Thankful for so much

Thanksgiving week was a great busy week.  The husband took the week off from work.  The boys had a few half days off from school.  Attended the boys conferences.  Celebrated Thanksgiving with family.  Took a trip, picked up the dog and wrapped up the weekend with the festival of trees.  Whew!

The boys did amazing on their report cards.  I am so proud of their hard work.  We keep them very busy with extra activities and they manage to keep it all up.  The teachers had such nice things to say about the boys. 

Thanksgiving was celebrated at our house with my brother and three of his children.  We feel very blessed that we were able to be with some family.  It is hard to be away from our families.  We would love to be able to be with everyone but it is not possible.  I can't believe I didn't snatch one picture.  It was a nice relaxing day.

We woke up Friday morning and headed to Hershey Park for their Christmas Candy lane.  We went with friends of ours.  The have an older daughter, a son E and Jay's age and a daughter Tee's age.  So it works well with our family.

We could not have asked for better weather.  It was a gorgeous day.

We started at Chocolate world when we first got their.  We received an education on chocolate and the best thing was we were able to taste lots of chocolate.  We then took the tour that explains the process of making chocolate bars. 

We then made our way to the park.  There were no roller coasters open but there were 30 rides open.  We split up a little because the younger kids did different rides than the older kids. 

In chocolate class

Tee liked this ride!

Tee did not like this ride!  I didn't think it would ever end.

Family picture

It was a warm day but that didn't stop Frosty.

Our handsome boys on the train ride!

We were able to see a light show at the park and then headed to dinner.  Dinner was really good.

After dinner we headed to the Sweet lights.  A 2 1/2 mile drive of over 600 light displays.  It was nice but a bit long. 

We finally called it a day after that.

The next morning we woke up and went shopping at the outlet that was really close by.  I had no idea it was there.  Then we headed home to pick up Sadie.

She cried some of the way home.  I don't think she likes to ride in the car.

The boys absolutely love her.  Jay seems a little scared of her, Tee can't keep his hands off of her and E has a real connection with her.  He is very responsible when it comes to her.

Sunday we headed to our annual visit of the Festival of Trees.  I was a bit disappointed in the Santa but I really wanted to get the picture of Santa with the boys.

The boys racing cars.

Tee and Dad were the big winners.

It was a jam packed week but a good one.  This week it has been back to our routines.

Temporary Insanity

I remember in 1997, we decided to get a puppy.  We had just moved into our house so it was the logical next step.  Charli was the last girl puppy left in the litter.  She was adorable.

Shortly after we brought her home, my husband was put on an assignment in Boston.  I did the single puppy parent for a good long while.  Those first few months were very difficult.  She was a handful.  But every time I walked into the door she was always so happy to see me.

Charli was such an awesome dog and a member of our family.  Unfortunately, we had to put her down 4 years ago.  We were crushed when she left us. 

The boys have been asking for a dog for a long time.  I love dogs but they do add a lot of work/attention to an already hectic schedule.  Vacations now mean that we have to figure out who will watch the dog.  And don't forget the dog poop that needs to be picked up.  I have not budged from the answer of NO for a long time.

Recently, we started talking about getting a dog.  All I had to do was mention it and the husband was all over finding a breeder nearby.  Conversations ensued.

So without further ado.......meet Sadie!  Our soon to be addition to our family.  I can't tell you how excited every single boy is in this family. 

Sadie, the dog with her right nails painted blue!

She has big shoes to fill after Charli.....but look at that face.

The boys know that they will have responsibilities with the dog from walking to feeding to picking up poop.  I walk around the house and look at all the junk on the floor and tell them that Sadie will eat everything on the ground. 

Tee has been going around making sure there is nothing on the ground.  In fact, he think Sadie will be sleeping with him in his room so every morning he ensures that there is nothing on the ground.  He is very proud that his room is so clean.  He has also started making  his bed. 

Sadie is about 7 weeks old and will be joining us on Sunday.  Tonight we made our trip to the pet store to stock up on puppy supplies.  Yes, I plead temporary insanity. 

I love having twins.  I really do.  But sometimes it is hard to make sure everything is fair.  What I do for one I like to be able to do for the other.  Sometimes it is just not possible.

I volunteered to go on the field trip with the 4th grade class.  I thought about requesting both of my boys but in the end I didn't.  Jay was able to pick who he would have in his group.  E had not heard who's group he would be in. 

I had 5 boys in Jay's class.  One of my friends was also chaperoning and she had 5 boys.  We decided in the very beginning that we were making our boys all stick together. 

The boys were well behaved on the bus ride over.  We were running a little late.  As soon as we got to the science center, we were shuffled to the planetarium.  I saw E and was able to sit next to him.  He unfotunately was not with ONE of his friends.  It made me a little upset.

I asked E if he wanted to hang with my group and after waffling a bit (yes he is not such a good decision maker) he said yes.  Jay's teacher was sitting next to me and I asked her if it would be ok.  She hesitated a bit but eventually said yes.  This teacher also has twins who are just 1 years old.  I told her that she would see that it is not always easy. 

