Happy Halloween!!!!

We had another great Halloween here. Both kids dressed up as completely adorable Peter Pans. They were arguing about who would get to be Peter Pan since September. We tried convincing Erin to be Tinkerbell or Jeffrey to be a pirate, but neither of them would have anything to do with it. So matching Peter Pans we had. Noni made their costumes and Grandpa made some little swords to go along with them.

We got great use out of the costumes. They wore them to the library for their "costume party" (which was really nothing more than story time in Halloween costumes). They were so adorable sitting next to each other playing on the computers before story time started. Erin got to wear her costume to church on Sunday and visited a local nursing home with her Church School. And then on Halloween Erin had a Halloween Party at school and wore her costume. Jeffrey and I were invited to come along for the party and he wore his costume as well.

This was the first year that Erin carved (with help of course) her own pumpkin. She picked out a little pumpkin when we visited the Apple Orchard with her school back in September. It was still good for carving over the weekend. Friends of ours had a pumpkin carving party. Erin helped to dig out the guts and then told mommy how the face should look. I even let her help cut out the eyes and mouth. In my completely unbiased opinion it was totally adorable. The kids had a blast just playing. They rolled down the hill, played on the swing set, rode in a wagon for hours. They were filthy and exhausted when we got home, but it was great watching them just play.

Erin's school party was quite adorable. They had a little lunch and then sat in a circle to sing songs for us, "Twinkle Twinkle," "Eensy Weensy Spider," and a couple of cute Halloween songs. Then they all got instruments and marched outside in a parade for the moms and dads (and fussy little brothers). Erin played the spoons. Outside they played games. Erin liked the fall relay race the best. They had to jump over a hay bale, jump into hoops, toss the hoop over a cone and then ride trikes to the finish line. Erin loved it so much she fibbed that she didn't get a turn just to take a second run (we had a discussion about this in the car on the ride home). They also tried eating doughnuts on strings without their hands and had a pinata to hit around.

For trick-or-treating we headed into town to hang out at Mr. Sid's house (our usual Halloween hangout). I took a few pictures of the kids sitting with the pumpkins and playing with their swords outside the house before we left. Let me tell you the swords were a huge hit. And I was quite proud at how careful Jeffrey was with his (in general). Once in town the kids had the run of Sid's lawn. He goes all out with his decorations. There's a graveyard, lots of ghosts and skeletons hanging in strobe lights. Colored flood lights lighting the graveyard. The biggest hit was the smoke machine that came out of the coffin. The kids would take their swords and battle away the smoke. With the colored flood lights behind them they kinda showed up as Peter Pan shadows battling the smoke. It was very very cool.

We did take the kids out trick-or-treating. This was Jeffrey's first time really getting into it, and old hat for Erin. She knew exactly what to do and ran from door to door always saying trick-or-treat and holding out her bag. Jeffrey would get over excited and scream "Trick-or-treat....Goody Bag!!!!" while shoving his bag right into the air for that precious candy. Then they'd yell thank you while running back down to us. Apparently someone as school taught Erin the famous trick-or-treating saying "Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet, Give me Something Good to Eat." She would walk between houses singing it at the top of her lungs. As far as I know she didn't share that at any doorways, but entirely possible. I tried blaming it on her daddy (known to share such silly knowledge) but she admitted she learned it at school.

So all in all we had a great evening. Jeffrey helped the teens hand out candy at Mr. Sid's when we got back and Erin helped Ms. Lynn bring out goodies to snack on. Jeffrey probably consumed 5-6 lollipops throughout the evening, and Erin had her fair share of chips and other snacks. I'm just so glad we got to spend such a fun night together as a family with some friends.

A Mother's Work...

There are some things that moms just end up having to do... like rescue a terrified boy from a play structure.

I took Jeffrey out to lunch at the KFC today. Erin had a lunch day at school and I thought it would be something fun for Jeffrey and I to do together. We've been there many times before, but always with Erin and always when there were lots of other kids there. Today it's raining and kinda dreary. It ended up being just Jeffrey and I in the play zone.

