First Day of School

This morning, I dropped my little girl off for her first day of Kindergarten.  Her proud big brother led the way, confident and smiling.  Everly was thrilled and acted like a pro.

There were no tears today - I think I held it together pretty well.  But it is hard for me to believe...kindergarten...really?  And second grade?  Sheesh.  They look so grown up.

I thought about them all day.

I left work early so that I could be sure to be at the bus stop on time.

The bus was 25 minutes late, but I stood there in the blazing sun, camera ready.

And my baby girl was the first one off, and she ran right to me with a big smile and gave me a big hug.

And I felt happy.  So happy.  I wouldn't have missed that for the world.

Cortlan was next...

Guess who he sat next to on the bus?  Yep.  Everly.

And they seemed somehow bigger to me after 4pm.  More mature.  Taller, even.  But definitely more grown up.

I try not to say "Can time please stop?"  I try not to want old moments back.  I know every stage can be a good stage.  But I just want this one to stay for a while.

In the books...

Well, week one of summer is already in the books, and I already feel so refreshed.  It was a productive week, and a fun week, with a lot of silliness thrown in.

We started the summer learning ticket system again, which the kids were really excited about this year.  In fact, whereas last year, Cortlan hardly banked any tickets (he would earn just enough to use for the TV shows he wanted to watch), this year, he has caught on to the idea that he can earn more to do more things.  And now that he is a reader, he has a whole new way to earn tickets.  In the first week, they were able to earn enough to get a movie and ice cream.  We will see how things continue.

Speaking of reading, Everly is picking up on reading at a surprising pace.  Her interest in doing what her brother can do is so high, it is amazing.  Yesterday, she read to me Buzz! Said the Bee, Cookie's Week, and two beginning reader books based on the nursery rhymes Hickory, Dickory, Doc and The Cow Jumped Over the Moon, all with very little help from me.  It is exciting to see her excitement in learning both reading and math.

Between the four of us, we had several appointments, including an allergist appointment for Cortlan.  Lucky him, he began allergy shots this week.  His allergies have been so bad, we are hopeful that these shots will help in the long run and he won't need to be on three medications per day (that are already losing some effectiveness).

We went to the zoo with friends, which was awesome.  Seeing the elephants get a bath was a highlight, and watching the polar bears play under water was awesome.

We also went ice skating for the first time, thanks to a friend who is taking lessons and invited Cortlan as his buddy for "bring a buddy day."  We stayed after the lesson for a bit so Everly could get a chance to try it out, too.  The experience was comical to say the least, but the kids would love to go back again some day.

As I always try to do during the first week, I did get my windows and screens cleaned, thanks in part to my kids, who did pretty well with the whole teamwork thing.

We are excited to see what the rest of summer has in store.  I am certain we will get a few more items checked off of Cortlan's bucket list.

Learning new things all the time!

Go Everly!

Never to be outdone by her big brother, shortly after the start of the school year, Everly requested that we take off her training wheels.  While she was a little wobbly at first, it didn't take long before she was off and riding.  These days, she is often leading the pack through the neighborhood, speeding around with the boys.

Water love

It is hard to believe that at the beginning of the summer, neither of my kids would leave the steps of the pool and neither would attempt to swim, even with flotation devices on.

It is hard to believe that Everly, for the first week of swimming lessons, cried and had to be pulled out of the group.  

And it is hard to believe that, until about two weeks ago, Cortlan wouldn't jump in the water without holding onto someone's hands.

It is amazing what time and exposure can do....and patience.  I am learning to not rush things.  I am learning there is a balance between pushing and waiting and just letting things happen.  Sometimes that is hard, but I am learning.

Napless Idlewild

Part of me kind of feels as though I have been neglecting this blog, but the reality is that I have way less computer and relaxation time than I used to.  My kids used to religiously take naps from about 1PM until 3PM or later...every day.  Now, we are lucky to get them to stay in their rooms for an hour, and the likelihood that they sleep is about 50/50.  Actually, it is Cortlan who more often falls asleep; for whatever reason, Everly has always seemed to thrive on less sleep than him.  (I clearly remember the 15 minute catnaps when she was a baby that had me pulling my hair out.)  So, while I used to get things done for an hour or so and then still have an hour left of to write this blog or read or otherwise relax and sometimes accomplish something during nap time, this summer I am generally not even getting a load of laundry done and my kitchen cleaned from lunch by the time the kids are out of their rooms again.

