October 2019 Happenings

The last couple of months have flown by and things don't look to be slowing down anytime soon! I'm doing my best to get caught up on updates before I get too behind. Other than the big Halloween party we had a lot of fun smaller events that filled out the month of October. Kieran and I started off by going to the Fresno Fair on a class fieldtrip. It was the first time they had taken the Kindergartners and it was chaos - I've never been so relieved to be done with a fieldtrip and so proud to have not lost a child!!! We saw a bunch of animals, including a newly born lamb, spotted our home town's produce display, and got to listen to live music.

On my Birthday, Pepe was presented with an award for his support of UC Davis over the years. It was a special event, and interesting to hear the speeches given by all the recipients (Pepe's got the most laughs). Grandma and Grandpa were sweet enough to stay with all four grandkids and by the time we got home Lyla was sound asleep in Kieran's room so we let her stay put which meant I got to get three kids ready for soccer games the next morning.

Speaking of soccer the month was filled with lots of games. Two kids plus one niece each having a game each weekend, boys and Jon having two practices a week, Jon playing in a coaches soccer game, and me being on the soccer board means soccer was definitely a dominate player in the month.

Grandma and Grandpa hosted a Birthday dinner for me. The boys (with Jon's help) made an awesome Birthday cake and G Momma was able to join us.

We made a quick stop by the pumpkin patch to take a ride on the steam train, attempt to get some pictures of the boys, and let them each pick out a pumpkin. Kieran was in a horrendous mood and after a few attempts I gave up on getting any good pictures of him.

After the pumpkin patch we went to Nonna and Pepe's to celebrate Gran's Birthday. I think I was so annoyed with Kieran at this point I just stopped taking pictures because unfortunately I only have a few from dinner.

Towards the end of the month we celebrated Eli B's 5th Birthday at an indoor trampoline venue. The boys could have jumped all day and were bummed when it was time to leave.

The day before Halloween we headed back to the pumpkin patch with Kieran's class. It's great having Lyla and K in the same class, especially because C and I get to work in the classroom and go on fieldtrips together!

The next day I joined Kier's class to walk around downtown Kingsburg and trick or treat at all the local businesses. They asked the students to dress up as their favorite book character. Kieran asked if I would dress up as Dogman and he would dress up as Petey (the bad guy in the stories). It was a lot of fun and so neat to see how many of the businesses participated. Unfortunately Reed had to stay home sick on Halloween and so he missed out trick or treating at the grandparents' houses that evening. He sweetly told Kieran he could go without him and Kieran nicely brought back lots of treats for Reed.

October was also filled with other dress up days, a ladies night out to celebrate the almost here Johnson baby, Jon's 20th high school reunion, the boys getting to have one of their best friends carpool with us one morning, Kieran winning a top reader award and being announced with his teacher at a high school football game, and lots of other fun moments.

90s Halloween

This year C and Tio chose a 90s theme for their annual Halloween party. We had a few ideas we floated by the boys that were vetoed but finally we landed on Austin Powers and I think the costumes turned out great. Reed let his hair grow a full month after he needed a haircut to get a shaggy Austin Powers hair do and Kieran shaved his head to be the perfect Dr. Evil. Everyone else did a great job too. Laurie even turned their toddler car into a Dumb and Dumber Shaggin' Wagon! Ms. Frizzle and Lizzie from Magic Schoolbus, Garth and Wayne, the cast from Clueless, Ace Ventura, Sean Connery, Selena, Randy Savage, Turd Ferguson, the Spice Girls, a few Forest Gumps, and lots of 1990s outfits made the party. The night ended with a magician that kept the kids absolutely spell bound. The Halloween party is always one of our favorite nights and this year definitely didn't disappoint!

September 2019 Happenings

Every Summer I think I'm organized and then school starts, and soccer, and music, and all the Birthdays happen, and then Halloween. Before I know it Thanksgiving is around the corner and I don't know what happened to the time! September was packed with a lot of Birthday celebrations and settling into our new routines with both of the boys going to new to them schools. They've both played soccer for a couple years now but it was Jon's first year coaching and I joined the board for the soccer league. Jon coached Kieran's team and loved it. Our friend George was the Assistant Coach and they had a great group of boys on the team. Jon did great and the kids learned a ton from him. Every weekend they had a crowd watching them play and we'd also fit in watching Lyla's games when possible.

We celebrated Grandpa's Birthday with a nice dinner over at Grandma and Grandpa's new house.

Next up is technically Jon's Birthday but it fell in the middle of the week so we smooshed his Birthday in to Reed's and had an outdoor movie night with some of our friends. We started Reed's Birthday with our pancake tradition but on a new special Birthday plate from Auntie Laurie and Uncle Peter. Next up I was mystery reader in Reed's class. I dressed up as Dogman, one of Reed's favorite book characters.

Since Jon didn't get much of a Birthday we left the kids and went to see Death Cab For Cutie with C and Tio. The band wasn't as great as we had hoped they would be but we had a good little getaway.

After having all four grand kids for the night, Nonna and Pepe hosted a family birthday dinner for Reed and Jon.

Kieran and Lyla's school had a special Grandparent's Day event that all four grandparents were able to attend. Reports back were that they got to see their classroom, have cookies, and get a picture taken. Somehow I only got back the picture with Grandma and Grandpa but it sounded like a nice afternoon.

There were lots of other fun happenings during the month of September as well. Sunday dinner at our house, hanging out with friends, and Reed's school did a movie night so we treated Kieran to Teppanyaki and enjoyed a little three person date with him.