The first thing he did was climb up the stairs to the top of the play structure. He was quite proud of himself. Then he started to head towards the slide. As I mentioned he's been there before and generally gets a little wary about the path to the slide. It requires the kids to climb through a webbing net about 20 feet off the ground. There are 12" rings around it every 2 feet or so to keep it from wiggling too much.

As Jeff headed into the webbing "tunnel" I followed underneath him to encourage him. About half way through he just got completely freaked. He started shaking and screaming for help. Generally there are other kids playing around, but not today. I tried to help him from the ground. Told him he wasn't going to fall, he just needed to go quickly. He tried to move again and just got even more scared.

So what does a mom do? Well in true Durstine fashion I tried singing to him. "You can do it Jeffrey, You can keep going. Because You are an Amazing Jeffrey Man." This is to the tune of Rondau by Jean Joseph Mouret from Jeffrey's favorite Little Einstein's episode (it's also the main theme from Masterpiece Theater). He and Erin love to make up new words to it. So there I am, standing in the middle of a restaurant, looking up at my screaming, crying little man singing to him..."You can do it Jeffrey, You can keep going. Because you are an Amazing Jeffrey Man." I felt a little silly, but was at my last option to get to keep going.

Sadly it was not much help. So up I went. Climbing up a play structure build for 6-year olds. I got to the top, but wasn't about to try and climb into the webbing tunnel with him for fear it wouldn't hold me. But he was still about 6 feet from me, and had to turn around to get to me. So I reached out my hand, and sang one more time. He finally turned around and reached for my hand. Took him about 30 seconds to move those 6 feet.

Once I got hold of him he made me carry him, shaking, down the stairs. We sat down and ate a few bites of chicken and some fries. He never went back to the stairs, but found a way to play for a while that didn't require the netting tunnel.

I guess a mother's work includes singing silly songs in public restaurants as well as climbing to the top of the playground.

Harvest Festival Pictures

We met some friends at a local harvest festival yesterday. Erin and Jeffrey had a great time. They got to play in the pumpkin patch, take a pony ride, throw stones in a stream, climb on the hay mountain, run through a hay maze and have a generally good time. Erin loved being able to run and hang out with her friends, leaving mommy and daddy in the dust. Well here comes the photo overload.

Picking Out a Cool "Pumpkin"

First Pony Ride

Enjoying her Ride on the "Big" Pony

Climbing on the Hay Mountain

Sliding Down the Hay Mountain

A visit with Uncle Gary and Aunt Suzy

After going to dinner at Medieval Times we headed to Uncle Gary and Aunt Suzy's house. Erin was very excited to tell them all about the knights. Jeffrey was sound asleep and didn't even wake up when Erin was jumping over him on the floor. We had a great time sitting and chatting the night away. Erin had such a hard time falling asleep she was so excited. I heard her singing to herself long after the lights were turned out (sometime after 11:00).

In the morning Uncle Gary and daddy made us some great eggs for breakfast. Then we went for a walk around where Uncle Gary lives. The kids loved walking by the bay and seeing all the "pirate ships". We made a stop in at a little shop so get some salsa that Tom and I like. The kids convinced Gary (and I) that it wasn't too early for some Ice Cream and got themselves a special treat.

We had a great time just walking and chatting. Erin had to walk with Uncle Gary and was devastated when she learned we were going to have to head home. Thanks for taking a morning to hang out with us Uncle Gary.

Horses and Knights and Fun

During Tom's week between jobs we decided to take an overnight trip to Baltimore and go to Medieval Times. Tom and I had been talking that we thought it was something both kids would get a kick out of. Both are fascinated with knights and princesses and wizards and dragons (wonder where that came from?). They are also both in love with horses. Since Medieval Times provides a great mix of both we decided to take a road trip.