The reduction and soon (I predict) elimination of nap time has its positives and negatives.  On the positive side, I do feel much more confident that we will make it through a day of activity without complete meltdowns now.  Thus, I am less apt to experience the customary anxiety when we plan a day away from home.  In fact, last week, we spent a beautiful day at Idlewild with no incidents whatsoever, and stayed longer than we ever had before.  The kids rode most of the kids' rides, we walked through Storybook Forest, played in the ball pit, and went on Mr. Roger's Neighborhood Trolley ride where we invited everyone to "Come along, come along, to the castle hug 'n song!"  We were also able to ride most of the "big kid" rides.  Everly went on her first roller coaster and Ferris Wheel rides, plus a number of spinny rides.  The weather was great, and the day was nearly perfect.  The only bad thing was that my battery died on my camera after only a few pictures.

Of course, the motorcycle ride was one of the first rides of the day!

The kids surprised John and me by excitedly joining the crowd at the Thomas show.

For the first time, they were actually able to pull the handle hard enough to ride high on the airplane ride (though this pic was taken before they started).

Ev's check-up

I realize I am a little late in writing about it (almost as late as I was in making the appointment) but last Monday was Everly's three-year check-up.  We went right after school, and as usual, both of my kids were extremely excited to go to the doctor's office.  Being that it was such a beautiful day, the plans also included going to a nearby park afterwards for a playdate. (That is the part that I was more excited about.)

Between the waiting room and the room in which we have the appointment, the wait for the doctor to see us has varied from five minutes to as long as 45 minutes.  Fortunately, there weren't piles of sick people waiting to be seen, and our wait was on the shorter side.  Everly got weighed and measured, and we found that she is right at the 50th percentile for both height and weight.  She had her eyes checked, and all was well.  Then the nurse told Everly that she would have to get undressed, and (for the first time) gave us a robe for her to put on.  It was a Dr. Seuss robe, and Everly could not have been more thrilled.

She was thrilled to be at the doctor's and thrilled to be wearing a robe with the Cat in the Hat on it, and the smile on her face didn't leave.  The smile was there when she got her blood pressure taken.  It was there when she had her ears checked.  It was there when she had her heart checked.  And her eyes.  And as she stood on one leg.  And as she touched the doctor's finger and then her own nose and then her finger and then her nose again.

You want to know when the smile left her face?  It was when she found out that she wasn't going to get a shot.

Yes.  You read that right.  She was upset that she would NOT get a shot.  She really wanted one.  And it brought her to near tears that she couldn't have one.

I am beginning to think my kids are a little weird.

Weekend Recap

• The weather lately has me completely unproductive at home.  Typically, I clean on the weekends.  I just could not bring myself to spend hours in the house (and hence, keep my kids in the house for hours) when it is over 70 outside in March.  So, my house is a mess.  But, at least most of the laundry is done.  And we got more fresh air and Vitamin D than we have had in months.
• I realized that my kids have no summer clothes.  Typically, I do not need to have them at this time of the year, but it was definitely shorts-wearing weather this weekend, and will be for the rest of the 10 day forecast (unbelievable!).  So off we went to Target to buy some $4 mix and match shirts and shorts.  Cortlan seems to be developing quite an opinion as to what he wears, and his choices sometimes baffle me.  But I let him pick which shirts he wanted, so he better wear them. 
• Saturday was St. Patrick's Day.  Friday night, I put some fruited Irish oatmeal in the Crock Pot so we were able to have a nice Irish breakfast in the morning.  I had never made steel-cut oats before, but this recipe was delicious.  As the kids sat at the breakfast bar, I thought I might make them a special surprise.  I got out the food coloring and put a drop of green in each of their cups.  Then I took the cups over to them, and I poured their milk, which instantly turned green as I poured it.  I wasn't really trying to act like anything magical happened, as I thought for sure they had just watched me get out the food coloring and drop it in, but Cortlan's eyes lit up, and ever since, he has been telling people that a Leprechaun turned our milk green.  After nap - homemade shamrock shakes.
• We truly enjoyed the beautiful weather on Saturday.  It is so nice to see everyone emerging from hibernation.  Our neighborhood is typically alive with kids running around and parents talking once the weather breaks.  This weekend was just like summer.  Ahhhhh....
• The musical at the high school where I work was Peter Pan this year, and for the first time, I decided to take the kids.  Honestly, I can't imagine a better high school production than the ones that go on at our school, and Peter Pan did not disappoint.  We had seats in the fourth row and Cortlan absolutely loved it.  He laughed so hard even when no one else was laughing...the orchestra members were turning to look to see where the giggles were coming from.  He could not stop talking about it.  On the way home, he even said, "I just can't wipe the smile off of my face!"  I loved it.  Everly enjoyed it, too, and she did pretty well at sitting still and being quiet.  Though, I think her favorite part (besides when Peter pan did flips in the air) was folding herself up in the seat so her knees were in her face and then smiling, saying, "I'm stuck!"

