Happy Halloween!I

Last week was crazy! I had four symphony rehearsals then our Spooky Symphony concert yesterday. Luke also had his preschool party last Wednesday, and Max got to party it up at school today. Unfortunately, for all the fun we had, Darreck had to miss out on trick-or-treating tonight, but Kayla and I took the boys out. They were so cute this year! It's amazing to me how big they're getting. Max even carved his own pumpkin this year, and Jack said trick-or-treat by himself at every door. They never cease to amaze me. Max also went with me to my concert yesterday afternoon, which was really special for me. It seems like so recently that it was just Max being carted around in his little pumpkin costume. Now I have all three of them out traipsing the street, hustling hard for candy- especially Jack, out little candy tyrant.

Family Portraits and Back to Symphony

We're still limping along, trying to adjust to fall. It's been a transition this year with Darreck's new schedule, but the boys are loving school and I'm loving the routine. A little over a week ago I took everyone out for our yearly family pictures. It was only slightly like pulling teeth. Seriously, Luke may be the death of me. However, we got them done, and I have to admit it was kind of a hoot. Those boys crack me up.

In other news, I went back to symphony this year for Gordon Johnson's final season as music director. It's been four years since I quit, but going back has been a great experience. I had a blast this service, and everyone welcomed me back with open arms. Our first concert was on Saturday, featuring the score from the new Star Wars movie. So. Much. Fun. The hall was packed! Although I was nervous about going back, this first concert really went well. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

More First Days

The first continue around our house.

For starters, Jack traded in his crib for a toddler bed, which made me surprisingly emotional. That crib has been a fixture of our lives for seven consecutive years, and it was a little hard to let it go. However, we're all very excited for new beginnings and no more babies. We're having a blast with our bigger boys, and I wouldn't trade this stage of life for anything. I was worried that losing the crib would make Jack's already erratic sleep habits even worse, but it hasn't made a dent. If anything, at least he won't fall on his head running around his room during nap time anymore. Crazy kid. Jack also started Kindermusik classes today, and loved every second of it!

As for Luke, he started preschool at the Ursuline Center with Mrs. Sommers. He always says he's so excited to go, but then he's reluctant to stay there or cooperate with anything the teacher says. He's been grumpy and surly, and I hope we get through this unfortunate bump in the road soon. I know he's going to love the social aspects of school as soon as he gets over the newness of it all. We just have to wait it out.

Last but hopefully not least, I went to my first symphony rehearsal in four years yesterday. I was so ridiculously nervous when I was driving over there, but once I got into the groove, it felt like coming home. Which is ironic considering I didn't leave feeling great about the whole experience last time. I feel competent and confident, and I really hope I can keep up that feeling. It was great to see my old friends and meet all the new people. I hope it stays feeling great.

Summer Wrap Up and the First Day of 2nd Grade

No doubt, this was one of our craziest summers on record. June was so stressful with trying to close on the house then July brought appliance problems, sprinkler problems, carpet problems, electrical problems, and flooding problems. It feels like we jumped from issue to issue with no down time, so I don't feel like we've done a lot of moving in. I'm trying to make our house feel like a home, but it's been a frustratingly slow process. Fortunately, we got the basement done this week, and we're loving our new theater room. It's so cool!

We did manage to squeeze in some fun this summer, including a little hiking, a trip out to Ryan Dam, a day at the fair, and a lot of walks around our new neighborhood. We've also been spending our nights knocking on doors to garner support for an upcoming school bond. It's kind of terrifying going door to door and talking to strangers, but so far it's been a super positive experience.

I was very excited to get to fall this year. I'm ready for a routine and schedule, and the boys could use some time apart before they kill each other :) Of course, I could change my mind when lessons and symphony and PTA all hit at once. That all starts with back to school! I kept expecting Max to get nervous, but he was nothing but excited. That boy loves school, and he had a fantastic week back. Max certainly hit the ground running. One change for this year is that he's riding the bus to school, which he thinks is just awesome. So far I'm pretty annoyed with the bus- they're chronically late, and that drives me out of my mind. I'm sure we'll get into it as the year progresses.

