Five on Friday: Post-Thanksgiving recap edition

1. I think Noah may be in a food coma. Still. It's after 11:30am on Friday and he's still asleep. (His alarm has gone off and we've all taken turns trying to wake him up, for the record.) The boy did eat more turkey and mashed potatoes yesterday than the other four of us combined. No, I don't think I'm exaggerating. ;)

2. Thankful for the ability to just text folks...as my voice was AWOL yesterday morning. (Yeah, feeling a bit under the weather but nothing horrible. Still, no Black Friday mayhem for me today. :) Which is perfectly dandy with me.)

3. Thankful, too, for friends who don't care if you come to drop things off at their house in your pajamas since that's how you decided to spend your Thanksgiving. ;)

4. Though it's not very Thanksgiving-y, we spent the last couple days watching an entire season of Top Shot off of Apple TV. It was lovely...nice down time and this particular season (All Stars) had a lot less people drama and just focused on the challenges and respecting each other. (This came about, btw, because we don't have cable or satellite so couldn't watch our traditional Punkin Chunkin this year. It'll come out on Apple TV before long, though, and we'll watch it then.)

5. Question. Pumpkin pie...do you eat the crust last or save a bite out of the middle (the nice pumpkiney part) for your last bite? We had a bit of a debate here. Noah and I like to save a bite out of the middle. Nathan thinks that's just wrong, lol.

Ten on Tuesday

1. I think I need a baseball bat. Our van's car alarm randomly goes off (the van also randomly will lock itself...fun times). Yesterday morning, it went off...in our locked garage...at about 5:15 in the morning. As I was heading down to turn it off (as apparently, and fortunately?, I was the only one who heard it despite the fact that all three boys' bedrooms are directly above the garage), I thought to myself that it's most likely just being stupid again. But. I had the errant wondering as to whether there was an intruder in the garage before I opened that door. Hence. I need a bat. 

(Side note: Yes, we have lots of bows and arrows. They're handy and near the garage. But, they take a good bit more time to prep and load than a baseball bat, kwim? Nathan, though, is worried that I'm going to whack him with the bat accidentally. Fair point.)

(Further side note: Yes, we've had the van checked out for this random alarm issue. The dealership is baffled. We mostly have it figured out that it only happens when we use the key fob thing so just don't use the key fob thing. No idea, then, why it went off at 5:15 am.)

2. Asher may be going through a growth spurt. Let's hope. ;) I had to take him to get new shoes last week, as his toes were suddenly visibly pushing out the top as boys' feet are wont to do. When we got there, I let the sale person measure him. He did one foot...then the other...then the first foot again, just to be sure. The boy's feet were more than a size different, folks (close to 1.5 sizes actually). So. We got shoes to fit the larger foot and will just assume and hope that the difference means that he's growing and the one side just hasn't caught up yet. ;)

3. We had contemplated a nice quiet Thanksgiving without the big feast this year...as it's just us and it's a lot of work. Having a teenage boy, though, apparently nixes that. When we presented this plan to the boys, Noah was not happy. When we asked what it is that makes Thanksgiving Thanksgiving for him...the answer was, of course, the food...and lots of it. So. Wish us luck in having any leftovers... 

4. My new nephew was born about a week ago! He's fabulous, of course. They named him Robert Blaze. On my dad's side of the family, he's grandson number 29 amid that generation. (There are only 9 girls.) In just our more immediate family, this makes grandkid number 10 for my mom.

5. Wow that was an ugly Broncos game. Enough said.

6. I may need a Clumsy Ninja intervention. ;)

7. Why do you never see geese as road kill? I'm just curious, as they seem to actually be in the street an awful lot, lol. Also, what's the rule on road kill? If I hit a goose, do I get to take it home? 

8. If you're in need of some Christmas gift ideas, check out this site: Support Estes Park. I've already made a number of purchases from many of these merchants and invite you to do the same. ;)

9. The older two boys and I went to see Catching Fire today. Man I love that our schedule allows us to go to the theater when most people are in school or at work. ;) (Also, very appreciative of the fact that Nathan can work from home...so that he can keep Micah company.)

10. If you're local, we have a couple of bed platforms (together, they fit a king size bed) up for grabs. They're pretty basic and are not actual box springs but are in good condition and destined to be recycled if not claimed. You'd need to be able to pick them up (SE Fort Collins). Email me if you're interested!

