Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Week 43

Welcome to Tuesday!  We managed to survive last week while John was in Toronto, and we have him back for a week before he takes off again this time to New York.  Looks like we'll have to get used to this because he might have another trip sometime before the new year.  Lucky him, sad for us, but we'll soldier on and enjoy a trip together as a family over Christmas break.  Speaking of which, how is it Halloween already?  Where did October go?  Thankfully the one last bit of costume we were waiting on arrived in the mail yesterday so the boys are set.  Tyler actually has a game Halloween night which means I'll miss seeing the younger kids off to treating, but John will be here to man the house, and the boys have plans with friends anyway so all is good.  We've had an absolutely beautiful fall so far, and I'm looking forward to another month of the same before winter sets in.

Take a look at our last week in pictures:


Day 294-  Monday, 10/21/13
Brandon found this huge leaf outside.  It just amazes me how big these leaves get.  They don't look that big up on the trees.





Day 295- Tuesday, 10/22/13
After homework the boys were enjoying some time out in the yard.  The weather is so nice right now. We have to enjoy it while it lasts.  Before long it will be too cold, wet, and dark to be outside.





Day 296- Wednesday, 10/23/13
The boys and I were watching survivor and munching on popcorn which of course means the dog was close by just waiting attentively for the one dropped piece that will soon be hers.





Day 297- Thursday, 10/24/13
I just love all the natural fall colors around this time of year.  I have a lot of fake pumpkins to decorate with, but I also can't resist picking out a few colorful real harvest items to place in my home--so many interesting textures and color patterns.  Nature is amazing!





Day 298- Friday, 10/25/13
It's movie night with my boys.  We watched After Earth staring Will and Jaden Smith which they enjoyed.  John should be home around midnight but none of us will be able to stay up that late so we'll see him tomorrow.





Day 299- Saturday, 10/26/13
Justin is volunteering to help set up the school habitat this year.  He has a passion for plants and needs volunteer hours for NJHS so this is a perfect fit.  They broke ground today putting in a pathway and will start planting in a couple weeks.  Monday he'll stay after school to help label plant markers.  He's super excited to be involved.





Day 300- Sunday, 10/27/13
How do you get a reluctant teenager to pose for a picture?  Offer him food he can't resist.  I made pumpkin bread this afternoon, and when Tyler came down looking to score a piece I told him he could have one as long as I could have a picture.  Easiest picture I've taken of him all year ;0)




That's it until next Tuesday.  I hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween.


 

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Week 42

Hello Tuesday!  I'm happy the week is moving on.  John's in Toronto for work so the boys and I are trying to survive on our own which will make for a long week.  At least it's a relatively slow week.  If he had been gone last week I'm not it would have worked.  Last week was deemed water polo week, as you'll soon see, with 2 away games and a 2-day tournament.  Tyler also had midterms and the PSAT squeezed in there. Kids these days amaze me with all they have to take on and the pressure to perform.

Here's what else went on last week:


Day 287- Monday, 10/14/13
We had spaghetti for dinner tonight.  Brandon loves the pasta but not the sauce so much.  None of my kids are huge spaghetti fans, but I was sick of chicken and ready for a change. 





Day 288- Tuesday, 10/15/13
Water polo game #1 @ Union Mine in the foothills.  These boys showed amazing teamwork and brought home a win.  They work so well together.





Day 289- Wednesday, 10/16/13
Time for a picture of our house in a new season.  Now I've got spring, summer, fall and just need one last shot in winter.





Day 290- Thursday, 10/17/13
After dropping the younger boys off at tennis I headed over to Tyler's water polo game #2 @ McClatchy high school.  We had a great turn out there--even the principal showed up.  Our boys were happy to bring home another win.  What a gorgeous fall day to be in the pool.





Day 291- Friday, 10/18/13
After work I picked up the younger boys and got some love from Justin before dropping them to tennis again and heading out to water polo games #4 & 5.  I had to miss #3  :0(  Today is the first day of a 2-day Christian Brothers' tournament.  The first day was in Rio Linda and we ended up playing into the night.  It was a gorgeous, warm, fall night with a full moon so it was kind of nice to be out poolside.  The boys won 2 games and lost 1 so they move to the winner's bracket tomorrow at a different pool.  Yes there is more!





