a "little" catch up

I fixed my photo editing software! And my computer! And I'm sick! ... it's time for a little blogging catch up.

Levi's birthday

Lots of Ritters came and celebrated with us.  ... we ate everything on his list

I can't believe he ate everything.  It was a lot of food. (He is so cute).

Spooky splash at the aquatic center:

 Little leopard cake:

Halloween:
Our first round of Halloween, we went to the Mcbeath's and had our animal gang visit parents that worked at wsu campus.  -- Apparently that is the place to score the really good candy!  .. well go to the education department, they hand out candy bars.

Later we ate dinner at the Berkman's and the kids went trick or treating around the neighborhood.  It was a very fun, very relaxing Halloween:

Post Halloween festivities: Cheetah, Leopard, and Bear:

General cuteness: be still my heart.  Love her:

Thanksgiving

We were a bit anti-social.  We had several requests to spend Thanksgiving with family and friends.  We decided to just have us.  And I'm glad we did.  It was nice having a quiet day just with us. 

And I made this mother-cheesecake:

Oreo crust, cheese cake, mousse, gnash.  

(sad face) we cut Levi's hair:

Jeff's birthday was sometime around there... he got a new cell phone.  Thank-you me.  -- Jeff has held onto his previous phone for six years.  It barely worked.  I don't know if I got it more for him or me. , ... he likes his phone though.  And life got a little easier.

Jeff's brother's bought him a nice pair of gaming head phones... I thought it was funny that they had the same thought in mind as myself.  Apparently Jeff's 15 year old headphones made a whirling noise during skype calls, and the set had cracked in half.  -- they said they didn't know if they got it more for Jeff or for them.  ... he likes his headphones though.  And life got a little easier.

Jeff... wanted food for his birthday. (Levi) -- so we went on a date to Black Cypress. 

I don't know what is normal

 Seth got really into his class mock election of gummy bears vs  sourpatch kids.  

At Seth's parent teacher conference I learned that only a couple kids made a poster...
and then there's Seth who wrote 6 "speeches."

My favorite is on the fridge: "You Will Feel The Power, When You taste the Sour! -- Vote for Sour Patchkids!" 

I thought that was clever.

Sourpatch kids won 19-4

Last week his school was having a book fair.  

I bought the entire series of A-Z mysteries for Seth to read.

He finished the Z mystery today.

2,000 pages in a week in a half.

He read by himself.

Seth's DIBELS scores came back.

Over all 95% in the nation

99% in math (what??)

and 94% in reading

I look at the target line.. the goal for 1st graders 30 Seth's at 90... 4 Seth's at 20.

But I see Seth as a normal kid.

I'm a bit stunned sometimes.

He is not normal... is he?

And some general cuteness:

Falling

Today we took a walk around the arboretum:

Silly faces:

Then went to "A Year of Frog and Toad"