Day 37

Cards Win! World Series Champs!

Day 36

21 pens/pencils and one chapstick. This is what I found downstairs. My three sons are constantly on me to borrow my pens. Why, you ask? Because they can't find their pens. The writing utensils go to office supply purgatory, I guess. Actually, the pens just walk away. Yeah, that's it. They walk away.

Corey picked up Cooper from his piano lesson. Sort of. Corey rode his bike so they walked themselves and the bike home. Bonding time with dad is good for the boys. Sort of. Sometimes after bonding time they want to build race cars or hammer stuff or go shoot cans or enter a spitting contest. I guess I would be worried if they were girls but since they are boys...

Day 36 Life Lesson: Some day you'll have lots of pens but they won't be nearly as much fun to snuggle with and hug.

Day 35

Tried fishing again for an hour this morning with my dad. Skunked again (my dad got two little bass). It was still refreshing to be out on the water in the cool air.

Cam and I went to a parent ed. class at the Y today. It is so great to have the anti-separator son be over that issue. He went into a room with a mom and child he didn't know and didn't bat an eye when I left. It really feels like a super duper huge accomplishment for him. Way to go, Cam!

Tomorrow Cam gets his speech evaluated - again. We'll see if he qualifies for some services this time.

I am being anti-Halloween. I think I am in denial over the whole day. Or should I say whole weeks. It's really ridiculous. I have to sneak ads into the garbage so the boys won't see all the activities that are going on. I wish we could just skip it. They might not notice. Yeah, they would notice. Anyway, I am not spending any money on candy or outfits so I hope they can figure out a costume by looking in their closet. They'll get over it. Eventually.

Day 35 Life Lesson: The worst day of fishing is still better than any day doing laundry (or anything else for that matter.)

Day 34

ECFE today and then lunch with Kyle. After lunch, Kyle came home for the day. He is having some tummy issues which can be really tough when you are in school. He tells me he has to raise his hand every second to go to the bathroom. Hopefully, he flushes the toilet at school.

Tuesday is one of our more relaxed afternoons. We only have one activity to get to and it's later so we can focus on homework and then have a little down time before we hit the road.

The Cotter Show Choir is doing its annual green collection fundraiser so we decided it was a good time to get rid of the ancient energy hog in our basement otherwise known as a freezer. It was quite a task getting it up the stairs. May not have had to be so difficult if my husband had engaged the use of a little used tool called a TAPE MEASURE! Why do guys do this? So after going up and down the stairs twice, damaging the walls and stair rail and enlisting the help of our very neighborly neighbor, it is finally at rest in the driveway. I will say once again, it did not need to be this difficult. That's all I am going to say about that. For now.

Day 34 Life Lesson: Measure twice, move once.

Day 33

Monday after a long weekend can be tough. The snooze button can be very tempting especially when you are 9 or 6. The walk to the bus stop is dark now. Flashlight dark. The passage of November 6th will help but for two more weeks we will watch our step in the morning. And maybe look for a flashlight.

This is the best time of year to catch BIG bass. My dad and I went out for an hour while Cam was at preschool (got skunked) and then Cam came out with us after school. We had a really fun time catching sunnies with ice fishing poles - just Cameron's "lide". The weather was gorgeous out at McNally's Landing. Lots and lots of sunshine.

Kyle started swimming lessons today. He wants to do the Tri Kids event in the summer so he is in training to learn the front crawl.

Day 33 Life Lesson: Take your kids fishing.

MEA Weekend

Welcome to the family Brydon Jacob. We are looking forward to getting to know you. Go easy on your mom (for a while anyway:-)).

Day 32

It's Wednesday Friday or is it Friday Wednesday. No school Thursday and Friday so I call today (Wednesday) Friday. My mom has been cooking soup all week. I take her ingredients (some) and she whips up these amazing creations in a big pot. Cabbage roll soup, green pepper soup, chicken and wild rice soup, veggie soup, potato soup. So, so good during this cold and windy fall week.

Cardinals win Game 1 - Woohoo! We are rooting hard along with our St. Louis friends for our second favorite team. Go Cards!

Jodi sent an email at 11:30 tonight that she is on her way to the hospital. Double Woohoo!


Day 32 Life Lesson: Food CAN make you feel better.

Day 31

There is so much to think about. And so little time to think about it. And in the middle of all that thinking there is laundry to be done and windows to be cleaned and transporting of children and teeth to be brushed.

Day 31: "She was incredible with a feather duster" has never been seen on a tombstone.

Day 30

What's up with college students today? Do they really not know how to act appropriately and professionally? I want to start a consulting service that trains college students how to behave. Here are some things that would be taught:

Smile when a customer comes to your window.

Speak so you can be heard and understood.

Don't ever use the word "suck" with young children. Ever. Unless it's a class on straws or vacuum cleaners.

