Jay's Loose Tooth

Sooooooo loose, but not falling out!

Finally!

Thanksgiving 2012

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Yingy and Grandpa Pat. They were able to stay the entire week that the boys had off from school. We had a delicious feast with lots of wine in delicate new Riedel glasses since the set Dad bought his last visit had all been broken. We had a few close calls with the new glasses when ninja warriors, jedi masters, and karate fighters fought fierce battles in the family room. One night we got a babysitter and went into Charleston for a wonderful dinner at Husk, my new favorite restaurant. The best part of the meal was the gluten-free corn bread! We also went to the Hunley Museum. The Hunley is a Civil War submarine that was the first sub to successfully sink a battleship. None of the men on board survived and the sub had been lost at sea until it was discovered in 1995. The history and conservation methods are fascinating. Overall, there was much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

The Master Chef

Jay (and multiple glasses of wine)

I may never get a decent picture of Cole again!

Climbing into the full-scale model of the Hunley

Inside the Hunley

Our Little Neighborhood Hero

The other night, Rob and the boys were playing soccer in the back yard. Jay heard a strange noise that he said "sounded like fire." They went to investigate and the neighbor's AC unit was on fire (the house two doors down, next to Ronnie's). Rob said the flames were about as tall as he is, and there was thick black smoke filling the air. Jay ran back to our house and told me there was a fire outside. After my initial heart attack, he assured me it wasn't our house.

Rob called 911 and soon two firetrucks with lights flashing and two fire station SUVs pulled up. Thankfully, they were able to put out the fire before it spread. I imagine if it had burned longer, the house would have caught fire too.

The man who lives there was home, but in the garage so he didn't hear Rob knocking. It was only when a fireman burst into the house and yelled that he realized there was a problem.

Later that evening, he came over to say thanks and shake Jay's hand. The next day Jay was excited to tell his class all about it (actually he wanted me to tell), so I went into the classroom with him and told the story. Unfortunately, everyone was busy with morning work, so there wasn't much of a reaction.

All in all, a very exciting evening for us!

Jay Sparring

Robyn sent me a sweet, adorable video of Sophia at ballet class. To prepare her for when Noah gets a little older, here's The Joys of My Boys equivalent...

Cole's 8th Birthday!

Cole wanted a party with just family for his 8th birthday. He picked Moe's for dinner, than cupcakes and ice cream at home. We all had fun spending the evening with just us. The best presents were the Lego Hogwarts castle from Harry Potter. (The gift certificate and money from the grandparents were used to buy...more legos!)

Our Party Animal

This is an old post that I found in my drafts. It's about a year old, but I could see it happening today!

Jay showed his party animal side recently when we went to going away party for an intern at Rob's company. It was at someone's house and when we arrived, we did the typical "do we ring the doorbell or just walk in" debate. Before we could decide, Jay said "oh, let's just go in" and grabbed the doorknob and walked right in.

People hung out in the kitchen/dining room area and in the porch. Not long after our arrival, we realized we didn't see Jay anywhere. We looked around, then saw a little blond head on the porch talking with Rob's boss David, and two women. He stayed for a little while, then came back inside looking for food.

He has a blue button-down shirt with white and yellow flowers on it that he calls his "party shirt." He was around 3 when he started wearing it to his friends' birthday parties and it was quite big on him. Now, after two years, it is starting to get to small. He insists that it still fits because he can still button it, but his belly shows a bit and he can't move his arms very well.

He really wants to wear it to school, but the dress code specifies solid red, white, or blue shirts. When I told him he had to wear a uniform shirt, he said, "But I want to look nice. It's my nicest shirt." After two weeks of school, he still sadly sighs about not being able to wear it. Last year they had Fabulous Fridays where you could dress out of uniform if you bring a dollar for whatever cause they collect for. I hope one is coming up; otherwise, I may need to let him go to school out of uniform.

Our New Tiger Cub

This year Jay joined Cub Scouts, while Cole ended his scouting career. We were disappointed Cole didn't want to continue, but it is nice not to have to juggle two den meetings. Rob elected not to be the den leader this year, but is still very involved.

At the second pack meeting (the pack includes all scouts from Belle Hall from 1st to 5th grade), the boys had already earned the Bobcat Badge and kickball belt loop. They all went on stage to receive the awards and shake the pack leader's hand. Jay and his buddies were literally jumping up and down. I imagine they are all blurs in the photos. They looked so cute in their too-big uniform shirts and baseball caps. The den leader is certainly going to be challenged by the energy of this group!

The first camping trip was last weekend. Jay came home filthy, which seems to be the sign of a good time! Cole and I stayed home and had a really nice time together. I think we both enjoyed the quiet, but Cole really missed Jay by the afternoon.

The campers cheated a little this year and brought the air mattress. Rob said he is never going camping again without it. Knowing that, I may be willing to go next time!

Halloween 2012

We started October at Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch, which is an annual tradition. Besides pumpkins, it has a hayride, corn maze, jump castles and pillows, play structures, and a new spider web.

Spider Web

I think we're lost!

"It's not too heavy!"

"If you're gonna take my picture, I'm gonna look goofy!

We had fun carving the pumpkins!