Well, happy Thanksgiving week travels to any of you who are venturing out! 

Thanksgivings...

I haven't been doing the daily gratitude thing during November, but I'm here and have been paying attention. ;) So. As we head into this final week of November, allow me to share some of the things I'm thankful for of late...

- Archery. Noah and Micah had another JOAD tournament mid-November. It's going to be hard to beat the standards they set in the first tournament of the year, but it was still a good tournament...the improvements they've made in dealing with a bad shot are awesome to see. We're so appreciative of the opportunities that JOAD has provided for teaching patience and perseverance and ownership for one's own actions...so glad to have found a team that fits us so well.

- Swim team. Noah had another swim meet last Thursday. This one was actually at another team's pool and involved a number of relays. Nathan and I agree that it's really just a pleasure to watch the boy swim. He's gotten so much stronger and able in his years on swim team. I'm thankful for the coaches who instruct and encourage...who *get* my introvert boy and his desire to simply swim and better his own times.

- Karate. (Are you sensing a theme? lol) Asher is in the process of testing for his next belt so attended class on Saturday to demonstrate his sparring skills. He was worn out the rest of the day, but he put in a solid morning. He and Micah both enjoyed having a different instructor (they don't normally attend the Saturday class) and I enjoyed watching them rise to the challenge. I'm constantly thankful for how our karate school is set up...for the flexibility, the emphasis on bettering one's self, the lack of aggressive tactics (as in, a good defense is the best offense), the provision of structure and goals, the support for each student...yup, basically just happy. ;)

- Homeschooling. Though we're definitely starting to see the need for some outside instruction in the future, right now, I'm just so glad for all that homeschooling allows us. We're in the middle of our "off" weeks (6 weeks on, 2 weeks off...year-round) and have been loving the down time. :) We've taken advantage of the hours we can keep to go to the movies (for less and when it was considerably less crowded)...we've finished the book we were reading as a family...we became a wee bit addicted to the new Clumsy Ninja app (yes, all of us, lol)...and we've been able to tackle miscellaneous projects that needed attention and get a good jump on our Christmas shopping. Just love down time!

- My bedroom. Last weekend, Nathan and I finally got around to purchasing a couple of pieces of furniture for our own bedroom...the first, I think, in about 9.5 years when we bought our mattress upon moving into this house. The furniture? A bed frame and a mirror. Not even a headboard or anything, just the frame to set the mattress on. ;) And, honestly, the only reason we got the frame (given that our mattress did actually come with a standard one that's been in storage all these years) was that I wanted a taller frame so that I could create some storage under the bed. :) The mirror is a full-length wall mirror so that I can actually see my outfit without having to trek from my closet (upstairs) to the basement (two flights of stairs down)...nothing fancy. The boys don't understand, lol. But, hey, I'm delighted. (Incidentally, Micah's been in numerous times already to check out his own outfits, lol!)

(Btw, I'm also thankful that we might finally get around to doing something to our bedroom this spring...new paint, drapes, bedding, etc. Our bedroom is the last in the house to receive any sort of treatment since moving here 9.5 years ago and still has that college-student-apartment-hand-me-downs sort of feel, lol. Gotta save up a bit after Christmas, but it's officially a plan now, lol.)

- Gamerewind. Since we discontinued our cable/satellite service about a year ago, one of the few things I miss is NFL football. To solve this, Nathan got me NFL Gamerewind so that I can still watch every game...I just have to exercise patience and wait a day before watching. (It costs less for the entire season than a single month of DirecTV was costing us.) I'm watching the Broncos game right now. I've been avoiding Facebook so I don't find out the results, lol. 

- The age my boys are currently. For all that I complain about how much and how fast they're growing, I'm really in love with the age that my boys are right now...old enough that I no longer have to worry about diapers or strollers or carting around all sorts of things "just in case"...old enough that they can make their own meals and entertain themselves (and each other) and be their own person...old enough that, for the most part, lol, they can be reasoned with and responsible for their own choices. Simultaneously, they're still young enough that they like spending time with us and with each other...young enough that they still believe in magic (okay, some more than others, lol) and engage in pretend play...young enough that I don't yet need to worry about teen drivers or high school drama and pressures...young enough to know that we actually do know more than them. ;)

Well, there's plenty more. But, the Broncos game just went into overtime. Must go. ;)

Five on Friday

1. Still here. Sorry. Just digging in on the schoolwork and activities and such...nothing huge to report. ;)

2. Thankful that Nathan's feeling better now. He spent last week down with walking pneumonia. Fun times. (Also, very, very appreciative that it stuck with just Nathan and didn't spread!)

