2 years in recap

I recently headed back home for the first time in a long time.  I was informed that a few people still read this, so I will try to update once in a while here.  I'm not making any promises, but I'll try.  So the last 2 years...

 Shelby.  Our little sassy pants is almost 4.    She's got quite an attitude on her.  She makes us laugh and cry.  As another friend put it "One minute she's butterflies and rainbows, the next fireworks and hand grenades."  We are almost out of diapers.  We're just using up the last of our pullups and then I hope to never purchase diapers again for as long as I live :)

She started preschool, 2 mornings a week, this fall.  She loves school and all her friends.  Her favorite thing is coloring and after the photo on the left, we have banned all markers from her room.  She's only allowed to color in public places.  :)

Tate is now 7 1/2.  The other day I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he told me either a "football player, or maybe a soldier, probably a farmer, but I kind of do that already."  He enjoys school, first grade this year.  He's had difficulty with reading.  He's grown a lot this year, but we will be testing him for dyslexia next month.  He's a smart kid and retains information (ask him about WWII), but he can't read very well.  It's frustrating for both of us.

Cole is 9 1/2.  He's getting close to double digits and I'm a little freaked out by it.  It's going too fast!  His ear problems have been good.  He can ride a bike like a pro and his rechecks have come back clean.  He's in 3rd grade now and things are getting a bit more challenging for him.  He reads everything in sight and was in the elementary math league this year.

Both boys are in piano lessons this year.  Neither of them are Beethoven, but they seem to enjoy it.

 We did some travelling this year.  This summer we headed west and hit up some national parks and monuments.  Teddy Roosevelt, Devils Tower, Mt. Rushmore, and Badlands.  It was a quick trip, but we saw a lot and added Montana and Wyoming to states the kids have been.  (Cole did a map in 2nd grade that was a bit depressing, so we needed to remedy that).  This winter we headed south for a few days, Fargo South, aka Frisco, TX, to watch the Bison win their 5th straight national championship.  We had a great time and the kids handled the car like champs (iPads and DVD players help).  We added Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas to their maps with stops in Witchita and OK City.  We visited Legoland and the Fort Worth Stockyards, but their favorite, except Shelby, was watching the Bison win.

I added California to my state map.  I'd only seen the inside of LAX prior to my visit to San Diego with some NDSU friends.  We had a girls only weekend and had a great time.  It was warm, but not swim-in-the-ocean warm.

Now we are back to muddling through another winter.  I look forward to sun and snow-melting temps.

Mother's Day

Today is hard.

I think Pat knows that.  Yesterday he spoiled me.  We took the kids and went to the Terry Redlin Museum and then to the Children's Museum.  It was a fun day.  After that we went to a sporting goods store and he bought me some UnderArmour workout gear, which I would never spend that kind of money on myself.  He even looked at ellipticals and gave me the ok to get one.  I've been looking at them for years.

Today is still hard.  Not too long ago my mom would call once a week and tell the same story over and over again.  Not just the same story she told last week, but the same story she had already told you earlier in the conversation.  Then I would call my sister and we would compare the same story she told and vent about what was wrong with her (we didn't actually know then) and how annoying it was.  What I wouldn't give for the phone to ring and to hear my mom's voice on the line.  So today is hard.  I love my children and am grateful that I am their mom, but I miss the mom that helped me become the person I am.

Summer into Fall

I think I should just give up on blogging.  I can't keep up with anything, let alone a blog that no one really reads anyway.  Just in case I still have a loyal reader or 2, here is my update...

Cole had ear surgery #2 in August.  This was the hardest one yet.  This time he knew exactly what to expect and he did not want to experience it.  He held it together until the nurse anesthetist came in to take him back.  Then the tears came for him and just try not to cry when your kid does for something like that.  He handled it like a champ though.  There was no regrowth, so they rebuilt his ear.  It was a much shorter surgery this time.  He's had his follow up and goes for a hearing test in October.  I think he hears better, but I don't know that we are without-a-hearing-aid better.

Tate is loving year 2 of preschool.  He has made a great buddy, named G.  G just so happens to be the little brother of his good friend C, from 3s preschool.  I find that funny.  He and G get into a bit of trouble, but nothing major, mostly talking and not listening.

Tate-preschool, Cole-1st grade

Shelby is as busy as ever.  She is constantly on the go.  She never walks, always runs or climbs.  She still doesn't have a lot of words, or teeth.  She says night and hot along with mom and dad.

Cheese!

