Good Stuff: exhale . . .

Bright red roses are still blooming. . . even though their leaves are turning brownish-purple and look like the ones falling from the trees.

I just realized in a sudden sort of way about an hour ago that it was already the middle of the week. I haven't done much this past week but plan Zoran's various birthday week activities, celebrate, and continue to try to reassemble our house after the party (a few hours at a time whenever I can get it).
We may still have a few rough looking bedrooms and a laundry room not quite presentable, but it's probably pointless to spend any more time cleaning since Lex's party is this weekend. I decided awhile ago I'd rather do the real thorough cleaning after parties (as long as things are mildly presentable while people are here) rather than before so I can actually enjoy the cleanliness. Ideally I guess I'd do that both before and after, but I have more rooms that I can get to in just one day even cleaning all day long.

I don't know how people with jobs and kids keep their houses from looking like war zones.


: | : Lex and his cat

 Lex really still loves his cat. I don't know if this was actually his cat, but he is the one that brought it home and claimed it at that point. The cat doesn't seem to mind him for the most part either. Those times it does, it's very fast and has quite a few hiding places he can't get to.
 
 The cat is still crazy, but not anything like it was.

 And it currently has a large obsession with the fluffy bath mats in my bathroom. It will lay on them for hours purring.

: | : Safety Day with the Kindergarteners

 All the kindergardeners came to visit the ambulance last week.

There are a lot of them this year--three classes!

Not sure what I'm doing or who took this picture? I look very stern.

 They also pulled out the fire engines and gave them a tour of the trucks, and Dev and Curtis brought Smokey and Buck the Deer down from Fire Control.

Dev hard at work. . . making friends with Bailey

 Me demonstrating some of the equipment.

 Dev ordered pink Fire Prevention bags this time around. They were quite popular with the girls!


: | :  Zoran's Birthday

Smokey stopped by after working with the kindergarteners to deliver some cupcakes to Zoran's class for Zoran's birthday.

 Zoran turned seven this past week.


I already posted a million or so pictures from his party.

He is such a social little guy, he ended up inviting a few dozen people. (Actually more than that but some he didn't invite until the party was actually happening and they couldn't quite make it.) That's quite a lot of small children to have in one house on a rainy day.

It all worked out though.

Lex even participated in the games--well in one race at least. Just this one game all afternoon, but this is the first time I've ever seen him do anything like this.

As far as I can tell so far he is just not interested in or doesn't seem to believe in games. He doesn't play ball, doesn't race or do any sort of competition at all. I can't even usually get him to stay and watch anyone else try any of these things.

I was realizing the other day he is only three, so much of that behavior is not abnormal developmentally, but I've been living with his brother for seven years now. For at least six of them he's spent nearly all the hours he's awake trying to win everything and wanting in on every game of any kind anyone is playing.

Sometimes it's hard to tell they are related.

One of my favorite pictures of the afternoon, Dev and Iyezk and their teamwork approach to basketball:

I love that Iyezk is probably both Lex and Zoran's favorite person these last few months. Sometimes all three of them play together, but he also will spend hours with just Zoran or with just Lex. He is always up for anything and always in a good mood. Sort of a perfect little guy to have around.

 : | : Israel's Last Game

 Israel on his way to a touchdown.

The boys had a pretty great year this year. Not quite as good an their undefeated year last year, but I think the only team they lost to this year was Plains.

 The ended the year with another shutout. This time against Ronan.

Israel celebrating at the end of the game . . .  the 6th graders have a bunch of tiny boys! A few of them even make Israel look big.

 Hopefully a lot of this eighth grade class sticks with it next year and plays in high school. They have big group of boys and a lot of them could really help the team in a few years. Our high school team is so tiny this year--they didn't even have enough kids to have the JV team.


: | :  Flag Football

Zoran chasing River out of bounds

It rained all night (and was still raining at 7:30 am and cold too) so our last soccer games of the year got cancelled. A real depressing way to end the season.

But, if only we could've started like four hours later in the day, it would've been fine.

By 1:00 the weather was actually very nice. Nice and cool, but clear and sunny no rain in sight. 

Azia about to get tackled again! She seems to have this problem a lot for it being a flag football league.

 So at least we got in a few football games.


: | :  Azia-Rain

We got the Halloween stuff out yesterday. The kids explored the costumes and sort of decorated a few things. It is never a good thing when I let them do it without me.

Azia got out foam and glitter and paper and made fancy signs for her bedroom door.  There is still foam and glitter and paper all over the counters and floor where she was working. Also there are random piece of decorations scattered around the house.

Someone should really come finish and get the tubs out of my living room floor.

: | : Frost

So I hear this is later than usual this year.

Since I never really grow anything (not really even my lawn by this point of the year) I never really pay too much attention.

Except I notice when I have to start scraping car windows in the morning.

 I had to do that for the first time the other day.

The rest of the yard looked like this while I was scrapping.

And now I will go park my car under the carport.

Whenever I forgot, it never fails that someone will need any ambulance at three in the morning, and I'll have to drive to the garage with my head out the window because all of  my windows are frosted over.

Good thing it's only a few blocks and the traffic is generally light around here at three in the morning.