Our first Thanksgiving...

here in Richmond. Yes, this year we decided not to travel for Thanksgiving. It was a bittersweet decision. Although we enjoy the time we spend with our families, we were looking forward to spending some quiet time at home. During the weeks leading up to the big day, Samuel was filled with excitement again over yet another holiday. He never was really quite sure what you did on Thanksgiving. He said he just couldn't remember exactly what we did last year. I tried to make it sound as exciting as I could...you eat turkey and watch football and most importantly DAD is off for FOUR whole days. Samuel was most excited about that. He kept reminding Bubby religiously that Dad was going to be off for FOUR days! He was so excited about it all that I hoped it wouldn't be let down for him. He looked forward to the food he would eat but said he wasn't quite sure what turkey tasted like (although he has eaten it many times in the past!) Bubby wasn't as excited about the day. I think that idea that Dad would be home was exciting but the whole eating thing wasn't much to anticipate unless we would eat at Chick Fil A for Thanksgiving. Now I think this was the first year that the boys really got the story of the Pilgrims and the Indians (or Native Americans to be PC). Samuel really wanted to be an Indian and have a shield and teepee. Benjamin studied the story at school and was able to point to various pictures that described the story. He proudly wore his Indian hat home from school...which I might add was the cutest thing to see getting off that bus.

Well..the day arrived. I cooked a lot of food with Brian's help (He's wonderful!). Samuel patiently waited to see just what all the fuss was about. We watched the parade. (Which was interesting to the kids when they saw the characters they recognized!) Even Gracie got excited when she saw ELMO! Then the time came to eat. Gracie had been recovering from some virus and honestly I don't think she ate one thing! ( Bless her heart...she was really not feeling well all weekend and was really clingy and fussy.) We made some chicken and french fries for the Bubster and of course the fries and chicken were too mushy so he didn't really eat! Well by this time Mom was too frustrated with the eating antics of these picky eaters to really enjoy eating any of her food. BUT...thankfully Dad enjoyed every bite of his meal (both first and second helpings!) and Samuel was pleasantly surprised that the food was good and that this Thanksgiving day just might turn out okay!

We spent the rest of the holiday weekend eating, watching movies, playing, watching football, doing yardwork and even took a trip down to the James River to walk around on the trails (and take our Christmas pictures). It was a very quiet uneventful weekend. Gracie finally started feeling better on Sunday night. Samuel got some quality "dad" time with watching LOTS of football and Bubby had fun just hanging out without having school! SO all in all I think it turned out okay and hopefully we will get the chance again one year.

Halloween

So...we made it through another exciting Halloween in the Kaman house. The boys (especially Samuel) look forward to Halloween almost as much as Christmas. They start deciding on costumes sometime in September and we try to make them wait until almost Halloween to officially decide on one. Benjamin decided he would be Spiderman early on and never once waivered. (I think he thinks he IS Spiderman sometimes.) As for Samuel he went from a Ninja Turtle to a basketball player but settled on the blue Power Ranger. It seems he is learning about these superheroes from his buddy in preschool. We personally don't let him watch those because they are a little too old for him but he likes the costume all the same. Blue is his favorite color so it makes sense he would choose that. As for Gracie...mom had some crazy idea that she would dress my first and only daughter in a totally girlie costume. So I set out to make her a fairy. I felt such a sense of pride that I was able to create a relatively cheap costume (wings, halo and wand) that would look great. If only she would have worn it....The only part of the costume that stayed on was the skirt. So...my "fairy" became my "ballerina" in about 10 seconds. Oh well...at least I still have the pieces for next year!

We did enjoy the night. We started at a fall festival. The boys loved the bounce house, games and train ride. Gracie had her first taste of lollipops and cotton candy. After the festival we came home to trick or treat to a few neighbors and then come home and examine our loot. Samuel loves the chocolate. Gracie has had her sample of candy ...BUT Benjamin STILL finds no interest in eating his candy! (Guess I can't complain too much about that!)

So...we enjoyed yet another fun filled Halloween here in our house...only to hear Samuel ask when we returned back home from our fun..."How many more days until Halloween?"

