October weekend

We bid on a silent auction item at the gala for the preschool back in May and won a wine tasting party with a parent who is a Somalia.  We found a weekend when most of our friends could join and we bought a lot of wine and food and threw a party.  It was so much fun.  Tiffany kept the kids in the basement and put them to bed while the adults learned of all things wine and caught up with each other without the interruption of children! Catching up with children around is virtually impossible. 

We even splurged on a 2016 bottle of wine for the Cubs. We were hoping it would bring them good luck.

My dear friend, Jill, and her new baby, Nate, showed up in Oak Park by chance the same weekend as the wine tasting party.  She knows and is friends with all of the people who attended so she joined us to to catch up and show off her new wonderful baby.

We convinced her to spend the night as opposed to driving to 40 minutes to get to her parents to spend the night only to return the next morning for the local 5k walk she had signed up for.  Her and Nate spent the night and I got up and we walked together.  And we managed to get our picture taken with Ernest Hemingway again this year.

Cousin (Aunt to the kids) Katy and Sean came over for the wine tasting party and brought Miss M a winter headband. She was so happy.

We took a walk to the park to ride scooters and bikes around without worrying about cars! The car aspect is especially important when Cater's on a scooter.

Group hug!

There is a furnace vent in the kitchen and Miss M loves nothing more than to sit by the vent to eat her breakfast in the morning.  I think she'd sit there all day long if she could.

A sleeping Tater.

Miss M found one of my resistance bands for exercising and decided it was an appropriate headband. It's cute until she doesn't remember where she left it and it's misplaced for months at a time.  I find things in random locations like bottom of shoes, purses, sacks, trucks, craft supplies, and the list just goes on. It will turn up again but for now I just dream of where it might be hiding.

Family Pictures - 3rd times a charm

We've attempted to have family pictures taken three times since Cate was born in September 2014.  The first time Miss M had just gotten out of the hospital.  The second time Willie was not feeling well and looked terrible.  I had to try again. The picture on the wall only has four family members and Cater is starting to think that the little Will in the picture is her b/c he's bald.  She's on the verge of bald with the knots she's putting in her hair.  

We had a 9am Saturday appointment with a woman who was recommended by a friend.  I figured it was worth a shot.  The day was sunny and crisp.  It was a bit cold but thankfully we were only out for 30 minutes.  Cater wasn't feeling her finest and she was cold so she was much more snuggly than usual.  It's unfortunate we weren't able to get a picture of the kids together but I had minimal expectations/hopes. I told the photographer I only HAD to have a family picture and I think we got it. I am so happy. Now I just need to order it and get it hung up before Cate turns 5.  

This one just makes me laugh.  

Miss M's kindergarten picture.

Will in the Circle Room

Willie's teachers do a great job of posting classroom pictures to their shared blog/website.  It's fun to see what he's doing in class and whom he is hanging out with b/c he is rather tight lipped about school once I pick him up.  He complains about going to school every single morning.  He really just wants to stay home and watch tv but after he gets out the door he's ready to go.  The teachers give such compliments about what a leader he is and how he loves to try new things and has a great attention span to work through projects without getting bored or sidetracked.  I asked him what he was doing in these pictures but he just tells me he doesn't remember. 

Halloween!

The elementary school had a Halloween Parade.  All of the kids lined up outside and walked to and through the assisted living home.  They each received one piece of candy and it was like they were receiving a piece of gold.  Things have changed so much with school parties.  It's kind of sad and unbelievable.  The school has a Green Team and cloth napkins and reusable plates are provided.  Then someone on the Green Team picks them up and washes them to be returned for the next party.  The snacks must be healthy and be allergy free of everything.  At least they don't know what they are missing. 

Miss M rocked her Kangaroo outfit for what will be the last year. It was a bit too short on her but thankfully she didn't know nor care.  She loves her Kangaroo costume.  

Miss M and her friend/classmate/neighbor E, who was a fairy princess.

Class photo! Courtesy of myself because I am on the school yearbook team. I volunteered myself to take pictures of class projects/trips/events and submit them to for our classroom.  I volunteered before going on the Pumpkin Patch field trip.

E's little sister was a mime and she rocked it.  She even looks quite French with her candy that looks like a candy cigarette.

