Family is everything

Sunday I ran the Chicago Marathon. It was wonderful to be back in the midwest for a few days and my cheering squad of mom, dad, Aunt Jill, Uncle Jeff and Aunt Chris sure made a girl feel loved. While I was gone, Adam, Boyd and Grandpa Burla held down the fort inVirginia.Boyd had off from school Monday so I flew standby to get home earlier and enjoy a perfect fall day at Belvedere Plantation for their fall festival. It exceeded our expectations and we spent four hours there.  It was a wonderful day.                                                                                         

This is the face of a boy who doesn't want you to leave on a work trip.

The Chicago marathon cheering squad.

Waiting for the Pig races on the farm.

Boyd was chosen as a pig ring leader. We were cheering for the pig that was marked with red to match our flag.

Our pig took second or third so Boyd won a pig tail.

Zip line

Hoops. This was quite the sight. There was also a kickball and since the other boys were trying to kick the ball into the hoop he thought he should try too. Fearful for all our lives I told Boyd he could do the kicking attempt once...he sunk it in one shot.

Kind of like paintball. Somewhere I have another photo I'll need to upload.

Slides with sacks. He ran everywhere including up the super steep hill to the top of the slide.

I lost track of how many times he rode these vehicles around the track.  He loved it!

Carrying our flag in case we got lost in the corn maze.

Proof I was there.

Pig nose to go with his pig tail.

Gramps is always such a good sport. 

Pig on the way to our car. Always in character.

I let Grandpa go up with Boyd to get ready for bed. They were quiet for a while and when I came upstairs I saw this. Reading for twenty minutes together in bed before bed was part of their routine while I was gone. I love it!

Coolest thing ever. Giant corn pit. You could jump, dive, wrestle, dig, burry, and so forth. So much space and a blast. I wish we had one for the yard. It was at least a foot deep.

Throwing footballs.

Oh yeah. I buried Boyd. The only issue was occasionally someone would walk by and accidentally step on a hand or foot.

This is what happened when you attempted a headstand.

Cool kids

Pie in the Face

 Well, you just never know what adventures and fun will occur around here. Last night we went to get a gift for a friend who had broken his arm. Since he has brothers, we thought an additional family gift would be nice to help everyone smile. When we arrived the older brother peaked into the bag and politely said, thank you and that was thoughtful, but we already have that game. Boyd was relieved to see his friend doing better (it was all he talked about last night and as soon as he got off the bus he asked to go see him). Boyd had sent him a very funny message that helped provide some much needed smiles for their family as they were in the hospital the night before. The gift for the friend with the broken arm was a nerf gun he could operate with just one hand so he doesn't miss out on any of the neighborhood nerf fun. Since Boyd had been so empathetic (which is something that I have been trying to teach him for years) I allowed him to keep the game. We gave it a try and oh boy was it hilarious. We had to call our neighbors over to play for a few minutes at 7:45 just to share the joy. This game is coming with us to Thanksgiving and I recommend picking it up if you need some laughter and love. Pie in the face.

The anticipation of the possible outcome.

Preparing for the possibility or channeling inner zen?

Boyd seemed to get pied more than anyone else. Given his sensory issues I was so proud of his for playing and continuing to play this game, He didn't want to stop. His always seemed to land right smack in the middle of his forehead like a unicorn.

Probably even more fun for the audience. I love Boyd's face as I get pied.

Post first pie.

So much fun.

Fuse bead creation he came up with all his own. Brings back memories for me as a kid and summers with the Colorado family. Thanks to great neighbors for this fun on a half day of school.

Always hard to see this stinker go off to school. Love him.

Little bookworm and pretzel.

Experimenting with different ways to lose a tooth. wrapping it with floss.

More reading. Yesterday I caught him reading while at the dinner table with us. This was less secretive. Boy after my own heart.

The tooth finally came out at Jersey Mikes. The whole staff was excited. Almost reverse vampire but not the canines. It was a short stint between losing the two teeth. The other one came out at school right before the bus at the end of the day. His teacher had teased him that she didn't want to deal with teeth that day. 

Sometimes there are no words, just giggles.

Growing up

Words to describe Boyd from his homework bag in the last post

Throwing rocks into the pond

"Biker club" Boyd exclaimed before running into the house and returning with his snazzy jacket.

Second Grade first few days update

This is what I have learned from Boyd over the past few days in regards to school...

1. He loves routines and has picked up the school groove immediately.

2. He doesn't want to miss a moment of school, sadly the bus has been 30 minutes to an hour late much to his dislike, especially since his class has specials right away.

3. After so much homework in first grade, his assignment for this week was a breeze and he did it right away and said, "I like this kind of homework." He had to write words to describe himself on a lunchbag and put three items into the bag to help his peers get to know him better. There is no name on the bag so they have to guess whose is whose. In class, after the guessing game, he has to explain to his class why he chose the items he did. In case you were wondering he packed 1. bag of goldfish because he likes swimming and researched fish this summer and he wants a goldfish (hooray for the fact that his class will be getting one), 2. a Lego figure because he likes building legos and because he is creative, and lastly 3. He created this snake from a game he plays using paper, crayons, a hole punch and string, because he likes the game Sliteri-o, he likes snakes, he wants Reptiles Alive to come to school, and because he and Marshal encountered a snake while wading in the creek last Spring.  

4. I have also learned that he is antsy to get learning. Mom, it has mostly just been rules and stuff, I haven't learned anything new yet. Library has been the best because we actually got to pick out books. However, he is not a fan of the new library makeover because it is babyish.  I need to go see it to see why he thinks it is babyish.

5. He is a little lonely and has more in common with the kids in another class-he keeps saying he wished he were in that class. Time to make new friends. I do feel bad for him, he is an old soul and gravitates to older, more mature peers. May he find a few to connect with. 

6. He loves being in second grade so he can sit where he wants on the bus. Usually row 16 because it is far enough away from his old seat.

7. Don't ask him about school or you will get a one word answer but at bedtime when he is stalling you might get a few facts or a life lesson discussion. Such as daddy needing a growth mindset, or contemplating how full your bucket is at the end of the day in terms of having a good day and how you can add to your and others buckets. 

7. He can use good handwriting when he wants to.

8. His teacher sent a message saying he was doing great. I can't wait to get into his classroom and see him in action come October. 

9. He still loves being home and playing in the neighborhood with everyone. Come on cooler temps so we don't have to wait until the sun is setting to go out and enjoy.

10. If you get bored in class you make up stuff to do like using two pencils to make your hair a mohawk..pictures below

Boyd is having fun with soccer too. First game tomorrow.

How he makes mohawks during class to pass the time. Step one.

Step 2

Step 3