Senior Kindergarten ... Here we come!

Yesterday Matt went to school.
He's no longer the little jk kid who was excited and frightened about a new adventure. Nope. he's an sk.
he knew he was visiting his classroom for half an hour. He was thrilled he got half an hour with his teacher, his beloved teacher, to tell her about his summer and to show her he could read.
When we left jk in June he could read a couple of site words ("the" was his favourite). He knew his letter sounds. He had no interest in reading or writing.
And his teacher suggested that we try to encourage reading.
We took her advice, but we let him go at his own pace. A word here, a word there. Lots of excitement (genuine) when he sounded out the word Mom (spelled mam) and wrote it everywhere.
And over the summer he started reading more. One day sounds started to make sense. his world exploded. In place of playing lego in his bedroom he started looking through books, shrieking for us to help him with a word.
And we let him go at his own pace. Lots of encouragement. no pushing. Even though it killed me that he didn't love to read like I did, I let it go. And we let him learn the love of language on his own.
And yesterday we went to see his teacher.
And she pulled out her pile of site words.
22 words.
And he read them. Each and every word. By himself. Because he wanted to.
I was sitting in the hall chatting with the special ed teacher.
What I told the special ed teacher, the woman who I wish I didn't know because of her job function, was that over the summer I learned that instead of making Matt fit my mold I learned I have to fit his. I have to meet him where he is at.
And, it's working.
When his teacher came to bring me into the classroom she had tears in her eyes. Because she spent all of jk struggling with me, knowing that my amazing child could be amazing - if we could just figure out how.
"He blew me away."
Me too.
Because my child. The kid who has ADHD. The child who tells me that sometimes his brain just won't work right. My child decided he can.
Being a mom is amazing. Not always. We all know that. The temper tantrums, the anger. That's all part of what goes on in his brain. It's something we are working with and conquering and maybe even embracing. But seeing my child accomplish something that is really really hard amazes me.
it puts me in my place.
And it reminds me that as much as I need to accept that he struggles I can't accept mediocrity for my child.

I didn't post this last year. But, if you want to see how far we've come, here's an e-mail I sent to a few people about the exact same visit last year. We've come a long way, baby!

"Seriously ... worst visit ever!!!!
We were supposed to go for a half hour visit. We got forms to fill out while the teacher showed Matt the classroom.
So, the classroom visit went really well. He had no problem with us staying in the hall and did everything she asked. He drew pictures and even did letters (something he will not do for us). He was happy and laughing, etc.
So then she brought us in. We were talking about behavioural issues and so she let him have a "quick play" with one bucket of toys. So, we talked for quite awhile and he was happily playing away. And then she said it was tidy up time.
He refused.
So she said she would help him tidy and play. (at which point we were baffled as to whether we should let her do her thing or intervene, but we let her do her thing). So he shouted at her. And then started throwing toys. It was awful. By the end of the impromptu tidy up session he was screaming "I hate you Ms. Teacher. I am very angry right now". I was trying not to cry while at the same time relieved he was just shouting not hitting.
And then he turns to her and screams "I am very angry at you Ms.Teacher. Very angry and your tidy up time must change." Then he turned on his heel, grabbed the backpack and very dramatically said "this stupid visit is now over and I'm outta here."
Mike went with him and to my relief his teacher cracked up and told me that kids tend to be a little over-excited and have extreme reactions, and that I don't need to worry too much. And, I hit the point of laughing almost hysterically because otherwise I would have started to cry.
At least she didn't think I was the crazy parent who was trying to diagnose my kid with an issue that was non-existent.
It was horrible and funny all at the same time. Mike was quite glad to be going back to work.

The funny thing is that when we were eating lunch we were talking about it a bit. Matt turned to me and said "that Ms. Teacher seems very nice. Only 2 more sleeps till I go back!" I'm sure Ms.Teacher is counting down the days also."

