Funai Family Nov/Dec

My new goal is to update this every month with just a big family post.  We'll see if I can get that to work.  Here is the rest of 2015.

Andrew - school is going well.  Andrew always hits his AR (reading goal) in the first week of the month and then stops testing on the books he is reading.  Then, he spends a lot of time working on AM (his math goal).  He takes a lot of tests on those and they have added higher grade level material to what he is working on.  He took some sort of math test with his class and scored one of the highest 3 or 5 kids in the grade, so he is on the Math Master team.  They will compete in April at a contest at ECU.  They gave us a whole bunch of material for him to learn, so we are learning a bit each day off of Khan Academy.  I have started teaching him about decimals and will try to get into multi digit multiplication and divison as well and then some more into fractions and decimals.  Probably the rest of elementary math.  He seems excited about it, but then he is always telling me he has so much going on at school (Leadership, Math masters, his two pull-out things, etc.).  I think it is good for him to push him a little bit.  He got all A's and won some awards at the last awards ceremony - for achieving his goals and then the Character kid from his class.

Andrew finished his play.  He really liked the putting on makeup.  We didn't get him flowers the first night and he was upset, but then I brought roses the second night and he was very happy and I was the best mom ever.  He is always hot or cold, that is for sure.  He did a great job and we had the side benefit of him learning lots of Christmas carols which was fun at Christmas time.  I think he might do it again but probably not for the next play.  Of course, if his friend auditions, maybe he will, too.

Andrew has been playing tennis - we signed both him and Seth up and they play Mon and Wed. though it seems it has been cancelled for rain or holidays about half the time.  He doesn't love it, but is learning to play.  He would probably rather be reading, but on the other hand, he does like to play it around the house.

Andrew finished up most of the 39 clues and has been devouring the books he got for Christmas.  We need to get him into a new series pronto ... With all the holidays and travel, he hasn't had as much to read lately.  We read "The Best Christmas Pagenat Ever" and "On Christmas Eve" for our read alouds.  We read part of "The Hoboken Chicken Emergency", but Seth didn't like it much, as well.  We also listened to "When Santa Fell to Earth" and have listened to some of "Land of Stories" in the car.

Andrew got a Nerf gun for Christmas which he is in love with.  He goes around shooting everyone.  He also got tons of books and other small presents (an air hockey game, etc.) and a new Lego video game for him and Seth because we were tired of watching the Star Wars video games.  He still loves to create huge Trio creations, which break almost instantly, and then he growl at everyone for hours as he tries to fix it and moans about how it will take hours and then he never plays with it (which if you comment on, he will say it is because we always break it).  He also loves to play outside with the neighbors.

He learned a lot of Christmas songs for piano the last couple months and plays Jingle Bells from heart all the time.  He enjoyed singing carols for our Sunday advent celebrations after lighting the candles.

Seth

Seth still does well in school and still is bored with it.  Though it sounds like his teacher is trying to push him.  They should do level testing again this month and I am curious to see if Seth's level went up or not.  He tends to rush and not answer the questions super well, but I think he is improving on that.  I have tried to supervise his homework more, but it's tough because he just rushes and does it all on his own.  He still is teaching himself lots of multiplication and division and loves to talk about it to everyone he meets.  He and Katsu are supposed to be working on a science project together, but we'll see how that works out.

Seth is doing well in piano, but he really loves tennis.  He practices outside, bouncing the ball off the house all the time.  He does pretty well during tennis lessons and it is always a tragedy when they are cancelled for whatever reason.

Seth got a remote control helicopter, a little Nerf gun, some soccer clips, a soccer game, and some of his favorite books for Christmas.  He really lucked out because we got some favorite games from our cousins for Christmas - Ticket to Ride Europe and Forbidden Desert.  We have played Ticket to Ride Europe and Seth is a little miffed because it is different than the original, but I think he will like it eventually.  It's been nice to play lots of games with him over the break.  Poor Seth - when we were opening presents, we thought we were done and Seth was disappointed because he thought he didn't get as many as the other boys.  Turns out - he was right - there were more presents for him and we had forgotten to bring them out - a set of baseball bases, some more books, and the games.

