Open House and Pumpking Patch

As the kids are getting older, that only means one thing. James and I are getting older!!! LOL Yesterday we had open house at the kids' daycare. It was a lot of fun and we met the kids teachers and learned some very interesting new things. Miss Yvonne and Miss Rachel who are Brock's teachers had so many things to say about our little boy. They couldn't stress enough to us how well behaved he is. Brock has a lot of energy and sometimes it takes a few minutes to get his attention but once they have his attention he listens. He always cleans up his mess after he is done, whether it is playing with toys, coloring/painting, or having lunch. He never has to be told more then once. He is quite during circle time when he is supposed to be, and he participates in class discussions. His favorite thing about school is recces and arts and crafts, and lately the class has been dancing to different kids songs and of course Mr. Brock jumps at the opportunity to show off his moves. His teachers also told us he has such a kind heart. If one of his classmates gets hurt on the playground or inside he is one of the first to come running letting Miss Yvonne or Miss Rachel know so they can help. And he is still very polite, never forgets his please and thank yous. Hearing so much about him last night was wonderful. We worry not always knowing what is going on and how he is acting and hearing how much a wonderful boy he is really made us that much more proud of him. He will also be starting within the next week or two computer class on Wednesday's. He will get a half hour every Wednesday to go with 4 other kids his age to a computer class where they teach the kids how to use a computer and respect them. They have different programs they use and each week they get to learn something knew. As he gets older the teacher will go into vocabulary lessons and even math. For now though they focus on certain programs that asks the kids to distinguish different items on the screen and to take the mouse and click on those items. Brock did a trial lesson and was surprisingly very good. After each session the teacher will give them report cards saying how well they did and what we can do to work with them at home. Each month is a more detailed report card. It explains everything from how well the child listened to instructions, respected their computer, and how advanced they are with the programs.

Aly's class was much more tamer. Miss Mollie is Alyvia's teacher and always has something so sweet to say about our little girl. Aly is just a very happy and easy going baby. She loves to play with toys and listens intently when Miss Mollie sings a song or reads a book. She is always smiling and babbling. She is getting braver on crawling, she will shuffle her legs about twice before going back on her belly, so anytime now she should crawl. The only thing we need to work on is her appetite for real food. She still doesn't want baby food and is relying solely on her bottle but we have noticed as has her teacher that formula just is not enough anymore.

It was so wonderful being able to hear so much about the kids and what they do during the day, but it still depresses me because they are growing up so fast. Soon Brock will be in Kindergarten and Aly in pre-k! I really just want them to stay the way they are for ever!


Last Tuesday we took the kids to a pumpkin patch and picked out our pumpkins. There was also a lot of different farm animals. We got a bucket of carrots and were able to feed some of the horses. Brock was having a lot of fun but was just a little scared about feeding them. We saw horses, ponies, pigs, a donkey, billy goats, bunnies, and chickens. Aly was in awe over all the animals but especially loved the donkey and even petted him. Brock got to pet the chicken after chasing it for a little while, and the donkey was one of his favorites. The horses were a little to intimidating as they are so huge but the billy goats were just his size. There was also a slide and swing so of course we spent some time there so he could show off how he is such a big kid. Aly just laughed at all the silly things her brother was doing. It was a lot of fun and we got our pumpkins for carving and the kids had a new experience with farm animals.

Nothing else new going on as of now. Just getting ready for the holidays to come. I found some new crock pot recipes so I am excited about trying those out. I loved to cook more in the fall and winter. Not sure why but I know James isn't complaining. :) The weather started to cool off and now its going back up, but as long as we stay below 90 Brock and I are happy because then we can ride bikes and go to the park more. That's become our bonding times!


Yesterday was our three year wedding anniversary so this Friday we are going out to dinner and he is taking me to see Lance Berton at the Monte Carlo so that will be fun. I can't believe we have already been married for three years. Time has really flown by. I look forward to the next 50+ years with him. We hope all is well with everyone. Brock is still in soccer, last weeks game didn't go so well as he was very tired so nap time this Saturday will be earlier so hopefully he won't be to cranky to play.

Always,
The Morris Family xoxoxox

October 6, 2008

Wow, it's October already! I can't believe how fast time flies. The year is almost over and the holidays are just around the corner. We got Alyvia's costume for Halloween, she is going to be a pumpkin, and we are still looking for Brock's costume as he wants to be Batman.

Alyvia is almost crawling. She loves to go up on her hands and knees and just rock back and forth but cannot seem to comprehend the moving of the legs to get her going. She is still not eating her baby food but we did find some snack cookies that she sucks on and they dissolve in her mouth. I did try making her food to see if she would like to taste better but that was a no go! She is just very content with her bottle! Oh-well she'll get it eventually!

Brock is having the time of his life. He has soccer practice on Wednesdays and his games are on Saturdays. Since the weather has been so nice we have been riding our bike outside more and going to the park in the neighborhood. He had his first soccer game last Saturday the 4th. It was fun to watch but he didn't exactly participate like he does at practice. At this age the game is more aggressive as the kids only want to get to the ball and run like crazy. So there is a lot of pushing and shoving and falling down. Brock got pushed a few times and it didn't sit well with him. He didn't want to play anymore because the kids were being mean according to him. He was confused since at school we practice and preach about being nice to each other and not pushing and then he goes to play soccer and he sees the opposite. We explained to him in the car that sometimes he will get pushed while playing and that while it's not necessarily nice of them it is part of the game and he has to shake it off and just keep going. He said he still wants to play which was great to hear. He just has to learn to be aggressive too! After the game we went to chucky cheese and he had a blast there.

One thing that I am really proud of Brock is how independent he has become. He is always there offering a helping hand to me or James when we are cleaning. He likes to help wash dishes and vacuum and sweep. He does laundry and cleans the bathrooms and picks up toys. Well yesterday I was cleaning as I usually do on Sundays and he came over to me and asked "May I help?" It was so cute that he is always wanting to help us around the house. Well, I asked him to go clean his room and when he was done I might have something else for him to do. He happily ran to his room and did as I asked. I went in to check on him and sure enough his room was clean. I had put a stack of clean clothes on his bed earlier to be put away and he put the clothes in three different piles and put them in their appropriate drawers. He was so excited that he opened all his drawers to show me were everything went and even more shockingly was they were in the right drawers. He then proceeded to show me everything else that he did. He opened his closet to show me that everything was put away and his dirty clothes were in his hamper, then he showed me his toy box where all his toys were put away, and finally he pointed to his bed that was made up perfectly. He was so proud of himself and kept saying "See I'm a big boy mom, I cleaned my room!" It was so adorable. He is growing up which everyday he reminds us about.

Nothing new going on for James and me. Our 3 year wedding anniversary is the 15th so we are looking forward to celebrating that and getting out of the house. We both look forward to our days off because during the week it's just non-stop in our household. We go to work, come home, have soccer practice, then dinner, bath, and finally bed and then the next day we do it all over again! But it is nice to have a routine schedule going on!



Love,
The Morris Family