Fall officially arrives on Friday and although I usually love this time of year (the turning of the leaves, the cooler mornings and evenings…), I think I would prefer summer for just a bit longer.  With little kids, I find that being able to put them outside on a regular basis improves my sanity (and the condition of my home) and the thought of cold, dark and yucky weather sounds horrible.

Pants is back in preschool 3 mornings a week and Goose is enjoying having some time alone with me on these days.   Preschool requested a family photo for a project they are doing, which forced me to finally take one -

My grandma came to visit and it was great to see her!  Wish she had the opportunity to see the kids more regularly.

Goose is entering the “Me do” phase and pretty much insists on doing everything herself:  strapping herself into the car seat, cleaning her tray after a meal, carrying her plate and cup to the sink, wiping her bottom (she calls it “yiping”), putting on her own lotion, and the list goes on and on.   She is obsessed with anything Elmo these days and has picked up a few jingles from her favorite shows (Pingu, Elmo’s World and Calliou).

Today was the first real warm day…it almost seemed like summer may be upon us, but I won’t go that far in making any assumptions about our weather.

Don't let the snowboots fool you; my son just really loves to wear boots (rain, snow, or in this case sun).

Nice bus and driver

My son got his first-ever pet today, a betta fish he named Boo (from Monsters, Inc.).  He is just thrilled about his new fish.  I never would have dreamed that one little fish could be so exciting.  He is constantly “checking on him”, reads stories to him and is always asking me why Boo is not looking at him.  He woke after a very short nap and raced over to his fishbowl to see Boo.  I am not sure if the fish’s lifespan will exceed that of the new fish novelty; I suppose we will have to wait and see.

Yesterday was Little Man’s graduation ceremony at his preschool. It was extremely adorable.  I will post some photos and video a bit later in the week.

Little Man and Dad went to his first movie together last weekend – Rio in 3D.  He was absolutely THRILLED to be in the theater and was beaming from ear to ear upon his return home.  Lastly, LM is ready to get back into swim lessons now that we got the okay from the doctor and ear plugs.

Goose had her 18 month well-check today.  She’s hanging out in the 75th percentile for weight and height.  He asked me about her disposition and tantrums and luckily (dare I jinx myself) she has yet to throw a single tantrum!  Wouldn’t it be just amazing if she just breezed past the terrible twos-threes without any issues?  Aren’t I karmically due?   The doctor also said the average 18 month-old says between 7-15 words, so apparently I have a very loquacious little girl on my hands.

Here’s some recent photos of the cowboys–