I explained to Erin that we were going to see a show with horses and knights and wizards. I should have waited a day or so to tell her because for the next several days that's all I heard about. She was very very excited to get there. Jeffrey wasn't so sure.

Erin Being Goofy With Her Crown(s)

We were given green crowns and got great seats to cheer for the Green Knight. We bought the kids little flags to wave to cheer on the knight. Jeffrey used his more as a sword and eventually had it taken away....but what else do you expect from a 2-year old. We got there early and Erin and Jeff walked around the castle. Erin had her camera with her and wanted to take pictures of anyone in costume. Jeffrey was particularly taken with the knighting ceremony. I think he liked it because the trumpets that heralded the beginning of the ceremony reminded him of one of his favorite Little Einstein episodes (Carmine's Big Race). He heard the trumpets and came running to Erin and I (Erin was taking pictures) shouting, "Carmine, Carmine mommy!"

Jeffrey Put His Crown on All By Himself

Once we got inside we had great seats. And dinner was served pretty quickly. Since we didn't want to have to deal with Jeff on our laps, we bought him a ticket, which meant he also got an entire dinner to himself. For those who have not been to a Medieval Times, no silverware is provided. Erin had a blast drinking her soup, but Jeff couldn't get the idea of it. He did greatly enjoy his garlic bread and the leg off the 1/2 chicken that was plopped on his plate.

The show was so much fun. Jeffrey got a little scared by the theatrics, but once the horses were out he loved it. Erin just sat and laughed and cheered, and waved her flag for the Green Knight. She was in awe of everything and having the time of her life. I always love the jousting games, and Erin seemed to think those were pretty cool too. She sat mesmerized (and eating, she put a good dent into her 1/2 chicken, potato, soup and garlic bread).

Jeff and Daddy Cheering on the Green Knight

After the show we went to give one last cheer to the Green Knight (Erin provided him with a hug after a little prodding) and headed to Uncle Gary's house. Jeffrey entered the car mumbling something about his blankie. By the time we were out of the parking lot, he was sound asleep. Completely worn out by all the excitement.

Erin Gives the Green Knight a Consolation Hug

Artwork

Just wanted to share one of the pieces of artwork that came home from school the other day. It's very cute. Erin told me that's her in the middle of 2 trees. There are crushed leaves mixed with glitter glued to the paper to make the trees.

Obsessed With Letters

I remember about a year ago, I was somewhat concerned with Erin and letters. She didn't really have an interest in letters other than E, R, I, N. It was all about numbers. She counted (and still does) everything. Knew most all hew numbers on sight etc . . . but if I showed her a letter she'd have no idea what it was and no interest to really try and figure it out.

Well, Noni got her something similar to this little computer this summer that she loves. At first she only played the numbers games. But one morning I can downstairs and found her playing some of the letters games. In about an hour or so, she'd figured out all the letters.

When she started school, she got more comfortable with letters. They work on letters almost every day. They'll often have a letter of the week. Apparently they practice writing them, and recognizing them. They type of stuff you'd expect in pre-school. She started bringing home papers with practiced A's all over it. The next week it was B for bear.

So after we put Jeffrey to bed Friday night, Tom and Erin went downstairs for a few minutes of quiet time. Erin decided she wanted to "write". She blew us away with what she could write. Almost all of her letters she was able to easily copy, and some she knew how to write without even copying them. Tom would say "F" and she'd go, "Oh I can do that, that's in Jeffrey's name, J, E, F, F" and write a perfectly nice F.

Her obsession continued into Saturday. She wanted to write everyone's name on her "family" homework project. Since she was running out of space I convinced her to stick to Tom, Meghan, Erin and Jeff. Then she got out another piece of paper and wanted to know how to write everyone else's name. She picked a few friends from school and wrote their names (with some help in reminding her what the letters looked like) and wrote grandma, Oma, Noni too.

I was just amazed. She sat and copied these words for over an hour. Whether this is something from school or just a passing craze I was impressed. I don't remember being able to write this well (and I certainly didn't have this interest for it) when I was her age.

