Friday, October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween!

We had a great day, despite me feeling less-than-great! We went trick-or-treating with our usual buddies, and the kids had a blast! Once we got home, they quickly got to work doing a complete inventory of their candy while we waited for pizza. And that was our day! The weekend ahead looks to be a lot colder than it's been, and we might even get snow on Sunday. Good time for me to just rest and recuperate, because being sick is no fun at all!

Monday, October 27, 2014

Birthday Weekend in Review

I'm still tired, but I don't know when I will ever NOT be tired, so I might as well just suck it up and post about Niko's epically awesome weekend!

Saturday morning, the boy was up bright and early, eager to open presents. He woke up to a balloon bouquet outside his room, and promptly went to wake up his sister (as always). And since the lady at Dollar Tree had accidentally given me eight balloons instead of seven, I had given one to Maya to give to her brother-- so she grabbed it out of her closet and gave it to him, much to his delight! Then the two of them went downstairs, where Niko discovered his gift from us: a new 20-inch Schwinn BMX-style bike. He sat on it and checked it out while he waited for us to come downstairs, and then he eagerly tore into his presents. And while he had previously lamented that he didn't have very many gifts this year, he quickly changed his tune... because he loved EVERY SINGLE GIFT he unwrapped! A number of Lego sets, a Razor scooter, a snowboard, and a photo album that Maya made especially for him (100% her idea... cutest thing ever!). He was seriously beside himself, and couldn't decide which gift to play with first. It was awesome!
After that, we got dressed and went to breakfast. Normally we go out to dinner to celebrate birthdays, but Niko (the stereotypical morning person) wanted to go to breakfast. So we did! He also asked for corn dogs for lunch and pizza for dinner. Done and done. The rest of the day consisted of getting ready for his party and taking him over to the local basketball court so he could really test out his scooter.
And of course, he had cake!
Sunday dawned cloudy and cooler than expected, but we went forward with the plan to have his party outdoors. And it went fine! I was out of my mind inviting so many little boys (who nearly ALL came), but Niko had a complete and total blast. I will let the pictures tell the story (it was a Lego/Halloween party):
The total headcount was seventeen little boys and two little sisters. And while the temperature outside ended up being fine, we did get rained on a little bit at one point (I am so thankful for my mom-friends who stayed and helped move everything inside while Gus and I rushed to get the pinata done-- which was indestructible, by the way. haha!). Of course, this meant that Niko received an obscene number of gifts, all of which he opened very graciously. And he's already gotten started on his thank you notes, so that's good! Because the kid has a lot to write!

Anyway, he really did have a great weekend. He was grinning from ear to ear the entire time. And now he has a crazy number of Lego sets to work on, which is HEAVEN for him! He is a happy camper! And I am a tired mom! :)

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Niko's 7th Birthday Letter

Dear Niko,

Seven years ago today, right at lunchtime, you were born via emergency c-section. It was quite a dramatic entrance, and you continued to rock our world every day from that point on. Your seventh year of life has been no different. You have always challenged us as parents, but we love you SO fiercely, and are so proud of the person you are becoming!

This past year has been a huge one for you. Shortly after you turned six, you went from reading scattered words and phrases to really READING! And there was no looking back. You are not a huge bookworm, but reading comes to you with relative ease, and it's opened up a whole new world for you where you can read instructions, advertisements, menus, everything! This year you also decided that it was time to ride your bike. We've been working with you for YEARS but, in classic Niko fashion, you wouldn't learn until it was completely on your own terms. And then you mastered it in a few hours. Of course! From that point on, your independence has grown and grown. You asked me to teach you to tie your shoes one day, because you really wanted a new pair with laces-- and you learned in less than five minutes. When you are feeling motivated, nothing can stop you. It's really impressive!

You've grown in other ways, too, this year. You've stepped out of your comfort zone more and more, and have been willing to try things that you refused to consider before. You went on your first roller coasters! You decided that dogs were okay, and even went so far as to pet a few of them and declare that you wanted one (is this the same kid who used to scream in terror when a dog walked by on a leash??). One day, my jaw nearly hit the floor because you announced that you wanted to try a hamburger-- a food you had previously and repeatedly denounced as "disgusting." And, wouldn't you know... you LOVED it! You never cease to amaze us!

You continue to do well in school, and have adjusted to the full-day schedule surprisingly well. Despite the occasional fatigue-induced meltdown, you really love your teacher and enjoy being at school. Your teacher tells us that you are such a smart, well-mannered boy, and we love hearing that! You have a large group of boys who you enjoy playing with at recess, and you all get along great. You love playing sports, and soccer is your most recent passion. You amaze us with your speed and enthusiasm, and we anticipate many more fun soccer seasons ahead!

Physically, you've grown about four inches in the past year, and gained only a pound or two. You are stretching out! You've lost four teeth, including both of your top front ones. I won't lie-- I ADORE your gappy smile, and am almost sad that it will one day be gone. I ask you to smile at me several times a day, which I'm sure annoys you... But I just love it!

