The kids sure hauled it in on Halloween. We had our traditional mummy calzone for dinner. Not long after we ate the kids were ready to go and were out the door by 5:00 p.m. Wayne took the kids out this year while I read a book and waited for the little monsters to come a knockin' at the door. Jacob was a fierce ninja warrior. Here he is with his friend Nhut. Alexis is an adorable pumpkin and Trevor graced our presence as the mighty Thor.
The loot was huge. The kids were thrilled with their full size candy bar in the mix. It was major sugar overload at our house.
I know I've mentioned how much Trevor loves his teacher. Here is another reason why. Trevor loves any non fiction. His latest book is Alligators vs Hippopotamus. His teacher fuels his love by giving him additional work (sounds strange but he LOVES it) and things that the class won't use. One of them was an alligator poster. Trevor insisted on putting it up in his room and having his picture taken. Last week his teacher had a wilderness survival day. They read books in a tent set up in the classroom. Trevor took his stuffed monkey with him to school and read the day away.
Christmas was a huge success. The kids woke up promptly at 5:00 a.m. They were thrilled with everything that they received. . . so was I for that matter!! We had souffle and muffins for breakfast and stayed inside ALL DAY LONG while the kids played with new and exciting things. Wayne and I went back to bed! Wayne spoiled me with a new coach purse, black leather boots, Jimmy Choo perfume, and under armor running gear. Love my man, he sure knows how to make me feel special.
Christmas night I went to check on the kids after we tucked them in. Lexi had her flashlight on and was dead asleep. The first thing I thought was "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night." Love my little Lexi Meggy.
On New Years Day the kids asked if we could go to the RAC to swim. I said yes. Wayne turned to me and quietly suggested that we take the kids to Nickelodeon Universe. I flashed a smile and told him to tell the kids. After whoops and cheering we made our way to Minneapolis. It was -4 degrees on our hour ride up there. I can't express how thankful I am for a warm home and car. BRRRR.
The next week the fam went to Madison, WI to watch Jacob swim in a swim meet at the University of Wisconsin. This was our first travel meet where we stayed overnight. Jacob keeps dropping time and did so in all of his events. He's close to A times now and is just loving it. Trevor and Alexis also started swim team a couple weeks ago. Trevor had a tough day last week when they took the kids for the first time in the 12 feet deep water. He swam a couple laps and then was tuckered out. When he stopped to put his feet down he panicked when he couldn't touch the bottom. He was clearly nervous. His coach told him to grab the lane line. He did and then tried to swim again, but he was tired. He grabbed the lane line again and started to cry. His coach told him to walk his hands along the lane line to the end, but he was done. They went in to get him. Trevor grabbed onto my leg and was shaking. He was terrified. I never thought he would get in the water again. One of the coaches coaxed him into going to the shallow water. She was great with him. About 25 minutes later Trevor walked back to the deep end and GOT IN THE WATER. I was SHOCKED. He swam backstroke and freestyle. He even stood in line and dove into the water. He faced that fear head on and I could have cried I was so proud of him.
In the meantime Lexi was being her normal animal self and swimming lap after lap in the water. She did EVERYTHING she was asked to do and is becoming a fantastic little swimmer. At the end of class the kids are given "grades" based upon their effort. Five is the best, one is basically no effort. Fives are given sparingly, but the kids get a star and get to choose the color of jolly rancher they want. Trevor and Lexi are on the same team. I'm sure you know where this is going. Trevor got a 5 (his second) and Lexi got a 3. She was devastated. She came to me in tears and told me that her leg hurt every time she swam, but she just kept going. She didn't complain one time. I wrapped my arms around her and told her that she would get a five one day. Thankfully, thankfully her coach saw that she was upset. She walked over and sat down by us. I quietly told her that Alexis was sad that Trevor got a 5 and she only received a 3. Her coach said, "Remember when you got a 5? I remember. It was even before Trevor." Lexi looked at her with huge eyes and said, "I've never gotten a 5." Her coach replied, "Oh, are you sure? I'm sure you've gotten a 5." Lexi just looked at her and shook her head. Her coach said, "Let's go check." Lexi walked with the coach. She pulled out her clipboard and noticed that Alexis had never received a five. She told her that she was mistaken and that she would have given her a five if she had realized that she hadn't already had one. She then pointed out that Trevor got a five because he faced his fear. She handed Lexi a star and another jolly rancher (one that Lexi was able to choose the color). With a skip in her step she came back over to me. I mouthed "Thank You" to her coach as we walked to the locker room. I was so thankful that her efforts didn't go unnoticed.
Here are a few more of my book worms. I love seeing this at the end of the day.
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