Happy Halloween!

Another Halloween has come and gone.  I often wonder when will be the last of the dressing up, trick or treating, carving pumpkins.  I'm sure we have a few more years.  I actually don't really like Halloween....it's gotten so much bigger than when we were kids. 

This year, Keely decided on a vampire.  Quinn was a wizard, only fitting after it became the year of Harry Potter for us.  We had no idea how many trick or treaters to expect, and I was disappointed because we had a lot of candy left over. 

The kids went out about 6:30 and got about 1.5 hours in, doing the circle near our house and a loop around our block.  Quinn went with his best bud Jack and another boy from his new class, Tyler.  Keely went with Julia and another little girl in the neighborhood.  Actually they all started out together but ended up splitting up.  I was the designated trick or treat parent, and James stayed home to hand out candy.  He dressed up for the first time in the 18 years I have known him (actually, I think he dressed up in college once but I wasn't there so that doesn't count).  He didn't scare many kids, despite the blood flowing down his scary mask. 

The kids got a lot of candy...as usual Keely ate a lot along the way.  Quinn ate not one piece.  When we got back to J&J's house, Quinn would not empty his bag and trade the way the other boys were doing.  Keely dumped out the remains of her bag and gave it to Jack.  She's so funny! 

Oh, another tidbit - Quinn got tired of his robe about halfway through, went home and changed into a ninja mask with sword.  The boys also had a funny experience at one home - it's actually our adjacent back neighbors - when they went up to say trick or treat, they were told that they needed to give candy to the homeowners instead of getting candy.  It's a group home so we aren't dealing with typical homeowners here, but we all thought that was a little strange! 

So Halloween has come and gone, and with it begins the official holiday season!  I can't believe it is now November and we are rapdily heading towards Thanksgiving and making Christmas plans!

iPhone Photos, Etc.

Ah, almost the end of October.  We are ready for Halloween...costumes check, pumpkins check, candy check, fall festival check.  Even James is getting in on the costume act this year.  I'll save a photo of that for the actual date.

Since I last wrote about life in general, Quinn was moved out of his class to the AAP class.  It was all a bit fast and surprising, because as I mentioned the discussions I had with the teachers at school were that he would be evaluated at the end of the first quarter and not moved until January.  After some conferring though, we got a surprise phone call on Saturday saying that he would be moved to the new class that Monday.  Only problem was the message was on my work phone, meaning I didn't get it until Monday morning after Quinn was on the bus to school.  No problem though, he was suave as usual and took it in stride.  I knew he would be thrilled, and he was.  The main reason for the abrupt change was that the class was starting advanced math lessons that Monday, and the later Quinn joined the more he would have had to catch up.  So they concluded that he was ready and moved him.  He's been there for 2 weeks now and really likes it.  I can tell the work is more challenging and he seems to like that.  His teacher said it's a pleasure having him in class, and hopefully that continues.  He also got an A on his geography test so quiz him on Virginia facts when you see him next :)

On another note, because I like to talk about both good and bad things...Quinn seems to be sewing his oats a bit.  On Saturday, he got upset because we were going to the fall festival (Keely's choice for her birthday).  He wanted to go to a party at his friend's house but we were having family time.  When I say he got upset that is putting it lightly.  Picture a 10 year old boy having a full on temper tantrum...irrational, screaming, hiding in his closet.  It was not pretty.  I handled it poorly.  Thank God for James.  He calmly talked Quinn through it, and got him to come to the car on his own accord (albeit nearly 30 minutes later).  Quinn even calmed down and enjoyed himself, which I was really happy about because I didn't want him to ruin our activities by being a spoilsport.  We suspect lots of reasons for this outburst...but are not happy with how irrational and irrate he became.  Perhaps he is just testing us.  He's always been the child who is pretty calm, mellow, sort of low maintenance.  I didn't expect this from him.  But children grow and change, and he's coming into a new stage in his life.  He's a pre-teen I suppose although I don't want to admit it.  I've seen flashes of independence from him, but this was scary.  It is not how a maturing 10 year old should handle a situation he does not want to be in.  Anyways, James got him through it and hopefully we can tackle things slightly different next time so that he doesn't act the same way.

Now back to good news.  A benefit of living near the Nation's Capital and our rich American history.  Class Field Trips have begun.  Last week, Quinn went to the National Symphony Orchestra.  He said it was pretty boring, although his favorite part was when the audience got to make a "rainstorm" using noises from their hands and feet.  Today is another field trip day.  Keely's class is headed to the DC Aquarium downtown.  Quinn is at Jamestown.  We had to have him at school at 6:15 AM and he won't return until 5 PM.  They got a nice sunny day, albeit chilly.  I am so excited for him, and he was so excited too - he jumped out of bed at 5:30 AM.  He is not a morning person so I know that a sign of true excitement!  I'm sure classes in other places go on cool field trips, but these seems a little out of the ordinary for normal class trips.  I'm excited for the kids to have these experiences and hoping that they not only enjoy it but realize that they are lucky to explore such interesting places and activities.

