Surviving

Joshua wanted his hair half-black and half-red like the Union symbol. Black didn't show up too much.

Jacob - the cool dude with the red, faux-hawk.

My crazy hair boys

Mismatch Day

Well, we've almost survived the week. It's been a very, long week with Kenneth being gone and me having a cold that won't go away. I told my Sunday school class not too long ago that I know that God wants me to thrive - not just survive- but this has been one of those weeks where I feel like all I can do is survive. So far, Joshua and Jacob have managed to avoid the stomach virus that is running rampant at their school. Joshua came home early yesterday and Jacob came home early today. They both felt sick to their stomachs but I think it was just in their heads. I would rather have it be in their heads than coming out of their stomachs. Joshua and Jacob have had Red Ribbon week this week - it's a special Just Say No to drugs emphasis week. They had something special each day. I have pictures to post from two of the days - Mismatch Day and Crazy Hair day. It's really hard for me to let them leave the house with their clothes not matching. The crazy hair thing is actually easier - of course I know they aren't the only ones with crazy hair. They love doing crazy hair day and it's probably good practice for me for when Jacob is a teenager. He got to have a faux-hawk this year. He wanted one last year but we couldn't because he cut his hair and we had to buzz it. It was too short for a mohawk/faux-hawk.

A fun day

Joshua & his vampire pumpkin Jacob & his pirate pumpkin

Caleb & his jack-0-lantern pumpkin

Well, we managed to have a fun day in spite of Kenneth going out of town this morning and Jacob and I not feeling very well. We went to church this morning and then Joshua had a leadership team meeting after church. So, I took Caleb and Jacob to Panera for lunch. It was Jacob's first time to eat lunch there and he loved the chicken noodle soup and bread. Caleb and I love Panera! Then we went to see High School Musical 3. We all enjoyed it. To end the day I let the boys paint their pumpkins. I decided not to carve pumpkins this year since Kenneth will be gone all week and I don't want to undertake that by myself (although Shanna usually offers to help). Anyway, the boys are all artistic and enjoy painting even though drawing is more their forte. Jacob gets to start a drawing class this week and is very excited.

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

A fun day at the pumpkin patch
Feeding the goats

Well, today we went to one of my favorite places - the pumpkin patch. The boys love to climb on the pumpkins and pet the animals. It was a little disappointing this year because there weren't as many pumpkins for the boys to walk on but they still enjoyed it. The temperature was pretty much perfect (although it was pretty windy). This year they had a camel that you could ride on but we decided to pass on that. Jacob couldn't wait to go see the goats again (he loved them last year). A nice lady gave the boys some food to feed the sheep and goats. Joshua even got into it - he's sometimes unsure when it comes to animals. Jacob has said that he wants to be a farmer someday and I can totally see it. He absolutely loves animals. I'm not sure if there has ever been such a thing as a hip-hop farmer before. That kid has many diverse interests. We decided that he might live on a farm but he would need a gym (including mats for his gymnastics), a dance floor complete with disco ball (for his breakdancing), a music room to play his electric guitar in and an art room (because he loves to draw). He would probably also ride a motorcycle and have some crazy hairdo (possibly tattoos also). It should be interesting to see what he ends up doing. Right now he tells me that he wants to be a soldier so he can serve God and his country. I don't know if that's a Scout influence or what.

Jogging and Hiking

Hiking at Redbud Valley with Jacob's Scout den.

Jacob was totally soaked by the end of the jog-a-thon

Joshua doesn't like to run but he worked hard and ran 17 laps.



Well, Friday was the jog-a-thon for Joshua and Jacob. It's a really big fundraiser for their school. Joshua doesn't really like to run but he did his best. He ran 17 laps. Jacob ran 12 laps. He could have run more but he kept stopping at every adult who had a water bottle.
Sometimes he took drinks but he also asked to have water poured on his head (he wasn't the only kid who did this). He was soaked by the end of the jog. And then he had to go back to class after that. When I picked him up from school (two hours later) he was still damp (even his underwear) and had to change clothes when we got home. Yesterday, Sunday, Jacob and I went hiking at Redbud Valley with his Scout den. It was a nice day for a hike. The parents got a work-out and the boys loved it. I think we will have to go back as a family since Kenneth likes to hike and Caleb and Joshua would enjoy it also.