Hmmmmm

A couple of weeks ago my friend and I went to hear a keynote speech at a convention. I have to admit that I tend to listen to people speak, or read books, or watch tv shows, and realize that I may have missed the whole huge message (no matter how good) because I am completely focused on one aspect of what that person said.
Case in point was this speech.
Actually, I was pretty riveted the entire time. To the point that I a going back to hear him speak next week.
But, what really struck me was not the incredible stuff the speaker had to say about social media. What struck me was when he was talking about reputation. The point he made was that sometimes what you think about yourself, and what you think people would say about you is not necessarily what you would say about yourself. And also that some of the most enlightened people in the world (I think like Oprah or Eckhart Tolle or Mother Theresa???) would have personal lists that would match what others would say about them.
And I'm completely obsessed with this thought.
I honestly will be on the elliptical in the morning, totally working out and focused on what I'm doing, and I start wondering about my own personal list. What traits would I say about myself (postive or negative) about myself, and what would others say?
Or I will start thinking about how at the gym in the morning I never talk to people. I walk in completely focused and don't say a word. And, I'm sure that the people there think I'm kind of snotty and shy.
And then I come home and I'm with my kids, and when I'm with them I try to be more authoratative. And when I'm rushing around trying to get out of the house on time I have a tendency to be kind of bitchy to Mike when he's late. And our nanny sees this, and I have to admit that she sees me as a bit of a stress case.
And then there's work. I'm totally different there again. Too chatty. Too noisy. Too messy and a little bit crazy. And I can't help but contrast the person I am from 9-5 with the person I am at my 5 am workout.
And, then take the day at work. I wouldn't say I'm 100% confident all of the time. But in many situations I am. But, the other day at work I was in this meeting and someone said to me "I'm confident you can pull this off, and do this project, but I need to know that you're confident in yourself and I'm not seeing that."
Seriously.
I can't stop questionning if people think I have no confidence.
That's been bugging me for days.
And, it actually does really matter.
And then there's this blog. And, maybe on here I'm a combination of all of those things. Actually, maybe I'm not quite as snarky on here as I am in real life. Who knows.
Which leads me to the point, what do I think of myself? And what positive qualities do I have? And seriously, even if I think I have them do I? And can you make yourself have good qualities just because you want them?
Hmmmmm....
Maybe I'll make a list.
Not now. I still have to think about it.

The Joys of Boys

Matt is my sweet, sweet 5 year old.
If there's one thing he loves it's hugs and cuddles and having stories read to him. There's nothing better to him than waking up in the morning and having Mommy all to himself. We sit in the big chair, watch some Spongebob and cuddle.
I love that about Matt.
Because he also struggles with temper tantrums and meltdowns sometimes, I've discovered (in my vast parenting wisdom ... heh heh) that sometimes the best way to solve a problem is by just giving him a big hug and telling him things are okay.
The other day I came home and the world was falling apart because our nanny had said no ice cream.
As I stood in the kitchen with Matt sobbing I turned to him and said "Maybe a hug will make this better."
And he jumped into my arms and snuggled there for a good 30 seconds. He pulled back a bit and whispered to me that he wanted to tell me something.
Ever the kind, compassionate, mom, I stopped and I said "you can tell me anything."
Matt: "Mommy. Your hugs are the best. You know just how to squish me and make me fart. I love you."

Oh Matt ... I love you too!!!

Miss Me? Well I do!

I know.
If you have followed me on my blogs, or know me, or are me, you've probably said (likely to me) "what are you doing with your blogs?"
I know.
It's ridiculous.
I have 3 blogs.
Here's the problem. On this blog my name is everywhere. And it bothered me for awhile when people were searching me. As in people who know me in real life. Like work people. But that died down. And there was that whole "issue" that made me question this whole blogging thing.
And then I was pregnant. And I had to debate whether I wanted to have my kids' lives online. So i started another blog. But it wasn't me. So I started a different blog. But it still wasn't me.
And then ...
And then I realized that it doesn't matter.
I miss writing for who I am.
Misadventures - that's who I am. My life is full of these misadventures. These mis-steps. The mistakes. The moments that make me laugh. The times I wonder why on earth I said what I just did - in front of a room full of people. I'm the person who brought a bawking chicken into work and then had it kidnapped. (really). I'm the person who has a tendency to let everyone know how I feel - and wear my heart on my sleeve. Which causes some problems.
And, Mommy. That's me too. It's something I'm proud of, even if I struggle pretty much every day with that as my identity. Who am I first? Laural? A mom? A working mom. A working woman who has kids?
And, this blog let me do that.
Not as someone with a pseudonym. But as me. Very definitely me.
And I miss that.
The people who know me, who love me (or at least like me or put up with me) they know that what they see is what they get.
I'd wished I'd blogged my adventures in organics here. It would have been much funnier. Maybe I'll revisit that.
But I want to be back. Here. At my blogging home. Cuz I miss it. And I miss you guys. All of you who read (hi Wondermommies! I'm looking at all of you). And I think I'm ready to go back to being me and living on line. And maybe deleting my other blogs. Or importing some of that stuff back here.
So, we're cool?
We're done being "on a break"?
Good? Good.
Welcome back.
Why thank you.
Want to know the real me? Voila.

