Caroline bundled up... inside.

The goofy furnace has decided to go on the fritz.  Lovely timing, what with the frigidly cold weather. Our landlord is in the process of buying a new one, but until then, we have a "Worker Guy" coming by our house a couple times a day and going down to the basement to re-start the finicky thing.

That being said, we have times (like this morning) where it just seems practical to leave our coats on even after we come home, because it's just a liiiiiiittle chilly. Here's a picture of Caroline all toasty warm in her snowsuit... Inside.

HaleyCam picture of Caroline.

Halloween

Yes, Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is knocking on the door.... but here are the Halloween pictures I never posted.

Dylan was a Flag Football Player, Daniel was an Army Pilot, Haley was a Ballerina, and Caroline was a Giants Cheerleader.

The Park

This is from October 15. Holy Baloney am I way behind on this blog... Sorry friends. Better late than never? :)

The Parthenon

Dylan constructed a replica of the Parthenon. A fantastic amount of math and carpentry skills were put to use. Tom lent a hand where needed, but this kid is one smart cookie. He scaled that thing down, drilled holes, glued dowel rods, and spray-painted till he was finally done. It's a keeper. So is he.  More pictures to follow soon...

Caroline

A few pictures of Caroline during Sunday Night Football:

Cheering on the team as loudly as the boys and Tom.

Relaxing with her new favorite thing: a crazy pink scarf.

A little grin.

Daniel's PP&K

Dylan and Daniel participated in a NFL-sponsored Punt, Pass and Kick competition here in Broadway last September. Dylan got third place in his group and, miracle of miracles, Daniel won first place in his age division! (If you haven't heard THAT story, call me and get the scoop. It was priceless.)

He went on to compete at the regional level in Staunton, VA at the beginning of October. My mom and dad were in town to cheer him on and, most importantly, help us even get down there on time. Wink, wink...

My chance at the Mother-of-the-Year award got tossed right out the window as my Dad, Tom, Dylan and Daniel zipped down I-81... I had goofed up the competiton time, the required documentation, and the appropriate shoes. Oh, Lordy, was I a disaster that day. But we all made it, and that's the important thing, right?

Anywho, he actually managed to compete (in borrowed shoes from a Good Samaritan, and on my honor that I wasn't lying about his age, for Pete's sake) and he even got second place, despite my goof-ups! He was sent a "silver" medal in the mail to congratulate him and commemorate that fateful day. And you know what? He couldn't have been more proud, and neither could I. He took the medal to school the next day and showed his teacher and all his friends!

November already??

I have been sending all kinds of photos to this blog and have about four or five drafts I'm "working" on, but this one had to get posted tonight.  My, time does fly.  Here is the video I captured from tonight:

This evening's antics were pretty typical... par for the course, you might say.  Kids crawling all over the place, some wearing actual jammies, others just wearing half of the day's outfit instead, a dog, a ball, and a baby who is getting awfully close to walking...  It was a good night.

Caroline at almost one and the rest of the crew

Try to keep up, people...

Haley-Bop is rocking a new look today:

Knee high socks,

unevenly rolled up jammie pants,

and jelly shoes.

Try to keep up, people...

Cheese!

Cheese!

Homework Heaven

I've created homework heaven.  (And for those of you in tune to my previous statement regarding homework time, homework heaven is a much better place to be than homework you-know-where.)    Let me explain:

We have two very different levels of homework going on.  First-grader Daniel needs me to actually read along with what he is reading to make sure he's not winging it for the fun of it.  Dylan has a significantly increased workload than last year so he needs some guidance and help, too.  And then there's Haley just talk, talk, talking away.  Oh, and Caroline is always crawling around trying to sneak some dog food or chew on someone's flip-flops.  Gross.  Dinner is usually being made, and for awhile my thirteen year old niece was staying here and tossed in the occasional eigth-grader questions about geometric theories or the scientific method.  The homework hour was anything but heavenly.  Seriously.

So tonight we hit a point where something had to change.  Everyone was at the kitchen table trying to study and do homework while I was finishing up dinner on the stove.  Caroline got spaghetti on Dylan's homework and Daniel's word lists were getting shoved around by Haley's toys as I was trying to set a table and feed the masses.  Not a pretty sight.  So I changed it up a little.

Earlier this week, I had cleared an area in the mudroom and set up a neat table and chair that Tom brought home from one of his friends.  The kids had been using it as a project table already, but tonight a lightbulb went off in my head.  I just stuck a desk lamp and a few sharpened pencils on it.  Every supply a kid could possibly need is within close range, thanks to the shelving unit Tom built for me over the summer.  Most importantly, the work station has some much-needed elbow room for the student working on homework.  And just between us, I love it as much as they do.

First Family Pyramid

First Family Pyramid!

Caroline's Breathing Treatments

Caroline has learned to enjoy her breathing treatments because I have learned to let her hold the darn thing. 

Now everyone can be happy.   

Sheesh...

Daniel and the Missing Tooth

Daniel's first tooth popped out on Monday.  At breakfast that morning, he was worried about it because it did bleed a little when he was eating.  Well... he'd fix that crazy problem.  He flat-out told me he just wasn't going to eat anything for the rest of the day. 

Seriously, Mama.
No food.
All day.
End of discussion.

