Weather Related

Well the last of our flowers have come and gone and I have been outside on the dry days cleaning up the garden. Yesterday I was raking and couldn't help but think about our poor tenants in Seattle that have to rake millions of leaves this fall. It was nice to just be out for a few hours and have all the yard raked off. In Seattle it took weeks and over 200 bags to get all the leaves off that yard. Everything always looks so beautiful in the Fall until all the leaves are gone. We had a big wind storm last week so most of the leaves have come down.

We have a really pretty tree in the front that looked like it was the "burning bush" for a few weeks.

On Friday during the wind storm Lyla and I were in the kitchen and heard a crash and looked down by the water to see one of the giant willow trees laying in the water. The tree was actually our neighbor's but it fell on our side. Plus the neighbor is like 90 years old so we will have to eventually get out there with the chainsaw and take care of this mess.

Can you see Phil in the tree? Seriously this tree is going to be a beast to get out of the water.

I heard the 8-10 year old scouts needed a service project...do you think this is what they had in mind?

Pumpkin Patch

The kids didn't have school on Friday so we went with some friends to the pumpkin patch. The day was cool and beautiful and the kids had a wonderful time. They loved the pig races and the vortex room and it was fun hanging out with friends. We took the traditional pumpkin patch photo...only wish Phil could make it in to one of these.

I got to be surrounded by all the kids.

Cannon on the cow train ride. They didn't look like they were having fun, but they all wanted to go again when it was over.

Miya and Lyla playing in the corn room. It was super dusty in there and the kids were covered when we came out.

On the bridge in the middle of the corn maze. We loved the maze until we hit clue number 8 and couldn't find our way out. Jennifer had Sara on her shoulders and she fell asleep and then Jen had to carry her the whole time we were lost. Luckily we survived.

Monkey Boy

Lyla has a new favorite book. We read this book about 5 million times a day. I finally said, "why don't you read it." It was so cute I had to record it for grandma and grandpa. Of course you get to hear her sassy attitude when she doesn't want to read it anymore, but that is just more of the fun of a two year old little girl :)

Volunteer

Yesterday was my first day helping in Miya's classroom and I had to laugh when I got home about how much movement there was during the short hour I was there. Kids where all over the place. They were working on their science journal and kids were EVERYWHERE. They had to get a different crayon from a different basket, they had to go to the board to look at the sentences, they had to talk to their teacher, they had to... It was 1:00 in the afternoon and by the time the assembly started somehow all but two of the kids had finished. Thank Heavens for 1st grade teachers. I don't know how they do it, continually bringing the kids back to the task at hand.
I am excited to spend more time in there this year.

Problem Solver

I picked Cannon up from school and his teacher said, "So today..." I tuned her out a little for a second to think, "shoot what did Cannon do today?" she went on, "Cannon helped solve a problem in the bathroom. Cannon, you will have to tell your mom all about it."

Cannon was beaming at this point and couldn't wait to get to the car to tell me all about his problem solving skills. His story went like this:

Cannon: I went in the bathroom and you know the place that you go pee, not the regular toilet?Me: yes. (I really can't imagine what is going to come next, but I can't imagine the bathroom being very clean with urinals for little boys.)

Cannon: Well, a big kid was sticking a little boys head in there and flushing so his head got all wet. He asked (I am not sure he was really asking) me to do it to, but I said no and that he shouldn't be doing it to the other little kids.

Miya: mom we have a sign that says Be a Buddy not a Bully.

Me: Then what happened Cannon?

Cannon: I went to the bathroom and then went out for recess and told Mrs. _____ about it and showed her what boy it was that did it.

Me: Cannon how did you know that what was happening in the bathroom was wrong? Was the little boy crying?

Cannon: He wasn't crying, but he just kept sniffing his nose. It didn't seem like something that should be happening and so I stopped it.

Me: Cannon I am so glad that you didn't just join in on the bullying and that you helped the other little boy. I hope you know how great I think you are. I love you.

Cannon: Thanks mom. Mrs. ______thought I was pretty good too.

I love this little boy. I am a little worried about bullying at school, but I am glad to see how Cannon handled things.