And finally... HALLOWEEN! Rob and I felt very safe walking the streets of our neighborhood with two ninjas to protect us!

The boys got a big haul, most of it thanks to Jay who asked each person, "How many can we take?" When we returned home, Cole built Mt. Chocomore, and Jay got a candy bar's worth of chocolate on his face! Two signs of a great Halloween!

Halloween 2011

This year we decided to get creative and use stuff from around the house as costumes. Cole was a detective and Jay was an angry bird.

First Day of School 2012

This year, school started on my birthday! It was so chaotic that I didn't even remember it was my birthday until I saw the greetings online. The quiet house was a treat; nonetheless, I really wasn't ready for the school schedules and activities to begin again.

Jay was very excited to start first grade. (The puppies were excited too!)  He became even more thrilled when he learned his teacher's name is Heather (imagine his huge grin!). She is very sweet and young with a strong Georgia accent, so it will be interesting to hear if his crazy accent changes over the year.

He loves that he has homework this year (what a difference it makes to have an older sibling). Each Monday, the students bring home 3 or 4 worksheets that they need to finish by Friday. Within minutes of walking in the door Monday afternoon, he has them all finished.

I'm going to be one of the room moms in his class, so I'm looking forward to getting to know all the kids and the teacher better.

I can't believe that Cole is in third grade! He looks so grown up! Thank goodness for my new camera or I wouldn't have been able to get this picture in the split second that he paused on his way to the car to say, "Don't take my picture."

The year got off to a great start when he found out that he came in 3rd place (out of the whole school) for the most pages read over the summer. The prize was a gift certificate to his favorite store, Barnes & Noble. (As he says, it has his 3 favorite things: books, legos, and cupcakes!)

He also tested into a gifted class that meets once a week to work on special projects. Later in the year, they'll learn about bridges and study the beautiful one that brings us from Mt P to Charleston. I'd like to go to that class!

People had warned us that third grade is challenging and we've seen that from the beginning. A month into the year, however, we've finally settled into a good homework routine and he's doing well with the higher expectations.

Cole's in Second Grade!

Somehow, Cole keeps getting older and older. I wish I could keep him at seven year old, because he is such a fun, wonderful boy. (Although I seem to say that every year.)

He is now in second grade, which, with two full grades below him in school, is officially a BIG KID! Second graders have a little homework every night, get to check out two library books at a time, and go on two field trips. In Cub Scouts, he is now a Wolf Cub and has a lot of patches and belt loops on his uniform.

Cole was a great big brother on Jay's first day of kindergarten and helped him find his cubby and seat. We are excited to see what this year brings!

Mother's Day 2012

I received many hugs, kisses, and artwork from the boys for Mother's Day. Jay's gift included a song...

Jay's First Day at the BIG SCHOOL

 

Jay is finally in kindergarten. I say "finally" because he has been waiting to go to the BIG SCHOOL since Cole started two years ago. As usual, his favorite classmates are girls. Cecelia, his friend from preschool, is in his class, as well as Gracie, the girl who lives across the street. His new crush, however, is Kaylee. Not long after school started, they asked the teacher if they could be girlfriend and boyfriend. Apparently, however, there's trouble brewing in class K-E. Another boy told his mom that he and Kaylee are getting married.  According to the mom, he said very seriously, "Mom, I can't believe I already met the girl I'm going to marry." Kaylee came over for a playdate and Jay put on a nice button-down shirt. When I complimented him, Cole teased, "He dressed up for Kay-lee." Cole also took his big brother role quite seriously and teased and annoyed them the entire time. We need to have her over again soon and banish Cole to his room!

As room mom, I've been able to spend time in his classroom and I'm quite impressed with the class. His two teachers have been at the school since it opened about 25 years ago. They handle the kids beautifully and seem to really enjoy teaching kindergarten.

Academically, he's doing very well. His reading improves daily and he loves to do math problems. I find pieces of paper filled with equations all over the house. He takes computer class once a week and for awhile he muttered "www-dot-com" under his breath. He always tries to look over Cole's shoulder when he's doing homework and when I quiz Cole on his spelling words, Jay chimes in with the first letter. It makes Cole mad, so I try to give Jay some "homework" to do at the same time. He recently told me he doesn't like art because he has to do what the teacher tells him to do. He'd rather do his own projects (he's always creating little projects at home with tape and scraps of paper), but he is still proud of his school artwork.

The school's uniform policy is the hardest adjustment for him this year. He's always had a unique sense of style, from dressing as spiderman with his baby blanket as a cape and cowboy boots to wearing a batting helmet backwards while carrying a purse. The uniform is very casual (a red, white, or blue shirt [solid or with the school logo] with khakis or jeans), but the first few weeks, it seriously cramped his style. He'd come downstairs wearing his favorite Hawiaan shirt and I'd have to send him back. "But Mommy," he'd say, "It's beautiful." As the year has progressed, he's gotten more used to the dress code, but there are many days we let it slide. The other day he wore his blue fleece hoodie (with the hood up), gray gym shorts, and his cowboy boots. His teachers got a kick out of that.

They recently celebrated the 100th day of school. I can't believe Jay's kindergarten year is almost over!