I am coaching cross country again.  This is my 3rd season.  So far my top 2 returning runners have been out with a concussion or appendicitis.  We have enough girls for a team this year, which is great.

Pat finished up our heifer shed, and today we moved steers into the old heifer yard.  So now they are done with building projects for the year!  Our silage is chopped and they should start on earlage this week.

Cole and I ran in a road race last week.  It was a fundraiser for our local pet rescue.  We ran about 2.5 miles.  He only walked a few times, and for just a few steps each time.  He talked the whole race!  It was a blast and I am so proud of him.

 That's all for now!

North Shore Vacation

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Instead of actually blogging about our vacation, I'll just post our photo book, cuz I'm lazy like that.  Enjoy!

The Last 4.5 Months in Bullets

So I've been busy...

• In early March, I broke my arm doing chores.  I broke the neck of the ball of my humorous, basically right below my shoulder.  I didn't need surgery, but was put in an immobilizer sling.  Essentially, I had fabric wrapped around my waist and my wrist and elbow velcroed to it.  I wore that for about 6 weeks.  I slept on the recliner for 3 weeks.  I do not recommend the experience nor care to repeat it.

• A few days after I broke my arm, my sister and 6 kids (3 of hers and 3 friends) traveled up for spring break.

• It was actually nice to have her help.  The kids played well together and had a blast playing outside in the hay, despite the cold, rainy weather.  They even got the snowmobiles out before they left.  We even managed to go sledding, which was a horrible idea.  Poor Tate came home looking like this:

• Just before Easter, I started a long term sub position.  It was a mostly good experience.  I had some pretty good classes and one horrible class.  So horrible that most other teachers would see my class list and go "oh, well there are a couple of good kids in there."  It was the longest 42 minutes of my day.
• Shelby turned 1 on Good Friday.  She wasn't walking then, but is now.  The only time she is still is when she is sleeping.  She's also a climber.  I caught her one morning trying to scale the refrigerator.  She is constantly busy, but she's happy. 

• The end of April brought my dad's retirement celebration.  The whole family was there.  It was a great day.  My mom had a fabulous day and we saw many friends that we haven't seen in years.

• Tate graduated from the school readiness program.  He will get to do it all over again next year too!  He had a good year.  He made lots of friends and learned a lot.  

• Cole finished up Kindergarten in May.  He had a great year.  He is reading well and did great in all the subjects.  It was fun to see all the writing he's done throughout the year and to see how far he's come. He had a fantastic class and teacher.  I'm sad he has to move on, but I think he'll have a couple of good friends in his class next year too.  

• In June, Cole turned 7!  SEVEN!  Where does the time go!?!  He's been busy working all summer.  He spent about 20 hours picking rock and he's always ready to help Dad or Grandpa do whatever it is that they are doing.  He's trying to get enough money for a $100 bill.  What is he going to spend it on?  He doesn't know, he just wants to be rich :-)

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• The summer has been busy with swimming lessons, t-ball, running club, soccer camp, summer camp,  trips to my parents', trip to my sister's, strawberry harvesting, landscaping, and remodeling.  July is a bit of a break.  We have lots going on, but most of it involves me staying home and that's OK.  Stay tuned, I might update before Christmas :-)

Roommate Reunion

Every summer since Cole was very little, my sophomore roommate and her freshman roommate have gotten together.  We were very good friends in college (I spent way more time in their room freshman year than my own.  My roommate was WEIRD) and it's nice to get together.  We now have 6 kids between the 3 of us.  Five are boys ages 3-6 and then Shelby.  Hopefully we'll add to the group again in the next couple of years.

We took the kids swimming Monday night, then to the Science and Discovery Center on Tuesday.  The kids had a blast, minus the 10 minute "calm-down" session Tate had after he got mad that K~ pulled him out of the elevator full of strangers to wait for the next one.  Anyhow, they did enjoy it.

Tate flying a glider

Astronaut Cole

 Tuesday afternoon and evening we spent just hanging out and the kids played in the sprinkler and pool.  Shelby even got in on the action for a brief moment.  We got some hand me down swimming stuff so I figured I'd at least get a photo op out of it.

Shelby sporting her swimming gear

 This is one of my favorite pics.  Shelby has become enamored by her brothers lately.

Cole trying to make Shelby laugh

 Our group.  They had a great time playing together.

The kids all looking the same direction!

The Farm

 Our next trip was done without Pat.  If I waited for him to come along, I'd never leave.  We've talked for the last few years about heading up to my Uncle's, but never seem to make it.  My Dad grew up on a farm just south of Canada.  His brother runs the farm now, another lives in town, and a sister lives about an hour away.  It was our favorite summer destination growing up.