One more thing before a couple of pictures...Quinn will participate in the 'Human Development' class at school in December.  You know, the one where they take the boys in one room and the girls in the other and talk to them about the changes of life.  It was in 5th grade when I was younger but I guess they have pushed it up a year - considering that girls are developing earlier that makes sense.  He was like "ewww, I don't want to learn about that" at the mention of the word puberty...haha, but he has no choice.  Like it or not, it's coming and he'd better learn sooner rather than later!

And now a couple of photos I have taken with my phone over the last week.  A sign that your son needs a haircut...and proof that siblings can snuggle (taken from my view on the treadmill, and notice Rudy cuddled up with them).

Eight

On Sunday, my baby turned eight years old.  She was so thrilled for her birthday weekend.  On Friday, she brought cookies into her class to kick off the celebration.  Nana, Papa and Annie joined us for the big event, arriving on Friday night...oh, Henry too of course.  Saturday she had a soccer game and scored her very first goal of the season...actually, not only her first goal but I believe the team's first goal (no, they're not very good - a lot of first time players on their team).  She was so thrilled, and believed her pre-game banana was most definitely the reason!  After soccer, we ordered her cake.  She picked Barbie Ballerina and chose it to say Happy Birthday KCD (initials, just like her big brother had chosen a month ago).  After discussion of a number of choices for the day's activity, Keely chose Cox Farms.  This is a big fall festival out in Centreville, about 45 minutes away from our house.  There was a corn maze, slides, hay ride, animals, apple cider...and a LOT of people.  Everyone seemed to know this was the last great weather weekend before Halloween and they showed up in droves.  We didn't get there until about 3:30 and by that time, the parking lot was jammed and lines were long for slides and the hay ride.  The cost was also quite ridiculous at $15 per person.  I don't think the adults should have to pay that much, given that most of it is geared towards kids.  We stayed for a couple of hours though and both kids had a fun time.  The adults even rode down some of the slides to get our money's worth!  We got to take a small patch pumpkin home too, and shopped a bit in the store before leaving.  Keely's choice for her birthday dinner was Silverado, a local restaurant around the corner from our house and what some proclaim to be the best restaurant in Annandale.  I haven't tried enough others to agree, but I do agree that the food is fantastic.  We had a lovely meal, even though we had to wait a while for a table.  After dinner, we let Keely open her presents even though her birthday wasn't until the next day.  She got Crocs (to match her little cousin), earrings, a "K" necklace, sticker book, Barbie cell/camera/purse set from Mom and Dad.  From Nana and Papa, she got a Hermione wand and a charm bracelet and Annie got her the first charm, an angel.  Quinn got her 6 packs of gum, and her excitement at this was hilarious - she's definitely easy to please!

On her actual birthday, it was a pretty typical Sunday with CCD in the morning.  We then went down to Old Town Alexandria to enjoy a lovely afternoon, with shopping and a late lunch/early dinner (linner as Quinn called it) at a very good Irish restaurant.  Then it was back to our house for her cake before our guests departed.  I took a video of her birthday song, which was one of many times she was sung to over the weekend.  She is definitely a lucky girl!  

In so many ways, Keely acts much more mature than her 8 years.  I have to remind myself that she is still a child with a lot of growing to do.  I wish she could stay sweet and little forever, but I know that will not happen.  She is still a handful but her personality is unmatched.  She is a very loving girl, constantly kissing and hugging us and telling us "Love You".  She loves to sing, dance and most definitely lives life to the fullest.  As we all should...and I hope that she keeps that as she grows and develops into a young woman and beyond!

Random Updates

It's nearly the middle of October and I have not done any updates this month.  Truth be told, there hasn't been much to say.  Our weeks are filled with gymnastics, football, soccer, and cub scouts.  Wednesdays are the only free night.  On Tuesdays, there are 2-3 things to be at with each child so James and I have to divide and conquer.  I can't imagine how people do this with more than 2 children!  I guess you just schedule less activities.