Since My Grandad is 100

Sometimes I miss this blog. And in honour of my grandad who just turned 100 (and also a couple of friends who bugged me NOT to totally quite this blog) I wanted to share what I said about him last weekend.
100. Wow!


Good afternoon
My name is Laural, and I am art’s second oldest grand child.
I was asked to say a little bit about the experience of being one of his grandchildren.
My granddad is one of a kind! My earliest memories of him are when I was pretty little. I have fond memories of traveling to the apartment in Orillia and playing with Nana and Granddad’s dog Jodi, sliding down piles of snow, and going for special dinners at Swiss Chalet. Of course I’ll never forget stealing mints from their candy bowl and Granddad telling me stories about his railroad days – stories that I now tell my children
One of my most treasured memories of Granddad is from when I was about 9 or 10. Nana was in the hospital for surgery, so our family would visit on the weekend. I would make granddad sandwiches and we’d go for a walk around the hospital. Because Granddad had a hard time hearing me, we would pass notes to each other written on hospital cafeteria napkins. I really treasured some of the messages he sent me.
I learned through those notes how much Grandad loved to hear about my life, and as I grew up I would often jot him a quick letter to tell him about life, school, work and family.
From him I discovered the love of writing, and also the importance of listening (or at least pretending really well).
As I’ve grown up I have had the privilege of not only introducing Grandad to my husband, but also to my 2 children, Matthew and Chloe, two of Art’s 4 great grandchildren.
There’s a saying that goes “it’s great to have children. Better to have grandchildren, but great grandchildren are the icing on the cake.”
For me it’s been such a blessing to watch granddad interact with my kids. I love to see the look of pure joy on his face when my kids give him hugs, or when he gets an extra special cuddle from a baby.
I recently told my 5 year old that his Great Grandad is 100. And I’ll leave you with the words he said to me.
“100 years old means you’ve seen lots of life. It makes you very smart and very special. And I’m lucky that it’s my Great Grandad.”
So, happy birthday, Grandad!
Congratulations on 100 years.

Moving on

I know I’ve neglected this blog for awhile now.
I started it a couple of years ago and it was perfect for me. It was a place to talk about all the stuff going on in my life.
I loved telling stories about Matthew and the crazy life we had. The title of my blog “Misadventures of Mommy Laural” wasn’t a title I thought long and hard about. To me parenting was just a crazy misadventure and I never knew what I was doing right – or wrong.
I always felt like I didn’t quite know what I was doing. And, because I was (fairly) young when I had Matt, it seemed like strangers felt compelled to offer me advice, give suggestions or critique my parenting.
It’s been 5 years now since I became a mother (to Matt) and I’ve been a mother of 2 for just over a year now.
And, what I’m seeing now is that Matt’s story is his now.
He’s five.
And my five year old has a very strong opinion of what he likes and doesn’t like. Since he’s started school I’ve watched him grow from a little boy whose life was dictated by his parents to a child who clearly knows what he wants to do and when he wants to do it.
That’s one of the most amazing things about Matt.
But, it also has led me to believe that this blog, this discussion of my life, his life, my parenting and his being parented isn’t just my story to tell anymore.
It’s OUR story.
And as much as I would love to share it all here I can’t. I would love to sit and write a post about my fears for him. I worry about social stuff, about bullying, about his attention issues among other things.
But, I’m not sure that a blog is the right place to talk about that.
Miss Chloe has her own story too. But, it’s different the second time around. In a way it’s easier.
The great thing I learned from blogging though, is this. Everyone struggles. And when you put yourself out there, and you admit that you are struggling, that you need help, that you need reassurance, that you aren’t perfect … people listen. And they help.
I rely on my friends, on my WonderMommies, on my family. And for now I’m not relying on my blog.
So am I done? Yes and No. This space here will be shut down soon. And my other blog (that many of you know about) will be also.
But, I’m working on something new. Something fun! Something more me. And, bonus points if you can guess what the topic is.
Once I have it up and running I’ll post the link here.
But, for now, thanks for reading!