So we spent our weekend spelling and writing and copying everything. What's in store for next weekend I wonder.

The Linebacker Meets Gymnastics

I brought the camera to Jeffrey's gymnastics class today. He really does have a blast. He's made a few friends with some of the wilder bunch. He and the coach's little boy like to push each other around in the "donut". Today Jeff was all about running, jumping and his favorite . . . plowing into the big block of cheese. I got some really cute pictures, as well as some videos. I took the videos and meshed them together into a little "montage" that I linked above.

Having fun with the parachute

Climbing Time

Who's Down There?

The First Field Trip

Erin had her first field trip this morning. Her class went to the local apple orchard to learn about apples. Jeffrey and I tagged along for fun. They've been learning about apples this week, focusing on taste and color and the letter "A". Today they got to see one cut apart and see them on the trees. They even had the chance to pick some.

When we got there Erin sat with her class for a story about apple picking. Then they got to see an apple cut up and talk about the tastes, colors, textures and sounds of the apple (they've also been studying the senses). After that the class got a hayride. Erin sat way in back with a couple of friends while Jeffrey and I sat in the middle. I could see her giggling a little with the "friends" she was sitting with.

After the hayride we went apple picking. The orchard provided each of us with a bag (mommy and Jeffrey got one too) for picking apples. We started with granny smiths as Erin likes the sour apples. Then we moved over to the golden delicious -- which stood up quite well to their name. Yummy. Erin filled all 3 bags with golden delicious apples.

When we were done picking apples, both kiddos chose a small pumpkin out of the "patch" and we went to the picnic tables for our lunch. They each got a turn to stick their heads in a great big cut out apple to be the worm. On the way out I nabbed a 1/2 gallon of cider, Jeffrey snatched one extra apple for the ride home. By the time we were half way home the back seat was silent as both Erin and Jeff were sound asleep, worn out from their busy morning at the apple farm.

Out and About in Ohio

While we were in Ohio for the wedding we got some out and about time with Noni and Grandpa. We got to drive all around where they grew up and see the house were Noni and Oma lived for a long time and the farm where Grandpa grew up.

Mommy had a geocache she wanted to check out so we visited a restaurant that had a duck pond and swings and even a corn maze at it. Both kids had a blast feeding the ducks with Noni and Grandpa. Lemme tell you these are some well fed ducks. Also well trained. They would come pretty close to eating right out of your hand. Jeffrey thought the ducks were just the coolest thing, but he didn't understand why they wouldn't stay still so he could pet them. Possibly it could have something to do with his need to charge at them at the same time. It is a miracle that Jeffrey didn't end up in the middle of the duck pond at one point.

After feeding the ducks for a while we went exploring in the corn maze. I've never been in one before and it was really pretty cool. The stalks are quite tall and you really can get "lost." Erin led us around. At first Jeffrey was a little uneasy but he relaxed enough to have some fun exploring in it. We got deep enough in that mommy ended up turning on the GPS that pointed to the geocache so we would know which way to turn to get back out. After that the kids ran around in the little hay-bale maze that was set up. Both of them were able to figure out how to navigate it from beginning to end.

Sunday morning before we had to leave back to Virginia we drove around the area where grandpa grew up. There are quite a lot of Amish families in this area of Ohio and the kids made a game of looking for the horse carriages. They'd also keep looking out their windows for animals...cows and horses and a few sheep mostly. Jeffrey also announced when he'd see "Field Corn". At one point there were some young cows near the front of the fence so we stopped the car and got out so the kids could get a little closer to the cows. That seems to have been the highlight of the morning.

We had beautiful weather the entire time we were in Ohio and were very glad to get some time to for Noni and Grandpa to share all their memories of the area.

