Updates

You'd think that with both boys in school for at least part of the day, I'd have plenty of time to keep up with the blog. You'd be wrong, obviously. I don't even know what I've been doing, but it hasn't included being present here. We are doing something fun this weekend and next week is a regular school week with no holidays, so pictures will come next week. And who knows? If I get all my stuff done tomorrow, maybe I'll post again on Friday. Until then, here are the picture-less updates:

Ollie: Doing great in preschool. In fact, hasn't cried nor dragged his feet at drop-off since the second or third week. He seems to have made friends and is always happy at the end of the day. He won't admit it, but I'm pretty sure he likes it. Outside of school, he's still Ollie! Neither of our boys is/was a true imp, but Ollie's certainly closer than Rhett. He seems to have become more attached to Piggie lately, so I wonder if he's going through something I don't know about? We tried transitioning him from his balance bike to a training wheel-free two-wheeler but it didn't work. Maybe next spring. Finally, he wants to be a green ghost for Halloween. Sound familiar? Ha.

Rhett: Also doing great in school. Either it's his teacher or just second grade, but it seems a bit more "real" this year. As in, he's not getting straight "P"s on everything. But I'm totally fine with this. It's almost more helpful, you know? He apologized the other day that his favorite subject wasn't math; I reassured him it was okay. His favorite subject is art and least favorite? Music! Ha. He was dreading a singing test he had to take last Friday (where he'd have to sing by himself) but then he received an answer to (his) prayer when his teacher was absent! I don't understand this. I frequently sing around the house and music is always playing. Outside of school he's been doing a lot of biking. We got him a new-to-him bike with gears and he loves it. He and I rode five miles the other day and he did great (although he does stop randomly--why??--and I have to swerve to avoid him). He's had a couple playdates with a friend, Matt, from school. And he loves to run around on all fours. This drives me (illogically) crazy. Finally, he wants to be a mad scientist for Halloween. Should be easy enough, right? (Speaking of, anyone local who reads this have a kid-sized lab coat we could borrow?)

Chuck: Even though he had hoped his new job wouldn't be as busy, he was wrong. But at least he's busy doing stuff that he enjoys. He joined a pool and swims laps during lunch. He's amazing. He's home early afternoon every day, and I love it. He got released from ward Young Men calling and was called to be a counselor in the Stake Young Men. This seems like a do-nothing calling except that he was charged with working on youth conference. It's kind of a big deal. Hopefully there will be spreadsheets I can help with.

Me: If I didn't already know, I was recently reminded of the things I'm good at as a mom (getting out, doing stuff) and the things I'm bad at (entertaining my kids at home). Conference weekend was terrible. We'd been inside since the Thursday before (RAIN) and the kids were done. I had too high of expectations of what they'd watch of conference, and it didn't turn out well. Thankfully, once we get out of the house, I'm much better. So we've been hiking at a new place, celebrating Pumpkin Day, and taking lots of walks/bike rides just to get me (and them) out of the house. Plus, the weather has been spectacular, so that helps. Last Saturday Chuck and I went on a fun date night: yummy dinner (locals take note), thrift store shopping, and a spooky train ride. And I've been slowly checking off things from my to-do list, so that makes me happy. What doesn't make me happy? Another nighttime trail run with FROGS. This time maybe only six or so, but that's enough. I'm done running on the trail in the dark. DONE. Oh, I finally figured out why my grocery budget was less than a lot of people I know: side dishes with dinner. We never had them. I now making a concerted effort to include a side with most meals and yes, it's driving the budget higher. Thank goodness it coincides with raise for both me and Chuck. This dish was a recent hit.

The End.