The birthdays are coming

In our household, this time of the year is exciting because we have 2 birthdays to celebrate: Chloe's on March 28th and Matt's on April 6th. So, 2 birthdays in 2 weeks.
Of course I came up with the plan to celebrate Matt's birthday by inviting his entire class (19 kids) and my nieces TO MY HOUSE for a Mad Science birthday party. That party will be held exactly one week after our birthday/open house for Chloe's first birthday. Also at our house. Yes. Crazy.
So, of course, when I got an e-mail telling me I could win Disney party ideas and favours I jumped at the chance to enter.
Really, I didn't get my hopes up. I enter contests all the time. I didn't expect to win.
But, win I did!
So, soon I'm getting a bunch of Disney stuff to help me celebrate! I can't wait.
I'm not sure that this will really help me make a better party, but you never know.
For now, I'm just stressing about what I'm going to do. I still haven't sent out birthday invitations for either party. And I haven't planned.
Yikes.
But, one day at a time.
Any party planners are welcome to help out. I have nothing!

Valentines

I love Valentine's Day.
I know some people call it a Hallmark holiday, but I love it for that reason. We don't have to travel anywhere. There's no worrying about changing schedules so that everyone is happy. We simply have to be with each other.
And eat chocolate.


And wake up to a table decorated by my loving husband.
We also enjoyed a lovely dinner out - just Mike and I, because our nanny babysat. (she offered). I paid no attention to my diet and enjoyed every bite of my meal down to the chocolate brownie. It was delicious.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S EVERYONE!

Loving Grandma ...

When Grandma says "smile for the camera" ...



Chloe smiles for the camera!



The cuteness kills me.

Can you believe that tomorrow our nanny starts? I can't. These past 10 months have flown by. I can't believe my teeny tiny baby is getting so big (and funny, cute, crazy, active ...). I also can't believe Matthew has started the countdown to his FIFTH birthday.

This weekend we celebrated Mike's birthday. I know we're a bit ahead of things, but instead of spending the weekend stressing about the changes happening in our home I surprised Mike with a trip to Buffalo (Friday night to Saturday) an afternoon at Monster Jam with Matthew tonight and then dinner at my parents. Oh ... and a brand new camera which he seems to love.

Competimommy - the elementary years

I'm not sure who coined the phrase Competimommy, but it's a good one.
I encountered many Matthew was younger. One particular playgroup we went to had the rich moms who compared which Louis Vuitton bag was truly the best to use as a diaper bag (seriously), and encounted the moms who were becoming proficient in ASL so that they could better communicate with their babies. I'm not talking baby sign language (I embraced this). I'm talking moms who paid ASL coaches to made videos for them so they could practice advanced words.
Seriously.
And, I laughed at it. Because I was so far out of their league I couldn't compete. At first I was insecure, but I slowly realized that as a mom I had my flaws, and no designer bag could really make up for the fact that I routinely spilled cheerios, lost soothers and forgot to bring diapers in my diaper bag. And, no matter how many languages I became proficient in, my kid would say his first word when he was ready. (though he did sign "milk" at a very young age!)
And then there was tonight.
Matthew and his cousin Kyla had gymnastics together.
This isn't my first session of gymnastics. In fact, we just finished a session in December. But, the afternoon moms of 3-5 year olds are not nearly as competitive as the moms my sister and I encountered tonight.
First there was the mom who, ironically, is a parent in Matt's class. The thing is, at school I barely notice her. At gymnastics it was a whole other story. It was the FIRST class. We were all trying to get a look through the window at our darlings. I'll admit that. But this mom? She pulled up a chair, stood on it, and when her daughter did something she cheered. At first I thought that this kid was doing backflips. Nope. She was skipping right next to Matt and Kyla. As they progressed through the various activities her mom continued right on, lamenting the kid's body shape (she's 5) and insisiting her husband hoist their son on his shoulder so the whole family could observe.
I was unable to enjoy the moment of snark with my sister, because our conversation (yes, we did get a Starbucks and planned to spend the hour chatting while slightly monitoring our kids) was interrupted constantly by a woman in a peach coloured sweater.
In the one hour session we learned her entire life story.
We learned about the time she sold her house.
We learned about her kids.
And, most importantly, we learned about her daughter who is a brilliant gymnast and was asked to be in this particular evening class. Thrilling.
As she talked Becky and I would casually step back at an appropriate break in conversation only to be interrupted again by the same woman. It was funny.
Now, I know this may sound harsh, but she was a plump woman and about my height. Given the fact that she was wearing a peach sweater and was very round, with a round hairstyle, I have to admit that I kept thinking she looked like a Giant Peach.
And the more she spoke the more I thought it.
But, the clincher of the evening was when we were watching the elite gymnasts doing flips. I was amazed at the ability they had to hop into a flip and do 5 or 6 ina row. It was amazing. And, I said so. And as Beck and I were discussing how many flips these girls could do yet again the Peach interrupted us.
"It's Momentum"
Good to know. I continued what I was saying.
"Momentum. It's momentum. It's the floor and it's momentum. That's how they keep going."
Okay.
"I know this. I was a highschool gymnast."
At this point all I could picture was a giant peach hurdling across the gym floor. Ironically, my sister had the same thought.
I can't wait to go back next week and hear just how well all the off spring did this week.