A fun Saturday, Part 1

I was looking for something to do with the kids yesterday, and ended up at a paint your own pottery studio to paint some Christmas ornaments.  This was the first time that Everly had done anything like this.  For Cortlan, it has been years, and he likely has no memory of it except for the picture that we had in a frame for a while.  The kids were very well behaved, but there is no doubt that we entertained the other patrons who couldn't help but overhear our conversations.  In the end, the kids painted their ornaments exactly as they saw fit, so we will surely have an interesting looking candy cane, snowman, and gingerbread man, as well as a circular ornament.  And I am pretty sure that Everly may hold the record for the most paintbrushes used for only four colors.

A conversation with Everly

I sat her on the potty and then the conversation went something like this:

Everly:  I need paci.
Me:  Paci??
Everly:  No. Paci.
Me:  You do not need a paci.
Everly:  No. (thinking of another way to say it)  Cashie...
Me:  What are you talking about?
Everly:  I need cashie.
Me:  Ok.  What does that mean?
Everly:  Um, you shut da door...
Me:  OH!

Yep.  My two-and-a-half-year-old just asked if she could have some privacy.  Here we go.

Several things that start with P

There are reasons why I have written a little less than is typical as of late, but I will get to that in another post.  For now, just a few tidbits...

• I learned a lesson yesterday:  it is better to let the milk cup fall than to try to catch it mid air.  Because if you miss, you might just end up hitting the cup so as to make the milk cover a much larger area in all directions, including the undersides of chairs, the walls, and multiple people.  Had it just been left to fall, I probably would have only had to clean the floor.
• I am absolutely amazed at Everly's turn around on the potty training front.  I mean, we went from absolute refusal to poop on the potty to initiating it and having no accidents of any sort (since Sunday) in a matter of a week.  After trying bribery, sticker charts, letting her make a mess of herself in her underwear (while playing outside), and multiple other things that entailed both good and bad parenting techniques, do you know what actually did the trick? The fact that "only big girls who poop on the potty get to have their toe nails painted."  If she went on the potty, she got her toe nails painted for the first time.  If she had an accident, the polish came off.  When she filled her sticker chart yesterday, she got to have her fingernails painted, too.  Amazing.  Where did this girl come from?
• Another amazing turn around: Cortlan in the swimming pool.  Two weeks ago, Cortlan wouldn't even jump into the pool with an adult catching him.  He would tightly hold onto my fingers and plop in, at best.  Now, with a new found confidence, he is independently motoring around the pool (with water wings on) and leaping from the deck on his own.  Yay!
• I remember the days when everything that came out of Cortlan's mouth cracked me up because of what he was saying, but possibly more because of how he was saying it.  Now, Everly is at that age.  Her "Mommy, whatcha doin', Mommy?" every time we are in the car, or sitting at dinner, or basically doing nothing is somewhat annoying after the 5,000th time, but still makes me smile.  Her calling Cortlan "my Toh-deh" is so endearing.  Her calling toothpaste "poo face" inevitably makes me laugh.  And a good laugh is always welcome.

The Great Camping Adventure

Last week, Cortlan and Everly were watching a little Sid the Science Kid (don't laugh at our apparent dorkiness - it is a cute show) and in that particular episode, Sid camped out in his backyard with his dad and a buddy.  Cortlan was fascinated by this, and asked me, "Mommy?  Do you think we could camp out in nature someday?"  He wanted to have a fire and s'mores and sleep in a tent - all the things that Sid did.

