Fall Fun

We've been enjoying lots of fun family evenings outside in this beautiful fall weather.  Mr. Mister and I are especially happy to be able to play outside without getting a million mosquito bites.

Yay for more piles of leaves to come!

Mr. Skater Man

The other day some older boys let Mr. Mister take a turn on their skateboard. It may have been the highlight of his life. Or at least his week. He loved it and didn't want to get off. And even Mr. Newton took at turn!

Mmmm...

We thought Mr. Newton might be ready to start solids when he would reach for our food with wide eyes and arms shaking with excitement. To say he was "interested" in what we were eating is an understatement! So he's had some sweet potatoes and rice cereal. I need to mentally gear up for making baby food again. I love making it myself, but it is a lot of work. Definitely worth it though. Look at this sweet boy and his big brother who loves to help! We just need to monitor to make sure that spoon isn't shoved in too far :)

This will make you smile...

Future Musician

Here is Mr. Mister's musical debut!  Daddy led worship at church this past Sunday so while he was practicing all week, Mr. Mister got in on the guitar action.  After church he took his turn at the djembe (pronounced jimbay).  Both videos show his rendition of Our God by Chris Tomlin.

Couches

I had lots of pictures and videos to post tonight but nothing is working so maybe I should just go to bed.  Except that I'm waiting for my husband to get home with a new couch and loveseat we just bought off of Craigslist.  I'm really excited.  We have had quite the journey through couches - we've cycled through 4 hand-me-down couches in the 4 years we've lived in this house. One of our most recent ones is a pull out sleeper without a mattress (long story), which makes it not so comfortable to sit on even with our attempts at stuffing it with old blankets.

I came close to buying new furniture last year but decided with babies/toddlers in the picture for another who knows how many years, it wouldn't be the wisest investment.  And after Mr. Mister recently drew orange "grapes" on one of our couches with his marker and Mr. Newton chose them as his favorite target for spit up,  I was glad I didn't have big bucks invested in them.  So anyway, these new couches are a good compromise - something new that we can actually sit on, but not expensive.  And best of all - MACHINE WASHABLE!  Apparently, the fabric can be removed and washed and dried.  Now that is music to a mama's ears.

Hopefully this week I'll be able to post pictures from our fun weekend visit from Grandma and Papa, a picture of Mr. Newton's new adventure (sweet potatoes!), and a video of Mr. Mister rockin' it out on the guitar.

A New Adventure

Dear Mr. Mister,

If you read this in twenty years, I want you to know what your first day of school was like.  It was definitely one to remember! 

Since it seemed best to Daddy and me that you wait another year to start preschool, we enrolled you in two classes at the community center: ABC's and Ewey Gooey Science.  We thought it would be great to give you two hours a week by yourself to get used to being away from me and to get some social interaction in a class setting that isn't as intense as preschool.  You and I have talked about it a lot leading up to today and besides your disappointment in not being able to ride a school bus, you have been very excited.  So here goes the story of your first day.

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When you woke up, Daddy accidentally told you to go pick out some clothes for your big first day of class.  I  don't think he thought through what that might entail.  And while I am usually very intentional to let you express yourself freely in what you choose to wear, I wasn't ready to do that for your class yet.  So here is what you chose:  Your swimsuit over your pajamas.  Naturally, a good selection in the eyes of a 3 year old.

You ate some breakfast with your stuffed dog, Pipit (named after our neighbor's dog).

And then somehow I managed to get you dressed in something different before we headed out the door.  You looked so handsome.  We got to the community center and I was the cheesy mom who made you take your picture there. 

We arrived at your class a little early and lingered a little bit, both kind of hesitant to leave each other.  But when the time came to go in, you went right up to your teacher and told her your name in a voice that sounded loud and confident, but wavered just enough for a mommy's ears to hear the nervous undertones.  That's okay, I was nervous too.

I wanted to tell her all about you...what you might do or say or need help with, all of your strengths and weaknesses...but I knew I just needed to let you go and do it by yourself.  So I held back some tears and watched you walk into the classroom so bravely.  I was so proud of you.

Mr. Newton and I went to take a walk at the park nearby.  We missed you.

I came back in between the two classes just to make sure you did okay.  You did great and were excited to stay for the next class.  That was a big relief for me.

When I came to get you after the second class, the teacher giggled as she told me, "He went to the bathroom by himself and took everything off to go.  I'm not allowed to help him with that, so he had to put it all back on by himself too.  And everything is on backwards."

Yep, sure enough, here you are with your shorts on backwards and your shoes on the wrong feet.  