Why We Aren't Having Playdates for Awhile

Today Matt asked if his friend could come and play. I said no.
Why?

I'm pretty sure the lack of walls may cause a problem.

And, as much fun as it is to play with power tools ... I'm pretty sure that anything our contractor leaves at our house is probably not safe for kids.

Really, our basement is pretty torn up right now. But, renovations are going well.
I was worried that it would be kind of hellish, but so far so good. The cats are a little confused, but other than that it's not too bad.

Imagine

Imagine This ...

Seriously. For Christmas I want to go to Disney World!

Oh Christmas Tree!

This year's Christmas tree was different from others. There is a lack of ornaments, lights, and sparkly stuff.
We debated a lot about whether or not we would even have a tree.
Chloe is very active, and after spending about 2 minutes around my parents' tree I realized that we really could not do our usual glitz and glamour.
But, of course we have a tree. And of course Matthew wanted to decorate.

So we let him.

The tree is about 5 feet, and he could reach most of it. So, we let him put up whatever he wanted. And we even let him help with the lights.


Chloe also helped.


As I said, this year's tree lacks the Martha Stewart flare of previous years. Okay, I lie. I've never been into the Martha look. But, I do usually have a colour theme, hang the tinsel/ribbon in some order and get a little anal about the whole thing.

I also usually care that there is only one ornament per branch. And ornaments have to be the right way up.

This year all our candy canes turned into J's since that is the letter of the week. And all the J's are grouped together. On one branch. There is no theme. My Kristi Yamaguchi ornament is hanging on top of a bell.

But, this is my favourite Christmas tree ever. It's what Christmas is all about. And, it makes me smile. Sure, I'd love a fancy star, not the dollar store special that blinks. But, whatever. Tis the season. And I guantee we'll remember our afternoon of Christmas carols and tree decorating more than we would a fancy tree.

But, hey...
Since you're asking, want to see my sister's tree too? (and, can we all stop and enjoy the fact that the child who is sitting and smiling properly for the picture is Matthew?)

Chilling With Grandpa

Last night was a tree lighting near the school my dad works at. So, my mom picked Matt up for a special Grandma/Grandpa evening.
My dad plays clarinet and was in a jazz band, and Matt had the role of holding a flashlight so my dad could read the music.
Matt took his job very seriously, and did a really good job, sitting still the entire time.
After the music a very special visitor came out.
The whole ride there and back Matt was thrilled with time to chat to Grandma as they spotted Christmas lights, talked about school ("Q and U are best friends") and enjoyed the festive spirit.

I'm a (Guitar) Hero

Image by smwood71 via FlickrMike LOVES video games. Me, not so much.
I'm not opposed to them or anything. I just have no hand/eye coordination and find them extremely frustrating. Matt has a V-Smile and I find even that frustrating.
So, when Mike got an XBox 360 last year I was happy for him, but not super excited. I mean, yay for him and all, but wow.
It's not like I was about to play.
But then ... Then he went to a friend's house and played Guitar Hero. He couldn't stop talking about it, so I said he should buy it. And he did a couple of days ago.
Last night I was curious and asked him to show me the game. I mean, what's the big deal?
I LOVED IT!
Maybe it's the fact that I have a background in music, so I could actually follow the game, but I was totally hooked.
I did the tutorial. I did the trial, and then I went to town.
Okay, I'm only playing the easy level, and it's not like I'm perfect. But, I'm GOOD! I totally understand the game, I can follow along with the beat, and I'm totally understanding how to do this.
Amazing.
It's only taken me 30 years to find a video game I enjoy.
Mike's so excited that he wants to get me my own guitar. I think he has visions of us jamming after the kids are in bed.
The next thing we're debating ... a wii.

