JK 1st Field Trip - Apple Orchard

J went on his first field trip with school on September 12th.  The Kindergartners and Junior Kindergartners visited County Line Apple Orchard.  Love this place.  It was the place of Artie's birthday the weekend before.  So much fun!

J came home with apples to make an apple cake.  They made apple sauce from orchard picked apples at school the for snack the next day.  I love listening to J talk all about his activities, and the things they do.  He is so happy.  SQUEE!

J was sad that Peter the pumpkin eating dinosaur was asleep during their visit, but the goats were still hungry so that made up for it.  :)

Since I could not join J on this field trip, I wanted him to know I was thinking of him... In atypical Ali fashion, I decided to be a tad artistic with his lunch bag.  They asked the kids come with disposable lunch sacks, as to not have to keep track of kids AND their stuff. 

I had a blast doing this for him. 

And yes, the kiss was added last - J requested it as part of the Kissing Hand theme being built upon this year.

<3 him="him">

Gathering Thoughts

Wow... Cannot believe it has been a week.  And only a week since I've made it over here.  Sigh.  What a week.

We've survived another close.  We are entering another business planning season.  Thankfully Daddy is on the same page as me, in regards to priorities... You are the only priority that matters.  I will do what I can do in the time I have to do it, otherwise, it isn't worth it.

And daddy agrees.  I cannot tell you how much it means to me that daddy agrees fully and completely with me on this point.

In other news, we have cleaned and reorganized the basement.  We are loving it.  You and I spent time down there yesterday.  You got dressed up as Spiderman, and created this whole world - including me, without needing me to participate fully.  You were good with my reading, enjoying your story line with a spare ear.

And this was after a very fun family day with Daddy.  We even found a plan for a future one again soon. 

We have hit our groove as a family.

In part, this is where we have started saying goodbye and shutting doors on possibilities as well though.  We have sorted your toys for the Spring garage sale.  We have also box a whale load of baby stuff for donation to a friend who is unexpectedly expecting, and my maternity stuff has gone to a co-worker.  Door closed.

Door open...  With the rearrangement of furniture, Daddy & I have found a new use for our sun room.  Our couch has already seen more people action than it had in ages. 

Fall is upon us.  Love, happiness and joy... Here's to continuing to celebrate 2012.  It has been a great year for us so far.

<3 you="you">

Apple Orchard - Birthday Party

J & I had such a busy fun weekend.  I felt like we were just catching our breath, when my alarm went off this morning.  Both J & I could have slept another hour or so...  Thankfully, he slept until I woke him up for school.

Two birthday parties on Saturday were followed by mowing the lawn, dinner and bed... Sunday, being Grandparents Day, were spent celebrating Aunt Liz's birthday & spending time with Grandma & Grandpa M.

I only have pictures from the first party, as Mommy totally slacked the rest of the weekend...  :-/

The Apple Orchard has been one of our favorite activities over the past few years.  J immediately figured out how to dig right into an apple straight from the tree his first year (age 2 1/2), to mommy's surprise.  So we've managed to go every year since... This year, with the early frosts, there are not many apples.  It is so bad, they are calling it an experience more than a picking expedition.  So this year, celebrating a birthday kind of worked perfectly.

The kiddos started at the Petting Zoo.  J happily fed animal after animal.  His working with Payton to take treats without being scared carried over into his feeding the greedy goats.  He was so proud of not shying away.

Although, he did say that one of them was a mean greedy goat & needed to be put on "time-out". 

The Petting Zoo was followed by Peter the Pumpkin Eater. 

And yes, J promptly grabbed the mike when offered to tell a joke.  I was betting money he'd tell a fart, poop, or something else equally embarrassing joke.  Instead, it was one about a Mommy that fell flat with the kids, but us parents chuckled at his bravery.

After a yummy lunch, the kiddos received their Jake hats...

Then got a ride on the Moo Choo Train...

J was so sad to leave his good friend Artie's birthday, but super excited about seeing Madi at Jump Zone for her birthday.

Wow - When did that happen?

J's school has a pretty strict dress code.  Uniform Monday through Thursday, with Spirit Wear on Fridays.  Shoes are mostly all black or mostly all white.  Clothes must fit at the waist and be in good overall condition.  Boys must wear belts.  And absolutely no holes.  Even the stylish ones.

As a result, I have picked up a couple of pair jeans for J, but mostly I was relying on last years jeans to start the year.  Well, I was... Then today, I put them on him and hokey high tides.  Poor kiddo looked like he was trying to avoid the mud puddles. 