I was actually pretty excited by Cort's request, because I really enjoy camping and have visions of doing a lot of it as a family as the kids grow up.  We used to camp quite a bit when I was a kid, and since John and I have been together, we have camped several times - including on the beach at Assateague Island with some friends and some hungry wild horses. We have made some great and lasting memories camping. The last time that we went was with friends in May of 2006.  Not long after, I found out that I was pregnant with Cortlan (and actually had been, unknowingly, carrying him along on that trip).  Then, before he was old enough (in my opinion) to go camping, Everly was born.  Now, with Everly a little more than two-years-old, and quite adventurous and pretty much willing to try anything, we figured that the two of them were old enough to attempt an old-fashioned back yard camping experience.  Thus, my answer to Cortlan was an enthusiastic, "Yes!"

The timing of the camp out was perfect.  Our neighbor had some 4th of July fireworks to set off, and to see them, the kids would have to stay up past their bed time.  Since we would already be staying up late, we figured we might as well do it right.  First, we went and got ice cream.  (I got Graham Central Station, which is my new favorite, for sure...mmmmmm!)  When we got home, we set up the tent and got the fire going. 

For dinner: Mountain pies - the pepperoni pizza variety. 

Then, after playing, some s'mores for dessert (in case the ice cream wasn't enough). 

At around 9:30, we went to the neighbor's for a serious fireworks display.  For our purposes, they were just as good as the "real deal."  Actually, they were even better, because we had the best seats in the house, only had to walk down the street a little bit, and had no traffic or parking to deal with. 

We got back home, got in PJ's and climbed into our sleeping bags.  From the start, it seemed as though we were going to have another experience similar to the hotel a couple of weeks ago, but in a much shorter time span, the kids calmed down...probably because it was much later.  They were finally asleep at 11:30 - far later than either of them had ever stayed up.

But with sleeping outside comes an early and noticeable sunrise.  At 5:30 AM, the sun was shining through the thin tent walls, and Everly announced that she had to go potty.  It had been a pretty restless night's sleep (mostly because Everly's feet kept ending up in Cortlan's back, to his vocal dismay), so getting up at 5:30 was the last thing I wanted to do.  But, we went in the house, came right back out, and much to my surprise, the kids fell back asleep until 7:30.

Through this experience, I learned several things: 

• S'mores are just as delicious as they ever have been.
• An air mattress might be a wise investment.
• The morning after a night of camping may not be the optimal time to run nine miles.
• Sleep between the kids instead of having them next to each other.
• Don't ever camp far too away from a restroom.
• We are just about ready to try camping for real...maybe next year!

Movie Time

We took the kids and one of their cousins to the movies on Wednesday and saw Yogi Bear.  This was Everly's first experience at a movie theater.  She did pretty well, I think.  She wasn't too loud.  She only fell out of her seat once.  And she never let her popcorn bag get less than half full before asking for a refill.

Dark theater, cell phone camera. 

Good times.  Good popcorn.

Where the air is sweet

Last week, we went on a three night trip to a great water and theme park with familiar and colorful characters.  This was a trip with many firsts: the first time the four of us have stayed at a hotel together, the first time that we attempted daytime travel (as opposed to driving all night, which is great from the kids sleeping perspective, but not so great from the adults not sleeping perspective), the first time the kids went to a water park, the first time we attempted to make it through the day with no nap, and the list goes on.  On the six hour drive home, my mind wandered to a billion blog posts I could write about the trip, none of which could really do the memories justice.  I thought I had a pretty decent idea as to how the trip would go.  But if there is anything I should know by now, as a parent, there is no predicting.

In preparation for the trip, I was sure to pack a selection of healthy snacks, and plenty of things to keep the kids occupied while in the car.  I even got a little crafty and cut felt into little people and clothes and shapes of all kinds so the kids could make their own scenes on their own personal felt boards.  This did prove to be a pretty big hit, if only for the novelty factor, but I did make one mistake - I didn't make two of everything.  Specifically, there was only one "boy" hair and one "girl" hair.  Of course, the girl hair was way cooler and coveted by both.  What I didn't expect to happen on the drive:  our quick rest stop trip turning into over an hour (my kids may be the slowest eaters on earth), and missed naps.  Seriously.  What kid only sleeps for 45 minutes out of a six hour drive?  Mine, apparently.