Proud Mom moment

I know we all have our proud mom moments. Those moments where your kid does something that makes you truly grateful that you are a mom and that they finally "get" it. Well for the teacher mom those moments can sometimes revolve around something academic that they finally learn. Now I have to confess that most times Benjamin's proud mom moments are much more amazing than the other two. This is only because it takes Benjamin twice as long to (or longer) to "get" things. He is doing really great in Kindergarten and working really hard but I still have to work at home to keep him up with what is happening in his classroom. Well...my proud mom moment happened while we were outside drawing with some sidewalk chalk. Usually he is not interested in really writing anything. (Most times asking him to write his name is asking a lot.) Well...this particular day he got it in his head he was going to write everyone's name. He asked me what letters were in our names and with a little help he wrote everyone's name. Here are the pics to prove it....can I tell you I was one proud mommy that day.

Apple Pickin...

We finally made it for our yearly annual picking on Carter Mountain in Charlottesville. We tried to go on Friday but the day was raining and miserable. Saturday turned out to be chilly but beautiful. The boys had a blast. Samuel made it his mission to gather as many apples as he possibly could (even if they weren't ripe enough). Benjamin was proud of his few apples but found more fun running and exploring through the trees. Gracie was happy enough to suck on her apples and wander the trails. It is always a beautiful fall place to be. The highlight for Brian and I are the apple doughnuts and the apple cider. If any of you guys can ever come to see us in the fall we will have to take you there. The view is beautiful and a wonderful fall tradition.

After our trip on the mountain we went into town and ate some pizza at our favorite pizza place, Mellow Mushroom.

Benjamin's Buddies and Our first campout/sleepover

Last weekend was our annual Buddy Walk. I am sure most of you who know us know that the Buddy Walk is a walk to raise awareness and support for those with Down Syndrome. This is something that our family has done every year and will continue to make it a tradition. It is always amazing to see just how Benjamin "fits" in there. God really did make those with that extra chromosome very similar and as he grows older I know he will really like being with folks that are just as special as he is. It's also good for Samuel and Gracie to meet other siblings who have "special" brothers and/or sisters. One day these kids might become friends and can be some kids they can really relate to. Right now, if you were to ask Samuel he could tell you that Benjamin has Down Syndrome. I wouldn't say he truly understands what that means but he knows that Benjamin might take a little longer to learn to do all the things that Samuel can learn very easily. This year on the way to the walk he asked us how long Benjamin was going to have Down Syndrome. We told him that he would have it all his life. His response was "Oh". Like I said...he loves Benjamin unconditionally, my hope and prayer is that it stays that way.

Anyway...back to the walk. This year (and last year) it was at the University of Richmond. It is a beautiful place to be. There are beautiful buildings and landscape and a wonderful lake. I wouldn't say it is the best choice for the walk. The sidewalks are too narrow and the kids have trouble walking the long distance. But other than that it was a great time. They had a bounce house which was the highlight for the boys. I think they stayed in there for most of the entire time. Spiderman and Dora was there. Samuel only likes to look at those folks but Benjamin was happy to let Spiderman try to teach him how to shoot webs. (The kid doesn't have any fear of strangers I suppose!) Brian and I were able to catch up with some friends of ours who have children with Down Syndrome which was nice. It is always great to share your triumphs, struggles,and fears with other folks who understand exactly what you are going through. And...Gracie, well, she went along for the ride just like always...running around and having a good time just being with us!