And later I would see that your underwear was inside out too!

But, I am SO proud of you for being such a big boy...so brave and courageous, just like we talked about.

You are excited to go back again next week and you can't wait to ask the kids their names since you didn't talk to any of them this time.  I'm sure it won't be long until you have lots of new friends there.

So, we made it through a big day for both of us.  When I was little, my mom read me some Cabbage Patch Kids books where they talked about adoption day as a happy-sad day.  Happy to be part of a new family, sad to leave the cabbage patch.  Well, I felt a like today was a happy-sad day for me.  Happy to see you growing up into new adventures, but sad to know that it will just go faster from here.

It's a good thing it's only ABC's and Ewey Gooey Science one day a week at the community center.  Our neighbor is headed off to college in a couple days.  I'm glad that can wait!

Compassion

I've said before that Mr. Mister is gifted with an incredibly compassionate heart for people who are hurting.  Here are two recent examples:

1.  Daddy and I were both really sick last night...hardly able to move, which makes it really difficult to be a parent to a baby and a toddler.  (Don't you think it should be illegal for both parents to be sick at the same time?!).  Mr. Mister rubbed our backs, brought us toys, offered us water, and even brushed my hair out of my face as I laid on the couch.  He talked to us in the sweetest little voice and genuinely wanted to make us feel better.   Thankfully, he spent the day today at Grandma and Nonno's so hopefully he stays healthy!

2.  The other day on the way to the zoo, we were waiting at a red light downtown when Mr. Mister all of a sudden said, "Mom, what's she doing?"  I followed his pointing finger to see a woman sitting on the opposite corner of the intersection, holding a sign that I couldn't read from where we were stopped.  Oh man, here we go.  The beginning of hard life lessons.  Here was our conversation:

Me: She's probably asking for help with money or food because she doesn't have much.
Mr.: And no one is helping her?
Me: (my heart sinking)  No, I guess not.  It doesn't look like anyone is helping her, does it?
Mr.: No.

A minute passed in silence and then he said, "But we have a lot of food.  We could share ours with her."

It was the most genuine compassion and to him it was just logical that that would be the solution.  Is that what childlike faith looks like?

The Woods

Being in the woods is very life-giving for my husband and it brings him even more joy to be in the woods with his boys. Here are some fun pics of them from this weekend.

First ride in the backpack.  He looks like a pro.

Double duty - very impressive!

When you gotta go, you gotta go.

Joy.

Labor Day

This past weekend we trekked out to a state park with some friends.  The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed some hiking, swimming, grilling, and hanging out outside.  It took a lot of planning and packing, but it was worth all of the work to get there.

Still smiling (and still friends) after sharing a two bedroom cabin for three days.
That would be 6 adults, 2 toddlers, and 2 babies.

Mr. Newton and his future girlfriend.
 (Daddy wore that jacket when he was little!)

Mothering boys lesson #1 -

Even when the car is packed with necessities, the football helmet is still a priority.

Mothering boys lesson #2 - 

Playing football is not a prerequisite for wearing the football helmet.

The crew hiking. Lots of backpacks and baby carriers involved.

This is how most of our hikes ended.
Three year old legs get pretty tired after a lot of walking through the woods.

Freedom!

The ability to use this wonderful piece of baby equipment means freedom for both of us. Mr. Newton gets to stand, explore, and play while I get some hands free time to do things like make dinner. It is a big step for us!

Best Friends

Future Runner

Mr. Mister got some new shoes from Grandma and Papa for his birthday.  He calls them his running shoes and he just loves wearing them. The other morning when I was headed out for a run, he quickly put his shoes on and wanted to come with me. We ran a little bit together before I headed out and it made me excited for when he really can go running with us!

In the meantime, running in his pajamas up and down our back parking lot is sufficient. And really cute, too.

Monarch Butterfly

One of the coolest presents Mr. Mister got for his birthday was a monarch caterpillar in a jar. Our friends gave us directions on how to take care of it and we got to watch it munch milkweed leaves, turn into a light green chrysalis with gold markings, turn black and transparent, and then come out as a monarch butterfly. It was such an exciting process and Mr. Mister learned a lot.  I wish I took pictures of each step.

We released it yesterday. We prepped Mr. Mister for the fact that it would fly away.  He thought he would get to hold it on his finger first (like at the butterfly show), but when it came out of the jar, it just flew away.

This resulted in some tears and a minute of devastation until we could distract him by showing him how the butterfly landed in our tree. 

By, Mr. butterfly!  Have fun on your trip down south!
Saludanos a Mexico!