We neared our destination just in time for the downpour to begin, but there was no way that we were not going into the park.  As the only people entering the park, pushing ourselves and our umbrellas against the sea of people leaving, we weren't even sure that the park was still open.  Sure enough, it was.  And sure enough, the rain stopped soon after, leaving us with a little sunshine and a nearly deserted park.  We were among the first in line for every ride, and got prime seats at the show that evening.  Cortlan rode his first roller coaster.  Everly began her love affair with the swings.

Arriving at the hotel much later than typical bedtime, I was sure that the kids would fall asleep, exhausted, shortly after their heads hit the pillow.  Again, I should know better than to make such predictions.  After a bath and story, the giggle-fest began.  With the two kids in one bed and John and I in the other, the room sounded more like an adolescent slumber party than the dark, peaceful room filled with zzzzz's that I had imagined.  Whispers building up to full out hysterical laughter for who knows what reason had us all laughing.  Then it started to get pretty frustrating.  After around the sixth or seventh trip to their bed for one thing or another, we finally got the sound we were waiting for - quiet.  It was 10:00.  The next night went marginally better.  The trick:  John went to the lobby or exercise area, I put Everly in one bed, Cort in the other, lied and told them I had to go potty, took my book to the bathroom, and waited them out.  They are used to falling asleep by themselves; the more people in the room, the longer the process seemed to take.  With this solution, I at least got to read part of my book, and the process did go a bit faster.

With the exception of a minor head injury (me), some puking (Ev), and some minor meltdowns due to lack of sleep (Cort and Ev), the rest of the trip went off without a hitch.  We had a great time.  Of course, Cortlan would have probably been happy if he could have sat on the forklift or firetruck for most of the day, and Everly would have been content to go back and forth between the swings and the carousal, but at least some of us managed to ride just about everything there.  Cort loved the rope climbing, hated the water slides.  Everly wanted to go on everything - the bigger the better.  (She even went on the Blast Off ride that shoots you up and drops you down.)  They both loved the spraying water attractions, the parade, seeing all of the characters and shows, the slides, and of course, the ridiculously huge lollipops that we splurged on, knowing there would be no way they could finish them.

John and I loved seeing them so happy.

The Paci Fairy Came!

The Paci Fairy came Friday night.

Everly had prepared her bag:


The front of the "Paci Fairy Bag." 



And back.  (Cort had a "Paci Fairy Box."  I couldn't find a box the right size this time around.  Nor could I find a bag that wasn't Christmas themed.  Fortunately, Everly was very good about her sticker placement.)

Loaded it up with her accumulated beloved pacifiers:

"One of these things is not like the others."  Can you guess which one she was having a fit about last Tuesday?

And woke up screaming, "Mommy!!  I got a dishy!!!"  Which was exactly what she wanted.

Welcome, Dora, the male beta fish.

Now, I am just hoping to be able to keep Dora alive.  Wish me luck.

Sorry - I took these pictures with my phone.  I have no idea where my camera is at the moment.

Firsts

The past several days were filled with firsts.  For example,

• Saturday was the first day that Everly wore Pull-Ups.  (For the childless readers who want to know what they are:  check this link.)  At the end of the weekend, she had only peed once in her Pull-Ups but had gone #2 four times in them.  (Again, for the childless readers: somehow, the deuce in diapers is much easier to handle than in Pull-Ups, at least in my opinion.)  To top it off, two of those incidents occurred in a public place at a birthday party.  Not cool.  But yay for peeing on the potty.
• Speaking of bathroom incidents (sorry for the serious degradation of topics as of late), Saturday was the first time that Cortlan decided to go to the bathroom by himself in the men's room in a public place.  This happened to be at the same birthday party as referenced above.  He happened to have the same need as his sister at this party.  AND the timing of the incidents were within minutes of each other.  So picture it:  I am in the women's room taking care of one mess while, unbeknownst to me at the time, Cort was taking care of things himself right next door.  Kind of.  I had to send the father of another party guest in to check on things; he emerged saying that Cort was holloring for me.  Sorry.  I had to go in.  That was also a first, I am pretty sure.
• Moving to more pleasant firsts...Last night was the first night that we didn't have a crib in our house in over four years.  Thus, it was the first time Everly slept on her new "big girl bed."  I am kind of having mixed emotions about this; I went in after Everly was sound asleep and just watched her...so peaceful, so beautiful, growing so fast.

