University Kids Harvest Carnival

Every year for Halloween, University Kids puts on a pretty awesome party.  (However, MUST we call it the Harvest Carnival?  Is Halloween really politically incorrect now?)  Each room has something fun for the kids to do, and all the kids absolutely love wearing their costumes throughout the day.

We started in the pinata room.  After about 20 kids, it quickly became apparent that the pinata was not going to come apart.  One of the teachers asked if one of the adults wanted a go, and we all looked at each other awkwardly.  Then I basically shoved Bryce into the middle of the room to do it.  He took care of that pinata once and for all.

Then he decided to wear the carcass of his victim as a hat.

The boys, of course, were superheros.  I mean, was there any question?

Jack enjoyed getting his face painted with the item of his request - a white star.

And Cole was spooky with his double-ghost look. 

As we left the school, I couldn't help marvel at the teachers and their ability to teach their way through the day, and then party all night.  These are some lucky kids!

On Turning 5

Cole has been looking forward to his birthday for quite some time.  He has been so excited to turn 5 and to move into the "Kindergarten" class at University Kids.  He's been doing wonderful in school, and is learning his letters and "Popcorn" words.  He has also been diligently educating all of the other kids on super heroes, Transformers, and all other important subjects.  His teacher says he quite often leads an impromptu exercise class on the playground, and I've come to pick him up only to find him leading the kids around the grass like cats.

Cole has also started a Karate class at the Little Gym, and it has been so good for him.  In fact, his birthday fell on one of his Karate nights.  I asked if he would rather go home and open presents, or go to Karate and have less time to play with his gifts.  He chose to go to Karate.  I've seen the positive effects in him - a willingness to try new things, and a deeper sense of confidence - that I hope can continue. 

Cole's favorites right now include superheroes (although, he did announce to his pediatrician that he likes DC characters better than Marvel), Transformers, and watching Teen Titans Go!, or any other superhero show.  He loves music, and his current favorite song is Macklemore's "The Ceiling Can't Hold Us." 

I'm always amazed at how deeply Cole thinks through things, and how many questions he has about they way things work.  He wants to be an engineer when he grows up and I have no doubts as to his abilities to do that.  He wanted Legos for his birthday, and he and Bryce spent two or three nights putting together this quite detailed Arkham Asylum set.

He's also a wonderful big brother to Jack.  Recently, he's been working to teach Jack how to count and how to share.  He is so proud when Jack tries something new, and watches out for him constantly. 

For his birthday, Cole and Isak had a shared party at Discovery Gateway.  Of course, the theme was superheroes, and everyone had fun creating their own character and "training" in the secret hide-out.

Happy 5th Birthday, Cole!  We sure do love you and are so happy you are a part of our family.

 

Super Brothers!

Watch out, bad guys.  There's a new crime-fighting force in town.  They'll capture you with cuteness!

Silver Lake

I can't believe it's fall already.  The year has just flown by.  We headed up to Silver Lake to check out the leaves, but got some snow instead.  Unfortunately, the pathways were all slushy and icy which made for an interesting hike.  I think my dad was about ready to strangle my well-meaning attempts to help keep him from sliding.  

However, the big ticket of the day was throwing snowballs.  The boys discovered how much fun it was, and the walk around the lake took twice as long as normal.  Next year, we'll definitely work to avoid the snow!

Cornbelly's: Take 2

Remember last year's failed trip to Cornbelly's complete with 45 minute long line to get in?  This year, I was determined to outsmart the process.  Bryce and I decided to arrive right at 10:00am one Saturday morning.  The Saturday morning we picked?  Conference weekend.  Seriously, we had the place almost to ourselves. 

We started out going down the big slide.  Jack loved it.  Cole...not so much.  (No surprise.)

Jack mostly wanted to drive stuff...

While Cole enjoyed the bounce houses.  And yes, he is wearing a Spiderman costume.  That kid sure loves to dress up.

And then there was the point in the day when Bryce and Cole discovered gigantic Legos.  I mean, really, is there anything else in life?  Bryce promptly commenced building a Lego house.

We rode ponies...

And ran through the corn maze.

There were lots of great places to take pictures:

But this is my favorite.  Cole is in his super-hero element while Jack copies his every move.

I sense a new tradition!  Especially the tater tots.  You haven't lived until you've had those suckers deep-fried.  Yum!

Fun With Smores

Every so often, you have a perfect night that begs for you to make a fire.  This just happened to be one of those nights.  The boys loved helping Bryce get the fire started.  They also giggled non-stop and wanted to roast far more marshmallows than they wanted to eat.  And thus, a boy's obsession with fire is born...

More Isms

This past weekend, we had the viewing and graveside services for my Grandpa Allen, who passed away on Labor Day.  I hope he found some ironic humor in that.  He was a good man, and I'll always remember his bone-crushing hugs and the way he called me "Danny."  (He was the only one who could get away with it, so don't get any ideas!)

I'll be honest, I found myself not feeling much when I first heard.  But now, I feel mostly regret.  I hardly knew my Grandpa Allen.  I don't know much about how he grew up, what he liked in school, or what happened to him in the war.  He hardly spoke - like most wise men, he let my grandma do most of the talking.  However, that meant none of us really ever knew what he was thinking on a given topic.  The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that was exactly the way he wanted it to be.  I think he enjoyed keeping to himself.

His passing also generated some fabulous "Isms" that I just had to add, and that I think he would have gotten a good chuckle out of.

As I was looking at pictures of grandpa, Jack climbed up into my lap.  I paused on a specific picture that really showed off grandpa's tattoos - a souvenir from his time in the navy.  Jack pointed at his arms and stated, "He all muddy."  I bet there are folks out there that wish their tattoos were as easy to wash off as mud.

Then, the day of the viewing, we had loaded up the kids and given them a brief description of what the day would be like.  As we pulled into the mortuary, Cole asked from the back seat, "Is this heaven?"  Can you even imagine if it was?!  Worst heaven ever.  

The viewing was well attended and the graveside was simple but meaningful.  I think Grandpa would have approved.