Cousin Jared's Wedding

We had a fun time in Ohio at Cousin Jared's wedding. Erin talked and talked about it on the drive up because she just couldn't wait to dance. It was great to see all the extended family again. Both Erin and Jeffrey got to meet their 2nd cousins (at least I think that's what they are....mommy's cousins kids). Jeffrey and Jackson hit it off really quickly - too bad they live in South Carolina. Erin spent some time dancing with her cousin Trei and helping Cousin Jamie chase after him.

The wedding was nice. Jeffrey even sat through most of it, snuggled with grandpa. There was even a fire truck outside that they got to stand on. At the reception all Erin could think of was dancing, dancing and more dancing. Jeffrey and Jackson played with the little bell favors to get Jared and Tiffany to kiss. All in all it was a great time.

Checking out Uncle Les's New Fire Truck

Trying to Blow Some Bubbles

Dancing Queen

The Things They Pick Up On

Sometimes I'm amazed at the things kids pick up on and how much they learn just from watching and absorbing. Even when you don't think they're paying a lick of attention.

So this morning Jeffrey and I were driving into gymnastics after dropping Erin off at school. The CD player in the Sentra is a little wacky and didn't want to work this morning so I was listening to some talk radio and Jeff was looking out the window. Every once in a while he'd shout out something cool that he could see....."Ice Cream Truck" (really a mail truck), "Trees", "School Bus", "Fire Truck." Then he started humming a little song.

He got quiet for a while and looked out the window. Then all of a sudden I heard clear as day,

Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut.......Everybody Cut Footloose

Now that song has been a staple in our household for the last month. Erin loves listening to the CD from the musical revue (so much it's starting to scratch). And Footloose was clearly her favorite song which she'd make me repeat over and over again. BUT, I never realized Jeff was picking up on it. And the music wasn't playing anywhere except inside his head.

At the next stop light Jeff was still singing it. I was cracking up in the front seat and looked back to give him a smile. To my amazement he was not only singing the words, but doing the ending point forward as he'd say "Footloose". Luckily I was at a light or I might have driven off the road laughing.

Needless to say I'm sure he'll never do it again and certainly not for a video camera. But I'll always be able to remember it and how proud he was of his accomplishment.

Silly Boy

Just wanted to take a quick moment to share a silly picture of Jeffrey, especially since I've had several recent pictures of Erin.

Check out this Get-up

Fingerpainting Fun

A Row of Musical Cars

Mommy and Jeffrey's First Week of Mornings

This was mommy and Jeffrey's first week of mornings together. I've been looking forward to having some special Jeffrey time and he really seems to thrive on it. But when Erin's home that time is difficult to find. So while Erin's been at school this week (having a blast, making a new best friend, carrying her teddy bear everywhere she goes) Jeffrey and I have been having our own little special week.

Jeff came with me on Monday to drop Erin off. He was devastated when he realized that he was NOT going to get to stay at school. He threw an all out fit when I walked out the door with him. When he realized he wasn't going to get to play on the playground there either (it's just for the preschool) he got even more upset. Every morning he wants to go with Erin to school and the tease of Monday morning was just too much. So after dropping Erin off we went to the County Park and played on the playground there. We swang together in swings, climbed up the rock climbing wall, went down the slides and he even served me Ice Cream. It was a great bonding time with him.

On Wednesday Tom was working from home so Jeff didn't have to come to school to drop off Erin. After dropping Erin off, I swung back and picked Jeff up for gymnastics class. This is the same class that he and Erin did together last spring. It's a lot of "free play" and running around. He played with the hoops and climbed over the mats. The coach set up a knock down the "cheese" mat game and Jeffrey had a blast with that. He got to stand back and charge full force at a big wedge shaped mat to knock it down. Super fun. He did try the balance beam once and swing on the bar also. He's more into the running and climbing though, and really fights anything structured in class. I'm hoping that by the end of the session he'll feel better about the structure. After class we got to spend some more playground time outside before we had to go pick up Erin. I believe that if Jeffrey were allowed to swing all day, he would.