After the walk was finished we had to come home and rest up for our very first campout/sleepover. We had made plans with some friends of ours to come over to their house and the boys would campout in the backyard and the girls would have a sleepover inside. I cannot tell you just how excited the boys were to get there. They had their sleeping bags laying out in the family room for most of the day and their flashlights were ready. When we got there they headed outdoors and stayed there except to go to the bathroom and change their clothes. They wanted this to be as authenic as possible. They cooked hot dogs over the fire (Bubby of course had some yogurt and chips) and made some smores for dessert (if you ask Samuel I think he would tell you that was his favorite part). When bedtime came we got them all bundled up and ready for the night and then the boys went outside to camp. Our friends let us share their eight man tent so there was plenty of room. Benjamin fell asleep pretty quickly but Samuel was a little scared. I was wondering if he would make it out there because he is afraid of the dark when are at home but I was pleasantly surprised that he was brave enought to tough it out. I think at one point he heard someone's radio and the bass sounded like "someone going up their stairs." Brian volunteered to let him hold his hand and I suppose that gave him enough courage to fall asleep. Once in the middle of the night Brian said he was awakened by Samuel's whisper "hold your hand." But other than that and waking up occasionally to put Bubby back in the covers I think it went pretty well. As for Gracie and I we slept inside for our first sleepover together and we did the typical girl stuff...just no pillow fights quite yet!

what a week...

Well...had to take a minute to write about my week. Brian was out of town all week and as most of you can imagine I am still recovering from my "single parentness." The kids were great though. Every time Brian leaves for a trip he always reminds the boys that they are to "take care of me." According to Samuel that means bringing me my "drinks." (That would be my Diet Coke...although I think I could drink them repeatedly ....I usually have to tell him to wait to bring me another until I finish the one I have!) This time I was a little worried that with the wrestling coach gone the boys (esp Samuel) wouldn't be tired enough to actually go to sleep at night. But, thankfully the weather was nice and they could go outside and run off their energy. One night we went to the mall to run around in the indoor playground. I think if you asked Benjamin, his highlight would be getting to eat Chick-fil-a two nights in a row since Mommy doesn't cook when Daddy is out of town. As for Gracie...well I had the bright idea to try to move her down to one nap a day to help her sleep better at night. (We have discovered that Gracie requires very little sleep...ugh!) She did okay until the last day when she only slept for an hour all day. She was fine-- but mom could have used the nap! But...somehow we made it through the week and I didn't completely come unglued...and my boys asked Jesus every night to take care of Daddy (or "DA" ...Bubby's way to say Daddy) and He so graciously did. And the biggest shocker of all is that although I know they were thoroughly pumped to see Daddy last night and have him put them to bed...my sweet little fellas came to find me to make sure to say "good night" and get a hug one last time. Makes my heart melt...

You never can tell...

what is going to make kids happy. This past Saturday we made plans with some friends of ours to go to Jamestown. They had seen that there was going to be a " Children's Festival" there. We have never been to Jamestown before and quite frankly I thought that it just might be a little "above" the interest level of the boys (Gracie doesn't care where she is as long as she can run free!) Well...despite the mud (from the rain two days before) and threat of rain on Saturday we decided to go, hoping that the juggling and

stilt-walking that was promised would provide ample entertainment. Well...after being there for thirty minutes we could begin to see that the activities were far from what I would call "festival" worthy. There was a pinwheel they could make (which didn't seem to interest the boys at all and didn't last but for a few minutes in Gracie's grasp), some games like rolling a wooden hula hoop and bowling with some wooden balls and pins and a few balloons. They mentioned that due to the threat of rain they had cancelled some activities but we were a little discouraged to have paid for such simple entertainment. Now...all that said...I bet you are starting to think how disappointed the boys must have been. Well...it was quite the opposite! The boys had a blast! They ran in and out of the Indian huts and through the fort of the early settlers. The biggest excitement by far were the boats. There were replicas of three of the ships that you could explore. The boys didn't seem to grow tired of running through them, climbing stairs or looking inside doors and passageways. It was such a great place for them to just do their boy thing.

I decided pretty soon that I had been wrong..this place did have enough excitement for them! I am still not really sure what kind of "festival" was going on but whatever the case it was enough fun for Samuel to tell us several times he had so much fun he wants to go back, and in his own words, "It was cool!" As for Gracie...like I said earlier, she just ran around trying to keep up with us all. She skipped her morning nap and you would never have known it. (Although she didn't last five minutes in the car before crashing until we got home!)

Well...I don't know how long it will be before we head back over to Jamestown...and I was little disappointed that I didn't get to see a juggler or some man on stilts, but it was a day we will not forget!