December

Our Christmas pre-game was strong.

 

The Grinch, pizza, and lights at Saluda Shoals was the end to a fun day with the future Dolans.

Gingerbread houses with pals.

Program at Living Springs.

Cookies.

Silas was my church date for Christmas Eve because Rory's nose was a fountain.  Mr. Roebke read the Grinch and Meemaw and Gramps came over for cards. 

(Skip to Christmas post here.)

Post Christmas activities included lots of play time with cousins.

Watching a ninja show on his new t.v.

Hymer spotting in Anderson!

  

Steel drum brother band.

Happy New Year!

Christmas! Christmas!

November

This sure is feeling like the sweet spot of the year (/life?!?).

Reunited with the Privetts!  The kids requested a snack and I found them in my bed with a buffet of Cheez-its spread across the comforter.  It was a crumby night.

School had the highlights of the book fair and mom as a guest reader.  I scouted approximately 100 books and landed on The Scruffiest Giant in Town.  It had the word underwear in it so I knew it would be a hit.  I also made all the kids wear their own paper "kindness" crowns when I finished.  Only one child cried.  Also, Silas's class is adorable.

My team went to the NAGC Conference in Minneapolis.  This was our venture to the Mall of America.

Thanksgiving was a dream combo of good company and gluttony.  As a holiday miracle, Aunt Jan gifted me a pair of her jeans and THEY FIT. (They were super stretchy.)

The Christmas decor is up! Rory almost froze getting our tree, but it turned out to be a beauty! Silas is actually pictured next to a random tree at the lot because we changed our mind like 17 times.

October

According to my photos, mostly only Halloween happened this month.  Rory loved pumpkin guts.  We had s'mores and pumpkin carving with the Monday night crew, where there was a noteworthy puncture wound that livened up the evening (Linnea).  We had to rope a new set of pals into trick-or-treating with us, but it was a good time.  Rory went through three costumes and landed on the gnome.  He wore the hat for pictures only because his hands were occupied with fruit snacks. Silas was Jim from Trollhunters who absolutely no one reading this is familiar with.  

School pictures came in and Silas had his first parent-teacher conference.  He is doing fine, but I was hoping for more gushing.  Turns out he isn't one of those kids who is mysteriously angelic at school.  I recognized exactly the child she described.

September

This month had the lovely bookends of weekend trips to Anderson with rosy twilights, the making of much beaded jewelry, and the diversions pictured below.

We got asked on a play date by a family from church where we have attended for 8 years and still basically have no relationships.  I go through seasons of trying and now is not one so it felt really encouraging that someone else made an effort.  The compatibility rating was high too!

Rory got four molars at once along with a bad haircut (compliments of mom) and we almost sent him back.  The last days have provided several consecutive minutes free from crying, so we are reconsidering.  Silas is doing a good job of coping with my bi-polar mom attitudes.  The one wields every conversation back to the alphabet.  The other, more worn-out one says, "Let him play (or more realistically, watch t.v.)!" He prefers that one.

We also started soccer, which is our most successful sporting endeavor so far.  I think fall mornings on the field with Silas being happy to gear up in his "armor" will continue to be pleasant.  The moms are friendly and the time is right (blessed 10 AM!)

 

Wind and rain (and a week off school) complements of Hurricane Florence.  Also a random picture of Rory's teacher, Ms. Meghan.

Denver Downs might as well be Disney World for Silas.

Silas was in charge of hosting Ace, the school mascot for a week.  It happened to be the most boring week of our lives.  Here was our spread for the classroom scrapbook. I spelled his teacher's name wrong.

Also, here is a pretty good rendering of his teacher.

Besides both adults in our house being one year older with minimal fanfare, that is the whole report.