What We've Been Up To

Well, Jerry has been working, Will has been going to school, and I've been unpacking and organizing.  I think I can finally say that I'm (pretty much) finished.  Now I just have a few areas, like the pantry, to straighten out.  When we moved to Pennsylvania we downsized so unpacking was difficult.  This time our house is bigger so I thought it would be easy.  Wrong!  While there was enough space for everything, it still wasn't easy to find the right spot for things.  Plus we had a sofa and love seat that wouldn't fit anywhere - literally!  The sofa was too big to fit through the doorway to the basement or into the TV room upstairs so they ended up on Craigslist.  While it wasn't easy it was still enjoyable because I really do like my house this time.

Will is still enjoying soccer and doing well this year!  He has gotten fast and
has scored several goals!!

Our team's three boys, Blake, Will, and Garrett, played a good game!

It's so nice that so many of our family and friends have been able to
come see Will play.  Mom, Tom, Granddad, Grandma, Jenny, Craig, and
Brittney have all come on numerous occasions.  Our team
always has quite the cheering section!  : )

We have plenty of cool bugs around that Will enjoys playing with.
This was the biggest grasshopper I've seen!

And I decided to try to like these huge, creepy-looking robber flies after I saw
this one sucking the guts out of my arch nemesis, the stink bug!



Will is adjusting well to school.  Honestly I have to admit he's adjusting better than me.  He gets out the door in the morning without complaining most days, which is good for him since he isn't a morning person at all.  We aim for bedtime around 8:30 so he's doing ok without the nap he was used to.  I'm busy all day so I'm ok with the length of the school day, but I'm struggling with the curriculum.  Two by Two was a great preschool so I wish he was building on what he learned rather than still reviewing so much.  I understand what teachers face regarding a wide gap in skills but I wish there was a better system.  So far he has learned two things in school: the months of the year song and what abstract art is.  He learned one in music and the other in art, which highlights the reasons those types of programs shouldn't be cut!  I think if I had my way I would send him to school for half a day then to an individualized tutoring program for an hour or two in the afternoon.  I know he is learning valuable skills in kindergarten ("everything he really needs to know", right?!) but I worry that too much of his short attention span is being wasted on review.  At this age, free play time would be more beneficial than review.  Which is also why I don't feel like teaching him myself after school is fair to him.  That's the time he needs imaginative free play to just be a kid!  Ggggrrrrrr!! 

 

This was the first thing Will has ever made that he was really proud to display
on the fridge! 

 

Sunrise is always so beautiful from the backyard!  And we're always up to see it
since we start our day at 6:30 now.  There is a bright side to those early mornings! 

Jerry took this with his phone in the back yard when he got home
from work one day.  Nice shot dear!

Did I ever mention I love my cows??

We went to Huntingdon over Labor Day to visit friends.  It was a short visit but Will did get to spend some time playing with a few friends.  He and Grace rode bikes, which Will enjoyed since he doesn't have a good place to ride here.  But of course I forgot my camera so no cute pictures of them.  : (

On Saturday evening we went to a cookout at Lindsay's mom's house which was so nice, and Sunday we went to Whipple Dam with Lindsay and Jess.

 

It was hot and humid so all the kids had fun swimming.  Will must have
made 20 laps to the rope and back!

They loved the huge tadpole they captured!

Natalee, Will, Logan, Brady, McKenzie, and Amie
Everyone except Colby - he was in no mood for a photo since our play time
infringed upon his nap time!  Poor guy!!

A couple weeks ago we took a ride up to the star on Mill Mountain in Roanoke.  Will had fun climbing on the rocks and he even humored Jerry while he took a picture at the star.

 

 

While we were at mom's house visiting recently, Will invented a sled for Kristen to pull him in behind her bike!  It was hilarious - he even got a thumbs up from passing traffic! 

 

By the way, Mom.  Will says you should put a motor on this for him so be
sure you get right on that!!  : )

 

Jenny and Craig are hosting an exchange student from Germany, Marike Johannsen.  They took an anniversary trip to Virginia Beach this past weekend so Brittney and Marike stayed with us.

 

On Saturday we walked around downtown and visited the rooftop garden at
Center in the Square.

We also had fun flying helicopters in the living room!
Brittney looks nervous though because someone had just
crash landed one on her moments earlier!

On Sunday we went for a hike and picnic at Roaring Run with one of Will's friends from school, Sara and her mom, Kim.  It was perfect weather! 

Sara, Will, Brittney, and Marike

Will posed for a photo!!!

They had fun being scared of the millipede.

Aren't they cute!  Sara told Brittney she has two boyfriends, Will and another boy,
but she can't decide which one she wants to marry!
Good thing she has a LONG time to think about it!  Hahaha!  : )