Halloween 2011

We started at 6:42 p.m., took a break at about 7:30 and handed out candy, and then went back out for one more circle through the neighborhood. Here are the highlights:

They got their school sweatshirts in!

Guess who's in the house?

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The first of the Halloween loot

Thanks to all four Illinois grandparents! Just FYI, Xan says he is saving all of his money for a car and college.

Me: Why do you want to go to college?
Xan: I don't know. I just do.
Me: well, what if it is boring in college?
Xan: then I'll come back here and never go there again. Or I'll go to Texas.
Me: Texas? Why Texas?
Xan: (shrug) There's a museum there.
Me: What museum?
Xan: I don't know, but it's Texas, so there's a museum. And I'm saving for a car, too.
Will: I'm going to get a Porsche.
Xan: is that fast? I want something fast. Like Dads. Only blue.


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My presentation video

Here is part of my Assessing Organization Dynamics class presentation for the non-profit agency we are working with this semester, Families Count. I start at about minute 3:00.


http://youtu.be/6uenbtHqUos

School Pics...

4th Grade

Kindergarten

Gulf Shores Shrimp Festival

We headed over to the Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, AL, for some family time. It's about a half hour from our house and the weather was beautiful. We checked out the arts and crafts booths and the kid area. The boys made sand sculptures and each chose an activity to do. Will chose the rock wall and climbed to the top with little trouble. Xan chose the inflatable slide.













Then we played some of the free games. Xan tried golf while Will and Rodney faced off in the beanbag game. Rodney won.











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Hellen Caro Fun Run

As a fundraiser, the school had a 1-mile fun run. I had class, so Rodney and the boys went without me. The boys each earned a medal for participating and all three said they had a great time.






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Finished floor...

Marble's legs keep sliding out from under her a little bit... she can only stand still for so long before her legs start splaying  (see above.) She is still walking around on the floor... click, click, click, click.

15 years and counting...

Congratulations to Rodney. Yesterday was his 15th anniversary of enlisting in the Marine Corps. I love you and am so proud of you!

Floor, Day 2

The children are perplexed by the new floor. Both of them asked Rodney separately: "When are we getting new carpet?"

Rodney: "That is the new floor. We're not putting a rug down."

When I came in to the room, they asked me, I think for verification.

Xan: "So, we're not getting a new carpet."

Me: "No."

Will: "Really? Darn. I like carpet."

Me: "Well, we're going to try this for awhile and see how it goes."

Xan: "That's cool."

Marble just keeps walking across it: click, click, click, click. I'd say she was simply enjoying the novelty of the new sound, but she's deaf, so there goes that theory.

These photos were taken at 10 p.m. today. Rodney has Columbus Day off and assures me the floor will be done and the furniture put back before I get home from work. Place your bets!

Homecoming and flooring...

Rodney has been harassing me about putting laminate flooring in our living room for the better part of two years now. Thanks to two holes worn at the edges of the carpet, and a huge green silly putty stain that was not done by MY children, I finally broke down and gave him a budget. $300... no more. And he had Saturday to do it in... no more. Well, $320 later and about 5 hours left until midnight, here is where my flooring is (BTW, thanks to Jason (pictured) and Jeff for helping out):

What does a good wife do when flooring she doesn't even want is being installed in her home? She takes the kids to college for the day. Today was the end of Homecoming Week at UWF and there were activities advertised. Plus, I needed to get a paper done, Will needed to get some reading done and Xan, well, Xan was just excited to be going to college.

I rented a carrel for the day (a small, lockable study room) so we would have a secure "home base" an the fourth floor on the UWF library. The fourth floor was where the children's collection was... and was the library's quiet floor. No, this didn't make sense to me, either. But it worked out OK. Fortunately, my carrel was located in a secluded corner that had a collection of chairs in front of it, so we were good to go for the first two hours. Then the natives (children) got restless and we headed down and over a building or so to the Homecoming festivities, which were a lot of fun.

 First was the inflatable slide - a big hit. Such a big hit that the normal jumping inflatable wasn't touched by boys at all. Then, they joined Argie's Kid Club - the UWF booster club for kids to support UWF athletics. It was free and they got T-shirts they didn't hesitate for a moment to put on. Guess who one of the main sponsors on the shirt was?

After the slide we checked out the student booths. The Anthropology/Archaeology tents were a lot of fun - great artifacts. The kids loved the drowned rat skull found at one of the local shipwreck sites and the Florida Archaeology tattoos the best. Will won a SGA (Student Government Association) t-shirt for me and they each got a slap-bracelet.

Then we had a free lunch... pizza and soda... while we listened to a band New Earth Army. Xan thought they were pretty good. Please note the SGA sunglasses. He got those from a coed. The boys were a hit with a number of the college girls, especially Will with the archaeologists. After lunch, it was time to head back in to the library so I could get some more work done. The boys played computer games.

 Then it was naptime for Xan. He was getting downright grouchy, so I made him lay on the floor of the carrel. He was out in 10 minutes. Will is more than halfway through his second Whimpy Kid book. Hopefully we can get those AR points up to a decent level.

Oh, and I almost forgot: The boys and I each got a new tattoo. Will chose a skull with flames, Xan got a tiger and I chose a scroll design. Yes, they are real. Real airbrush. ;) They'll last about a week.

Some stray photos...

The first of what I hope is a lot more photos of Xan in Raeanne and Andrew's wedding.

Will's official photo from the summer swim team in Pittsfield.

What teachers really want to tell parents...

This is a must-read! I SO agree with everything in it! I am seeing these kids in college and it is not pretty. At all.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/06/living/teachers-want-to-tell-parents/index.html

Aquariums and Coke...

Rodney offered to help a friend of ours move to Atlanta this weekend, so the boys and I went to tag along as a road trip to the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coke museum. The boys and I went to the aquarium on Saturday afternoon while Rodney lifted furniture, we stayed at our friends apartment Saturday night, and then wen to the Coca-Cola museum this morning. Here are some pictures from the trip:

Of course, Xan refused to pet the cownose rays when we first got there, but then I couldn't get him away from them once he got over his fear. Will wanted to pet one of the bonnethead sharks, but none ever got close enough to the edge.

I really liked the Sea Dragons (above). They were about 8 inches long, very graceful and reminded me of sea horses.

Rodney fell in love with Japanese canned coffee that was dispensed hot when he was stationed in Okinawa. There was some on display at the museum.

The last place you stop (before the gift shop, of course) was a tasting area. It was split up by geographic regions: Asia, Latin America, Africa, Europe and North Africa. It was a lot of fun.

Will tried the Korean soda and thought of Aunt Gina.

Actual smelling shirts - they last 8-10 washes!