to master. 

This kid doesn't lack ambition.

Gone Explorin'

It happened first in Utah. Little Jaws popped up onto his knees and started rocking. He started scooching around in an uncoordinated fashion but could get pretty much anywhere he wanted lured by so many floor treasures. By Labor Day the coordination kicked in and this kid has been roaming the floors all of his waking hours.

Being the 5th time we've seen this, we knew it wasn't necessarily a good thing and early on tried to lock it down. That was cool with Jaws for about a half second.

Then he would turn his efforts to his escape...

Hmmmm... not so easy, he would then try to charm his way out.

No dice. And upon realizing that he lacked the finger force to detach his tether...

He next would try a head dive...

Foiled! Rocking chair brakes.

C'mon guys. Let me out.

No worries, he has found an effective way to remain free. Crying. Works nearly every time. How can we deny him the dog dish and the bathroom trash basket? Treasure troves. Everywhere.

Toad Scholars

It is probably my least favorite night of the year, Back-to-School Eve. We pack the bags with the list of school goods and psyche the kids up for another year of learning and my heart mourns the death of summer. Back to the grind. But at least it is for a worthy cause. 

Here is the line-up: Superkid is ready to strut his way into the 4th grade...

Abizella is making a splash into the 3rd grade in style. She is the only one who put any preparation into her back to school look, laying out her outfit a week before hand and insisting on curls!

Tadpole is beginning the long slog of a full day of school. First grade! He was not impressed with the doubling of school time, or with school lunch. He prayed that he would like it, and it was a cafeteria miracle because he actually did like it the first day. He just hasn't liked it since, which has warranted a call from his first grade teacher who got a worried report from the lunch ladies. This is a tough transition. I assured him he only had about 20 years to go.

And they were off to the school bus!

Little Chief had pre-school orientation the next day. That did not go well. I wasn't there but he put on his most stubborn showmanship for the event. I imagine him standing in a corner with his arms crossed and his head defiantly pointing up with his eyes closed. I asked him about it that night when we were snuggling in bed. He said that the teachers were too scary. The kids were too. Oh, I get it. Some kids cry and cling to their parent's leg. This one becomes a super stinker. No worries, he is surrounded by professionals. The pre-school teachers have fawned over him and ultimately won him over. 

He now loves it. But of course, it was his choice.