3. Working on our Christmas shopping...making pretty good progress. Trying to really stick with businesses here in Colorado that were affected by the floods or, at the very least, local businesses...as keeping the money here in our community is awesome. (I admit, though, that some of the shopping for the boys is forcing online purchases, lol.)

4. Miracles do happen. Noah actually sought out an online resource (one I've been showing him for weeks) for assistance with his algebra this morning before coming and just asking me. (We'll just ignore the fact that it's Friday afternoon and he's still finishing up the work that was assigned on Monday, eh? lol)

5. Waiting impatiently for my baby sister to have her baby already! (She's due today and refused to find out the gender ahead of time and it's driving my other sister and me crazy!) ;)

Teenager in the house!

So. Last Saturday was Noah's birthday. His THIRTEENTH birthday. Oy. ;) To commemorate the occasion (which we celebrated in a very low key fashion involving only the opening of family gifts and plenty of food, lol, per Noah's request), I made this layout with a picture from each of the past 13 years:

I even wrote a little haiku to go with the layout, lol. And just look at that progression in the bottom row...attitude much? ;) 

(Also, I think he's probably had that same haircut since he was about four, lol.)

Now, for 13 things about my Noah:

1. You can't see it as much in the pictures above but the boy has been on a mega growth spurt. In the last two years, he's grown almost TEN inches and gained more than 30 pounds! Honest. Send more cows. ;) As proof, here's a picture from one year ago and one from yesterday:

I wish I had a height comparison picture from when he was 11, as he actually grew more (in height) from 11 to 12 than from 12 to 13. 

2. He still has a ways to go to catch Nathan, though:

Course, he's got a good jump on his brothers, lol:

(They used to be fairly even stairsteps. ;) For what it's worth, though, Asher, at eleven, is only 2" shorter than Noah was at 11.)

3. With all that growing, I'm honestly pretty amazed that Noah hasn't been more gangly or suffered more growing pains. In fact, though, he's always held himself with substantial control. Watch him walk sometime...you'll see what I mean, lol. 

4. He's a very organized soul and thrives on tradition (lack of change). He's the type who always wants exactly the same thing, just in the next size up, if you know what I mean. This means shopping with/for him is either incredibly easy (if the same thing still exists) or excrutiatingly long (if something changed). Lol.

5. Yes, Noah's done away with the Steve Jobs look...to the extent that the tops are all grey now, instead of black. Other than the dark rinse blue jeans, though, the boy continues to lack color. ;)

6. He's always been a somewhat obsessive sort...whether it be learning about and visiting trains or designing energy efficient car companies or fine tuning his archery gear or everything Apple or whatever. Through this, I know that he's so very capable of teaching himself and researching and making plans. I just wish he would apply that to his "normal" schoolwork a bit more, lol...

7. Right now, his favorite things to watch are Mythbusters and Lord of the Rings. That's about it, as we don't watch much tv. ;) He's looking forward to a number of movies coming out in the theaters in the coming months.

8. Though I don't really get his current interest in Pokemon, lol, I'm choosing to be glad that his birthday list still mostly centered on fun things like Pokemon and Wii games. I know that all too soon the list will be things like stuff for cars...

9. He's really coming into his own in archery and swim team...challenging himself and building his own strengths. Fortunately, swim team requires very little gear. Archery, on the other hand...lol...let's just say that the boy is set to outgrow his current set up a good bit sooner than originally anticipated.

10. He's pretty darn talented with the guitar and piano. He hasn't taken a piano lesson in about five years but still plays on his own and tackles new songs. He can also listen to a piece of music and teach himself how to play it by ear on the guitar. I have no idea how that works but it's beautiful to listen to. ;)

11. Academically, if anyone couldn't tell, he's strongest in the maths and sciences. Duh. ;)

12. For the record, his voice changed about a year ago. It still kinda freaks me out, lol.

13. For all that he tries to avoid the camera these days, he has a smile in there:

That's what little brothers are for! ;) 

Happy sigh. Happy birthday, my Noah!