We decided to head up at the same time my sister and her family was going to be there so the kids could play together and with Uncle Roger!

Sprinkler fight!

 It was hot, hot, hot!  We headed into the pool for an afternoon too.  It was the one day there was a threat of rain, so we did our best to end the drought.  It didn't rain, but we had a great afternoon at the pool.

When Roger puts his mind to something, he goes all out.  He had a juicer and thought it would be fun to make juice with the kids.  He bought the store out of fruit and we made juice!  Cole was very curious about sugar beets, so we also juiced some of those.  He even tried the mud colored juice to see if it tasted like sugar.

Juicing sugar beets

We also got to meet my cousin's baby, born in December.  He and Shelby got a little acquainted.

4 months apart

It was a wonderful vacation.  The kids got to run free and I got to relax.

6 of the 9 next generation

 Cole's new obsession is sugar beets.  We are hoping to head up this fall and take in some of beet harvest.  I hope it works out because I don't know if I can stand the questions for that long.  He's kind of like Roger, when he's got an idea in his head, he goes all out :)

The Talk

I finally had to have the "talk" with Cole.  No, not that one, the one about dementia, and my mom.  It did not go well.  I knew the time was coming, but I was honestly hoping he'd ask something and open the door for me.  It didn't go that way.  The boys ask all the time when we are going to Grammy and Papa's.  This summer has been jam packed (as my next few posts will show) and I don't think we'll make it this summer at all, except for me.  I'm planning to head out soon to look at nursing homes as that seems to be our next major step in this journey.  It's obviously a hard thing to do and especially hard to explain to a 6 year old.  So when I told the boys I was going to go, but not bringing them, the natural question was why.  I figured it was time for the talk.

I asked Cole if he noticed anything funny about Grammy.  Nope.  I asked if he notices how she forgets things.  Nope.  Finally I just told him there was something wrong with her brain that made her do funny things.  He finally chimed in with "like when she thought it snowed."  Yep.  Then I had to tell him that someday her brain will be so sick that she won't be able to take care of herself and she'll have to go live somewhere else, and I lost it.  It's hard to think those thoughts, much less say them out loud to your son.  Of course, he's my ultra sensitive child and he got all teary eyed and went and buried himself in his legos.  He did finally ask what's going to happen to her and I could honestly tell him I had no idea.  He understands death a little too well for me to go down that road.  I decided not to talk to Tate about it although I think he overheard a lot of it.  Somedays I hate being an adult.

It Rained

A LOT!  We got 7" of rain last night and this morning.  2 miles west of us got 3".  Pat's uncle, about 5 miles west, barely got an inch.

This is our neighbor's dry cow yard.  (It's dirt and the white stuff is a bi-product from the corn plant that he uses to firm up the dirt and keep it from becoming a soup hole.)

 The dredge ditch to the north of us.  Normally there's not much water in them.  My dogs will go in for a dip and come out with only their bellies wet.  Now there's probably 15 feet of water flowing through them.

 One reason I'm glad I have 4WD.  In the 40+ years my father-in-law has lived here, he's never seen water come across our road.

Did I mention I got a new vehicle a few weeks ago?  I loved my pilot, but it just wasn't big enough for 3 kids in car seats, groceries, dog food, and chicken feed.  Pat woke me up just after Shelby's 2:30 feeding to ask if it was in the garage since we got a little bit of hail.  It was.

Meet Tate, my classy dresser.  He's stubborn and has to pick out his own clothes.  Today he went with the too small spider man polo paired with the Hawaiian shorts.  Classic look.  Oh, and yesterday the pool was about 6" shallower.

Mother's Day

I'm not big on Hallmark holidays.  Typically Mother's Day is just another day for me.  I get to spend the day alone with my children while my husband is busy planting.  It happens every year.  Part of being a farmer's wife.  This year is a little different.  As a mother, I've gained a child, but as a child, I'm losing my mother.  Maybe it's the fact that I now have a daughter and I look at her and hope I can be the kind of mother I wish I had.  Don't get me wrong, I love my mom.  She was great, but while she's physically present, the dimentia has taken a big part of her away.  My mom was never an outgoing person.  She had a few close friends, but she was more of a behind the scenes, getting it done, type of person.  She claimed to hate to cook, but she was really good at it.  I think she just hated planning meals, like me.  She always left the last piece of pie, cake, whatever, for Dad.  Always.  She liked to take us girls shopping.  She liked to bike around town or go for a walk.  She was a great listener.  You could always count on her to call just to see how you were doing.  I miss my mom.