This morning we joined a little play group with a neighbor up the street. He's hung out with her daughter before and they play fairly well together. He had a blast this morning. There were 4 kids, Jeff being the oldest, only boy, and certainly the biggest. I was amazed at how well he played though. At home he's so rough and tumble and NOT gentle with toys or people. Several times I saw him sitting with Shelby (the girl he's most comfortable with) playing calmly together. He also got her involved in a chase/run in a circle game that she had a blast with. It really was great to see him play together with the kids. At their ages, from about 18 months to Jeff they rarely play together and he certainly made the effort to play with others. Did pretty well at sharing too and was amazingly gentle - well for Jeffrey at least.

So while Erin's been at school Jeff and I have had a busy week. He's had a blast. I certainly hope we get to keep these mornings as special Mommy-Jeffrey time because it's really been great.

First Visit to the Eye Dr.

Well Erin had her fist visit to the eye doctor this afternoon. Back in May, her pediatrician did a screening and the nurse reported that Erin was clearly guessing on part of the screening. Seeing that Tom and I both have horrid vision, her Ped. suggested we take her to an eye doctor for a professional screening.

So I returned home and called our eye doctors (whom Tom and I both adore). I was informed that they don't see anyone under 6, but there was a Pediatric Optician in town. I called and made an appointment. The day before the appointment they called our Pediatrician to get Erin's medical records I assume. We discovered this day that they would NOT take our insurance, and it was going to cost much more than I had anticipated to get her eyes screened. The nurse at our Dr.s office went to bat and got it cleared for us to see the Pediatric Optician, but we were still informed that our insurance would only cover the appointment if they found a medical problem with Erin. I was afraid to take that risk so never made another appointment.

Fast forward to the end of the summer. I have my annual eye appointment and bring Erin along. She sits quietly and looks at a book while I'm there. I know that the Dr. has a child Erin's age so I ask her what she'd recommend and she suggested bringing Erin into her. This was just what I had hoped and the reason Erin came along to my appointment rather than getting to stay at home and watch a movie with Jeffrey.

So today we had our appointment. I explained to Erin where we would be going and that she would be able to sit in the cool big chair like mommy did. She was so good with the Dr. They were even able to get the puff test done on her. She sat in the chair like a champ and read off numbers and shapes just fine. The Dr. even did the "is it better on 1 or 2" test - personally I hate that test as 1/2 the time I don't see a difference. I sat there hoping that Erin wasn't just guessing. When she finished the Dr. said her eyes are fine and that every answer that Erin gave made perfect sense...it was clear she wasn't guessing at all.

I'm glad we went in and also very glad that Erin's eyes are fine right now. I expect that by middle school she'll be in glasses like mommy and daddy but for now no glasses for her. We finished off the afternoon with a special trip to Maggie Moos (like Coldstone Creamery) where Erin picked pink strawberry ice cream with rainbow sprinkles mixed in. And for now we are done with the Erin and the vision screening saga that has been going on here at the house all summer.

First Day of School

Erin has been counting down her sleeps until the first day of school for the past few weeks. She was so excited this morning to wake up and have her first day of school. We got her backpack a few weeks ago - and it's huge on her, but totally adorable. So we got up and had a good breakfast before school. She picked out what she wanted to wear and looked cute as a button.

Mommy drove Erin to school. As we were arriving in the parking lot she chirped up from the back seat...."Thank you for driving me to school mommy." So sweet and innocent like I had done the most special thing ever. Then when I asked if I could walk her in (we're actually required to) she said, "Thank you for walking me into school." She was excited but I could hear a little caution in her voice.

Putting on her backpack while getting out of the car

All that was gone once we walked in the door. She headed straight for her teacher so she could show off her Tinkerbell backpack. Her teacher showed her where to put it and then led her to the "sign-in" table where the kids practice writing their name and then put it up on a "survey" board. Today's question was "Are you a boy or a girl." Erin clearly informed the teacher...."I'm a Big girl."


After that she was gone...off exploring the toys and corners of the room. She never even looked back to me. Didn't give me a hug. And I don't think she even realized I had left.


