We've seen a huge change in David's concentration and interest in writing since school started. He asks to practice writing his letters now and works really hard to get through the whole alphabet. Ryan wants to draw too, so he asks to get out his markers and sits at the table with David. 
David always has his tongue hanging out while he's working. Not just a little, it's way out there! 
We had an afternoon playdate with three of David's friends today. The boys were all so good. I wasn't sure what it would be like. It was raining, so I knew we would be inside. I bought this craft kit to keep them entertained. 
They all sat together at the table and went to work. They were serious about getting those little foam pieces on the little ball. They were each very proud of their little creation. They talked about their teacher and laughed at each other. It was such a great feeling to see these happy little guys. 
David was seriously concentrating on his bat. 
The pieces were a little too small for Ryan and he got frustrated and left the table early. We all went upstairs to play with duplos while we waited for glue on the animals to dry. I didn't even notice Ryan go back downstairs. . . until I came down to get a snack ready. There he was standing at the table with little teeny tiny pieces of foam EVERYWHERE! He had come down by himself and tore every animal to pieces. I was able to get them put back together before the boys came back down. Crazy kid!!!! There are pieces of foam in every room of my house tonight. I'm sure I'll be finding it for years to come. I should have taken a picture, but I picked it all up so fast so the boys wouldn't see it. 
We toured the local fruit farm with our Mothers & More group last week. We got to ride the wagon out to the pumpkin patch and look at all the apple trees along the way. The driver told the kids to pretend they were apples and stay in their seats during the ride - anyone who fell out would be considered a "bruised apple" and would get turned into apple cider. The kids stayed in their seats. 
Yum! I have never seen so many apples. It smelled wonderful inside the building where they store and sort the apples. 
After the tour the kids got to fill a bag with apples from the bins inside the store. 
No one was shy. They all loaded up there bags and then wanted to take a bite right away.
They were also given their own jug of cider. They found a seat immediately to open them up and chug the cider. 
We went to the Back to School night this past week to see what the boys are doing in their classrooms this year. David told us he'll be working very hard this year to get ready for kindergarten. He's working on three books that he'll bring home at the end of the year. An alphabet book, an animal picture alphabet book and an imagination book. 
Ryan was all smiles when we walked into his classroom. He showed us the calendar and his artwork. His teacher told us he is very quiet in class, but that he does participate in the prayer at circle time and always recites "Dear God, thank you for my family". He whispered it to us and it was soooo sweet. 
Ryan was very proud of his artwork. This month is all about apples! 
We have become soccer parents. David is playing on his first soccer team. He loves it. He especially loves that Paul is his coach. The teams are all made up of kids ages 4 and 5. There are only 6 players on the field for a game and no one keeps score. They're all tired at the end of the hour. 
Ryan gets to hang out with his buddy, Ella, while we watch David play. Ryan also gets to play at the playground by the park. He doesn't stay interested for very long. He tells us he doesn't want to play soccer, he wants to play ice hockey. Should be interesting! 
September has been very busy! We took the boys to the football game on the 25th. It was a 3:30 game, so we had time to tailgate before the game. They boys LOVED the chicken Todd brought and are demanding that I make it just like him at home. They had fun running around and playing with their Penn State footballs and then found a shady spot to play with some army men. 
They were both tired on the walk up to the stadium. Paul has some really strong arms and shoulders!
The boys were so good for the game. I brought a toy to give them at the end of each quarter. The first toy was a mini etcha sketch. It was such a hit that I didn't even need to pull out the other toys! They were entertained by the players and the nittany lion. 
They gave the nittany lion hugs before the game. 