Day 292- Saturday, 10/19/13
Tournament day #2 @ Sac City College for games # 6, 7, & 8.  Whew--long week!  The boys ended up coming in 3rd at the tournament which was impressive.  The top two teams were pretty much out of our league but the boys gave it their all and learned a lot from being challenged.  Poor Tyler crashed as soon as we got home.  He played amazing today even though he woke with a fever and was dealing with a really bad head cold.  After his nap he went through a whole box of Kleenex and filled every trashcan in our house with used tissue. 





Day 293- Sunday, 10/20/13
It's nice to be home for a change.  Brandon and Justin had a blast playing with leaves in the backyard.  It may still be warm out, but there are signs of fall everywhere.  John flew out early this morning for Toronto.  We'll miss him all week and won't see him again until Saturday morning.




That sums up another week.  Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you next time.


 

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Week 41

Happy Tuesday!  We're moving at warp speed here busting out week after week.  I'm already starting to stress about Christmas.  Where did the year go?  I think it's time to slow down and focus on fall. We tried to do that last week, and I think towards the end we accomplished it nicely.   If only the weekdays would slow down a bit more.  Maybe in November when water polo ends, but does it ever really end??

At any rate, here's what went down last week:


Day 280- Monday, 10/7/13
Brandon finished a big book project that's due this week.  It's a flip book with a lot of art and a lot of writing.  It took him a couple weeks to complete, but he's done and even finished early so his week will be pretty easy.   I wish I could say the same for the rest of us.





Day 281- Tuesday, 10/8/13
It's karate night for these two and they get promoted once again.  Hopefully they'll graduate from green to brown and brown to black belts very soon.  They've been working hard to make good progress.





Day 282- Wednesday, 10/9/13
This is not what Justin had in mind for the afternoon.  He needed a pre-teen vaccine booster (last one), and I figured he might as well get the flu shot while we're here.  Poor thing hates needles and needed to lay down for a bit right after before we could leave.  Brandon didn't escape without a shot either, and Tyler got his yesterday so we're done for the season.





Day 283- Thursday, 10/10/13
I'm loving all the signs of fall I see around the yard, at work, and in town.  The temps have been really nice too.  It's most certainly a season of change.





Day 284- Friday, 10/11/13
Here we are on Friday night and I'm just getting home from working the Booster's snack bar at homecoming while Tyler is just getting home from polo practice.  The younger boys are dressed for bed and doing their reading while John is playing his music as he does--a pretty typical Friday night for us.  I'm ready for a shower, a drink, some warm food, and a movie.





Day 285- Saturday, 10/12/13
What a gorgeous fall day!  Everyone was home for a change so we decided to head to the local pumpkin patch and get our pumpkins.  The past couple years we had to go during the week and John couldn't join us so it was nice to have him there to pick out his own pumpkin.





Day 286- Sunday, 10/13/13
It's mid morning and I'm working on laundry while John slaves away in the kitchen prepping dinner for tonight.  Kids--what kids?  They hide on Sundays so I won't put them to work ;0)




Wait one more--

October's Family Photo





Since we're all at the pumpkin patch together and John will be working out of the state soon we figured we might as well take our family picture here and now.  I think the last time we took a family picture in a pumpkin patch Brandon was just a baby.  A lot has changed since then, and I'm so glad we we're able to do it again.




OK--I'm done.  Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you next week.


 

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Week 40

It's a beautiful fall Tuesday and welcome!  The mornings here are definitely colder and there is a crispness to the air that I love, but it still heats up and is pretty darn hot in the afternoons.  We're wearing lots of layers to start off with and slowly peeling them off one by one as the day goes on.  I don't mind the cold, but I do hope we can avoid the winds we had last week--so irritating.  The wind has never been my friend and thankfully it did go away so we could enjoy a gorgeous weekend.

Take a look at how our fall is shaping up:


Day 273- Monday, 9/30/13
Here are some happy boys ready to head home from school.  Mondays are our easiest days of the week in terms of afternoon activities.  The rest of week is pretty much a crazy mess just after homework is done or sometimes even before it has a chance to get done.





