At the beginning of the month, both boys had field trips for school. Charlie went to Nebraska City to Arbor Lodge and Jack went to the zoo. They were both really excited and had a good time. The weekend before their field trips, we went to the boys' first NFL football game in KC. The Chiefs played the Ravens. We weren't sure how well the boys would like the game or pay attention. Turns out they LOVED it. They both sat and watched the entire game. Charlie cheered pretty loudly and Jack was quiet and Doug-like in his football watching. The Chiefs played the Ravens and Jack is (or was) a Ravens fan. He was glad they won. It was a low-scoring game (9-6) and no touchdowns were made. It was a beautiful fall day for the drive down and back. It was chilly, but not too chilly. We had beers, popcorn, peanuts and hot dogs. It was definitely the experience. They want to go to another game soon. In fact, that is what Charlie has asked for for his birthday. He would like to go to a Vikings game in December. It is obvious their dad's love of NFL football is transferring to them. Charlie knows a lot of the terminology, plays, teams, records, scores and player info. It's amazing how fast they suck it all in and remember it. Charlie loves to watch football with Doug and talk about how all the teams are doing. It's fun to watch. Jack is interested as well, but not quite as much yet, since he's still younger.
This month we also had conferences for the boys. They are both doing really well in school. Charlie loves math and science and Jack likes pretty much anything. Charlie really is enjoying learning about the writing process. In 3rd grade, they had to write a story about their favorite restaurant and Charlie wrote about Hooters. The teacher and I got a good laugh about that at conferences.
During the month of October, we continued our quest to redo the main floor of the house. This month we moved on to lighting and had every light in the house replaced. They also installed recessed lighting on the first floor, which I love. We moved our first floor set-up around a little and purchased some new rugs and furniture. It's looking really good and all we have left to do is the trim, doors, crown moulding and painting. We are almost there. Then I have a feeling we will move on to the 2nd floor and redo trim, doors and bathrooms. It's been fun watching the progress, but it's definitely a lot of work...and we aren't even doing any of the work. We are just watching and picking it out. Eeeek. Imagine if we did the work. I would die.
Let's see, what else for October. We went to Vala's to celebrate fall. We all love going to Vala's and usually spend about 5 hours there. This year we got to do some new things that we hadn't done before. The boys did the paintball and apple blasters. We went this year on a Friday night and decided that we really enjoy going at night. The boys loved going on the train ride and corn maze in the dark. We ate dinner there and sat by a fire with an older gentlemen who told us a story. He told Casey at the Bat by memory and was very animated. The boys sat and listened in awe. They loved the story and asked if there was more. Then we sat and talked with the man and as it turns out, he grew up in Council Bluffs not far from where I lived. Small world. It was a highlight of our visit this year.
The boys had a dress-up week at school to celebrate drug awareness. We had some interesting discussions about smoking and drugs. It's obvious they don't have a grasp on what drugs are yet....which is good. One day was Hawaiian day and they both had grass skirts, hats and leis.
I turned 38 at the end of October. I was supposed to go to Minneapolis with some friends to run a half marathon, but I ended up staying home with the boys. I didn't want to spend my birthday away again, as I was gone last year too. The day was uneventful. I took the day off work but ended up taking Kiki into the vet for a small surgery. That wasn't fun and she wasn't happy. We also had a sick bearded dragon and I gave him warm baths and fed him crickets. By the time that was all over, I had time for a four-mile run and some coffee. We went to an early dinner at La Mesa and were in bed by 8:30. Whew, I am a party animal. The next day we did go to the neighbor's house for a party and had quite a few drinks and watched the football game. It was a good time.
And for Halloween! Charlie was a mummy this year and Jack was the grim reaper again. He wanted to wear the same costume as last year, so who was I to argue. What, save money and not have to shop for a new costume? Yes, sign me up. The boys' school had a costume parade and they had also decorated the entire school in the Candy Land theme. It was amazing and a surprise for the students. The entire inside had the little colored squares around the whole school. Each area of the school had a different theme and different decorations. All of the teachers and staff were dressed up as Candy Land characters. It was pretty cool and fun for the kids. After school that day, my mom and I picked up the boys and headed home to make chili and mummy hot dogs. I also made white pumpkin hot chocolate, which was amazing. We went trick or treating with some neighbor friends. The night was exhausting. The boys were out for over two hours. I think they need to have Halloween on a Friday night every year. The rest of the week I was so tired.
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