Happy Fall!

A busy week for A^4th!  Mommy was away for work (collecting water samples in the Adirondacks and near the St Lawrence River). Daddy held down the fort and did a great job (Mommy would prefer no McDonald's for dinner, but at least they had yogurt and then played at the "Big Park" afterwards!)  The weather was gorgeous all week and A^4th enjoyed every moment.

Adirondacks: Tupper Lake


A tributary to the St Lawrence River


Tuesday:
Park time!


Higher, Ayson!


A CUTE picture of Gianna and Ayson!


Wednesday had Daddy and the kids back at soccer and Addie SO wanted to play too!  Mommy will be picking up a pair of shin guards for her this week :)


The older boy in yellow (with his hand on Ayson's head) is a "friend" of Ayson's.  However, both Mommy and Daddy have witnessed this "friend" be very mean to Ayson and Ayson does not seem to care.  We have told Ayson he does not need mean "friends" so we shall see how the year plays out.
On the bright side, look at Addie with the big kids :)




Thursday evening Daddy and the kiddos dinned at the Big Park.


Ayson and a friend (from the summer program) bouncing.  Addie is in the background swinging...ugh, Mommy hates when Addie swings from that section of the play set because a metal chain ladder is right under her.  SO, if she slipped it would most likely hurt.


On Saturday, the Syracuse 2015 Inflatable Race was held at the Apple Festival grounds and we could see race participants from our house (running on festival grounds).  We then had to take a stroll to check the race out.  Next year, Mommy wants to run in it!




The race had a free bounce area for the kiddos and our two "party crashers" had a fabulous time:)




Ayson in mid air




Mommy loves this picture :)


On Sunday, we picked apples from our trees so that Daddy could make an apple pie. Ayson was cold so Daddy let him wear his Engineers sweatshirt.


We also harvested our pumpkins...we ended up with 11...not too bad considering the 2 biggest pumpkins rotted before they were ripe.




Making the crust.  The kiddos helped every step of the way!


Peeling


Apple pie with their initials!


We told the kids they could not have pie until AFTER dinner.  Ayson flew through his dinner and once he was excused from the table, Addie promptly fell asleep :)


She perked right up once Mommy and Daddy told her it was apple pie time!
Both kids thought the pie was awesome!  Yay, Daddy!




A bit of Ayson's school work:
Johnny Apple Seed




Another back to the future picture.  From left to right: Ayson and Daddy sitting on the couch in the boys room.  Daddy's deer head is above Daddy.  Then we have the car with the wire connected to the clock tower.


Yes, Back to the Future.  Our Big Guy is obsessed!  Mommy ended up buying the movie so that Ayson could watch the movie whenever he wanted.
Left to right: the brown door (the 9 window pane door) between the boys room and the main house, Ayson said the "bubble 7" above the door was a boomerang, below the door, Daddy is sitting on the couch and Ayson is WAY over on the other side of the couch all stretched out), the colorful line is the Christmas tree lights (that are kept up all year long for "ambiance"), and are correctly plugged into the electrical socket that is beneath the TV, the section of yellow lights Ayson stated lost their color (how?  He broke them? hmm, they are not broken yet!), the TV is playing Back to the Future (of course) 3 and Marty is the guy on the left side of the screen, then a cave, and the bear that comes out of the cave where the DeLorean is parked is on the right side of the screen.  The long black column, after the yellow lights, is the wood stove in the boys room. Mommy forgot to ask what the stuff above the TV was but it is probably the DVD player and the decorations that are on the wall.


A bit of school work that involved listening and thinking




On Friday, the Kindergartners went to Crtiz Farm and had a blast.  Mommy was still away for work and was disappointed she could not go with Ayson.
http://www.critzfarms.com/educational-farm-tours/

Ayson's Apple Tree picture

Soccer- round 2, Curriculum night, Pratts Falls, and a Visit from Grandpa Chuck

We had a busy week with soccer practice, Curriculum night, Addie had a few adventures with Linda, a hike at Pratts Falls, and an overnight visit from Grandpa Chuck.

Cuddling with Daddy Monday morning


Ayson practicing kicking the soccer ball Monday night while Addie is looking up at the apples in the tree.


Ayson had fun playing with Daddy and Gianna


Mmm, apples!


