School Days

Scenes from an afternoon on the preschool playground ...



The twins ignoring each other at school. Xander is about to go down the slide, with his good buddy J sitting behind him (in the hat), and Sawyer is getting in a little sensory action in the front.



Sawyer with chalk in his favorite corner (near the mechanical room, where the temperatures and the vibrations make him very happy).



Sawyer on top of the play set.



Sawyer and one of his buddies C hanging out by the front gate. Ready to go, as usual.



Xander, not quite smiling for his buddy Mr. K (and probably wondering how to get that phone away from him, too).

Special thanks to Mr. K who snapped the photos and sent them to me from his iPhone! It's unusual for both boys to be outside together, but both classes happened to be outside at the same time that day.

Changes

There are so many on our horizon right now that I cannot begin to talk about them all. But suffice it to say, change is going to be good in many ways. The only bad part is that they're all happening at one time, and that can simply be exhausting. Posting here may be light or sporadic in the coming weeks (or even months). We'll eventually get settled into our new normal and get back to the regularly scheduled programming, but for now, don't be alarmed if a few days (or even weeks) go by without much being said.

Weekend Getaway

The Hotel, originally uploaded by cheryl.

My friend Katy and I had a great weekend away. Mother nature didn't exactly cooperate, but we still got to take in lots of different (mostly indoor) sights, especially the local craftsmen galleries, and we even managed to sneak in a little walking trip across the local college campus after one of the rains. We also had several great meals at local restaurants, including dinner at the famous hotel restaurant. And most important, we got a little time away and a little adult interaction for a change. Good company and good times.

More photos are here.

Sneaking Away

Several months ago the other mothers and I from Connor's Book Club for Boys planned a weekend getaway. A simple overnight stay with no real plans other than time away without kids or families or responsibilities.

We debated several locations within short driving distance and finally settled on a historic hotel within easy driving distance. It's in a quiet little college town also known for its large collection of craftsmen and galleries. There's no shortage of sights to see, if we're feeling adventurous.

We still have no real plans, other than a few specific places we'd like to eat (that's the most important thing, after all). The weather may curtail some of the exploring we had considered, but I'm certain we can find ways to entertain ourselves and just decompress.

The only disappointing part of the trip is that the founding member of the club had an unexpected life change. A new job opportunity sent them across the country just a few short weeks ago, and she's not able to come. We'll have to take her with us in spirit.

So it's going to be a boys weekend at our house. Hopefully they can stay out of trouble for 36 hours or so!

Quoted & Noted

One of the things that came out of Xander's evaluation meeting last week was actually kind of humerous. It was a little verbal sparring he does with some of the teachers and staff at school, and one that he doesn't ever try with us at home!

The teachers tell us that there are times when he doesn't want to be touched or bothered. Typically, he's laying on the ground and resisting any attempt to be either verbally or physically assisted to the correct location (either inside the classroom, or often when it's time to go into school from either car line or recess).

He lays there and tells them "Ouch!" over and over again, saying it louder every time their hands get closer to him. Little sneak.

We definitely hear the "Ouchie!" followed promptly by "Okay?" from him at home. Both twins have a high pain tolerance, but he likes to acknowledge every bump or scrape with this little script. He's heard me say it often when he does something that should hurt. So he's taken to saying it every single time he remotely bumps into anything, even if it probably didn't hurt. It's just one of his little scripts.

But he never says just "Ouch!" and never in the context of leaving him alone. At least not for us. Funny how he adapts, trying out new tricks on each of us!