Halloween preview

We were invited to a Halloween party for our playgroup today, so it was a good opportunity to break out the costumes.

Representing both sides of the family....we have the Georgia Tech yellow jacket...


And the Richmond Spider!

Fall catch up

I know we're busy when two weeks go by and I forget about the blog. Here's a quick summary of the latest.

I pulled Miller out of preschool. I really thought she would love it, but she seemed so sad at drop off and at pick-up. It's my last year with a baby, so I'm keeping her home.

I was playing with Miller on the floor the other day and she signed "more". (which I've showed her in the context of food) I was so proud!

Colby is loving preschool and doing very well. His teacher, who I really like, has recognized that he's a "challenge", but said she adores him. BUT, she needs some help and strategies for how to deal with him. The good news is that he's not even in her top 5 list of challenging kids over the past 10 years. Yay!

Lee and I bought a lot in a new neighborhood. 2 hours away. I guess he's going to start looking for a job there. That's not the way it's supposed to work, and it's the last thing we ever thought would happen. But, we toured the area with a realtor, and when we saw the lot and neighborhood, we both loved it. We have always known we'd be moving in the next year or two, we just didn't know where.

I need an intervention. A baby girl clothes intervention. After 3 years of buying jeans, corduroys, and t-shirts, I am overwhelmed with all the choices I have for Miller. (Well, limited choices because she's a bit too...how shall I say this...bootylicious for pants and jeans) So, we have to make do with leggings, tights, and dresses. Here are a few samples from her fall wardrobe.

Colby's favorite thing

Colby has learned how to use his CD player, and his new favorite thing is to blast music and dance in his room. Miller is a fan as well. This is what you'll see on a typical afternoon...

With a moo moo here

Miller is coming right along with her animal sounds, thanks to her favorite song- Old McDonald. Although it's really hard to discern one animal from another, you'll have to trust me that she's a genius. Here she is in her animal sounds debut, along with some basic words.

School

Colby and Miller had their first day of school on Friday. I was on the fence for months about whether or not to send Miller, even though Colby went at the same age and loved it. I agonized over the decision and had many sleepless nights, and finally decided that I would enroll her, but only put her in for a few hours a week. That way, I can put her there instead of the gym daycare, which is terrible, and still have some quality time with her.

Here they are on the first morning before school. Of course, I knew there was no way either would pose, so this is all I could do. I handed Miller a nail file, and Colby tried to restrain himself from pinching her.


Colby ran into his friend Wyatt in the hallway and they were happy to see each other.


At drop off, Colby didn't shed a tear. Miller was fine at first, but started to cry when she realized I was gone. She only cried for about 10 minutes, and then she had a blast the rest of the 2 hours. They had someone there who would take pictures of our kids and show us how they were doing, so that was very helpful. (I have a very cute picture of Miller playing with a binky in her mouth and Mr. Rabbit tucked under her arm, but my scanner is not working)

Update: Scanner fixed. Here it is.

At pick up, Miller gave me a big smile, and Colby gave me my first EVER hug at pick up...it was the first time he did not run in the opposite direction. I had to wait 3 long years for that, but it was worth it.

Soccer

Colby started soccer this past weekend, and he's the youngest player in a class of three to five year olds.

Lee and I were a bit unsure how he would do, but he surprised and amazed us.

He dribbled, kicked, passed, and ran. He followed all the instructions of his coach.





We were just beaming with pride.


**Cue screeching record sound**

NOT.

That's a bit of an exaggeration. No, it's a flat out lie. Those pictures were taken before the class even started, when Lee and Colby were kicking the ball back and forth.

The class did start out promising. Colby thoroughly enjoyed the warm-up.





Jazz hands!




Maybe we should have enrolled him in Jazzercise instead?

After the warm-up, things went downhill quickly.

For the first 15 minutes or so, he was doing things like this:


And for the second half of the class, he did this. If you look closely, you'll see two feet behind that tree.


That's Colby doing his business in the privacy of some thick foliage.

Well, to us, he may as well have scored the winning goal. HURRAY! Colby is pooping on his own! In his diaper! Without crying! And he's off medication!

SCORE!!!!

The lake in pictures

We had a great time visiting Nana and Granddaddy at the lake this year.

Miller had her first boat ride. However, she really was not a fan of the life jacket, so it only lasted about 10 minutes.


Colby drove the boat with Uncle Jack...


And went tubing with daddy.


But the highlight of his trip was the fireman-like hose at Uncle Jack and Linda's house.


We went to a Labor Day parade and caught lots of candy.


Nana and Grandaddy watched the insanity from their comfy seats.


WOW! Look at that. Someone took a picture of little ol' me!


Miller enjoyed shopping for groceries at the children's museum.


Mama said these things are filled with sodium.


Thanks for everything, Nana and Granddaddy. We are already looking forward to next year!