Obviously Mommy has some shopping to do. 

Thankfully, J is still young enough this did not cause drama this morning, as we had enough drama over falling asleep almost an hour late last night.  I'm so thankful tomorrow is Saturday.  Maybe this momma can kick her cold & recharge.

That said, I feel like my to-do list is never ending.

Sigh... At least jean shopping is a fun add. 

The boy likes...

tattoos...

Yes, I know... It's random.  Neither his father nor I have any body art.  We are too straight laced for such permanence. 

I ALWAYS wanted a tattoo on my hip, but here I am 36 - a married mother, and have yet to believe I'm old enough to go acquire one.

But the boy...

Yes, the boy has found his fascination in body art.  He even took his first lesson in savings to acquire more body art.

See I bribe reward J for good behavior at the grocery store with a $0.25 for each trip.  It buys him a gum ball at the machine on our way out the door.  He's happy.  I'm happy.  Most importantly, we get groceries - so everyone's tummy is happy.

A couple of trips ago, however, J noticed an Angry Birds machine, and asked what it was.  In my haste to get the gumball and leave, I answered "Angry Bird sticker or tattoo machine.  It costs two quarters, which you don't have.  Grab your gumball and let's go."

J... Never one to be put off or rushed on anything.  Poky Little Puppy  Sigh.

"How can I get two quarters?"

After a good 10 minutes of explaining how J could *earn* $0.50, J decided he wanted me to save his quarter for the next trip.

Awesome.  Let's go.

Fast forward one week. 

Thankfully this is 3 days later.

J on the other hand... He's sad & wanting to know when it will come back.  I keep telling him when he is 30.  Like kissing - no body art until he's 30.

Christmas & Birthday came early this year...

Grandma & Grandpa P are never around these parts at Christmas or for J's birthday.  They are always great about giving him gifts when they get back in town (or before they leave), and for Jacob - this works out wonderfully... His gifts are never ending. 

This year, Grandma, knowing I'm feeling overwhelmed in toys, was really trying to find a good gift for Monkey.  A gift that we would both appreciate.  She'd tossed out a few ideas, but nothing stuck. 

Until...

Mommy mentioned how she & daddy had been discussing a trampoline.  Our dog run is perfect size for housing it.  The ground is level for safety, and being down to only Payton - there isn't much dog left for it.

Grandma jumped all over it.  Grandpa jumped on board immediately as well. 

And together, they surprised him this past weekend.

He hasn't stopped jumping yet.

Labor Day Weekend

J's plans to spend Friday with Grandma & Grandpa were thwarted by Grandpa M having surgery the prior Friday.  Mommy had already told Miss Cheryl she could have the long weekend, so backup plan A was a bust.  Daddy was in the midst of close, so backup plan B was a bust.  As well as Grandma P having a Dr. appointment about her pesky kidney stones...

Backup Plan Mommy was in full effect.  And while I  stressed over pulling a vacation day ahead, I cannot lie - I LOVED this stolen day.  It was perfect for us to have this time to get our errands done in preparation for Grandma & Grandpa's arrival on Saturday. 

Fresh from Pigtails & Crewcuts.

Operation basement insulation, water heater repair, and throw in a toilet innards replacement for good measure was in full effect this Labor Day weekend.

Our basement has been fully lined in 2 inch insulation, and our exercise equipment has been completely put together.  I've even made a ton of progress on sorting for garage sale vs. donating J's baby stuff.

We still have to move the couch downstairs, run cable to the TV, clean the project/game table, and sort J's toys.  Oh yeah, move the two chairs from downstairs to upstairs.  Those + a new area rug & our Sun Room will finally become my reading sanctuary.  Going into fall & winter, that excites me more than I can tell you.

The only part of this project that worries me - sorting J's toys.  It is so hard to make choices on what to get rid of vs. what to keep when he hasn't outgrown all of his toys yet.  But we are overwhelmed in them, and I feel a calling to not only share on his behalf, but pull J into the process.  My mom had a wonderful idea, as we were standing there looking at the overwhelming pile of toys for me to sort, to put all toys away on shelves & see what he gets out & still plays with vs. what he just never seems to find that interest.  I like it AND it fits with my idea of clean floor.  This will be J's playroom.  He will be responsible for picking up his toys.  The bonus is it will give us room to play too.  Instead of having to pick and choose times to play, we will be able to start a game, leave it on the table, then come back after eating - or whatever. 

2012 has been such a wonderful year, and I'm looking forward to rounding it out strong.