First Snowman of Winter

The first snowman that I didn't help with! I came out afterward to retrieve the bag of prunes which had been used for the eyes. Love all the leaves stuck in it! I think we had about 1/2 inch of snow total, so this snowman is an impressive feat. They are really into coloring right now....a nice calm, quiet activity...as opposed to the rollerblading they do around our loop or nerf gun wars.

At story hour today, a mother of another set of twins that are also in T and N's class said she over heard her children mumbling that they needed Thomas to fix it. She asked what they meant and apparently Thomas is the "go-to" in class if anything needs fixing. He is strong and he is mechanically-minded so I wasn't surprised but I was really happy she told me about it. She said it was a snap/clasp on a shoe.

Nathan is reading me level 1 books! He does super sounding out and then using the picture for clues. Thomas is not as interested in reading to me but he easily made it through one book tonight.

More Crazy Pictures

Here are a few more to choose from for the New Year's cards....which should I chose? I just can't decide!

Back at the boy's 5 year check up in May, Nathan didn't "pass" the hearing test which means he couldn't discern what was being said at 20 dB which is very quiet. The doctor was not worried, in fact I don't even think he came back in after the nurse did the test, just sent word that it was fine. The school nurse checked hearing on 10/26 and at that time Nathan had a slight cold so she rechecked it on 12/1 both of which he "failed". She sent a note to get him checked out, so back to the primary care this past Friday. Nathan had just started a cold the day before with a very runny nose. Of course the doctor found fluid and prescribed anti-biotic. He wants to see if we can get rid of the fluid first of all and then see how his hearing is. I pointed out that Nathan has already had two tests while not having a cold (5/12 and 12/1). Interestingly there is nothing in the doctor's record about May's test. Anyways, we are doing the anti-biotic but we also have an ENT appointment for Jan. 21. Hopefully Nathan won't have a cold then! If he does, I will cancel.

My Inside Kid and My Outside Kid

These pictures are from November but I couldn't resist snapping their two different personalities! Pictures are from the same day and same hour! It has gotten much colder, so we are inside much more but have been ice skating twice on the neighbors field. The next picture is to show what I considered sending out in the new year cards! Every year it's most challenging to find a decent picture of both! Notice Nathan's eyes, he is really looking at Thomas to make sure that he is doing the same thing! Standard.

More Fall Pictures

The first picture was scare-crow making at our library. The lady in the photo is the children's librarian and she is excellent. The next two pictures are from the kindergarten fieldtrip to the fire station. The fireman who gave the tour dressed up in his full gear and crawled in among the children so they could really see and feel him. I thought this was an excellent idea to alleviate any fears of the mask and suit. In the group picture, Thomas is under the counter and Nathan is in the front middle. Then, two pictures from our trick-or-treating night. Thomas was a pirate and Nathan was a knight.

Fall Pictures

The first pictures were taken when out touring fall foliage. Nathan was sound asleep in the car. The next few pictures were taken when their cousin, Benjamin came to visit. We made caramel apples with auntie and cousin...there they are unwrapping (and stealing) caramels. Finally the last picture was taken on my birthday trip into Boston to eat at Pagliuca's. We always park at Lewis Wharf and so, took a few minutes to see the water and boats.

School Days

Nathan announced Thursday afternoon that he likes school! This makes it so much easier for me. The first day, I had to push Nathan up the bus steps but having Thomas with him has been a huge help. They are so tired when they get home. They are sleeping in the afternoon at least an hour if not two. Getting how their school day was out of them has been tough. Matt made a declaration at the dinner table that they will tell him something they learned...this has helped. I'm learning what to ask though...like what was your job for the day and who did you play with? Thomas repeatedly tells me that he played with Amanda while Nathan plays repeatedly with Evan. There are three sets of twins in their class! Evan is another twin. Nathan got all dressed by himself this morning for school....little did he know it was Sunday!

Rose of Sharon bushes

Our yearly rose of Sharon pictures! Last December, we had some trees taken down, causing us to move three of our four trees. What a good move it was! The original location was too shady which meant no blooms. The bush in the last three pictures has double blooms. The first picture is the tree we have previously taken pictures by...it was loaded with blooms, but the season has almost passed and only a few flowers remain. The boys took turns taking pictures...as you can tell...love the angle! Hey, it's centered and my head is not chopped off, I would say, not bad!

This was the morning of their kindergarten screening. The teachers took the boys for about an hour down to their classroom. I gather that they drew a picture of themself, counted, recognized shapes, did some rhyming and wrote their name. The next day was more of an orientation where the boys played for a little bit in their classroom and then took a bus ride with their teachers and principal to learn bus safety. There are 13 students in their half-day class. There is one other kindergarten class about the same size but it's full-day. The boys beginning Tuesday. The bus should come shortly before 8AM and they are dropped off again around noon. They are so excited! It makes me happy for them. I hope to volunteer in their classroom...I saw several other moms signed up also. This will begin in October. They actually had homework already. We had to make a list of four things and then draw pictures of what they did to get ready for kindergarten. We also had to fill out a little sheet on their favorites. Nathan was all business and has since gotten it out several times to "do" his homework. Thomas, not so interested until he saw his brother almost done.