Happy Valentine's Day

Oh, that was yesterday? Meh.

I'm not big on Valentine's Day. Basically it's just a day to be angry at your significant other when they forget to get you something. While Pat and I were dating we were always apart for V-Day. Since being married, we've usually gone out to dinner, which we did last night. Sometimes he gets me flowers. Yesterday morning he gave me an opened pack of licorice, which is not my favorite candy. It's like slightly flavored wax. Yum. Supper was fantastic though. Steak and crab legs!

The boys, however, were big on Valentine's this year. Cole's party was Monday. He had a blast playing games and making crafts. I stayed and had lunch with him and then headed back to his room with him to play while the others went to gym. Dr. says no gym until the arm is healed. We had a good time and it was nice to be with just him. Tate's party was today. I made Pat go. After the Christmas party flop, I refused. I guess today's party wasn't a whole lot better. Tate was super excited though. He had to show me all his valentines and carried around a purple Rapunzel eraser, until he lost it, because it came from his friend Cydney.

Cole even made valentines for just about everyone. It was actually pretty cute. He cut the paper, told me who they were for and had me write a message in each one. Things like "I like when you let me help you do chores" or "I liked the cookies you made me." Of course, when he as finished he looks at me and says "you don't need one do you mom?" Gee. Thanks.

Side Effect Central

The curse of red hair has struck again. I've been told that red heads have a different chemistry than the "normal" population and we react differently to things. That has certainly been true for me. Anesthesia, cold medicine, you name it, I have side effects. My pregnancy has been going well. The progesterone shots seem to be doing the trick and keeping baby inside. However, the last few weeks of shots have given me a horrible itching welt the size of a softball. Each week is a little worse. Turns out, I'm reacting to the shot and if it keeps getting worse, I will have to stop them. I only have 7 more to go, but my doctor is afraid it could affect my breathing. Fantastic! As much as I *enjoy* them, if they keep this kid in longer, I'll deal with the itching. I am so not

ready for this baby to come. We are in the process of remodeling the boys's bedroom. We tore down plaster and lath on Monday, rewired on Tuesday, insulated yesterday, and started sheet rock today. We are now at a stand still until the wiring inspector shows up. This is creating a problem as our sheet rock/mudding/taping guy is heading back south on Tuesday. I can't do anything in Baby Girl's room until the boys are back in their room and that will require trimming, carpet cleaning, and painting (not necessarily in that order) first. I did finally break down and order some new pump parts. I figure if baby does come early at least I will have that ready to go (providing I can find my pump). Although, I think after 6 years insurance may buy

me another one. The one perk of having a preemie! I've been tempted to dig out the changing table so I can figure out what gear I have and what gear we'll need to replace. We did get a new car seat for Christmas (it's PINK!) and I have a handful of clothes. Pat and I are heading to a grain convention early in Feb. which means meetings for him and shopping for me. I probably need to know what we are missing by then. Aaack! I'm overwhelming myself. Must be time for a nap. I will leave you with these:

The blob over her mouth is the umbilical cord. She is holding her foot up on her forehead. She certainly didn't get her flexibility from me.

Weekend Warriors

We had a busy weekend. We had been talking for months about taking the boys to Chuck E. Cheese. The closest one is in Sioux Falls. So Friday night we headed out, stayed in a hotel and spent Saturday shopping. We don't really need to do an overnight to Sioux Falls, but it's a nice way to get away. Saturday morning we got up. My husband, who apparently was on a strict time schedule, decided we needed breakfast by 7:30. Luckily that's what time the hotel's breakfast opened. My plan was to plug the kids in to some cartoons and sleep in. I figured we'd swim and hang out and check out around 11. Then head to Chuck E. Cheese for an early lunch and do our shopping. That way we could still hang around and have supper at some place decent before heading home. Apparently, Pat was not thinking so leisurely. We did do some swimming and hang out, but I think we were out of the hotel by 9ish.

Our first stop was Target, where we bought $100 worth of stuff that fit into one bag. Talk about depressing. After that, the hunt for clothing was on. Tate has outgrown nearly everything in his drawers and since he and Cole are the exact opposite body type, a lot of Cole's hand me downs don't fit. He also outgrew his shoes, again. Cole was a little upset that he didn't get new shoes, but he survived.