I figured he'd change his mind, or at least his appetite would change it for him, so I packed him a lunch and headed up to the school.  I brought him some chicken noodle soup, yogurt and some canned pears.  He ate all the food I brought for him plus some of what I brought for Haley.  Cancel the hunger strike.

After school he was chewing on some gum.  Now, that's probably not a great idea when you're so worried about a loose tooth, right?  Within about a minute of smacking the gum around, out came the tooth.  Daniel was totally freaked out.  His eyes were about to pop out of his head.  As you can see, I mean that literally:

He calmed down fairly quickly and proceeded to spread the news through the family grapevine.  Texting, phone calls, etc.  He wrote a note and stuck the tooth and note under his pillow.

"I want you to give me $20$"

When Daniel was on the phone with Dzaidzi retelling the whole story of Daniel and the Missing Tooth, I overheard that he was expecting twenty bucks!  Later that day, Tom told me, "Sure, the Tooth Fairy should give him twenty bucks.  If he gives her twenty teeth."

Tuesday morning, after Daniel had found only "$1$" under his pillow,  I told him what Tom had told me.  He just sort of grinned and looked away as if to say, "Yeah, you got me there..."

Nice try, though, Daniel.  It was worth a shot.

Go Giants

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Haley's Pie

Haley's new fave? Coming up with "pail-pies" made of sand, sticks, water, crab apples, and whatever else she can find all mixed together then served up in a handy little pail.

I'm sure you'll agree that what follows is a particularly enticing concoction.

I give you,

"Peanut butter and apple juice and peaches and butter Pail-Pie."

Who could possibly resist???

Swingset and Waving

Two of Caroline's favorite things to do:

The County Fair

Sleeping with the new blankie

My Aunt Cindy made Danny-boy a new quilt. When the package arrived, Daniel couldn't believe his eyes. Aunt Cindy had made a new blankie to replace the one that was so sadly lost. And not only that, but she even, "Put her LEAST FAVORITE ANIMALS on there!!!" Yes sir, snakes made it onto blankie #2, along with sharks and other various creatures of his liking. The boy has slept with it every night since.

Tonight I took a few pictures of the two boys sleeping on Haley's bed. They fell asleep in here as I was typing all these posts to catch the blog up to speed. (It's been a busy summer!) Of course, they both brought their Aunt Cindy blankets into this room. And since the boys are in here, I think Haley is sleeping in my bed next to Tom and Caroline. Musical bedrooms tonight in the O household.  You know, if you don't move fast, you miss your chance to sleep. Move your feet, lose your seat.  Move your head, lose your bed! :)

PS
Love you, Aunt Cindy! Thanks SO much for tracking down the special fabric for Shawk-boy's quilt. It's amazing!

Daniel's helicopter ride

That's right, folks. Daniel can check another thing off his six-year-old bucket list. He has enjoyed a scenic ride over the Shenandoah Valley in a helicopter. Without his mother riding along... or any other relative, friend, or acquaintence for that matter. Just "his own self," the pilot, and the helicopter.  And no doors.  Nobody mentioned there would be no doors.  (I do not know if doors would have made me feel all that much better, but they couldn't have hurt.) Holy mackerel. I think I was more nervous than he was. But this kid, I'm telling you, he has more adventurous spirit in his little finger than the rest of us put together. Good grief. You gotta love him.

TOTALLY Santa Claus

Haley in bubble bath, "Ho, ho, ho! I am TOTALLY Santa Claus!"

Caroline, the dog whisperer

Caroline loves dogs.  Period.  Any shape, any size, any color.  She doesn't discriminate.  Drooling, shedding, barking?  No problem.  And, hey, if they pay attention to her, all the better.  But to be honest, she would settle for just observing one as it passes her by.  She even gets excited at the sound of dogs barking on the television.  "Woof!" could very likely come before "Mama!" in her vocabulary... I kid you not.  This girl is in love.

So, it's good that we have the support of so many family pets around us.  It takes a village, right?  Uncle Brith and Aunt Christine have plenty of big dogs to keep her entertained: a gorgeous bloodhound and two adorable basset hounds.  And Aunt Mary has an entertaining little pug.

Then there is Ranger.  The all-around favorite in my eyes.  And Caroline's, too, I think.  Man, this dog is a keeper.  What's not to love?

Ranger goes to his toy basket, picks out his favorite squeaky bone and brings it to her while she's sitting on the floor.  He sits and watches and waits.  She picks it up, chews on it (I know, I know...  Gross, right?), then proceeds to flip it around in her hands for five minutes trying to figure out how to let go of it.  Ranger will not take it from her even if it is just laying in her lap.  He just waits for the off chance that she actually throws it.  Then he runs, grabs it, and carries it the two feet back to her lap to start the process all over again.  Seriously.  If my video camera was working I'd record it.  It's amazing.

And by the way... Sutter, Charlotte, Izzy, Shadow?  No offense.  We love you, too.  Kisses.

Caroline holding the bone.

Waving it around... What a tease.  ;)

Trying to throw it.

Timberville Park

We love going to the river in Timberville.  It's shady, peaceful and full of fun things to see and do.

Yesterday, we explored the river and brought home about five or six tiny minnows to add to our collection in the goldfish bowl at home.  The kids have enjoyed finding countless crayfish and minnows and skipping about a million rocks.  Here are just a few quick snapshots:

Haley was here.