The very last time Everly was in her crib.

The Dentist Appointment

Maybe it is just a coincidence that the week that Cort has a dentist appointment is the same week that he takes a llama for show and share (the letter of the week is L).  But this was always one of my favorite Sesame Street clips.

Fittingly, February is National Children's Dental Health Month.  In Cortlan's class, the week's topic/theme has been dental hygiene.  They have learned all about teeth and going to the dentist and have read books, sung songs, and created teeth masterpieces.  So, yesterday, when Cortlan piped up that he was going to be going to the dentist, his teacher wasn't sure if that was simply a 4-year-old's tale, or if, coincidentally, he actually had a dentist appointment.  In fact, he did.  And, true to form, he was excited about it.

We got to the dentist and Cortlan was already talking about what color toothbrush he was going to pick.  When it was our turn to head back, he happily climbed into the chair, donned the sweet sunglasses (though he did mention that he liked the flip-up ones that he had last time a little better), and followed every instruction he was given.  They used the electric tooth brush with blue raspberry tooth paste; they used the water sprayer and suction device; they even scraped a bit of plaque off from behind his teeth and painted on fluoride.  No problem.  He was lavished with compliments and got to pick a tattoo and two stickers when he was done.  Cool.

But here was the slightly-surprising-but-not-really part:  the whole time, Everly was jumping at the chance to climb up on the chair to have her turn, too.  She soooo badly wanted them to stick things in her mouth and check her teeth and paint on fluoride.  And of course, she wanted to wear the sunglasses.

She didn't have an appointment scheduled, so it came much to my surprise when the hygienist said, "Let me check my schedule and get you some papers to fill out.  We might be able to do this."  Well, ok!  Everly excitedly said, "My turn!!" as she climbed up on the chair.

And quietly, patiently, trustingly, she let them do anything they wanted...with full cooperation.  Just like her big brother.

 
And just like her brother, she got a tattoo and two stickers.  And she was proud.  And so was I...of both of them.

Here comes November

After a long and frustrating day, I am about to sit down with my work computer on the couch in front of Glee (so that it doesn't feel quite as work-ish).  Work is not what I feel like doing.  But I need to, just to keep my head above water right now.  November, into December, is notoriously the craziest time of the year for me.  And here it is.  November 2.  Already.  So, in an effort to do something that I want to do before doing something that I have to do, I am going to share a few quick stories here. 

• Halloween - quite a success.  Both kids were totally into the pumpkin carving/painting scene.  Ev loved the "guts" and lots and lots of paint.  (Might have to add some pictures here.)  Cort loved the design process and scooping out the guts - with a spoon.  And making ears on the pumpkins, which was very important to him.  Trick-or-treating was a bit chilly, but otherwise awesome.  Everly was in her element.  Any day she has a reason to put something into a bag that she can carry on her arm is a good day.  Cortlan used his best trick-or-treat manners at every house.
• Two in-service days in a row were much welcome.  Not that I don't love teaching the kids, and honestly, I generally prefer to do so.  But I desperately needed a catch-up day.  Obviously, I didn't get as much caught up as I'd hoped (as only half of one of the days was not consumed by meetings).  But there are a few additional bonuses of the in-services:  1.  We get to wake the kids up just a touch later than normal and take our time getting ready and getting to school. 2.  John and I get an hour and a half for lunch.  Read: the best we can do for a date.  Yay! for being the first into Miyako on a Monday that happened to be the last day to use the Entertainment book coupon.
• Everly needed new tennis shoes so she and I made a trip today to find some.  There were definitely highs and lows to the process.  Once Everly saw the shoes, she wanted all of them and started ranting and tearing off the shoes she was wearing.  Store 1: None her size in my price range.  Store 2: Found a cute pair that had laces.  The ones with velcro cost three times as much.  (They know what parents want.)  I decided to risk it and get the ones with laces.  I figure we will have to get up earlier in the morning as a result, but hey, I saved some money.  And Everly LOVES them.  In fact, she screamed the entire way home about them.  She was mad that they weren't on her feet.  (Is it bad that after trying to calm her down numerous times I just turned up the radio really, really loud?)  But the best was that when we got home, she had to have them on to "show Daddy."  The problem was that Daddy wasn't home.  She waited by the door crying for Daddy with her shoes on until he came home (at least fifteen minutes later), at which point she ran proudly around the basement in what Cortlan has dubbed "her running shoes."  Disclaimer:  Everly is getting two teeth, and is ultra sensitive these days.
• We got to vote today, and the kids got to share in the experience with us.
• Cortlan declared, "I don't like girls anymore.  But I love you, Mommy."
• Everly said her first sentence, "Elly's pretty."  (Elly is our boxer.)