Last weekend, we traveled up to NJ to visit the families.  Since it was Columbus Day, soccer games and CCD were canceled so it made sense to head out of town.  We stayed at Grandma & Grandpa's.  No pictures, there just wasn't much to photograph.  The weather was gorgeous, actually even a bit hot for a fall weekend but we didn't really get out to enjoy it too much.  We spent our time divided between Nana & Papa's, G&G's, and Annie's new condo.  Keely enjoyed trying on shoes from Nana and Annie's closets.  We brought Callie, and the kids enjoyed playing with Henry and Karen's new puppy.  One funny Quinn-ism that I have to share from our drive...while Keely was sleeping, we got to have some interesting conversation with Quinn.  I love that he can have almost adult conversations.  We talked about science, math, weather...all kinds of things.  Quinn then opened up a book he had in the car called "The Founders" about the founding fathers of the United States.  He was reading out loud some of the facts in it, including some about Benjamin Franklin.

James: Quinn, did you know Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, "Beer is proof that God loves us."
Quinn (without missing a beat): I didn't know that Benjamin Franklin was a Christian. :)

I cracked up, I just love his quirkiness and witty remarks.  He definitely gets that from James!

Anyways, what else is going on? 

I went to a meeting this week to learn more about the Advanced Academic Program (AAP) at the kids' school. I went mostly at Quinn's insistence.  His best buddy is in the AAP class in 4th grade and Quinn feels he should be in there too.  Because we just moved here, Quinn missed the testing (CogAT) that happens in 2nd grade.  Keely will take the test this year and we will know early next year if she's a candidate.  Quinn will also take the test this month when they test the 2nd graders.  The test results are not the only way a child can get moved into the AAP class.  We've told Quinn the kinds of things they look for.  At this point, the AAP head and his teacher are monitoring him for the rest of this quarter (about another month).  We have 1st quarter conferences in November and will discuss it then.  No changes would be made this year until 3rd quarter.  I doubt that's going to happen, but he can be considered for full time placement in 5th grade.  I don't think this is all a big deal but Quinn seems to think so and that's why I'm researching it.  I don't want him to be bored in school - so far he is not, but he does seem to be acing the materials they are studying (especially math).  In the AAP class, they do one year ahead math curriculum which I am pretty sure Quinn could handle.  On his college applications, no one will ask if he was in AAP classes so this is not a big deal.  Parents really push this on their kids, along with so many things - I think that's what bugs us most about the program.  It's not only based on teacher recommendations and test scores, but parents can nominate their own children to be considered.  For us, we'd rather the recommendation come from the school.  So that's what we have told Quinn - we are not applying for him, he needs to show his teachers that he should be in AAP.  Time will tell if that's to be the case this year or next, but it's not worth stressing about.  For now, Quinn is enjoying learning all about Virginia...its regions, bordering states, products, rivers, etc. :)

Boy, for not having much of an update I am sure writing a lot.  When I don't blog, I don't feel as balanced.  I guess I just miss writing, even if it is about mostly mundane stuff.

Oh also, on the book front I am now on Book 7 of Harry Potter.  I have been reading these since June and have really struggled to get through some of them.  Not because I don't like them but because they are just so darn long.  I just don't have that much time to read on a daily basis.  So far, Book 4 and 6 are my favorites.  I'm having a really hard time getting into Book 7 but I hope the action will pick up soon and I am sure I will enjoy finding out how it all ends.  Then I can watch the movies - I have only seen snippets of a couple of the movies and I can't wait to see it all play out in film though I fully expect that I will have liked the books better.

So that's what been going on in our neck of the woods.  Now back to busyness - we have 4 soccer games this weekend and we are trying to fit in some pumpkin picking and some other area sightseeing. 

Double Digits

On Saturday, Quinn entered the world of double digits when he celebrated his 10th birthday.  It was actually an extended weekend of birthday fun with Nana, Papa, Annie, Karen and the twins visiting us to help celebrate.  Yes, that's 6 extra people, and an extra dog (Nana and Papa's newest addition, Henry) in our little house.  Needless to say, there was no more room at this inn :)  Considering we had 10 people, 2 dogs and 1 cat sharing a house it all went pretty well.  Thank goodness for finished basements!

Quinn's birthday started bright and early with a soccer game.  He had a banner day, scoring 2 goals in the team's 4-3 win!  After that, we had Keely's soccer game and then it was time for some fun.  We headed downtown on the Metro to Quinn's choice activity, the International Spy Museum.  Turns out only Quinn and the twins wanted to see it, so James and I took them while the others checked out the National Portrait Gallery.  The boys seemed to enjoy the museum...it's a pretty cool premise, as it's the only museum dedicated to espionage.  But it's not all that interactive and involves a lot of reading, so the boys zoomed through most of it.  I'm sure their favorite part was spending money in the gift shop.  Even Keely took part in that, despite not having visited the museum.