E was very quiet the entire time.  We didn't have much time to roam.  We had to eat early and then head to the 3D show.  Once we left the 3D show, E decided to head back to his group.  The field trip was ok.  We did have several people that we had to watch closely because they kept wandering.

When the boys got home from school, E was very quiet.  I didn't really think anything of it.  He acted strangely at basketball practice.  The husband and I discussed his behavior and decided I would speak to him before bed.

I spoke with him and finally got him to admit something was bothering him.  It took a while.  His brother was at a sleepover/birthday party.  I thought he was upset at that.  He ended up telling us that his feelings got hurt when he went up to the boys in Jay's groups and they told him they didn't want him in their group.  I had heard a little bit of teasing going on but they were just joking with him.  I tried to explain that to him but I am not sure he agreed.

I felt guilty because I feel like I pushed him into staying with us.  Next time I will ensure that I have both boys in my group.

Speaking of Jay's sleepover, that did not go very well for the parents. 

I dropped Jay off and the Mom mentioned that her son got in trouble because she found out that her son was stealing matches and starting (or trying) fires in the woods.  It took a lot for me to not walk back in the house and take Jay home.

The Mom called the Fire Marshall and has enrolled her son in a fire safety class.  Good punishment!

I picked up Jay a little early on Saturday because we had a busy day planned.  The Mom looked at me and said that she felt Jay was really trying to do the right thing but the kids were awful.  They had not slept at all.  They were so loud (they slept in the basement) that she was down there at 2 am and at 5 am.  She could not get them to calm down and sleep.

Jay mentioned that he was trying to sleep on the sofa but someone got a glass of water and poured it on his head.  He was really trying to sleep and the other boys were goofing off.  I do believe him because he needs his sleep and is not used to staying up that late. 

Sunday is when we had a discussion about when you should talk to your parents if your friends are doing something that you know is wrong. 

Fun times!

The week

The husband has been working a lot lately that he decided to take a few days off.  It is always nice to have him home.  It does throw the boys off a little bit as they don't get how he takes a "vacation" day and he is vacationing at home.

Basketball season has started.  This year the boys will have 2 games and 1 practice a week.  Games do not start until December but the kids practice 2 times a week.  The husband is the assitant coach for the team.  Our friend is head coach.  He also coached the boys for flag football. 

The boys will continue to have baseball practice through the winter.  Practice is set for 2 times a week.  As luck would have it, one day conflicts with basketball.  So most weeks they will only be able to practice one time a week.

The boys have continued scouts this year.  We meet 2 times a month.  Luckily, our den leader is very  good about changing our meeting day based on all of our sports schedules. 

Recently, I found out that E was being pulled out of class 2 times a week.  So, of course, I inquired with questions.  I determined that the assistant was pulling him along with several other kids.  They play games.  I decided to send a note to the teacher to get some answers.  She explained that he is getting a little more assistance with being able to summarize and cause and effect.  This would help him with his class writings. So we ended up deicding to get a tutor.  We are having both boys tutored for the time being.  I think they could both use help with writing.  I am just sad that the school doesn't have more resources for this.  But in the end my goal is to just make writing a little easier for them.  We have a former teacher who taught  middle and high school English.  She comes on Thursdays to help with their writing assignment for the week. 

Tee is taking a swim lesson once a week.  He is taking the class with one of his friends.  I am hoping to keep him in swim shape for summer.  After the holidays, I may try to get him involved in a sport.  He says he wants to do soccer again.  He has a very busy social life.  Some weeks he has many play dates. 

This past weekend, we were invited to the  Univ of Md vs. Notre Dame football game.  Tee has been asking to go to a Ravens game.  We were hoping this would cure his curiosity.  We went early and tailgated a little.  Unfortunately, the game was late so we weren't able to stay long.  It was a fun evening.

This week will be another busy one.  I am having a Pampered chef party tomorrow evening.  I love PC products.  On Friday, I will be chaperoning the older boys' field trip to the Science Center.  I have been on this field trip before.  It is a hard one to chaperone because the kids want to separate.  I had not signed up but the teachers sent out a note asking for more volunteers.  Tee will spend the day at his preschool.  Luckily, they have an afternoon class that he will be able to attend. 

A second apart

Every year the boys prepare for the Golden Shoe race.  A class is a team and the team must run a mile.  The goal is to have all of your classmates/teammates run as quickly as they can.  The Golden Shoe is coveted by all, but only 1 class can win.  The boys' first race was in 1st grade.  Neither class has ever won. 

PE class prepares the boys for the run.  I hear the boys often talk about how far they have run.  The teachers do keep track of how many miles they run.

The boys both started off strong.  A few time Jay stopped to walk.  It is so fun to cheer them on.  Jay came in at 7:11 minutes and E came in at 7:12.  They were both a little winded, but they did great.

In the end, E's class won golden shoe.  They get to proudly show it off in their classroom for the entire year. 

I was very proud of E as when he finished he went back out and ran with people to push them to the finish line.

It was so close!



But in the end, Jay pushed a little harder.