For Halloween Trick or Treating we went to Miss M's best friend's house.  Their block is a popular block to visit and the candy selections were awesome. We scored multiple full size candy bars in each kids bucket and they only walked one block! The kids had fun handing out candy for awhile.  Upon returning home from trick-or-treating they retreated into the house to watch some shows and warm up.  I passed out the candy after they left their post.  I had so much fun. I really enjoy staying back to hand out the candy.

Cate refused to put on her Kangaroo costume.  She wore it all morning and when it was show time she flaked!  Willie.  Well let's just say he's Willie.  He was Batman.  He had a cape. He had a mask.  He had a Batman shirt.  He would only wear the shirt.  We rolled with it. What's the point in making things miserable for everyone.

Here's the little guy with his cape and mask on. I want to eat him.

Cater loves to rock the Batman mask now and run around yelling Bat Girl. 

Cate.  All day with the Kangaroo outfit on.  Stinker :)

A kindergarten class trip to the pumpkin patch

I signed up to be a room parent at the persuasion of a neighbor.  The room parent title isn't really a big deal as they have three class parties.  There are four room parents in total/  I can hide in the background and buy things when I need but avoid the more labor intensive parts i.e. crafts appropriate for 5 year olds or healthy snack options.  

I went to the fire station with the kids for their first field trip. We walked there and back in the rain and it wasn't so bad. It wasn't exactly fun but it wasn't miserable.  I told the teacher I could go to the pumpkin patch if she needed extra chaperones.  She informed me she was set and I didn't need to join.  The problem was that the field trip was rescheduled for the next day due to rain and the parents who had committed could no longer make the trip.  I said I would help.  It was a mistake.  The bus ride to the pumpkin patch was 45-50 minutes.  This means it was 45-50 minutes each way with 60 kindergartners who are more excited than they can handle. I wished I had brought noise canceling headphones. My ears were ringing so bad I wanted to cry (or jump out of the bus and call for an Uber).  

Each chaperone was responsible for four kids which was very manageable. It was even more manageable b/c two of the kids I was responsible or not losing were our twin neighbors who I can evil eye to get them line.  It was a long day. We left around 9am and didn't return until after school let out.  I will refrain from discussing the inappropriate discussions Farmer Brown had with the children about cancer, God and the emergency responders of 9/11.  It was more than too much.  

Miss M and her neighbor and friend E. 

The three of us squeezed our buns on one bus seat.  I sat on the outside to ensure none of them fell off the bench.

The kids got to go on a hay rack ride that was super muddy. I was worried the tractor would get stuck and I'd be stuck there forever. It was so cold. I happened to throw in extra warm clothes/accessories for Miss M and I. We needed them. Miss M is in the pink coat with the hood up on the right side of the picture.

They were able to feed some goats.  

 Ate lunch on some hay bales.

Played on play equipment.  Rocco in the black being quite the gentlemen letting Miss M go before him.  I love him so much.

A train ride around the farm.

 Class picture on the big chair. I adore Miss M's teacher.

 E picking Miss M b/c she can.

My participation of field trips that aren't within walking distance of the school are going to be slim from here on. I don't think I can do that again.

Replacing the backyard gate

Andrew had been all over me for about six months to find someone to fix the gate.  The boards were rotted and it was on it's way to falling apart.  We had a really bad wind storm one night and when I walked outside the next morning I saw one of the boards had fallen off.  It feels impossible to find someone to call you back or not rip you off.  I had decided I could fix the gate and thus my mission began.

Big Craig was here for the weekend and we had talked pretty extensively about how to go about fixing it.  He immediately found the tools and took the gate apart.  Then no one gave the gate two thoughts the rest of the weekend.  And then he left.  He left me with a deconstructed rotten gate.  Now I had to fix it.  Game on. 

I went to Menards b/c going to Lowe's was a mind-numbing experience where no one can really help you.  The employee I found to help me at Menards had me hooked up with the correct boards within 30 seconds. It was glorious.  I came home and laid the new boards next to the old boards and used that as my template.  In the end I realized this may not have been the best method but it worked perfectly this time around. 

 My neighbor came by and snapped some pictures of me in action :)

I was pretty stinking proud of myself.   

 The hinges I put on even lined up with the posts. I think this is when I realized that using the old gate as a template might not have been the most intelligent idea. We have a gate now and all is well again. Next summer I plan on doing some projects with the pressure washer I bought at Menards!!