My big search was for a baby book. I got both boys's books from Walmart, but can't find them anymore. I checked everywhere, nothing. We stopped at Hallmark but I wasn't about to pay $50 for something that wasn't exactly what I wanted. Finally at the second Hallmark, I found this...

It's a little more boyish than Pat would like (he's threatening divorce if it's another boy. He's kidding of course, I hope:). I think it's cute. It was a little more expensive than I would have liked, but it's basically the same as the boys's baby books, just a different style. This one is an actual Carter's brand, where the boys's are the Walmart Carter's.

Anywhoodle, that was our shopping excursion. We did look at new computers, and DIDN'T buy one! That's a miracle in itself.

So on to Chuck E. Cheese. The boys were super excited. I think they watch a bit much PBS, but I suppose there are worse things in the world. We ordered our pizza, got our tokens, found one of a handful of tables not reserved for birthday parties (I think there were 6 or 7 that day), and headed off to play some games. Cole wanted to try a game where you pop balls into a red bulldogs mouth. Tate wanted nothing to do with it, so he tried something else. As we were sitting, attempting to eat the most disgusting pizza and breadsticks ever, Tate was freaking out over something. We thought it was the robotic Chuck E. or the noise. Finally we got out of him that it was the red dog. He was absolutely terrified of the game that Cole had played.

It looked something like this, only red and with it's mouth open, but it was terrifying to my 3 year old. We finished up our tokens on games far away from the red dog and left. On the plus side, Tate keeps reminding me that we don't need to go to Chuck E. Cheese.

We managed to kill enough time shopping that we headed for an early supper at Red Lobster. I don't like fish that much, or even shrimp, but I love crab legs and I've been craving them since I saw a commercial for Red Lobster this summer. It was delicious!

Bear with me, one last story. While we were at the mall, we stopped to let the kids play. A woman came up to me and goes "you were in the NICU." I remembered her instantly. She had twin boys about a month after Cole was born. It was kind of neat. Pat didn't really get it, but there were a group of us that were there for about a solid week together, right before Cole was discharged. I spent a week with these women who were going through the exact same thing I was. We all had babies at different stages, but we shared our stories and understood what it was like. I often wonder how their stories turned out and it was really neat to see a couple of the other 5 year olds who were a part of that journey.

Houseboat Vacation

Our houseboat vacation was a blast. It was the perfect weather for a few days on the lake. It was so nice to not have anywhere to go or anything to do.

The kids did a little unsuccessful fishing

and a lot of swimming. Who needs to stop for snacks when you can eat it in the water?

We found a little time for relaxing. Tate was fake coughing in this picture and it cracks me up every time.

Our attempt at a family photo. In hindsight we should have tried this on the first day instead of the last.

My sisters and me on gorgeous Table Rock Lake.Our home for 4 days.

I'm Baaack, For Now.

I realize I've been on quite the blog hiatus. While I can't promise you my return is permanent, I want to reassure you (if any of you are left) that I didn't fall off the face of the earth.

What can I say, it was a busy summer. I was hoping for a relaxing one, but I should know by now that such a thing does not exist.

At any rate, summer is over and the kids are back to school. I for the first time, since I was 4, am not back to school. At least not back to taking classes. I didn't want to feel completely left out, so I picked up a fall coaching job. I'm coaching our local cross country team. It's been fun, but tiring and frustrating at the same time. I am anxious for our first meet this week.

I will try my darndest to give you a few summer recap posts, but for now I will leave you with this. My boys started school last Friday.

GPMS

Last fall we received a "free" GPS from one of our seed dealers. I think it actually cost us about $2000 in lost yield compared to the other brand of seed we bought, but I digress. I was super excited. I was hoping to have it in time for our trip to New Orleans last summer, but that didn't happen. Since then we really haven't gone anywhere we didn't know how to get to, until this spring.

A few weeks ago we headed to a wedding in Nebraska. Now, we both know how to get to Nebraska, it was just a matter of picking which route to take. We decided, since we had plenty of time, to take the scenic route, against the GPS's wishes. Normally she calmly recalculates and moves on. Apparently GPS's have limits. After a couple dozen recalculations, she, like many women would, started giving us the silent treatment. Despite her silence, we made it to the correct location without a problem.

She's not always moody. Yesterday, the boys and I headed out to stay with my mom for a couple of days while my dad is gone. Instead of stopping for fast food, I decided to pack a picnic lunch and stop at a park. Wouldn't you know, she found the perfect park for us. Just off the highway, with a bathroom even! The equipment left something to be desired, but that was ok since that meant my boys wouldn't want to spend forever there.

