The Zaffts in Action

The day after our trip to the circus, the local fire station had its annual open house. Aiden was with a friend at a Scout-sponsored Pumpkin Fest, so we met up with a friend who is Devin's age.

As soon as we made it across the street, they were off like a shot to go see the fire trucks!


Devin helpfully inspected the wheel to be sure it was on tight!


Then we learned about some of the tools the fire fighters use to open cars and cut down doors if needed.


And the equipment was a big hit, too!




We got to play in the fire struck a bit and even try on the seat belt.




The Randolph Fire Station recently got a new ambulance, so that was next on the list.


Devin looked a little unsure on the gurney...


We then practiced crawling through smoke in the "smoke house" they take to the local schools for experience in what a house full of smoke (or, in this case, water vapor) looks like. Devin was very good about keeping his head down which is why you only see his hat!


After all that, it was time for a piece of pizza followed by a lack-of-sleep-induced meltdown and we headed home for naps! See you next year, RFD!

Most days, I feel like I'm the ringmaster of a three-ring circus. (Well, that and the driver of a clown car.) But this last week, I won tickets to a real circus, and we took the two older kids to their first ever visit to the "greatest show on earth!"

Because I won the tickets through one of the other elementary schools in town, our tickets included great seats in the "club" section as well as a "private" meet-and-greet before the show. While it meant arriving at the circus TWO hours early, the meet-and-greet was worth it as it gave the kids a chance to see some of the performers up close before the show began. Aiden was a little uncertain about the jugglers and other performers, but Devin was more than excited for his "photo op."



Girls in capes?!? Devin was all in!


After our photo op, we got to go down on the circus floor for the pre-show. Aiden was still a little uncertain, but this clown/juggler was crafty and jumped down next to him for a photo!


Then we saw some neat animal tricks and some acrobatics.






After a quick "dance party," we grabbed some clown noses and headed up to our seats for the show.






The elephants were some of our favorites!


Second favorite for the night were the crazy motorcycles!
(This may not seem all that amazing, but it is actually FIVE motorcycles in a cage!)


This video only shows five motorcycles in the cage at once because I was too fascinated to shoot video by the time they added EIGHT!


But, the creme de la creme, was the fire-breathing dragon at the end!






Many thanks to Grandma Zafft for watching Malcolm at home so that we didn't have to worry about the late night or loud sounds (not to mention, 15-month-olds aren't too excited about sitting for any length of time).

A few years ago, I tried to convince my older sister to put together a blog. "It's simple!" I assured her. "It really doesn't take that much time, and even someone with few computer skills can manage it." Then I had a third child and have been reminded a few times of my empty blog. These days, I'm lucky if I manage to upload pictures to Facebook never mind adding captions or notes about our activities.

Here's a quick rundown of what we've been up to since June (very much aware we're almost to the end of October).

In July we went to Oregon and Washington to see members of the Zafft clan at a reunion/anniversary celebration for Ian's aunt and uncle. Here are pictures from the time we spent in Portland. I'm trying to find the album from Leavenworth...


After returning from the West coast, we celebrated Aiden's SEVENTH birthday:


I also participated in a town theater production of Cinderella! No, I wasn't Cinderella or even in the cast, but I did brush the dust off my flute and challenge my fingers for some fun in the orchestra.

Then I took some cast photos for the company. They turned out really nicely despite the high ceilings and difficult lighting.


Aiden started 2nd Grade on August 27th and it seems almost impossible that just three years ago we went from this:

To this:


Since the start of school, we have been just trying to keep up with the normal day-to-day "stuff" including packing lunches, doing homework, and trying to figure out why Devin doesn't sleep. I've been keeping busy with joining our school's School Site Council and trying to become more engaged with the School Committee. Ian is busy with work and putting up with the craziness of the house.

We recently went to the circus and to our town's fire station open house. But I'll add those pictures on a separate post. (I know, I know... pie-crust promises!)

On June 28, 2012, we welcomed the third and final baby boy into our family. He was cute, pink, and healthy, and we loved him immediately. We named him Malcolm and brought him home to his loving big brothers who have taught him much about mortality as the youngest of three.

Now, a year later, he is walking (tenuously but hands-free), babbling and working on "Momma" and "Dadda," and is just a pleasure to watch and play with.

On his arrival day


A year later


Even with how much he is loved at home, I whisked him away from his home the day before his birthday and dragged him to Houston to visit his Aunt Nae and a plethora of cousins (well, seven). But being in a household with seven kids has its perks. One of those is that they really know how to celebrate a First Birthday! They broke out the chocolate cake, and Mr. Malcolm went to town!











A look I'm sure to see for years to come...


Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

The last 3 1/2 months have been a whirlwind of classes (mine), school (the kids), meetings (school and church), and more construction projects (our bathroom, the tenant bathroom, and the tenant kitchen, the roof, gutters, and a little follow-up tile work). We've taken lots of pictures, and I've had the best intentions of getting them uploaded and posted, but I never quite seem to make it there. BUT, school's out! So I have had a few extra minutes usually taken up by packing lunches and rushing kids around.

Because of several snow days (you may remember our blizzard and then several snows in March), our last day of school was pushed from June 18th to June 25th! It's hard to believe the kids have only been out of school ONE day and July 4th is already on next week's calendar!

We managed to make it to school a few minutes early yesterday, and I took some pictures of the kids with their teachers. But first, you may remember how our crew looked at the beginning of the year (Aug 29, 2012):


And here they are on Tuesday, 9 months wiser:


Johanna is still taller than Aiden, but they've all grown and learned a lot! Aiden started First Grade as a beginning reader just putting words and sounds together. As of today, he's finishing up a 120-page "chapter book" he picked at the library. He has loved First Grade with his teacher, Mrs. Gureckis, and his favorite subject is definitely Math (or Science, or Gym, or Music depending on the day).


Devin has made a lot of progress in Preschool, too. He can write several letters and is getting better at sitting in his chair and following along with a group. He still struggles with attention and expressing himself, but we're making progress. He loves his teachers, and Mondays are the saddest day of the week (Aiden goes to school but Devin doesn't). Here he is with Mr. "Z," Mrs. Henderson, and Mrs. Hipsman.


We've only had one full day of summer vacation, and we've already been swimming, pulled out the Slip N' Slide and had friends over to play. We'll be celebrating July 4th with fireworks, and then we'll be headed out to Oregon and Washington for our annual Northwest trip.

Happy Summer, all!