We have started tracking chores with Chore Monster app, and Seth is still always working hard to do his chores.  He has been saving them up for laser tag maybe or going to the Chinese buffet with mom.  He has also been super polite lately and is always such a peace keeper in our home.

Seth has been enjoying the new boy in his class/ward and they got together for a wild play date.  He spends a lot of time playing with the neighbor and playing outside and is always trying to convince me he needs computer time and video game time, though we try to keep it to weekends.  He loves everything with a screen, but when that is limited (which is most of the time), he keeps his head in books.

Logan

Logan had his 4 year old well check and got all his shots.  He is doing well, though we are going to see a pediatric dermetologist next month about a growth on his leg.  He is pretty big for his age, but I think it was like 75% - I don't really remember.

Logan had his first performance at school for Christmas.  He was dressed nicely and in the back row and sang all the songs.  He knew all the words and they sang like 5 songs.  All the boys have really started to learn and sing lots of Christmas songs this year, which is a lot of fun.  Logan is really starting to enjoy preschool.  He has several friends that he likes to play with and went to a lot of birthday parties lately.  We have been pretty lax about making playdates for him (bascially none), so it's fun to see him playing with other kids.

We have started Teach your Child to Read in 100 lessons and have been taking it really slowly.  I am not sure how fast he will progress because he has been really slow on learning his letters.  He has been learning them on starfall, though, which I hope is helping.  I really want to double down and do some more workbooks or coloring to work on his fine motor skills.  He has gotten excellent at counting and can count to 30 and beyond with some help.  He also has an exceptionally good memory and has memorized countless books.

Logan is always smiling, loves to sit on lap and is a pretty peaceful low key kid.  Definitely my most mellow kid.  That said, he has started throwing a lot of fits lately.  He will get really upset and have a meltdown at least once or twice a day.  But I am sure it is just a stage that won't last too long.

Logan got some fun Jake and the Neverland pirate toys for Christmas (and also pilfered some from the toys donated for the homeless that there was way too many of).  He also has really enjoyed playing with cars, Trio, race track,  and helping me build a big Lego dinosaur that we got to test this month.

We waited to put the Christmas presents under the tree until the week of Christmas because we were worried that Noah would get into them.  Well, I guess they were just too much for Logan to resist.  One day, he opened one of his presents when I was putting Noah down for a nap.  When he realized it was his present, he was so embarrased, he ran and and threw the present and the wrapping paper into the recycle bin.  And then he couldn't get it out.  He was so worried he wouldn't get the present and it was the one he had been asking for every day - a Cubby and Izzy and Jake the pirate figurine.  He did get the present, though we almost forgot about it until later in the day because we never did get to rewrap it.

Noah

Noah has had a tough month or so.  He got sick in November around Thanksgiving and then he got sick on Christmas Eve again.  On Christmas Eve he was running a 104 degree fever.  But, it broke, and he seemed all better - no other symptoms, so we went on our trip to Washington DC.  Then, once we got there, he started having breathing problems (he was also wheezing over Thanksgiving - only when doctor's offices are closed, of course!).  We ended up taking him to urgent care, staying for several hours and just barely getting him breathing well enough to go home instead of to the ER.  He is just now feeling all better and the light in his eyes is finally coming back.  He also had a double ear infection, so he must have just felt awful, poor thing.  We have had to have him on a nebulizer every 4 hours all week as well as on oral steroids and an antibiotic.  What a week!  I think he also had the stomach flu or a few colds in the last couple months too.

He also has started to throw lots and lots of fits.  Way more than any of the other boys.  He gets frustrated when we don't understand what he wants (or when he can't have what he wants) and just throws fits all the time.  Otherwise, he really is delightful.  He is really quite stubborn and reminds us a lot of Andrew.

He is not talking much, but he can say some words.  He says:  yeah, me, Mom, Dad, maybe some of the boys names, various animal sounds (Moo, roar, ruff, etc.), ball, hot,  ... maybe more.  He understands everything we say and is pretty good at following directions.  He likes to clean things up and especially likes to throw things away.

He still gets into and onto everything, but it seems to be getting a little better.

He had his 18 month checkup.  He weighs 26 lbs and is about average height, though I am not convinced it was measured correctly.  He hates getting weighed and cries more about that than getting shots.

He has started to like to watch TV.  He really likes this annoying music program that we show him when he gets really upset or more recently when he gets breathing treatments.  He loves all the songs and loves to dance to them.  He likes music generally.

He really enjoys to be read to and we spend lots of time reading every day.  He also really likes car and race tracks.  He loves racing cars.  He likes to play with trains and try to play with train tracks (or take them apart).

He takes great naps, though lately has been more difficult to put to sleep.  Especially with his illness, he wants to nurse to sleep all the time and just nurse and nurse all night long.  It is driving me crazy.  I hope he gets over it soon.

He did really well in his Mother's Day Out and even made some cute crafts.  They say he is great in there.  He does good with babysitters, too, though he is not generally very happy when we leave.  Mostly, he really loves Mom and then Dad and then his brothers.

Noah loved the lights and decorations for Christmas.

We love our sweet Noah!

Fun Things in Nov / Dec

- Performances at Barnes and Noble.  Seth was one night and Andrew was another.  It was crazy crowded and I couldn't even really see Seth when he did his performance.  I think they recited a poem.  Andrew did a rap about multiplication, I think.  Not my favorite night of the year, but you can't miss it.  Seth had some artwork about the author's books.
- Logan saw a Gingerbread Man play at preschool.
- We went hiking at Goose Creek State Park for Andrew's Cub Scout adventure.  He was very serious about reading us everything from the book, using a compass, the buddy system, etc.  It was fun, though we didn't think about bug spray (it was November!) and we all got lots of mosquito bites.
- Seth got his soccer award and went out for ice cream that day as well with his soccer team.
- Seth, Logan, and I went to go see Frosty the musical.  We had a really great time.  The musical was pretty interesting and actually very funny in parts.  The man who acted Frosty did a really great job.  Afterwards, we went to Krispy Kreme and got doughnuts.  It was packed, but the boys loved it.
- My parents came in for the week of Thanksgiving.  One night, we went to go see the musical Rent and they babysat the boys.  Another evening, we went to Pie night at our friend's house.  We made an apple pie and I was really excited.  On the way there, I was commenting to Katsu how it was unusual that Logan had seem so tired and not eating well and I hoped he wasn't sick.  As soon as we sat down to eat pie (we were the first people there), Logan threw up all over me and him and floor.  Sigh.  We went home early, but everyone else stayed.  What a way to start Thanksgiving.  Thankfully, no one else seemed to catch it and there wasn't anymore throwing up.
- Thanksgiving was fun.  We tried reading some of our book leading up to it, but never got through the whole Thanksgiving story.  We ate dinner together (Noah was pretty fussy because he wasn't feeling well, so I put him down for a nap and by the time I came down, everyone was done).  The highlights were macaroni and cheese (our first time trying that and the boys liked it) and ginger and pear cranberry sauce (so good!).  We watched the Macy's Day parade and some movies.  We also went down to Kinston one day and saw the Science center and Planetarium and played on the playground.  It was cute and small, but the boys enjoyed it and there were a few animals to see as well.  On Friday, we put up all the Christmas decorations in less than an hour.  Pretty impressive.
- Katsu and the boys (minus Noah) went to the ECU football game.  (I stayed home and graded).  ECU lost by a field goal in the last second, so it was quite a game.  It was really hot (we have had crazy hot weather).
- We started up a game night with buffet or finger food and the boys really loved it.  It was fun.
- Lots of tennis practices.
- For Christmas Advent, each Sunday, we lit a candle, did readings and had a special snack.  We loved pannetonne (that is definitely a keeper) and marzipan was pretty yummy, too.  We always love my handmade stollen.  We did not like the peanut brittle much.  The boys love to light the candles.  We also started singing Christmas carols, each picking one and then singing until we get bored.  We all really loved it.  It helps get us in the mood, which was tricky this year since it has been so warm.
- Ward Christmas party.  Noah and Seth sat with Santa, but the other boys refused.  All 3 boys have been anti-Santa this year (though Logan isn't so sure) and no matter how much I tell him, Seth keeps telling everyone that we are Santa.  He was trying to use Calvin and Hobbes to prove it to me.
- lots of birthday parties and baptisms.
- We went to the Christmas parade and Flotilla in New Bern.  The boys enjoyed the parade, though Andrew was having a super bad attitude (but that's pretty typical).  There were some performances, some candy, and some floats.  Then, we walked over to the park and saw lots of bears on the way and had a picnic while we waited for it to get dark.  We listened to the Navy Band play and then we saw the boats come out all lighted up.  It was pretty cool - but there weren't as many boats as I expected - just 20.  On the way home, we hit a deer carcass which had just been hit.  Gave our car a big jolt and the smell.  A piece got dislodged from the car, but Katsu pushed it back.  After a good car washing, a check at the mechanic (Everything a-ok), and exterior detailing, we survived that one.
- Andrew marched in the Winterville Christmas parade with the cub scouts.  We went and finally got him all his gear - we didn't have time to sew all the patches on so some were just pinned.  Of course, Andrew lost his handkerchief almost instantly, but we found it at the end of the parade.  He was upset about it.  Katsu and the boys sat at the front of the parade and brought home loads of candy.
- Two work Christmas parties and a wedding reception, all back to back.  After those 3 days, I was so excited to eat at home and not worry about the boys every move.
- Logan's Christmas program at school.  I ended my final a little early to make sure I could get there on time.  So cute.
- Christmas party and PJ party for Logan at school.  I came, but was the only parent, so I probably won't do that again.  They had snacks and brought home hats and goody bags.  Logan had fun and was happy to see me.
- We went to see the Live Nativity at Chick-Fil-A.  Noah was terrified of the animals and was crying hysterically, so we couldn't stay long.  It was nice, though, and will probably become a tradition.
- We fed the homeless together as a family.  It was nice since we haven't done it all together in a while since it is usually nap time.  Andrew wasn't feeling very well so he stayed in the car most of the time.  We made homemade stuffing (the good stuff with bacon and everything) and it was awesome.  They collected a lot of toys to give out and had lots left over.  We offered to bring it home until someone could pick it up.  The boys pilfered a lot of the toys and I didn't have a chance to put it back before they came and picked up the toys, though I did add a whole bunch of books that we duplicates of, so I guess it worked out.
- Andrew and Seth had pretty low-key Christmas celebrations.  We sent in cookies for Andrew and they had lots of treats and also made a gingerbread house.  I am not sure what Seth did.
- The first Monday of Christmas break, we went to a science program at the new science museum (they don't have exhibits, just programming).  The boys didn't want to go, but they ended up really enjoying it.  They talked about whale blubber, how whales eat fish, different kind of whales, cells, and made a model of the cell using a cookie at the end.  I think they did a couple of other things as well.
- We also made lots of cookies and bread over Christmas break - gingerbread cookies, candy cane cookies, sugar cookies, and stollen.  We also decorated little gingerbread houses outside one day.  Lots of fun.  Noah ate all his candy, so his was plain.
- Christmas caroling party at our friends.  We brought lots of cookies and then split into groups and went caroling and then came to their home and had treats.  We really loved it.
- Movie night at the church - watched Mickey's Christmas carol and other Disney Christmas cartoons with treats and said goodbye to a friend from Church.
- Christmas Eve - we made ham, green bean casserole, and scalloped potatoes.  We did some advent candles and singing, we opened up presents (books from Mom and from Meghan/Michael/Finlay) and ate chocolate and went to bed.  Noah was running his fever so we couldn't get him to bed, so he watched while we filled the stockings and then we all finally got to sleep.
- Christmas morning we opened presents, add monkey bread and chocolate, were lazy and played and got ready for our trip.  We had ice cream sundaes that night.
- Trip to DC
 -- Saturday we drove to DC.  It took quite a while because of the traffic.  We were staying with our friends, the Clarks.  We ate dinner with them and then talked and went to bed.
 -- Sunday, we had some yummy breakfast made by Spencer and then we drove to the Mall.  We saw ALL the monuments and finally collapsed with a bit of lunch at the Jefferson National Monument and flagged down a ranger so Andrew could get his Junior Ranger badge.  It was A LOT of walking.  We made a quick stop in the bathroom and then got more food from the car before walking our weary feet over to see the White House and the National Christmas tree.  Logan slept in the stroller about half the afternoon, but the rest of the time, he was excited to take pictures of the monuments.  Andrew wanted to fill everything in about the Junior Ranger, and Seth is just not the best traveler and Noah was kind of sick and fussy.  Then, we drove home and had a nice dinner with our friends.  Seth went out with them caroling and when they got back, we took Noah to urgent car and spent the rest of the evening there.
-- Monday, Katsu and the boys plus the Clark boy went to Smithsonian.  Noah and Mom stayed home so he could get all his medicine.  The boys spent a lot of time bickering, but they seemed to have some fun.  They went to Natural History museum - they really liked the gems and the skulls the best - there were videos of archaeologists and each would give separate clues about what they discovered.  Then, they had some lunch at the Air and Space Museum and saw that one, joined us with Spencer and his daughter.  Noah and I took a long walk around the neighborhood and finally took a nap - hard to get when he is on the steroids.  We all got pupusas from an  El Salvador restaurant.  They were really good and enjoyed it.
-- Tuesday, we had a lovely breakfast (Spencer made a monkey bread cake for Katsu's birthdy and we all sang for him) and then drove to Arlington cemetery.  We saw JFK's gravestone and eternal flame and saw the Changing of the Guard at the Unnamed Soldier's grave.  We then went to the Arlington House where Robert E. Lee and his wife lived and Andrew got a Junior Ranger badge.  Then, we drove to the zoo and met up with our friends and they brought Taco Bell.  We saw some of the animals - the lions and sea lions were really making a racket, and then a lot fo the animals exhibits closed, but the lights came on and we got to see lots of pretty lights and also some model trains and the gingerbread contest.  We also saw a little laser light show that the boys enjoyed.  We were pretty tired though (Noah screamed half the night on Monday), so we went home and ALL fell asleep before 9.
-- Wednesday, we started to drive home.  There was tons of traffic and then tons and tons of rain.  By the time we had several bathroom breaks and lunch break, we didn't get to our friends the Cooks home in Chesapeake until 4.  So, when they offered to let us stay the night, we did.  The boys got along pretty well with the Cook kids (good because Andrew and one of the Clark kids fought constantly, though we still had a lovely time with them) and had lots of fun playing.  We had a great pizza dinner and had fun catching up.  We all got a pretty good nights sleep and were ready to drive the last 2 hours home on Thursday.
- New Years' Eve - we unpacked, grocery shopped, and Katsu made some delicious soba noodles.  We had bags to open up for each hour from 6-12.  We decorated our tree (took off the Christmas decorations except the balls and added streamers), played Just Dance, played games, made new years resolutions, had ice cream sundaes, and watched some Clone Wars (boys choice) and count down to New Years.  We all dropped off between 10 and 12 except Katsu.  Noah woke up right before New Years, so I did too.  What a year!