Learn that it's not about you. I know that's hard but it's true. Parents don't come to their child's football game to watch you kick and throw. Yeah, it's true.

I could go on and on but I just get more irritated.


Day 30 Life Lesson: Perception is everything.

Day 29

KGOY or something like that. It's kids getting older younger, KGOY. I worry about this with my three sons. I think kids are getting older much, much younger than when I was a kid. I don't think this is good for kids. I am feeling very frustrated with not having any control over this once I send my sons to school.

Cooper is in the GATE program. They are reading Three Cups of Tea. I signed off on this that I was okay with it. And then today I started looking at the book. The true story of a man's quest to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The book is about one man's encounter with the taliban, machine guns, hostages, hashish, etc., all while trying to build schools. That's just what I have seen thumbing through the pages. There is profanity in the book and murder and robbery. This is a true story. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing story and I am anxious to read it. But it doesn't feel appropriate for 4th graders.

So, here is where I eat my shoe or foot or whatever. While I was typing this entry I did some research on this book because I just couldn't believe that the teacher would read this with the students. WELLLLLLLL, I remembered that Cooper said his cover looked different and in researching it I realized he was reading the young reader's edition. The YOUNG READER's edition. Ooops.

This is one of those times where my brain prevailed over my emotions. I was so ready to get on that teacher like pigs on mud. Phew...

Day 29 Life Lesson: Take a deep breath, do your homework, and then take another deep breath and then act.

Day 25 to Day 28

Flag football. First game for Kyle this week. How exciting. He worked hard, ran after the other players and ripped off flags. It was slow going but still fun to watch.

The afternoons are filled with activities. It seems we spend a lot of time in the van. It's not that fun. Maybe if we drove around in a motorhome or say, a porsche, that would be fun.

This week it was parent observation week at Valencia, the dance studio where Cam and Coop take a class. Coop is in Tap and Jazz 2. He is learning a lot and having a really good time. Cam is in Tap and Jazz for Kids. Corey took some hilarious video of Cam in class. He gets so excited he can't keep his feet still.

We visited with Cooper's teacher this evening at the annual parent/teacher conference. The STEM program has challenged Cooper and made him more responsible. Cooper has won over Mr. Paulsen in that way Cooper does with most adults. Hopefully, they will continue to have a positive relationship.

This week's Life Lesson: Practice makes permanent.

Day 24

Big tractor at the orchard.

Feeding the animals. Watch your fingers!


Hey, great looking apples. Shine 'em up.

Going on a Hawk Walk.

Day 24 Life Lesson: Go pick an apple.

Day 23

Flying kites with our friends on Thursday afternoon.

Doing one of my favorite things: Fishing with my dad.

Day 23 Life Lesson: Go fly a kite.

iDay 22

Think Different.

Day 21

Sunshine. So good for the soul. Or at least it should be. The colors of fall mixed with sun seem like a cocktail for happiness. Not true for everyone. The impending winter can feel like a heavy weight coming down on us. We muddle through the peanut butter it feels like we are trudging through hoping for some lightness along the way...

ECFE. One of the lights along the way. Cam is enjoying his time at ECFE playing, learning, making new friends. I am enjoying my time in the presence of funny, smart, and real women.

Day 21 Life Lesson: Be yourself, no one else can.

Day 20

Mondays can be hard. Especially when you are 4. Cam can't wait until Friday to go to the apple orchard on the school bus. To wait 5 more days might just do us all in.

Mondays after school are busy. Flag Football, karate, piano lesson and once a month, a PTA meeting. Tonight's meeting was a dream come true - free meal for the family. And not just any meal, Rocco's Pizza. It was really yummy.

While Cooper was at his piano lesson, we played at the park down the street. 

There is always time at the end of the day for a story.

Cam seems to be a bit attached to his water bottle.

Day 20 Life Lesson: Make time for the important stuff.

Final Camping Weekend Part 2

When life gets tough, the tough sit down and eat some crackers.

Everything I know I learned while camping:

Laughter is really good medicine.

Life is way more fun outside.

Bugs can drive you crazy.

Food tastes better cooked over a campfire.

The grass isn't greener on the other side.

Rain can't keep the fun away.

It feels good to be together.

See you next year, Ethan...

Final Camping Weekend Part 1

Myre-Big Island, Albert Lea. Our final camping outing of the season. We joined lots of Corey's extended family for a really fun fall weekend. We started out the weekend with a big loss. Kyle was eating pizza and bit into a seed. He spit it out and realized it was his tooth, not a seed. To the boys' surprise the tooth fairy camps, too. How great for Kyle.

Cam took Chunk for a walk or was it Chunk taking Cam for a walk? 

The boys always find new and creative aways to use their toys. 

A cousin train.

We had a very shady campsite so it was refreshing to venture out into the sun and colorful trees. 

 I managed to find an opening in the trees to soak up some Vitamin D.