When I went to pick her up they were playing outside. She was patiently waiting her turn for the swing sucking on a Freezer Pop. She was NOT ready to go. Saw me, gave me a little wave and kept on sitting. I let her play another few minutes and then the teacher brought her over.


The review I got from Erin was that they read stories (about a paw -- which I deciphered to be the "Kissing Hand") and an ABC book. They had a snack - crackers, fishies, oranges and juice. They also painted but it wasn't dry enough to bring home. And of course it was a big deal to play outside.


When I got home her backpack had some other information in it. She had made a collage with buttons, and a puzzle with her hand print on it. The envelope for the puzzle had a little poem about you will always remember how small my hand was on my first day of pre-school (it made Mommy a little teary to see it). Turns out Erin will have Show and Tell on Fridays and can bring in anything she wants to share. Next week is Teddy bear week and she can bring her teddy bear with her to school each day. Week after that we get a trip to the apple orchard.


She was so excited about everything. I'm very glad she had a great time. I hope she'll be able to make some new friends in time. The very first thing she said when we got home was...."How many more sleeps until I can go back to school?"

Awesome Picture to Share

We were hanging out with the gang on Monday and a friend was playing with his camera snapping pictures of the kiddos. Those of you who have tried to take a picture of Erin recently realize how impossible it is to get a good posed picture of her because of the "cheese" smile and squinty eyes. So this picture is not posed at all. She just happened to glance over at her "Uncle John" at the exact right moment that he was ready to take the shot. I just Love, love, love it. Thanks for sharing "Uncle" John.

Elephant

So Erin dances to show off...Jeffrey does this. I tried to get him to read me Mr. Brown because it's simply adorable when he reads it, but no luck. This is what he wanted to share with everyone. And yes....he is a 2-year old boy through and through.

Jeffrey's Elephant

Footloose and Fancy Free

So I'm trying out a new feature of Blogger and showing off my cutie pie in the meantime. Apparently I can now add videos to my Blog (look out. If this works you are all going to be inundated with videos now). So I'm going to try with this one first. Erin has been coming along to rehearsals for the Musical Review Tom and I are involved in. She loves the music and dancing going on. So here she is doing one of the dances from the Review. I expect you'll all get a good laugh out of it.

Erin's Footloose and Fancy Free

What you might see if you stopped by the house today

1. Jeffrey showing up in the big bed with his blankie, his pillow, his neon green stuffed elephant, and himself.

2. Erin eating pancakes for lunch still wearing her PJ's.

3. Jeffrey sitting on his little potty reading Mr. Brown Can Moo out loud to himself..."Moo Moo, Boom Boom Boom, Whisper like a butterfly"

4. Erin reading a chapter book about St. George and the dragon (it's called the Magician's Boy but Susan Cooper and is the chapter book we're reading right now) to her stuffed animals.

5. Jeffrey insisting on doing his fire truck puzzle by himself..."Jeffrey Do it!!!"

6. Erin curled up in a ball on the floor because "Jeffrey kicked me."

7. Jeffrey throwing his bowl of fruity Cheerios and milk across the table while screaming, "All Done!!!! Stuck" after one bite.

8. Erin sacked out on mommy's bed watching ER, "Mommy, what's that? Is he OK?" "Yes Dear, let's watch Dora OK?"

9. Jeffrey actually completing his fire truck puzzle all by himself.

10. Erin sitting in the middle of her room, in her pajamas, wearing her new backpack, announcing she is "ready for school mommy."

Our Little Flower Girl

Erin and her cousin Rylie got to be flower girls for their "Uncle Gary" and "Aunt Suzie's" wedding this weekend. Erin simply had a blast. She was so excited to see Gary and to meet Suzie again (she met Suzie last fall but needed a refresher course. By the end of the weekend she had it down pat that Uncle Gary was marrying Aunt Suzie and not her). Erin has been talking all spring about being a flower girl. She was obsessed with her beautiful "Flower dress" and anything to do with the wedding.

