The Sweetest Walk

Catherine loves to walk and walk all around now.  The catch is that she'll only walk if she's holding your hand.  Otherwise, it's back to crawling for her- a far speedier and more efficient way of getting around.  Because Pat and I have been around the block a few times with this parenting thing, we know how sweet this is, and how fleeting, and we don't mind holding her hand one bit.  In fact, we treasure it.    There's nothing more lovely than strolling along with your baby, hand in tiny little hand.

Halloween Parade

The Saturday before Halloween, our neighborhood always has a parade.  Let's use the term "parade" very loosely here, for really it's a rag-tag band of kids dressed up in their Halloween finest, straggling around the neighborhood with big smiles and happy hearts.  For all it's humble, simple design, the parade is chalk full of good-old-fashioned family fun.  We all meet early for donuts and conversation.  The kids are so excited, buzzing all around, high on the thrill of the morning.  Lizzy's cute friend Tatum got to join us, and she loved playing with Catherine.  Lizzy and Tatum especially loved holding Catherine's hands as she toddled around, and I think you can tell Catherine liked that a lot too.  The parade is always the perfect way to put everyone in the Halloween mood.

Big Boy Writing

Peter loved this picture he drew the other day.  He ran over to show me, very proud of his drawing of himself, and of his name.  Then, as if a light went on, he erased it and decided to write his name the "real" way, using a "big" P and "little" letters.  The result was a pretty perfect rendition of "Peter."  Wow!  And now, just like that, it's how he always writes his name, in that very careful, very neat, very correct way.  Whenever I see it, I smile.  Of course, I'm thrilled that letter awareness and literacy are blossoming within him, and it's exciting to see how much he's learning, but it's a little bittersweet too.  Everyday, he steps further and further away from being a little boy in preschool, and morphs more and more into this tall, (usually) mature, capable, curious, and determined big boy, getting ready for school. It's a delight to see, but a constant reminder of how fleeting this all is.  Breathe, enjoy, and hold on tight, because this ride is going fast!

Baby's Got Some New Shoes

My, oh my!  Look who's getting really good at standing!  Catherine is getting to be such a big, big girl now!  More and more, we'll find her standing on her own, and she's cruising all over the place.  Her old shoes were getting worn out in the toes from all that crawling, so we decided it was time for some "real" shoes.  Isn't it amazing how big they make her look?  Pretty soon, she'll be on the move!

Splish Splash Fun

Our weather can never decide which way to go.  It's hot, it's cold, it's rainy, it's dry...... who knows?  Mostly, it's pretty pleasant, and were very lucky.  To be honest, any sort of "weather" is pretty exotic for us, and the kids get very excited about it.  After a rainy day, they were eager to go on a puddle walk.  By now, we all know how this goes.  They start out tentatively, then get progressively bolder, until everyone is soaked.  Oh well, such is life on a puddle walk.  We ran into our good buddies Trevor and Connor, who joined us on our walk.  Those are always the best times for me- spending time with friends, playing around outside, exploring and enjoying the moment.  Those are the days I feel especially thankful for this precious time of life.

Pumpkin Patch Day Off

Peter had the day off of school, so a group of his classmates organized a trip to a local pumpkin patch.  I was very sad that Lizzy was at school and couldn't join us, but it was very fun to get to have some special time with the "little" kids.  Peter loved getting to spend a morning playing around with his buddy, Evan.  We combed through all sorts of pumpkins, spent time in a bouncy house, and the boys rode around on a train.  Afterwards, we all went out to lunch, which is one of Peter's favorite things to do.  What a great way to spend a morning with some special friends.

Soccer Star

Lizzy's not the only one who loves soccer around here.  Peter is quite a soccer star himself.  Sure, he may seem mild-mannered, but get him out on the field and he's ready to go.  First of all, can we discuss Peter's shoes?  He went right to these bright blue and neon orange babies and I thought, "If those are the ones you want, you got it!"  Peter loves his soccer class.  He loves all of the fun games his coaches come up with, but he really loves when everyone gets to play a "real" soccer game at the end of class.  It's so fun to watch him run all over the field, working so hard and doing a great job.  He's a really great little player, and we're so proud of him, and so thrilled he's enjoying himself so completely.