Highlight Reel

Some days aren't the best.  Some days are long and frustrating and stressful and overloaded and without enough of the things I love the most.  It is on those days that I find an exercise in identifying the best of recent moments is most beneficial.  When you are writing them down, you can't help but focus on the positives.  After all, life is about the moments, right?  I want to preserve the good ones.  So, here is my highlight reel of recent days:

• Our annual trip to the pumpkin patch with our little pumpkins.  We took pictures beside the growth chart pumpkin on the side of the barn.  (It is amazing to think that last year, Everly couldn't even stand next to her brother for the occasion; this year she stood with her purse on her arm saying, "cheese!!")  We walked through the corn maze.  We played in the grain shed with dump trucks and diggers.  Everly had her first hayride; she sat perfectly still perched on a hay bale between John and me and loved every minute.  The rest of us did, too.  And of course, we picked the best pumpkins and took home a gallon of apple cider.
• A picturesque Sunday morning spent climbing over rocks and tree roots through the woods at one of the most beautiful places around. 
• Cortlan getting to be "Star Student" at school for the week.
• Everly drinking out of a big girl cup like a pro.
• A text that read "What are you doing on November 14th at 8:30 AM?"  Ummm....not sure.  Eating breakfast?  Having a cup of coffee?  Saying "Happy Birthday" to my husband?  Nope! Those things will need to be done a bit earlier on that day, because at least until the date is confirmed, I now have tentatively written on my calendar that I am going to become a Godmother to one of the most precious baby girls!  Yay!  So honored and happy. 
• A family yoga night.  We actually all did yoga with the wii.  Even the kids did some of the poses.  It was hysterical and so much fun.  Down dog is so much more enjoyable with a 19 month-old giggling as she crawls under and her brother following suit.
• An early Halloween play date with "mummy wrap hot dogs" (of which Everly ate two and a half), mac and cheese, and delicious spaghetti squash (well, at least I thought it was delicious), painted ghost hand puppets (with paint that actually went where it was supposed to, for the most part), an awesome storytelling friend (I enjoyed listening as much or more than the kids did), a counting and tally-marking activity with yummy ghost marshmallows, and Halloween cupcakes to top it off.  (Can I tell you how much I love my elementary school teacher friends??)
• And finally, I can't forget the moments in between - the hugs and kisses, the "I love you, Mommy"s, the bedtime stories, the family dinners, the singing and dancing, conversations with friends, even the breakthroughs with students and an entertaining play rehearsal - all of those things that too often get lost in the stress of the shuffle of the day - the moments that make life worth loving.

October Happiness

Today, happiness came in the form of:

• A beautiful fall day, with the sun shining and the sky a gorgeous blue
• Everly peeing on the potty at school for the first time
• Cortlan learning and talking about "Stop, Drop, and Roll"
• A trip to the park, complete with pushing the kids on the swings, cheering at a soccer game (for teams we didn't even know), conversations through the talk tubes, the three of us going down the slide, and a visit with Grandma
• Leftovers (yay for microwaves!)
• A battle-free dinner with two kids eating their peas
• Spin class (my first exercise since being banished from running) with lots of sweat and awesome loud music and some friends I haven't seen in a while

And finally, happiness came in the form of peaceful reflection of the day.  While eating kettle corn.

You?