Happy Halloween!

The first Halloween for my princess!

And her brother decided to explain it all to her

We've decided today is a day to eat candy all day and nap in the afternoon. We still have a whole evening ahead of us.

Matthew was thrilled to learn the best Halloween poem ever.
"Trick or Treat
Smell my feet
Give me something good to eat
If you don't
I don't care
I'll pull down your underwear"

Yep. He's 4!

O Canada ... or something!

Image via WikipediaDinner is always an interesting time in our house. We try our best to turn off the tv and have dinner as a family.
It doesn't happen everyday, but we try.
Tonight we were talking about school, and what he does during the day. Of course they sing "O Canada" every day. So we asked him the words.

"Oh Canada. Our home and timberland"
"then there's a whole bunch of La la la"
"Oh Canada we socialize for thee."
"Oh Canada we socialize for thee."

I have NO idea what they are teaching him in class, but apparently socialism is on the agenda!

Of course, we also like to hear the stories he brings home from church. We try very hard to find out what he learned in Sunday School, and talk about it during the week.

One week they "drew pictures for apricots" (wrote letters to kids in Africa)
This week they sang "Thank you God, for giving us poo." (really, food)

It makes me wonder what he tells people we say at home. Cause really, I'm crazy enough without misinterpretations!

Mmmm ... mama mio

I'll admit it. I'm a sucker for yummy body products. But, when they are fun body products designed for mommies, what's not to love?!
For a long time all the mommy products were for mommies-to-be and new moms were on their own. But, finally there are products geared to mommies who have had their babies. One of the newest ones is the mama mio line that is geared toward supermamas. I love it. Their packaging reads "delux skincare for supermamas."
Awesome.
I tried out the Body Buff.
I liked that it promised to make me feel supersmooth and like myself in the buff.
Ha ha. I get it. Body buff - feel great in the buff. Good luck with that one.
Anyway. I liked the product. I had it in my van and let my mom try some while we were chatting. My mom, who has tried all sorts of products couldn't get over the stuff because she felt softer right away.
So, of course I had to try it. And I loved it.
Am I softer? More touchable?
Yep. My skin does feel smoother. And, considering that it's fall and my skin is getting really dry, I'm pretty impressed. And I smell good too.
What more could this Supermomma ask for?
Oh. I know. Enough time to have a long leisurely bath to fully enjoy the product!

Letters Here, Letters There

Image by karen horton via FlickrSorry I haven't blogged in forever. Somehow life just seems to get in the way!
But, I have to tell you about school. Yes. We are still having challenges and time outs, and I still worry about Matthew, but ...
The one thing that worried me a lot was Matthew's lack of interest in letters. Before jk he could not care less what letter his name started with. I'd point letters out to him and he just didn't care. He didn't want to know and did not want to play along with any of my letter games.
I was a little worried. Okay, I was very worried.
A few people told me to relax and let his teacher do her job. And, since I had no choice really, I went with it.
And that teach of his? She works magic.
My child who had no interest in the alphabet has become letter obsessed.
All day he sounds out words and either guesses what letter it starts with or asks me. It's wonderful. Tiring, but wonderful.
And I'll take tiring. Because I was worried that I had a child who wouldn't read.
Not that I jump to conclusions or anything!
And, the excitement of this week?
This week the letter they are working on is the first letter of his name. This was the most exciting thing in the world yesterday.
His teacher truly is a miracle worker.

Fall Is Here

I can't think of anything more wonderful in fall than going to an apple farm.
Matt's "homework" this weekend was to go for a walk with his parents and look for squirrels gathering nuts. So, we got talking about going for a walk and fall leaves and such and we ended up driving to an apple farm and walking among the trees.
Matt found straw!
The kids' play area was a fenced in straw pit and he could have spent the day there. We spent quite awhile and I was baffled when many parents refused to let their kids jump in the hay because it is messy.
IT'S A FARM!!!!
The hay was much more fun than the apples.

You can see Mike directing Matt to the apples. See the excitement on Matt's face? nope? It was all about the straw.

There was some excitement when Matt got ahold of the camera ...
There was more excitement when we went to the apple store and got to push a special apple cart. And then the maple syrup candy. Wow! Life was good in our 4 year old's world.
And as for Chloe?
She was just her happy, smiley self - watching her big brother and enjoying life.

Somedays I am just grateful for all I have.