BOYS

There is nothing cuter then kids fresh from the bath, all cuddled up in their PJs. Here are some pictures of our guys last night in their bear pajamas. In other news, are busy enjoying the good weather while it lasts and Casey while he is home. One week left until he starts work! It will be a big adjustment for all of us, but if the last three years have taught us anything, it is how to adjust.

Speaking of adjusting, we discovered Francis is basically potty trained. We just put some underwear on him and with Jackson as coach and a tootsie pop as a prize, he caught on pretty quickly. In fact, he has probably possessed this skill for sometime without letting on. Anyway, I am glad to have that (nearly) out of the way and be able to move onto other things.

Both boys are loving school. Jackson is working really hard and having much success. He routinely stands up in opening assembly in front of a big crowd (about 50 families) and recites his memory work. He is now able to skip count through the 10's, he knows the classifications of living things, parts of plant and animal cell, 1st and 2nd declension Latin noun endings, and a time line of about 60 historical events beginning with creation and going through Alexander the Great conquering Egypt. He has also discovered he can apply his phonics lessons to everything he sees. Books, mail, street signs... It is a really exciting time and I am glad to get to be a part of it.

Francis is also enjoying his class. He has emerged as quite an entertainer and his favorite part of class seems to be presenting his show and tell (and snack time of course!)Don't let his lightheartedness fool you though, he is also learning a lot. He won't volunteer the information during assembly or even necessarily when the teacher asks him, but when Jackson can't remember something guess who always has the answer!

10 Months Old!

Here he is at ten months. His favorite activities are "cruising" all over the house, wrestling with his brothers, and eating! Suddenly he wants to devour everything in sight, particularly what he sees us eating. He is also a pretty good sleeper and a very sweet boy. He is still a bit of a Mommy's boy, but probably the least so of all of them. He is pretty independent (for a baby) and keeps himself busy. He is also really good about the stairs. He has mastered going up and then just sits at the top until someone helps him down. Thankfully, he has an excellent sense of humor and keeps us all laughing. In fact, when one of the older boys starts being ridiculous about something Nicholas will laugh out loud, often diffusing the situation. It is funny how God answers prayers. When I was pregnant with him, I was praying for peace and here he is, our little peacemaker...

"Rally behind the Virginians!"

We went to Manassas National Battlefield for the first time this week. It has a great walking trail where you can see most of where the first battle took place and a little museum.It is funny being here after growing up in the Northeast, because everything is named after Confederate generals. You can get a Robert E. Lee license plate here! Another favorite is Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, so our Jackson sees his name everywhere we go. At the battlefield there is a huge statue of him on horseback with the famous last words of Gen. Barnard Bee, “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!” inscribed on it. Here are some photos.

Teeth!

On Monday, Jackson experienced a major milestone. He lost his first tooth! Technically, he is now missing four teeth but the other three were casualties of the playground. This one only had a little help. He crashed into the doorknob that morning, which loosened it and that evening we were having dinner at the house of a retired diplomat in Chevy Chase (!) and it came out with his first bite. Here is a picture of him with his tooth money.

Lord make me an Instrument of Your Peace...

Happy St. Francis Day! To celebrate the feast day of Francis's favorite saint, we went to mass and then decorated birdhouses. As a special treat, Grandma and Grandpa came down on the train for a quick visit. We hadn't told the kids they were coming and they got quite a reaction when they walked in! What a great end to a special day.

Fall is here!

I have the best job! Tuesday the boys and I spent the afternoon at a local farm, going on hay rides and drinking cider. They had tons of slides and rope swings. We even went through a giant corn maze and pet some animals. Unfortunately, the animal petting lead to a minor injury (Francis got bit by a goat) but otherwise it was an awesome day. Above are some pictures.

The weather has cooled off quite a bit here and we are enjoying autumn. Casey has been practicing biking in to the city in preparation for his first day of work, two weeks from Monday. We have settled into a good routine in regard to naps, homeschooling, etc which makes me happy and both boys are thoroughly enjoying school.

Reston Zoo

Last Tuesday we checked out the small zoo about ten miles from our house. It was much smaller than the National Zoo, but far easier to get to and more manageable to explore. We had the opportunity to meet "Fluffy" the Porcupine and to pet Camels, cattle and an ostrich. Best of all Francis finally got his pony ride!