Day 274- Tuesday, 10/1/13
Happy October!  John brought down the Halloween boxes this weekend so we are slowing decorating, and of course having candy corn around this time of year is a must :0)  Brandon was more than happy to pose for my monthly marker once I told him he could have the candy.  Bribery goes a long ways in this house!





Day 275- Wednesday, 10/2/13
Speaking of bribery--our dog Bella is so food motivated.  If you ever want her to do something just hold a piece of kibble or Cheeze-It in your hand and she's all yours.  It's dinner time and she will sit here and drool all over my kitchen floor until the food in that bowl is hers.





Day 276- Thursday, 10/3/13
We're still working on those decorations.  Target had these window clings in the dollar section which were a fun addition out front.  The boys enjoyed putting them up.  Brandon did this window, and Justin put some pumpkin clings in the other window.





Day 277- Friday, 10/4/13
Tyler's water polo team had a really great win yesterday so the coach gave them the day off from practice this afternoon.  Of course he spent it playing video games mostly on-line with his water polo friends.  LOL!  He's sporting a new headset he received for his birthday.






Day 278- Saturday, 10/5/13
This morning Tyler and I spent some time running errands together (he's so busy during the week that it's hard to find the time).  This is his first trip to the ATM to test out his new debit card we just had activated.  He's growing up way too fast!  Then in the afternoon we got together with good friends for some bowling and a nice dinner.  It was a great day!





Day 279- Sunday, 10/6/13
Time for more Sunday chores.  We had a very windy end to our week and all the debris that got blown around ended up in our pool.  Justin worked hard today to help clean it up.




We're finished with another week.  Thanks for stopping by and hopefully I'll see you next week.


 

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Week 39

Is it Tuesday again already?  Last week flew by, and the weekend was fun but not long enough.  I'm starting to see some fallen leaves blowing around, the days are getting shorter, and the clouds are rolling in so the seasons are finally changing, but I doubt it will really stick until the end of October. John pulled down the fall decorations for me so it's time to make it feel more like autumn in and around our home.  Maybe I'll even bake some pumpkin bread.  Yum!

Time to stop drooling and look at last week's pictures:


Day 266- Monday, 9/23/13
Happy Birthday Tyler!  He's officially 15 today, and I didn't even get to see him until after dark.  He stayed for varsity water polo practice which meant he didn't get home from school until almost 8pm.  I had his own pan of homemade nachos ready for him to chow on, a nice side of guacamole, and of course some Gatorade (his requested birthday meal).  Too bad he had to eat it alone.  No matter, he still had a great day and loves playing polo with his friends so that's where he'd rather be.





Day 267- Tuesday, 9/24/13
Tyler had a game this afternoon and stayed a bit longer to help clean up.





Day 268- Wednesday, 9/25/13
Brandon's working on homework, and after tripping over his backpack I noticed that he now has a white shoe tag that gets scanned on walk and bike to school days.  It's a cool program.  I even get an e-mail at work when he's arrived and been scanned so I know he made it safe.





Day 269- Thursday, 9/26/13
Rusty is trying to hide in the blinds but doesn't realize his reflection in the window totally gives him away.  Silly kitty thinks he's being sly.





Day 270- Friday, 9/27/13
This week has been a little too serious.  It's Friday and time to get silly which is easy for these two characters to do.  They are messing around just before heading to tennis. 





Day 271- Saturday, 9/28/13
Girls trip to Napa in a limo--that's the way to do it.  It was a gorgeous fall day and we had a blast being driven through the valley to a few different wineries.





Day 272- Sunday, 9/29/13
It's time to get the Sunday chores done.  I'm upstairs folding and putting away laundry as I spy Tyler out back mowing lawns.  




Wait!  One more--time for a monthly family photo:


September's Family Photo

After a windy and cold week we had a beautiful weekend.  Today was a bit cloudy but still really pleasant out, and the cloud cover made the sun less intense so we could get a nice shot by the pool--probably the last of the pool for the season.  It's time to say good-bye to summer and hello to fall.




All done!  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you again next week.