Mater-Tooth Suckers

November is here and my to do list is getting longer by the second. We're totally reorganizing a big chunk of our house and it's turned my life upside down. We're moving the office downstairs to turn the office into a nursery, but in order to do that we have to move all the toys from the downstairs play area upstairs to the boys' room. Before we do that we have to clean out the boys' closet which has been a storage area for baby stuff. But the baby stuff doesn't have anywhere else to go until we clean out the office. So basically we've got a bunch of junk in transition sitting in our living room while we sort it all out. It's overwhelming and yet exciting. I'm ready to get some control back. Then I have a whole list of homemade Christmas presents to make. We're trying to spend less money this year. I guess we'll see how it goes.

Charlie is still liking Kindergarten and I've finally made up my mind that I really do like his teacher. She's different than you would expect for a kindergarten teacher, but I love that she makes the kids work a little for her praise. They absolutely GLOW when they get it. The thing that makes me laugh is that when Charlie gets home each day, he can tell me exactly who did well, and who was "not a good listener." So far he has never been on the "not a good listener" list, but I know that won't last forever. He sits between two girls, Caydence and Halle, and tells me all the time that he can't decide which one he wants to marry. I tell him that he has plenty of time to make that decision, but he's pretty determined to figure it out right now. Charlie is picking up reading really quickly. I'm loving watching him read short stories to Peter. School is really good for him, even if I still get teary every time I watch the bus drive away in the morning.

Peter is still the terror of Joy School. He just can't sit still. But he loves going. And he loves having his own friends. He talks about them all the time. He rarely remembers what they learned about at school, but he can tell me exactly what they had for snack and who he played with and whether anyone cried. At home he plays with his cars CONSTANTLY. I can hear him right now reenacting the Piston Cup race from the end of the first Cars movie. "Doc, I've got a flat!" "Can you make it to the pits?" He even does the voices, Doc, McQueen, Chick, Guido, etc. I need to get it on video.

Mike is working longer hours to try to get his design project done before Christmas. He thinks he's done and goes to print the plans, when someone walks in saying the city wants something changed or the gas company didn't give him the right locations for their underground equipment. It's a royal pain, but it's going to be cool to see it go up. It's a four lane road with bike paths with a bridge going over the freeway. Right now the freeway overpass is two small lanes with no room for pedestrians and it's starting to fall apart. I can't wait to see it all come together.

And I know it's only nine in the morning, but I think I hear a bag of Mint M&Ms calling my name . . .