The first day at Morningside was great, as usual. We have a new principal this year, but she's stayed true to our traditions. The theme this year is Hollywood, so there was an insane SUV limo waiting for the kids outside along with a red carpet and paparazzi. So much fun!

Luke attended an open house at his school, and while he had fun, I found it totally overwhelming. There's upwards of 16 kids in his class. Sixteen four year olds is a whole lot of crazy. There must be a special place in heaven for preschool teachers. I know that  Luke, our social butterfly, is going to love, love, love preschool. That kid could make friends with a tree stump. Seriously. School is going to be awesome for this kid.

The only kid who's had a rough time with this transition is Jack. He feels like he's been left behind, and he misses his brothers. He threw a screaming fit when we left Max at school the first day. Poor guy, but we have some fun things planned for him this year. I have to enjoy these last few years with Jack before they're all gone!

Kayla's Senior Pictures

I had the best opportunity to take Kayla's senior pictures. I feel so privileged she trusted me with this big responsibility, and I think they turned out fantastic. I had so much fun hanging out with her the whole morning! We're going to miss her like crazy when she goes off to college in a year.

Luke's 4th Birthday

The house is still going well, even though we had a moderate flood in the basement and upstairs. Yep, a flood. The craziness never seems to end around here. In the midst of it all, we celebrated Luke's 4th birthday Toy Story-style.

First of all, it's hilarious that Luke chose a Toy Story birthday theme because he's never seen the movie. He does, however, have a Toy Story pillowcase that he inherited from Kayla that he loves! We found him a Buzz and Woody birthday cake, which was no small feat, and borrowed my parent's projector to watch the movie. We kept the party pretty simple with just family, but everyone had a fantastic time. We didn't make it through the entire movie, but that's to be expected with three second attention spans. I love my boys, but much like me, they rarely have the patience for an entire movie.

We love our Lukey-Lou so much, but this is definitely a hard stage. If I could skip over ages 3-5, I would seriously consider it. He has very strong opinions about pretty much everything, he's a frustratingly fussy eater, and his singular volume is LOUD! Luke is incapable of whispering and rarely speaks below a shout. However, then he'll turn around and give you the biggest, most sincere hug in the world. He's snuggly and cuddly and just a big ball of love. I think school will be fantastic to calm him down a little and let the best part of his personalities shine through.

Health-wise, because that's always a concern with Luke, he's doing pretty well this year. He still has some skin rash issues, and his last lab tests weren't particularly promising. However, he's the most stable he's ever been. We've certainly seen some great progress this year, which we are forever grateful for.

Happy birthday, Lukey-Lou!!!!

Boy Birthday Pictures and Another Moving Update

I feel like I'm flunking at adulting right now. It's been seriously crazy, and I think both Darreck and I are starting to reach our limit. For the first time, possibly in my life, I'm dreaming of fall, complete with schedules and predictability. We're slowly making headway on the house projects, and we even have a fully functioning fridge now. Even better, the roof didn't leak during the last big storm. We have carpet installed in most of the basement, and the new electrical line is going in for the stove tomorrow. I should have a working stove by this time tomorrow! Woohoo!

Yesterday we finally had enough of dealing with people and problems, so we headed to the hills- literally. We went and took a short hike in the Sluice Boxes, which was honestly more work than fun. I figure, however, that if we want our kids to hike with us hardcore someday, we need to start training them. This was Jack's first time walking along, and he was very easily distracted. He'll get there. After the hike, we ate dinner at Aspen campground, and Max out-ate everyone in the family. That boy already eats like a teenage boy!

I also wanted to head up to the mountains to take the boys' birthday pictures. Max's got lost in the moving mix, Jack's I simply didn't get around to, and Luke's birthday is right around the corner. I saved myself some time by knocking them all out at once. Getting three boys to behave for pictures is no small feat. It was barely controlled chaos, but I kept reminding myself that we really only need one good shot of each boy. Luckily, we got more than that. It worked out- surprise, surprise. It always works out.