She wanted to spend the entire weekend with Uncle Gary. Every time she lost sight of him she'd ask "Where's Uncle Gary?" I'd tell her he was busy and we'd catch up with him later. She was very lucky to get to spend some special time with him at the rehearsal dinner, the reception and even before the wedding. Apparently, according to Uncle Gary and Aunt Suzie, Gary danced more times with Erin than Suzie - something they both found to be pretty special.

Erin and Rylie looked like the most adorable duo you have ever seen. They were simply beautiful in their dresses. They had to hold hands walking down the aisle (Erin also needed to hold the Ring Bearer's hand which made for a very cute procession). They practiced and practiced before the wedding. At the reception they danced the night away together.

Erin actually spent 95% of the night dancing. We couldn't get her off the dance floor. She would run, spin, jump, dance with Daddy, Mommy, Uncle Jeff, Uncle Gary, Uncle Bill (notice a trend?). We tried to get her to dance with Leo who was the ring bearer but she was too shy to ask. She started dancing at the first song and finished the night out with us. It was really a great time. When she woke up the next morning all she could ask was, "When can we dance some more?"

Thank you so much Suzie and Gary for including Erin in your very special weekend. We all had a wonderful time. It was a beautiful weekend and we loved all the tradition that was incorporated into it. I'm sure this will be a weekend that will live for a long time in Erin's memory.

A Fun Few Days with Grandma

Grandma W. came down to visit for a few days while Daddy was away. It was great to have another adult around to talk to. And of course the kids had a blast playing with Grandma.

We did get a few outings in. We spent the morning shopping on Monday and got some new clothes and shoes and got some lunch. On Tuesday we drove out to Luray Caverns. I'd never been and have always thought about taking a trip out there. Both kids enjoyed the "cave" and I thought it was pretty amazing. Jeffrey even noticed a few things that the rock formations reminded him of. At one point he shouted, "look mommy, toes". Erin liked the reflective lake and looking over the railings into the cavern. We ended our trip to Luray with some Dippin Dots...mmmmm. Wednesday morning we brought grandma to the lake for some swimming. The kids spent 2 hours swimming and running and jumping into the lake.

Out afternoons were generally quiet. Jeffrey still likes to take his afternoon naps while Erin and Grandma would play quietly. They spent a lot of time coloring, playing with her new Pet magnet toy, and working puzzles. Jeffrey when he would wake up enjoyed lining up his Cars on the piano, the floor, the table...anywhere you can imagine.

Thanks Grandma for coming down to play for a few days. We had a blast.

Bye Bye "Big" Sister

While Grandma was visiting she offered to get the kids some new clothes and shoes. We headed to Payless first for shoes as I KNEW that Jeffrey needed new shoes. He seems to grow out of his shoes every few months. What he was really going to need were sneakers. The first thing he saw (after getting over his fit because we didn't head directly to the play area) was a pair of light-up Lightning McQueen shoes - imagine that. So I tracked down the clerk to measure feet. Erin quickly measured an 8 1/2. She's been around that size for a while now, but still got some new Dora sneakers. After fighting Jeffrey in the sizer he measured a....



9


WHAT? OK, I know this kid is tall and has big feet but a 9? He has now officially outgrown his "big" sister in foot size. I'm still amazed at that. But we put back the 8s we had set aside and grabbed the 9. Fit great and he's not even tripping all over himself. I can't believe my little guy is getting so big.

I ended up with much the same surprise getting clothes. He's got his sisters waist (or so I thought). I figured that 2T pants would be the deal for this winter. Again, boy was I wrong. 3T it is. They are a little long, and a teensy bit big in the waist, but nothing I'd make changes about. I still can't fathom it. We ended up buying both kids 3T outfits (Erin got mostly 4s, but there was a really cute one in a 3T we couldn't pass up).

I know we've all been saying this for months but it's not going to be very long before our little man outgrows his "big" sister.