BFF

Isabel and Zak were having one of those silly sibling arguments at dinner tonight. "She's my mommy!" "No, my mommy!", ad nauseum. Determined to win the fight, Zak ran up to me, looked up with his big brown eyes, and asked, "Mommy, you my best friend?"

BFFs for as long as you want me, little buddy!

Leaves

We have one maple in the back yard that accounts for 95% of our fall leaves. This year we put the kids to work raking the yard, but they managed to have fun with it.

Halloween

After much discussion, speculation, and one long trip to the costume store the kids finally decided on (drum roll, please) Super Girl and Buzz Lightyear! They looked too cute but could barely stay still for the obligatory pictures.

Zak didn't remember what this Halloween thing was all about, so Isabel led the way. He caught on quick, though after the first house he asked me about 10 times "We go nutha house mama? Mama we go nutha house?"

I expected Isabel to go the distance, but was surprised when Zak wanted to keep going after we hit all the houses in the cul de sac. I kept asking him if he was tired until he finally replied indignantly, "I not tired! I just happy." That's parenting gold, folks.

Oh, and just for the sake of completeness, here's what I wore to the company Halloween party:

Pumped for Pumpkins

Pumpkin season! We went back to the Circle S farms on a windy fall day and did every family-friendly hay-themed activity you can think of... hay maze, hay ride, even hay slides. The kids picked out some pretty pumpkins along the way.

Last Day of Soccer

Unfortunately I don't have action shots of Isabel playing soccer because Kyle coaches the games and I chase Zak around. You'll just have to take my word that she improved so much since the last season. She was much more aggressive and seemed to understand better where to put her body to get or block balls. It was fun to watch her play. Here she is getting her end of season trophy.

 

The Race

It's so nice to work in a building that has a gym on the ground floor; I have no excuses. I'd been working at improving my 5K results, and now it was the day of reckoning... the Game Day 5K. We had perfect weather, cool and sunny. My fan club came along for support.

About half way through I started thinking, would it be so wrong if I just walked the second half? But two things kept me going... my family was waiting at the finish line and the teenage whippersnapper hot on my heels.

I was so happy... I ran a personal best 23:47 and was the top female finisher! But the best part was when Kyle told me afterwards that Isabel had said someday she wanted to be fast like mommy.

Perfect Fall Day

It was gorgeous today: 70 degrees and sunny. We took advantage of the weather to go apple picking. I was afraid there wouldn't be enough to keep the kids interested but they loved it. They both thought it was so cool to pick their own apples, plus there was a "barrel train", a hay ride, a corn maze, and lots of food. Zak, who has never been that crazy about apples before, was begging for more on the way home. They taste so much better when they're fresh off the tree!

The Tooth Is Dead; Long Live the Tooth!

Isabel lost her first tooth yesterday while eating her breakfast pancake. Her new tooth is already coming in.

And in case you were wondering, the tooth fairy brought her a pack of Pokemon cards.

Summer Vacation

August 18-24, we packed up and visited NC. The travel gods were smiling on us; we managed to miss an earthquake (we were in the air) and a hurricane (which is passing through NC as I write this). The weather was wonderful; it's normally hellishly hot there this time of year but during our trip is was very pleasant. We spent quality time with my mom, her boyfriend Dan, my brother Danny, and his girlfriend Randi in Sanford (cue Sanford & Sons theme song). We visited the Depot park (Zak is still talking about the choo choo) and Adventure Landing in Raleigh.





After a few days there, the Keepers and my mom headed for the beach. Zak was terrified of the waves but enjoyed the sand. Isabel ran right into the ocean, although she preferred the pool overall. Other than my hair being a disaster the entire trip, everything went smoothly and we had a fun last hurrah before heading back to OH in time for Kindergarten to start.

Blackmail Material

We've been working on and off with Zak on potty training. To make the experience a fun and pleasant one, I've been reading him books while he sits. But Isabel has taken over that role; she likes to read him books and he loves listening. Maybe I can use this photo on his graduation day...

The Big K

You might not think to look at it, but this is a sad picture...


Today I dropped my only daughter off at Kindergarten. And it wasn't even REAL Kindergarten, just a 2 hour meet-the-teacher/child assessment but it still made me cry on the way home. Isabel didn't seem sad, however. Excited, nervous, and then happy to see a buddy from her daycare, but not sad (as the picture will attest to!). I'm so proud of her, I know she'll do great today... but in the meantime I'm counting the minutes until I can pick her up.

Call the Tooth Fairy

When I got home Thursday night, Isabel had some exciting news for me: "I have a loose tooth!"

I was stunned. In my mind, my baby girl is too young for such a monumental milestone. My eyes actually got a little watery but I kept it together for her sake. Lucky girl gets to show off the hole in her mouth on the rapidly approaching first day of kindergarten. Now the tooth fairy has some serious thinking to do... how much is a first tooth worth?

The Potty King

Today I walked into Zak's classroom and as soon as he saw me he yelled, "I go potty!" His teacher confirmed it; my little man used the potty for the first time today! I know from experience we've got a long way to go, but this is the beginning of the end of diapers.

At home, Zak, Isabel, and I spent a good 20 minutes in the bathroom together. Zak sat on his little potty while Isabel and I read books to him. Isabel is such a sweet big sister (well, most of the time); she was so encouraging to him and did a wonderful job making bathroom time "fun" for him. Hopefully in 6 months... maybe a year (sigh) he'll be all toilet trained.

Worker Bees

Cleaning the floors: backbreaking chore or fun game? Somehow I've managed to convince the kids this is a treat; they were begging for more this morning. Now that's good parenting!

Pomp & Circumstance

I don't know how she managed to get so old already, but we suddenly find ourselves the proud parents of a pre-k graduate! Her school had a little ceremony for the kids, with robes, caps, diplomas - the whole bit. Isabel did a wonderful job during the event.

Next year, our gal will be attending half day public kindergarten/half day at Goddard. Her mother may not be ready for all this but I guess I have the summer to get used to the idea!

Mother's Day Weekend

I may be behind on my blog posts, but at least this one is getting written in the same month that the event took place! Mother's Day weekend was really wonderful this year because my mom and her "super boyfriend" Dan came to visit. As a surprise gift to her, Dan arranged for my brother to come to Columbus as well. And what did we do with my mom once she was here? We made her cook! It wasn't all work, though; we also went to Isabel's soccer game, Inniswood Gardens, and the zoo. And it goes without saying that Isabel and Zachary loved all the extra spoiling.

Do Not Disturb

Zak takes nap time very seriously. He always sleeps like this!

Good Eggs

My dad and Pam were supposed to visit in March during his spring break, but once they heard the whole house was infected with a virulent stomach bug they wisely rescheduled for Easter. The weather wasn't great (rainiest April ever, lucky us!) but we managed to have plenty of indoor fun.