Leaf Peeping

It's that time of year again, when the "sky is high and the horses are fat" as they say in Korea. The fall foliage this year has just been spectacular and while I don't have the best pictures, here are a few scenic views close to our house. Just trying to make you jealous!

Kid's-eye View

W took these pictures one day and I just think it's fun to see his view of the world.

Spiders

Just a few spidery things to get you in the Halloween mood....Some dewy spiderwebs in the morning fog and a spidery M, in her costume and loving it.

Beach Baby

This picture was just too cute, I had to put it up. And you can follow this link to a little movie about the Beach Baby.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?

Surf and Sand

Last weekend we went camping for the first time since W was a baby. Our new tent was so great with the two rooms and the boys really enjoyed racing around at night with their flashlights pretending to be motorcycles. We even made a new friend: a walking stick, the coolest bug I've ever seen.The next day we went to Salisbury Beach, the beach we always visited when we lived in MA. It was so great to be back and we lucked out and got the perfect 90 degree beach day. We loved it. It's going to be an annual trip from now on!

School is Prison

So W started first grade yesterday, and it was quite an ordeal! This is a kid who asks if the school has burned down every time we hear a fire truck siren. Or, if it hasn't burned, he wants to know if we can move away where there are no schools. W is convinced that first grade will be way to hard since he searched through the whole classroom and didn't see one toy! So, obviously, there's no playtime in first grade. And there are a lot of pencils so that means only one thing: the dreaded writing. W would rather do dishes than write letters. So, to help alleviate his anxiety about first grade, we found an extra brain for him to take to school. This way, if the problems are too hard, he can just pull out his extra brain and solve them no problem! The extra brain is very sticky and squishy and was a big hit with the rest of his class. I kind of feel sorry for his teachers...

....aaaaaaaaaawkward

You know how "Kids Say the Darnedest Things"? Well, here's a sample from this last week:

1. So, where do babies come from? from W
   
2. How do they get in your belly? from W
3. When M turns 3 will she get a pee-pee too? from A
4. Mommy, I like this big fat part (pokes me in belly). Do you have a baby in there? from A
5. Dress! from M
   
6. This dress? from me
7. NO! DRESS! from M
8. Oh, this dress? from me
9. NO! NO! NO! (emphasized with kicking me in the leg) DRESS! from M
10. How about these pretty shoes? from me
11. Shoes! Pretty! from M
    

The Diva

I recently read in a parenting magazine this valuable insight into the life and minds of toddlers. "Think of her as a diva. You may not dress the diva; you may only offer clothing suggestions." This is so very, very true. Consider this outfit and this is after one hour of suggestions and much crying (from both of us!)

Blue Man Group, Lookout!

In case you were wondering what happens when you run over a piece of blue sidewalk chalk in the garage.

Summer is for Berries

On Saturday we engaged in that timeless summer tradition: blueberry picking. Amazingly, more berries ended up in the buckets than in/on the kids. So far we've made blueberry pie, blueberry pancakes, frozen many blueberries, and eaten lots. Mmmm, blueberries....

Water Babies

One advantage to living on a river is that on hot days, you can hit the water. Yesterday we drove 2 miles down to a little sandy beach on the river to drop off our cousin, her friend, and their two kayaks. The water babies took off running for the beach. M has no fear of the water and with or without a lifejacket she will wade in up to her shoulders. She loves to float on her back and kick herself around and will do it all by herself (although we stay close because she can get a tinsy bit overconfident). A, who was so scared of the water earlier this year, is now a good little swimmer, putting his face in the water and kicking around with a pool noodle. He was even jumping off rocks into the water. And W, now that he's had some "real" swimming lessons, can swim underwater quite well and so he got to go on the rope swing. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

Tattoo Philosphy

Yesterday, W wanted to know why we can't have tattoos. I reminded him that President Hinckley has asked us not to have tattoos on our body. "But what's wrong with Thomas the Tank Engine?" W wanted to know. I realized that he didn't actually know what a tattoo is, so I explained the difference between real tattoos and temporary ones and that the temporary ones are ok because they wash off. W considered this for a second and then came out with this: "So the people at the Great and 'Bominable Church have real tattoos?" I took a deep breath (so as not to laugh) and said, yes, they might. "But we still have to love everyone, no matter what church they go to," I explained. W decided that he could do that.

Our Pet from the Pond

So Thursday we took W to his swimming lessons at the Strafford Pond. It's really hard for W to concentrate on the actual swimming portion since there are so many other things to be distracted by, like salamanders and fish and water bugs and dragon flies and... it goes on. He started wandering along the edge of the pond, past the safety rope. I watched him go for a while and then called him back and explained it wasn't safe go go past the rope. Of course, the inevitable question, "Why not." "Because there might be leeches," I replied, having no idea whether there really were leeches or not. I forgot all about the leech comment until on the drive home, W claims there's something stuck to his foot and it won't come off no matter how hard he pulls. "It's a leech!" he screeches. Once we get home I check out the matter only to discover that, sure enough, it's a little tiny leech stuck between his big toe and second toe. W starts crying, "This is what I get for going past the rope? A leech stuck to me!" I was able to pull it off and show him it didn't really hurt and it was, after all, only a baby leech. So now we have a pet leech named Sucker. Of course we're only raising him until he's big enough to go to the hospital with Daddy. Why will he go to the hospital with Daddy, you ask? "Because when people get their fingers cut off, the hospital uses leeches to help suck blood back into it." And how does W know this? "Popular Mechanics for Kids. You should watch it, mom. You might learn something."