October

Pumpkin Patch field trip

Reading wears a girl out!

The rain is here....

My little Sous Chef

My little kitty getting ready for her first Halloween Party!

She was so excited!

Jaxon saw Sierra's face makeup and had to have some too

She was a mermaid for her school Halloween Party

The Elementary School hosted a parade and the kinders got to walk too

Jaxon loved it!

Trick-or-treating at the Elementary School

Saying goodbye to the crib.  These things are always bittersweet for a mama!

First nap in his big boy bed.  Sigh.

We made it through the first month of school!  It hasn't been easy and I still feel like we are adjusting.  Sierra does great at school but still has meltdowns on the way/as soon as she gets home.  Last month she would come home eat lunch and crash and still take a nap.  But this month I've been trying to keep her up and not let her nap in hopes that she'll go to bed earlier and maybe sleep in a tad bit later.  I can't imagine what sending the poor girl to all day kinder would do to her!  I'm sure we'd all survive, but this half day stuff is enough!  There are still days that I find her sleeping when I come out from putting Jaxon down for his nap.  I have to admit that however short these moments of down time are for me, I am grateful.  My checkbook hasn't been balanced in forever, I've almost given up on coupons because I just don't have the time.  I will admit though, sometimes if I have 15 minutes to myself, I sit in the quiet and eat chocolate.  :)

Sierra had her first field trip for school and I got to go with her to the pumpkin patch.  She was so excited that I got to go and even ride the bus with her.  It ended up being a beautiful day and was really fun!  I also started volunteering on Thursdays from 9 to 12 in her class.  She loves having me there but is very independent.  I always get a hug when I show up but she is good at doing her work without being distracted and usually goes off and plays with her friends during recess while I try to keep some of the kiddos company that aren't so social.

This is the first experience for me with kindergartners and I have to say that the teachers sure have a difficult job!  Sierra has 22 kids in her class and it just seems like way too many.  There are a few kids that struggle and act out and the teacher has to stop teaching ALL the other students to handle the situation.  So my job has been to try and deal with those situations so the teacher can continue to teach.  The first day was pretty stressful, but as the kiddos get to know me better, it has gone a lot better.  I'm enjoying watching Sierra learn and it's good for me to see how she interacts with other kids.  I've been so relieved to see her do so well and be so independent even when I'm in the classroom. It's also been good for Jaxon to get to spend some time away from mommy and have fun with his Grandmas.  I wouldn't be able to volunteer if they weren't both close by, so I am so grateful!

Jaxon has been going through a difficult time at bedtime.  He's usually so good at going to bed by himself, but all of a sudden this month when we'd go to put him in his crib he'd panic.  He'd scream and shake and talk about shapes on the ceiling and noises.  I have no idea what set him off but it's sad to see and exhausting!  So we decided to get rid of his crib and put him in a twin bed.  Maybe not the best time to do it, but we didn't know what else to do.  We spent hours trying to console him and get him to sleep but nothing seemed to help, so we hoped the fact that he was in a bed he could get out of would make him feel more secure.  It was still a huge change and we are still trying to get him used to it.  At first he would come into our room 3 or 4 times a night.  One of us would have to walk him back to bed and then he would fuss and need us to lay down with him because he was scared.  In the end Jesse kind of took over putting him to bed and walking him back to bed at night.  He doesn't give in quite as easily as mommy :)  We are making progress, but whew!  He was waking more than an infant!

Halloween was really enjoyable this year!  Jaxon and I watched Sierra parade through the elementary school first thing in the morning with the other students and then Jaxon spent the rest of the morning with his Grandma Shelly while I went with Sierra to her school Halloween party.  After school while Jaxon napped, Sierra trick-or-treated at the downtown Philomath businesses.  After dinner we took the kids to the Elementary school for some trick-or-treating and games.  When we were done at the school Sierra decided that she hadn't had enough so I took her to a few of the houses close by.  It was a very busy but enjoyable day and she fell asleep within about 30 seconds of going to bed!  Jaxon has turned into such a social boy and really enjoyed the whole process.  His sissy has been a great example to him and he is now a friendly and social little boy.  He still scares much easier than his sister but I have loved watching him coming out of his shell.

 It's hard to believe that next month is November!  Guess what that means?  Christmas carols!  Woohoo :)