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New Shoes, Again

Oct 22nd, 2010 by

We’re so sick of being cooped up sick (11 days and counting) that I decided to brighten our afternoon by moving both kids up to the next size in shoes!  Elizabeth is now in 5 and Tommy is in 11!  (I think he could probably take a 10 1/2, but when he saw the size 11 pair I’d picked up in the spring, he just wanted those.)  I’m also tired of seeing too much belly, so Elizabeth and I packed up all her 12-18 month shirts and changed in the 18-24 month ones.  Exciting times around here!  Both kids have been wearing (and admiring) their “new” shoes all afternoon. =)

Posted in Elizabeth, Tommy | 3 Comments »

In Amongst the Pots and Pans

Oct 20th, 2010 by

Posted in Elizabeth | 5 Comments »

Enjoying the Seasons

Oct 19th, 2010 by

One of the best parts of being in a small town in the middle of the mountains is that we really get to see the changing of the seasons.  I remember reading Charlotte Mason in Chicago and thinking, “Tommy doesn’t see enough nature to be able to do any of the activities she recommends!”  Well, we’re definitely noticing nature every time we look out the window or drive around town.  I’ve been revelling in the beautiful fall colors around, and Tommy gets excited when he sees a tree with beautiful turning leaves.  (Peter and John–isn’t it ironic that I’m taking my kids for “color drives” after all those years of complaining when M&D took us?)

In keeping with all the fun fall activities, we’re reading some of our favorite books about the seasons:

A Time to Keep is wonderful all year round, and Tommy just sits and pores over the illustrations like I did when I was his age!  Tasha Tudor totally inspires me to be intentional about family traditions that we look forward to every year.  The fall pages are some of my favorites.

Tommy also loves Corgiville Fair, which technically takes place in September, when our local county fair did.  I was too sick to take the kids to it this year, but I think we’ll really try to do so next year if we’re living close to one.  We love the way the whole community of Corgiville spends all year looking forward to the Fair!

The Seasons in Fern Hollow is another beloved book that I passed on to my kids.  The fall pages totally entrance Tommy, and he can’t wait until our leaves fall so we can rake them up in a big pile like the animals do in Fern Hollow.  He’s also talking a lot about bonfires, so we’ll definitely have to go to the one our church is hosting in a couple weeks.  Derek thinks–and I agree–that this is the best of all the Fern Hollow books.

What were your favorite childhood books about fall?

Posted in Children's Books, State College | 2 Comments »

More Runny Noses

Oct 18th, 2010 by

You know, considering how many colds I’ve had in the past 28 1/2 years, you’d think that I would have caught most of the several thousand most common ones.  Guess not.  Such a pity that the kids seem to be inheriting my immune system instead of Derek’s.  It’s amazing how quickly we went through that 10 pack of kleenex boxes that I bought near the end of our last colds. 

No one wants to see pictures of the kids’ noses right now, so here’s one of Grandpa helping Tommy fix their box on Saturday.

Posted in Family, Tommy | 2 Comments »

Apple Festival!

Oct 16th, 2010 by

My parents have never gotten to do the pumpkin picking thing with the kids, so this morning we headed up to our beloved Way Fruit Farm for the Fall Apple Festival!

At the bunny barn, Tommy got to pet several bunnies.

I love my little punkins…

The picture doesn’t do justice to how beautiful it is out here!

At first the Little One was looking at pumpkins as big as she is…then she tried to lift one and realized she needed to modify her search…

Notice how Tommy looks dead in this picture?  He kindof lost all energy while searching for the perfect pumpkin.

Fortunately, hot cider and fresh cider doughnuts can revive almost anyone…

And they accidentally became the extent of Elizabeth’s lunch because she crashed the minute we got home!

Posted in Elizabeth, Family, State College, Tommy | 1 Comment »

Fall Hike in the Mountains

Oct 15th, 2010 by

Looking down to Happy Valley…

Just like Fern Hollow!

Posted in Elizabeth, Family, Tommy | 5 Comments »

Markers for the First Time

Oct 14th, 2010 by

This morning, Tommy wanted to do some art, so I decided to pull out the color wonder markers for Elizabeth.  She has eaten crayons when we give them to her, but she hadn’t tried markers yet.  They were a big hit!  It only lasted for 5 minutes, but I think I’ve found a new way to keep her occupied while Tommy and I do phonics!

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17 Months Old–a Tale of Crib Woes

Oct 13th, 2010 by

So last night Elizabeth managed to launch herself out of her crib to come looking for us.  I had just gone in (1:30 am) to see if her crying was due to a poopy diaper (it wasn’t) and give her some tylenol (just in case it was another tooth, since she HAS cut five in the past month).  As soon as I got back into bed, her crying suddenly sounded closer.  Derek thought he’d heard a thump, and sure enough, there she was in the hallway.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tommy never did this!  What should we do?  I’m pretty sure we did the wrong thing, which was let her get in bed with us for a while since we were totally freaked out and afraid of concussion, etc.  Though she did calm right down as soon as she was touching me, so I don’t think she was hurt at all.  We’re trying to figure out how she possibly could have launched herself out…the crib is on the lowest setting, the bars come up to her shoulders…but we’re pretty sure that now that she’s done it once, she’ll do it again.

Advice, please!  We just don’t think she’s big enough to move to a big girl bed or a mattress on the floor (it took a lot of discipline for Tommy to learn to stay in bed, and he was 9 months older when we trained him), but I don’t feel like the elevated crib is very safe now!  Anti-crib friends–how do you get your little ones to stay on their mattress when they’re still so little?  I’m wearing myself out just working on the concept of coming when Mommy says come, and she’s just 17 months old today–I’m just not sure how successful the training methods we used with Tommy will be with someone who can’t talk and is developmentally at a totally different stage (and someone who has NOT latched on to the “obey right away, all the way, and with a cheerful heart” concept yet).  Has anyone used any of those crib tents that you put over the top of the crib to keep kids in?  Seems extreme to me, but…

Posted in Elizabeth | 9 Comments »

Pajamas Day

Oct 12th, 2010 by

It’s kindof a pajamas day around here…

I’d like to start feeling better soon.

Posted in Musings | 1 Comment »

(Insert Caption Here)

Oct 11th, 2010 by

Tommy discovered that he could fit a puzzle piece in his t-shirt pocket today. My mind immediately went in a certain direction, hence the photo shoot against a white wall…no offense to certain family members or career paths, of course!

Okay, here’s a picture that is a bit more normal.

Posted in Elizabeth, Tommy | Comments Off

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