So maybe she's redeemed herself from her silent treatment. I'm hoping she'll guide us to our houseboat vacation without incident :)

A Little Slice of Heaven

I am kid free until tomorrow night. I am also a farm widow unless it rains today. It's like a vacation without having to leave home!

The boys took off with Grandma and Grandpa for a wedding in St. Louis. I would love to have gone, but such is life on the farm. I am thoroughly enjoying being alone. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and will be happy when they are home, but everyone needs a break.

So what did I do on my first night off? I mowed the lawn (heavenly, I know). Then I sat down and read a book, WITHOUT interruptions! That's a very rare thing.

My plan today is to run errands, BY MYSELF. I have to go activate my new phone (thanks Sam!) and I thoroughly look forward to going to Verizon without having to corral my kids every 30 seconds. I'm also washing sheets since I don't have to worry if Blankie will be dry by nap time.

Speaking of washing sheets. I went up to strip the boys' beds this morning and discovered the Farm Industry News in my son's bed. I guess if we keep with those kinds of magazines as he gets older, I'll be a happy mom ;)

Random Ramblings

Ok, so here's our life update, in bulleted form:

• I finished student teaching and it's been really nice being home, mostly.
• I did not pass my licensure test, so I have to wait until July to retake, which means I won't be able to get my license by the beginning of the school year, so no teaching job for me next year (I wasn't planning on getting one anyway, but I was hoping to go through the interview process this summer). I missed by 9 points, which is like 2 questions.
  
• Tate is potty training. Any suggestions on how to get a kid to poop in the potty?
• Cole is super excited for his birthday (June 10) and the houseboat. He tells EVERYBODY about it.
• We've had way too much rain, so much that our sewer backed up in our basement. Fantastic! It also means we need a new septic tank, to the tune of $10,000. Just when I thought we were starting to catch up again with $!

I've been in kind of a pessimistic mood lately (if you couldn't tell). It's not been a fantastic couple of weeks, but the sun is shining. The boys and I are heading up to help plant the rest of our garden. Maybe a little dirt will lift my mood!

Goodbye March!

Look! An update! From me!

Amazing, I know.

How is it that time can seem so slow, yet go by so fast? I only have 4 weeks of student teaching left. 4 weeks! I'm still teaching a full load, but am hoping to drop a class next week. I am so ready for life to return to "normal."

I've missed being home. There are days when I wonder if I really want to work full time and at this point, the answer is no. I enjoy teaching, but being a farm mom is a full time job and one that won't go away just because I have a "real" job. We shall see what life brings down the road.

My farm chores have gotten a little bit easier. My Kubota calf feeder is up and running. We're still working out the kinks and trying to figure out the most efficient way to feed calves, but so far, so good. Right now my biggest time consumer is washing my pails. That used to be the quick and easy part of feeding calves. Once I'm done student teaching, I'm hoping to adjust the routine a little bit more.

The boys are doing great. We had Cole's parent teacher conference last week. He's made steady improvement throughout the year, which is great. He loves going to Mrs. O's room. She's the special ed teacher and pulls out 5 kids from his class. He does well in the small group and they also see it as a special treat since they get to go during rest time.

Tate is still 2. He's full of stories, most of them not understandable. His favorite phrase is "but, Mommy..."

Snow Day #2

I've been student teaching for 4 weeks now. We have yet to have a full week of school. Last week was close with only one late start. This week, we are on our second snow day, and it's only Tuesday. Next week, there is a chance for a full week and the weather, so far, is looking ok. We shall see. I'm perfectly fine with the shortened weeks, but it makes it really hard to go back.

At any rate, we've been enjoying our time off. I've been avoiding folding laundry like the plague but did manage to clean floors yesterday. It helps that we bought a new vacuum this weekend. Nothing like new stuff to make you want to clean occasionally.

The boys and I headed out early for chores yesterday afternoon so we could have some time to play. The idea was to go out after dinner yesterday and wear them out so they would take naps. Neither one of them ate so that ruined my plans. Cole has been complaining of a sore throat, so he actually wanted to take a nap. He's a weird kid.
The puppies also enjoyed the snow. Angus and Juno both love the cold and snow and love to play with each other. I think Yogi actually hates Angus. He's taken after him a few time and hauled off and bit him a couple of times. Not a nice playful bite either. It took him a while to warm up to Juno too, so I'm hoping by this spring Yogi won't hate Angus quite as much. At any rate, our playful snow dogs: