November Feels

Nessa went in for a cut...so we took some cute furry pics beforehand so we could spend the next three weeks regretting her cut.

We picked up Maisy from the boarding vet a day early so that she wouldn't have to stay until Monday, Katie and the fam were coming home later that night.  Micah was NOT impressed with her smell.  She was happy to go home, family there or not! 

Kai came over to play Catan, we put up Micah's birthday table, and the youngest Lochhead found Dogman.

More May Days

I will NEVER get sick of this green!!!

We did Secret Buddies a few times during the school year, and this prayer plant was my gift waiting for me at my desk one morning!  I gave it to KT, as I took the healthier looking prayer plant from Mom and gave her the sick one that didn't make it.  (PS, since then, she took the healthier looking Christmas Cactus and my wussy one died, so we're even...)

Micah had a cavity.  He did great getting his first filling!

Lilacs are my spirit plant.

And apparently I take a GA-ZILLION pics of my family reading.  Does this make me a teacher? Or am I a teacher because I like to see people read? Chicken?  Egg?  Weirdo.

Alexa's Birthday and a Reading 1st Grader

 

Dirt Deliveries & Dogman Books

This yard stuff is just too fun.  I'm pretty sure I have more pictures of my yard than my children this year. On my days off/after work this week I hauled dirt!  And was so happy about it.

 

Josh's Reading Craze

I had to take this picture, even though it's hard to see what's going on...Josh has all of a sudden fallen in LOVE with reading.  So he insisted on taking a bin full of books to Grace's practice, in case he needed to read.  Here he is, sprawled out at his sister's practice, reading.  Too funny.

Nerdy Reading Parents

Jeff hit his yearly reading goal only half way through the year this summer!  His summer reading included The Wild Children, and In the Lake of the Woods.  Eleven books this summer!

I found some time to read too--12 books in all.  My favorites included the Nathan Hale graphic novel series and The False Prince trilogy.

I had quiet moments like these...

...on our new deck!  Look at me developing professionally!!!  I was trying so hard to get to MA +90 over the summer, taking clock hours from My 24/7, but alas, (spoiler alert) I came up a few credits short.  But I loved Donalyn Miller's sequel to The Book Whisperer.  I love turning kids on to reading...and I picked up some great things to update in my classroom this coming year.
PS--Jeff was so supportive of giving me time over the summer to do these hours!  He was an amazing encourager!

It finally happened...

...individual LIBRARY CARDS!  I put it off for months, thinking I'd never be able to manage three family library cards.  But the sweet librarian told me that they'd link both of the new accounts to my email address, so I'd be on alert.  Goodbye, 50-book limit!  (Now 150?!?  Heaven help us!)

Mommy, I want to sleep in yo bed...

So far, Micah is showing himself to be a slow waker.  In the morning, he'll lay in his crib for quite some time before he calls for us to come get him.  Most mornings he asks if he can come "sleep in yo' bed."  And he loves books!  He carries around a few in his "pack-pack" and then reads through them all.  His favorites are too many to list, but the ones that we've memorized from reading a time or forty-two are:  Goodnight Moon, What's Wrong Little Pookie?, Barnyard Dance, Thomas and the Troublesome Trucks, and Goodnight, Johnny Tractor.

One Monday in February

February was filled with keeping track of reading minutes!  If the kids read 600 minutes in the month of February, they earn a Silverwood ticket.  This was the first year that Josh got to participate, and he was quite obsessed with recording his reading minutes!  He was reading in every spare minute, yelling things like, "Mom! I'm reading! Start my time!"  He got so into keeping track of his minutes that he continued to do so, even after he'd earned his ticket.  He's totally a Lochhead--statistician at heart!  Gracie is completely into the Thea Stilton books, as you can see, and was known to devour one in two days this month!  Daddy and I are very proud of our reading kids!

Herbie and Micah were both glad that we were back to filling the bird feeder now that the snow was gone.  He is our favorite family pet!

On this particular morning home with Micah, I lost him for a few minutes and in the quiet, I wondered where he went.  I found him just staring into the washing machine on his stool, lost in awe.

Grace asked if we could come do lunch one day, and this was the day!  We just snacked with her because we had just found out that Auntie Julie was in town visiting her brother, so...

 ...the kindergarten boys and their moms met for a playdate with Auntie and little Cali, her niece.  It was such a great time to visit while the kids played...although there were two upset girls when they found out they missed out on an Auntie visit...  Kalei had been home sick for a few days and was so desperate for entertainment that she agreed to come along to lunch!

I just had to send Jeff, at work, a picture of a kid of ours eating chicken nuggets.  This was a first for us, even though he's our third.  Micah the Meat-Eater!  (Or whatever you call the protein found inside of Chicken McNuggets...)