And while you are looking and acting like a big kid these days, you still sleep with your beloved Bear every night, and still love snuggles with both your mommy and daddy. And we'll take it while we can. You are an expert Lego builder, and can name every Pokemon, but you are still our baby boy. And we love you so, SO much.

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

All our love,

Mommy, Daddy, and Maya (Your #1 Fan!)

Thursday, October 23, 2014

October Update

Yes, it has been more than THREE WEEKS since my last real post (not counting the quick picture last night). All I can say is that I'm glad I take so many pictures... because I can look back at them and easily piece together what we've been up to for the past few weeks. And really, there haven't been a lot of BIG things-- just lots and lots of little things!

Since last month, I've been volunteering at the kids' school two days a week. It's been fantastic, but it's also a lot of work! On Tuesdays, I work with kids in Maya's kindergarten class for their entire school day. The kids all know me, and we generally do math groups on the days I go in. I also read to them during their library time. I love it, and I am also so proud of how Maya is doing in school. Her teacher tells me that she is at the top of the class and is a real role model for others, but I actually get to see it in action! And it's true! She makes us so proud! On Wednesdays, I help out with Niko's class, but that mostly consists of doing tons and tons of copies and prep work. It's more tiring than actually working with students, BUT another mom friend of mine volunteers at exactly the same time-- so at least I have someone to talk to! Niko's teacher keeps saying that she is going to have me work with students, but she has a student teacher at the moment which I think complicates things a little. So, we will see what happens there! I've also continued to be super involved with the school PTO. I just counted and sorted over $1300 in teeny-tiny Box Tops and got those shipped to the office in Minnesota... And now I'm running the PTO website. And I somehow volunteered myself to put together the school directory. And then the principal (who, coincidentally, is from California-- small world!) asked me if I'd be the parent representative on the School Improvement Committee (= more meetings for me). So, throw another thing on my plate! The fact is that I spend hours and hours at the kids' school these days. And when I'm home, I am going room by room through the house, trying to finish all my projects. It will take years. But I never rest! And I know that all my time at the school will be helpful when I get on the substitute list for next year. I have a good relationship with the principal and am a familiar face around campus. AND I get to see my kids (who are still young enough that they are excited to see ME)! So it's all good!

But anyway... That's the long way of me saying that I don't have a ton of pictures from this month! We run from event to event. Kids get home, do homework, change into the appropriate uniform for the day (karate, dance, scouts, soccer) and we're off! One big family thing we DID do, though, was our annual trip to AppleFest at the local ski resort. For the second year in a row, Gus' company held their annual family event there. And while it was very cold, the turnout was good and everyone seemed to have a good time. Probably because they gave everyone a ridiculous number of alcohol vouchers, so the beer was flowing freely... but as I recall, it was fun! And I took pictures:
And, inside the company's tent at the event, they did a little birthday celebration for all the October birthdays-- which meant Niko got sung to and got to help blow out the candles 6 days early. A great way to kick off his birthday week! :)
Niko also had his first Cub Scout den meeting this month. Led, of course, by the den leader... also known as Gus! Gus sort of accidentally volunteered himself for the position (we're apparently good at that), but has discovered that he really likes it. They've now had two den meetings and a pack meeting, and both of them are really loving it. I'm so happy that it's becoming such a positive experience for them!
In other random news... Niko earned his first purple stripe at karate. He will likely be taking a break from karate at the end of November, when our one-year contract is up, simply because we are just way too overscheduled right now. We ALL need a break. So he probably won't earn his purple belt before then, but he can always pick up where he left off if we rejoin it down the line.
Finally, a story, because it is too funny not to share! Last night, I was making garlic bread in the oven, using the broiler. I had it on a piece of parchment paper, which was a poor choice-- it started smoking and set off the fire alarm. So I went to turn it off. But in the meantime, I heard this: "Maya!!! We need to feel the door first before we open it! Let me do it!" I walked around the corner to see both kids on all fours by the front door. For the record, October is Fire Safety month, and they've been talking about it at school a LOT. But I just about died laughing! I asked them what they were doing, and Niko told me that they were going to go out front to our meeting place. haha! I guess it's good that they were paying attention!

Anyway... the next few days promise to be very busy, and will merit their own posts in the not-too-distant future. Tomorrow is Niko's last soccer game, and the Fall Fest at the kids' school. I'm also reading to his class in the library (an assortment of fun Halloween-y books). And then Saturday is our baby boy's SEVENTH birthday (sniff!). And Sunday is party day, where I will have 15-18 little boys at my house. Lord help me.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Toothless (x2)!

Yes, it's been a while since I've blogged, and I know an update is long overdue! And it will happen, at some point. But I needed to share the big news: Maya lost her first tooth! And to make things more interesting, Niko lost his other front tooth today, too! Teeth are just falling out all over the place! Both kids were determined to catch the Tooth Fairy in action at bedtime tonight (they were unsuccessful... shh!). I took this picture right before bed of my two toothless kids. They were so, so excited!