Addie was the only child at Linda's this week so Linda took Addie on "outings."  They went to a local diner where Addie ate more than Linda :)


The girls also went to McDonald's and the "big park"


Soccer practice is Wednesday at 6 pm (we found out at 5 pm that night) so we did a quick dinner and then went to soccer practice.  Ayson took a bit of convincing and bribing...Mommy stated if Ayson tried soccer ONE more time that we could go to Sweeties after practice IF Sweeties was open. Mommy was counting on Sweeties being closed. Luckily, Mommy had $5 cash on her for two kiddie portions of ice cream because Sweeties is open until 8 pm and does not take credit card:)

Addie smiling for Mommy from the bleachers


Ayson had fun this time around. He did fall once or twice but got right back up and kept playing.  He even stated that he had fun and wants to play again...yay!  Good job, Big Guy!


On Thursday, Mommy played a game with 4th-6th graders from Cortland county for Conservation Fields Days.  The kids played the part of a bird and had to take their chance at migrating to their winter habitat. Migration is risky business and not everyone makes it!  The kids love the game as they have to hop around, crawl, hold their head (hit a window) or tummy (bad food), flap their "wings", or tip toe away from predators (cats).


Thursday night was Curriculum night and Linda came over to watch the kiddos while Mommy and Daddy learned what Ayson will be doing this school year.
The class has 2 calendars: one for the days of the week and a second that counts the 1st 100 days of school.  So everyday, the kids are counting and looking at patterns (which picture goes next in the pattern).  Each day there are class line leaders, calendar leader, and a special agent (runs errands for the teacher).
As of Thursday, the kids were working on the sight words "I" and "can" and the words can be seen to the right of the picture.  


A class picture was taken and hangs in the room.  Ayson is in the top row on the right.


The class schedule.  The Pre-K and K kids get together in the afternoons at least 2 days a week and sing songs together...how fun is that!


The Kindergarten curriculum.  Mommy tore off the bottom portion to leave a note in Ayson's Activity packet reading "We love (with a heart) you, Mommy and Daddy" (all words that he knows).


I wondered last year how Ayson did, behavior-wise, day to day and now I can get a better idea with the Kindergarten class management plan.  Each day the students start out with a clip on green and if the guidelines are not followed, they 1st get a verbal warning, 2nd time (Mrs Long stated the kids are given multiple warnings before yellow...at least in the beginning of the school year) they get the clip moved to yellow, then blue, and finally red with steeper consequences each time.  At the end of the school day, the kids color in the block on the monthly calendar (that goes home each night in their folders) with whatever behavior color they ended up with. Ayson was not listening and was talking and he explained that is why he got yellow on Wednesday.


Ayson colored a picture of himself for his locker.  Check out the blue eyes with darker blue pupil. He drew the dog "Frankenweenie" on his shirt and that is why his clothes are black, gray, and blue...to go with the movie.  Ayson pointed out to Mommy that he drew a black, gray, yellow rainbow above the picture of Frankenweenie.  This year, he loves Friday night pizza night (we ALL do :), his favorite color is orange, and he can play on the tire swing all by himself (the other disc swing on the fort was hard for Ayson to get on)


On Saturday, A^4 went for a walk at Pratts Falls to check on the milk weed crop (we love to shake the milk weed seed pods in the wind.  The milk weed was not ready but we had fun looking at bugs, trees, plants, and leaves.
A catapillar all balled up


A massive (and cool) tree.


Of course the kids loved the swings


Popping the jewel weed seed pods


More playground equipment fun on the way back from our walk


Daddy and Ayson had to use the potty, so Mommy and Addie walked ahead because Addie is slower. Addie wanted to hide behind a tree and wait for Daddy and Ayson to walk by so that we could scare them.  She jumped the gun and came out of hiding too soon but she had fun.


Addie was tuckered out and wanted a nap Saturday afternoon!


On Sunday, Grandpa Chuck (who is enjoying retirement) came over to watch the Giants play (sorry, Daddy and Grandpa) and stayed the night.  Mommy will be sure to take pictures in the morning of Grandpa waiting with Ayson for the bus.


A picture Ayson drew of Friday Night Pizza Night...from his perspective.  Mommy will try and give a description from left to right: a hummingbird outside, the fridge and cupboards, Mommy and Addie, a hummingbird (at the feeder), Ayson's chair knocked over on the ground, the table (with ham pizza on it) and 2 chairs, Daddy, Ayson (he is standing on a bench), the kitchen sink...check it out, he even has the faucet dripping water (which it does when the faucet is not turned off all of the way :)


Math: Mrs Long stated the kids were doing module 2 first and then working module 1 (numbers 1-10) in as they go.