After the sightseeing, we headed back on a very crowded Metro to our cars and then on to Quinn's choice for dinner, Silver Diner.  He wanted breakfast (french toast, of course) thus the choice of a diner.  Silver Diner has great local food all around, so it was a nice meal for all of us.  After dinner, it was nice for cake and presents.  He got gift cards, Legos (all Harry Potter themed), the HP illuminating wand and a Lego watch.  His cake was store bought at his request, Transformers themed (he wanted HP but didn't like the grocery store choice and all the bakeries were booked up by the time I called to order a special design cake).   

So that was Quinn's big day.  All in all, it was a crazy birthday weekend filled with lots of activity...which tires me out, but Quinn had a blast and that's what matters most.  As for having a 10 year old, I have mixed emotions.  I love the boy that he has become, he is a sweet sensitive child with a zest for imagination and creativity and I really wish time could stand still.  But that will not happen, and sadly we are more than halfway through his childhood (assuming he leaves for college before he turns 18).  I'm sad about that, but happy we are raising a confident well adjusted young man and really love watching him develop and flourish.  He teaches me about as much, if not more than I teach him.  Time will move forward, but I'll enjoy each moment and love him more with each passing day. 

Three Months

It occurred to me last night that we have been living in Virginia now for over 3 months, and that led me to some thinking about how things are going.  With all change comes mixed feelings and emotions.  My emotions about the move are still up and down, ranging from happy to sad sometimes all in one moment.

I miss our house in Utah.  I miss the community that we had around us.  I miss the comforts of a place I had lived for 6 years. I knew it would be hard to start over, and that's been true.  For the first year or so that we lived in Utah, I struggled to get settled and found it hard to integrate in the new area...but that was exacerbated by my working from home, which is not the case this time around.

After three months, we are settled in our house.  By settled, I mean the boxes are all unpacked and most of the pictures are hung on the walls.  But now the list of things that I want to do to the house and yard are growing.  These things all cost money, and with only one salary we have to be cautious of spending money.  Patience is a virtue here, but I always struggle with that.

In contrast to the small town feel of Utah, I feel much like a small fish in a big pond here.  I wonder if it will always feel like that.  I'm sure it won't as we integrate in with the kids' school and activities, and eventually I will get more involved again (i.e. PTA) but for now, I am taking a much needed break. 

The kids seem to be doing fine.  Gone are the days of complaining about leaving Utah as they become immersed in school and new friends, new sports teams and new adventures.  I know that time will help a ton for me with getting to know their friend's parents.  Like it or not, that's how friends in adult life come to fruition. In Utah, it took us a good 4 years or so before we had a nice group of friends to call for help, hang out with and have some fun adult time.  So again, patience is a virtue.

As with any change, there are ups and downs.  I am sure had I been capturing my thoughts after living in Utah for 3 months, it would have definitely been a mixed bag.  I feel all over the place in writing this post, it's really hard to compose my thoughts into a cohesive format. I will revisit the topic in a few months and see how things feel with a little more time.

More Weather Woes

Well, it seems an earthquake and a hurricane were not enough - we endured Tropical Storm Lee last week from Tuesday through Friday.  I'm hoping this completes the trifecta of natural disasters for a while!

It rained seemingly non-stop for those three days, and mostly they were heavy downpours.  The ground was already pretty saturated from Hurricane Irene so there was nowhere for the water to go.  Well, nowhere very pleasing to most homeowners as water flooded basements, garages, etc.  We were safe last time but not so lucky this time.  We took water in the basement...not in the sump...but leaking in from the foundation.  Our wet/dry vacuum picked Thursday to die, so I was one of the many homeowners purchasing one from Home Depot in a downpour on Thursday night.  Luckily, the water in the basement was minimal.  However, there was also flooding in the garage from the water ponding in our backyard - at one point probably 6-8" of water directly behind the garage.  The water flowed from the backyard through the garage and down the driveway.  James was able to unclog the french drains, but they were most likely not really clogged but overwhelmed by the volume of water.  We also flooded in the laundry room a bit as the drain outside the door was clogged with debris.  None of this is good, but it certainly could have been worse.  We had 8" of rain on Thursday, on top of 3" on Wednesday on top of whatever fell on Tuesday (all approximate numbers).  The picture is from an intersection down the street from our house...the park overflowed directly across the street and look closely for the car that got stuck while trying to drive through...oops! 

The rain impacted school and soccer too.  Quinn's first soccer practice and game was canceled.  Back to School Night was canceled.  Schools were closed on Friday.  They only build in 3 "snow" days and there goes one of them!  We talked with the kids about the possibility of schools closing for weather here in Virginia (it wasn't even a thought in Utah) but who knew it would be on Day 4 of the year?!?!