It’s a rainy, dreary day here. The house is perfectly quiet except for the hum of the computer. Not even the washing machine is buzzing this morning. The boys are off to school after a wet drop off and I am sitting down to catch up here a bit! Owen is one month into preschool and LOVING it! He has gone to bible study with me as well as Sunday School, etc. so we weren’t worried but there is definitely a whole different rhythm to school!  So far he bounds out of the car and is eager to get into school. He chatters the whole way home and spares no detail. He is learning new things so quickly I feel a bit guilty for not having tried to teach him more sooner. This week he asked me to teach him to write his name…and he did. Jackson just had such different interests at this age.

According to his teachers Owen has made some little buddies, one in particular that we hear about often. His name is Noah and his family happens to live in our neighborhood. We met them at a neighborhood picnic last week and learned that the boys were born on the same day, just after the huge Snowmagedon storm. And when put together these boys certainly act like they are two peas in a pod (or maybe two monkeys in a tree…peas in a pod sounds way too passive). As we drove away from the picnic I told the boys that we always pray for them when they start school that God would give them a special friend and it has been so apparent with both of them that friends were picked especially for them!

Owen’s class is the caterpillar class and they recently learned a song about The Fuzzy Caterpillar…he’s a little goofy in front of the camera but you get the idea.

The best news is school wipes him out! He is ready after his busy morning to settle into a great nap most days!

Owen is looking so big these days and very eager to become a big brother. He is my sidekick on non-school days so I imagine it will be an interesting adjustment for all.   He and Jackson are enjoying play time together and while the battles are intense the times of peaceful playing are nice to observe! I can’t wait to see the dynamics when sister comes.

Sorry for the silence around here. I have 3-4 posts half written and while I have been wanting to get back on here and share things with you all I have been knee deep in school prep, garden processing and some major nesting.

We kicked off first grade yesterday with Jackson! He was very excited to go back to school with only the slightest anxiety. He plowed through the day and I was holding my breath for the breakdown. It came at around 6 pm when I think he was just so worn out from the day and full of things to tell us about. He is most thrilled to have his own desk and pencil box this year. He has a few kids from his class last year which helps to ease the jitters. His teacher seems to be a great fit for him and has a great reputation at the school. Owen heads off to preschool tomorrow and as he says he “has been waiting for years and years to go to school”. We are praying for a healthy and happy school year for both boys. There will be lots of changes with a new baby and all of that good stuff but hopefully school will provide a consistent routine! So far so good.

The garden is winding down but not without lots of tomato processing! My fingers are weary from the peeling, seeding and prepping…but of course thankful for the unexpected bounty. I have nearly given up though and I must admit our watering is slowly tapering off. The freezer is stocked with garden veggies to pull out throughout the fall and winter.  Fall is closer than it feels I imagine so it’s probably time to close down shop. We will be growing a mini fall garden of  lettuces and such but nothing too major. We have a family of mice living in our melon patch so I just avoid that area all together!!

Nesting is in full swing as are contractions. Somehow the increase in contractions makes me feel the real need to prepare for baby girls arrival, which likely leads to more contractions. Seth leaves for Peru on Sunday for a week of uninterrupted sleep, pisco sours and ceviche   work so my projects will need to be on hold in order to focus on keeping the boys alive and the baby girl in! To say I am mildly terrified to have him an overnight flight away at 32+ weeks pregnant with contractions warming up is an understatement. But Seth rolls into adventures and planning with great calm regardless of risk so we will all just roll with him (at least on the outside). I have avoided photos this pregnancy…feeling huge and not so fun about it all but since the camera was out Seth made me take one. Here is baby girl at nearly 31 weeks.   Ignore the puffy eyes, etc. I believe Owen woke up in the 4 AM hour.

I’ll be back here soon to really play catch up! I promised that last time but we’ll see if I can get it done! More on Jackson’s birthday, the rest of summer and the baby nursery coming soon!  thanks for stopping by!

As Jackson left for school on the morning of his Kindergarten Patriotic Show he said “Mom, please don’t yell Encore! After our show we really don’t have any more songs to sing.” He is such a character! His class began preparing for their show when school started and they finally got to show us their stuff this week. I am coming to grips with the fact that being in the 97th percentile for height means Jackson will forever be in the back row but he made up for the distance from the camera with his volume and enthusiasm. Here are some pictures…if I remember I will have Seth come back and add some video!

he told me when he came around the corner he had some stage fright

Jackson had a speaking part and I think it’s the first time I’ve seen him be nervous! He did a great job!

Some of the everyday happenings seem to have been lost in the 31 day shuffle. So before I share the story of how Jackson broke his arm last week I thought I would share about his first field trip. Much more pleasant.

A couple of weeks ago I went with Jackson on his field trip to Frying Pan park. Since we live so close to the school he doesn’t typically get to ride on a bus so I have to say I think the highlight of the day was riding the bus with his friends. We rode the bus to the farm and had a great morning. I was assigned three students, including Jackson, to keep up with.

aren’t they the cutest group ever?!

new piglets….kids with parents cell phones (it must be 2012)….scavenger hunt

lesson time…milking a pretend cow

pumpkin patch and hayride

picnic lunch…..back to school

It was a fun morning and such a treat to have some big boy time! It’s rare to be with just Jackson on an outing. He enjoyed the extra attention and was on his best behavior! (and he wasn’t embarrassed to grab my hand or hop up on my lap)