Happy November! The last two months must have flown by. I can tell you they contained mostly day-to-day stuff. With school come routine. I can't complain too much about this.
Benny adjusted well to school. He talks about it on his off days, still asks if he can take a bus to get there and willingly tell us about what he does there from time to time. He gets an ink stamp on his arm when he goes to music class with Miss Lisa and he always has sand in his shoes from playing outside. Also, he is a happy tired boy on his two preschool days so I know he is having fun. When I dropped him off this past Thursday he even walked into the room on his own without tears. A first! He would still cry and grab for me most times but we are making progress. He wears a pull up to school too and big boy underwear at home. Not to say that he is full potty-trained, but we are making slow progress there too. He can go on the toilet like a big boy but when he sneaks out of a room to "go play" I know he is up to other types of business that is frustrating and messy. But this phase was much harder with Nathan and at some point it all worked itself out. I'm sure it will with Benny too.
Even though Benny is tired out from school days and playing hard at home, he doesn't lip to nap. He will often cry, whine and occasionally climb his way out of his crib. Lately, I let him watch TV around nap time and he falls asleep on his own. It seems easier than fighting him these days. He's become very head strong!
Nathan has adjusted once again to school too. We had a tough time in there where he would cry every morning about the bus and "missing us." No doubt he does but he is making friends now and has those interactions to look forward to every morning now. Apparently Pokemon is a big deal again and all the kids trade cards on the bus. This obsession actually helped turn an older "bully" on the bus into a new friend. They trade cards often and Nathan talks about his new friend "Matthew" all the time now. (Matthew called Nathan a cry baby several months back and Nathan responded by calling him a Bully. Pokemon came up and they've been friends ever since.)
Nathan has Rainbow words that he has to study nightly. This and the classroom sight words has propelled him forward in reading like I never thought it would. I was told it would happen but it's so cool to actually see your baby reading words in a book on his own. He and Leo do the work together most nights (Mommy and Nathan don't always work well together). He's so smart in so many ways and so very talented. His drawings are really good. And the sentences he writes with his pictures are usually entertaining. He is encouraged to just write things down however they sound to him. It's fun to see how he thinks are spelled and, according to the plan, see his confidence grow as he writes it. He doesn't worry about spelling stegosaurus right, he just goes at it and we piece it together by his pictures. (I needed spell check for that one myself!)
Around the house, things are tame. With some time on my hands it's nice to have time for whatever I want. And even the things I don't. I don't love laundry and housework but I feel like I can keep up with it a little better without kids always underfoot. I've had time for reading (currently in love with the Outlander Series) and workouts and playdates with friends the mornings Benny is home with me.
Nathan goes to Tae Kwon Do still and is on his 3rd belt. We go 3 or 4 times a week, Leo and I taking turns taking him. Sometimes Benny and I shop or walk around outside and sit and play games on my phone. He's getting harder to entertain some days when he comes with me. But despite his busy state he seems to be picking up the moves and can show you a little Tae Kwon Do himself when he's in the mood.
Uncle Matt moved to Kentucky in September. We were really sad to see him go. It was such an unexpected thing at the start to have him so close by. Then we were lucky to have him around for two years or something close to that. Then when he got his orders that he would go to Fort Campbell I thought only about what it meant for him, not me. But when it left I realized. We miss him coming by on the weekends. And seeing his girlfriend Katie too. We enjoyed some nights out and some fun nights in too. We look forward to seeing them both in NY for Thanksgiving.
That is the next trip planned. We were up in April last and want to be here for Christmas, so Turkey Day is it. Pop and Jojo were here recently, as well as Grandpa Truck, but the brothers and all the rest are really missed. Can't wait to see them all.
Nathan tracks out soon so he will have four weeks off. Oh, what to do with that time with my boys?! Parks and activities of some sort. That's when mom has to get creative. Hopefully I can arrange a quiet hour so mom gets to read!
